Inside the temporary cave shelter.
The atmosphere was tense.
Both teams were gathered inside. Deep in the cave, Taiichi was treating Sakumo's wounds.
The most critical injury was the puncture wound on his shoulder. Using Chakra Scalpels, Taiichi precisely excised the necrotic flesh. Every movement was careful yet decisive.
Following the debridement, the green light of the Mystical Palm Technique accelerated cell division, closing the wound.
At this point, talk of "shortening lifespan" or "burning potential" was meaningless bullshit. You had to survive first to have a future.
With the major wound stabilized, Taiichi didn't dare rest. Sweat soaked his hair, but he had no time to wipe it away.
He moved on to the countless smaller wounds covering Sakumo's body. Due to lack of treatment, many were inflamed and festering, emitting a foul odor. If left alone, Sakumo would die from infection, which would be a pathetic way for the White Fang to go.
Outside the cave, Yamaguchi, Minato, and the others were busy. They pooled their remaining supplies to set traps around the perimeter, hoping to delay the enemy.
Minato also buried several Flying Raijin kunai around the entrance, setting up a potential surprise attack.
"Minato, how is Sakumo-senpai?" Yamaguchi asked, looking worriedly at the concealed cave entrance.
"It's bad. I checked him when Taiichi and Makoto brought him back. A normal medical ninja wouldn't be able to fix that kind of damage. I just don't know how good Taiichi's skills are."
Minato was anxious. If the White Fang died here, it would be a devastating loss for Konoha.
Surprisingly, Yamaguchi relaxed. "If that's the case, don't worry. Taiichi can bring people back from the brink of death. If Sakumo-senpai isn't dead yet, Taiichi can fix him."
Minato looked at Yamaguchi in surprise. He knew Taiichi was talented, but that good? Still, hearing his friend's confidence eased his mind.
Traps set, everyone found a spot to rest. They knew a hard battle was coming and needed to recover every bit of stamina and chakra.
BOOM!
A series of deafening explosions shattered the silence. Flames shot into the sky, and dust filled the air. The explosive tag traps had been triggered.
Everyone snapped to attention, assuming their battle formation. The two captains took point, Yohei stood in the middle, and the other four guarded the cave entrance. Makoto's three large ninken prowled the perimeter.
As the smoke cleared, fifteen figures emerged from the forest. Four of them were limping, clothes scorched and torn. The traps had done some damage.
Konoha and Cloud faced off, separated by twenty meters of open ground.
The Cloud ANBU were in a foul mood. They had already lost two men, and now four more were injured before the fight even started.
While the injuries weren't fatal, they hampered combat effectiveness and damaged morale.
The Cloud Captain assessed the situation. Seeing the Konoha ninja holding a defensive line, he realized they were stalling for time to treat Sakumo.
It made sense. They had been chasing Sakumo for days; they knew how badly he was hurt. Without medical aid, Sakumo was a walking corpse.
But something felt off. The Cloud Captain scrutinized the Konoha team. The two leading Jonin didn't match the descriptions of the Taijutsu and Kenjutsu specialists who killed his men earlier.
The Cloud squad leaders exchanged glances. They have hidden forces. Be careful.
"Konoha ninja! Hand over Sakumo Hatake! He assassinated high-ranking officials of our village. We are here on the Raikage's orders to arrest him!" The Cloud Captain shouted, trying to seize the moral high ground (and intimidate them).
"It seems your village's intel is severely lagging!" Minato retorted instantly, not backing down an inch. "If we don't return today, the dirty deeds Cloud has been committing will be published to the entire ninja world! I suggest you go back and ask for updated orders!"
Minato was bluffing, hoping to sow doubt. Even a moment of hesitation could be exploited.
The Cloud Captain saw his intimidation failed and his own men were wavering. He decided to act fast. He waved his hand.
The four squad leaders and their subordinates charged. The Captain stayed back to coordinate and watch for the hidden "specialists."
Seeing the charge, Yamaguchi stopped holding back. His hands blurred.
"Earth Style: Mud River!"
Chakra surged into the ground, turning the solid earth into a rushing river of mud. Five Cloud Chunin in the front couldn't dodge in time and were trapped in the sludge.
Yamaguchi wove another set of signs instantly. "Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
A dragon head rose from the mud, spitting high-speed mud projectiles at the scattered enemies.
Minato didn't lag behind. Timing it perfectly with Yamaguchi, he cast his own Jutsu. "Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet!"
A stream of fire merged with the mud bullets, turning them into searing projectiles of magma.
The Cloud ninja were caught off guard by the opening nuke. The four Jonin squad leaders dodged in time, but the Chunin weren't so lucky. Trapped in the mud river, they took the full brunt of the combo attack.
They were forced to use their trump cards just to survive, leaving them heavily injured.
Behind the captains, Yohei and Saori watched in awe. They knew Yamaguchi was an Earth Style user, but they had never seen him unleash this kind of firepower.
The Cloud Chunin were neutralized for now, but the Jonin had broken through. One engaged Minato, one engaged Yamaguchi, and the other two bypassed them to attack the Chunin guard team.
The Cloud Captain, enraged by the heavy losses, abandoned his command post and charged at full speed toward Yamaguchi, whom he identified as the biggest threat.
Yamaguchi, already fighting one Jonin, suddenly found himself facing two. Pressure skyrocketed, and wounds began to appear on his body.
The situation in the back was even worse. Five Chunin (plus Taiichi inside) against two Jonin was a losing battle. Even with the three ninken fighting fiercely, they were being pushed back.
Saori and Rin Nakamura were bleeding from multiple cuts.
Yohei took a deep slash to his back, bone visible through the wound. Yet he stood firm in front of Saori, protecting her because she had taken most of her injuries defending him.
