Mount Hakuto, located at the border between Konoha and Sunagakure, was a towering mountain whose overlapping peaks stretched endlessly toward the horizon. Dense jungle and towering trees were clearly visible nearby, while in the distance, everything faded into clouds and mist.
Chiyo stood silently, her eyes dark as she stared at the mountain peak. She stepped forward and said, "Rasa, all preparations are complete."
Rasa gazed at Mount Hakuto just ahead, his eyes burning with determination. In the ongoing conflict between Sunagakure and Konoha, this was the first time the Sand Village had advanced so close to Konoha's territory. Beyond this mountain lay open ground. From this offensive alone, Rasa could clearly sense Konoha's weakness—there had been no serious resistance along the way, which greatly boosted his confidence. He waved his hand decisively and commanded, "Attack!"
"Boom! Boom!..."
With an earth-shaking explosion, the gates of Konoha's stronghold were completely shattered. The confrontation between Konoha and Sunagakure had officially begun.
Three days had already passed since Sunagakure arrived at Mount Hakuto. During that time, aside from initial reconnaissance probes, Rasa had not launched a single large-scale attack.
The closer they approached Konoha, the more cautious he needed to be. Rasa carefully listened as various ninja described the terrain of Mount Hakuto. He analyzed the Konoha defenders stationed here, examining their backgrounds and the traits of each clan. He also studied effective ways to counter them. Clearly, Sunagakure was very familiar with Konoha—their knowledge of half of these clans came from past conflicts during the Second Great Ninja War. Rasa felt reassured. Although their numbers totaled only two thousand, Konoha's ninja would be even fewer. This battle might very well end in victory.
The battle unfolded exactly according to Rasa's plan—methodically and smoothly.
But for Konoha, these three days had been agonizing. Their nerves remained constantly tense without relief. As defenders, they couldn't afford any carelessness—especially facing the enemy's overwhelming numerical advantage. A moment's distraction might result in a broken defense line.
On the fourth day, the attack came again.
First rushing into the forest were swarms of puppets—an endless sea of darkness. Most took animal forms, massive in size. Each puppet concealed deadly hidden weapons and potent poisons within its joints. Cold, venomous spikes gleamed chillingly under sunlight. Contact with these devices meant instant severe damage to Konoha's ninja.
The Konoha surveillance ninjas on outer watch spotted the scene and froze in shock, shivering involuntarily before hurriedly pulling out signal flares from their robes and launching them skyward.
"Bang!"
Instantly, from every quiet corner of the previously silent mountains, groups of ninja burst forth. Standing at various high points and