His Sharingan spun wildly, two tomoe blurring as he desperately tried to predict the enemy's movements. But the gap in strength was too large.
Despair began to settle over the team. The injured Cloud Chunin were dragging themselves out of the mud, ready to join the slaughter.
Then, in a split second—
Minato, locked in combat with a Jonin, vanished without warning.
An instant later, he appeared beside the Jonin who was about to stab Makoto.
Minato's kunai was already positioned at the Jonin's neck. Using the enemy's own forward momentum, the blade sliced through effortlessly.
Splurt.
The sound was soft, but it thundered in everyone's ears.
The Cloud Jonin's charge halted. Blood sprayed from his neck, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Where did he go? thought the Jonin fighting Minato.
When did he get here? thought the dying Jonin.
Everyone froze. Even the Cloud ninja stopped. No Body Flicker was that fast. The unknown terrified them.
The injured Cloud Chunin huddled behind their captain. The battlefield fell into a strange silence.
Minato had distributed Flying Raijin kunai to everyone before the battle. It was a gamble—he wasn't perfectly proficient with the technique in combat yet—but it paid off.
Just as the standoff resumed, the concealment barrier over the cave entrance shimmered and vanished.
All eyes turned to the cave.
A figure walked out slowly from the shadows. First the feet, then the white hair, then the sharp eyes.
It was the White Fang, Sakumo Hatake.
"Sakumo-senpai! Your wounds..." Minato flickered to his side, noticing the bandages covering his upper body.
The Cloud ninja felt their stomachs drop. Two dangerous Konoha Jonin were bad enough. Now the White Fang was back in the fight? Even injured, his reputation was terrifying.
"Damn it! They brought a high-level medical ninja!" The Cloud Captain cursed.
Remembering the Raikage's orders—kill if possible, retreat if not—he made a decision.
"Grab the wounded and the dead! Retreat!"
The Cloud ninja, realizing the mission was FUBAR, silently gathered their casualties and backed away.
Yamaguchi moved to pursue, but Minato stopped him with a look. Yamaguchi held back, trusting Minato's judgment.
Only when the Cloud ninja were completely gone did the upright Sakumo suddenly collapse.
He fell like a puppet with its strings cut, gasping for air, cold sweat pouring down his face.
The team realized: It was a bluff. He had bet his life on intimidation.
Taiichi walked out of the cave, looking exhausted. The high-intensity healing had drained him almost as much as Sakumo.
"Rest up quickly. We need to leave before they realize it was a trick and come back," Minato ordered, helping Sakumo up.
Everyone popped soldier pills without a word.
Taiichi couldn't rest yet. He moved among the team, treating injuries. Yohei, Saori, the ninken—everyone was hurt.
When he got to Yohei, he gasped. The cut on his back was deep enough to expose the spine. A centimeter deeper, and he would have been paralyzed.
"How's that, Taiichi? That's my medal of honor!" Yohei grinned through pale, blue-tinged lips.
"If your medal was any bigger, I wouldn't be treating you; I'd be burying you," Taiichi retorted, admiring his friend's toughness. He used the Mystical Palm. Normal bandages wouldn't fix this.
While Taiichi worked, Minato and Yamaguchi debriefed Sakumo.
They pieced together the timeline. Sakumo had been on the run for six days. But the Raikage should have recalled the pursuit teams two days ago.
There was a two-day gap where the attacks continued.
Someone was playing games. Either Konoha's intel was delayed, or Cloud was trying to sneak in a kill before the deadline.
Rage simmered in the group. They would investigate this thoroughly when they got back.
After a short rest, they moved out. The location was compromised.
They traveled in a defensive formation, with Makoto and Kuromaru scouting ahead.
They crossed the border into the Land of Hot Water without incident. Everyone relaxed slightly. They were safer here.
Just as they let their guard down—
BOOM!
Explosions erupted at the front of the formation. Fire and shockwaves swallowed Makoto and Kuromaru instantly.
"NO!" Yohei screamed, charging toward the fire.
Minato was faster. He arrived first and blew away the flames with a Wind Style jutsu.
Revealed were the charred, broken bodies of a boy and a dog. Dead.
Suddenly, over a dozen ninja emerged from the surroundings. Their mismatched gear identified them instantly: Bounty Hunters.
"Haha! The intel was right! The White Fang is heavily injured!"
"We wouldn't dare touch him at full strength, but like this? He's free money!"
"Look at them! Injured brats and only two active Jonin! We have six Jonin!"
"50 million ryo! It's mine!"
The bounty hunters taunted them, trying to break their morale.
Taiichi grabbed Yohei, who looked ready to charge in suicidally.
Then he froze.
Yohei's Sharingan had changed.
Three tomoe spun in his eyes.
"Captain... there are too many of them. Six Jonin. How do we fight this?" Yamaguchi asked grimly.
If Sakumo could fight, he could solo them. But he was running on empty.
"Captain. Their focus is on the three of you. They're ignoring me and Yohei. That's our chance," Taiichi whispered. "Yohei awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan."
Minato and Yamaguchi looked at Yohei, shocked and saddened. Awakening the three-tomoe at his age was genius-level talent, but the trigger—the death of a friend—was tragic.
"Worth a shot." The three Jonin exchanged glances and nodded.
Konoha struck first.
"Earth Style: Mud River!"
Yamaguchi targeted the densest cluster of bounty hunters.
Minato didn't use Ninjutsu. He flickered straight at a Jonin, engaging instantly.
Sakumo, forcing himself to move, engaged another Jonin.
Seeing the Konoha ninja attack, the bounty hunters roared and charged. Aside from those trapped by the mud, the rest rushed toward the 50 million ryo prize—Sakumo.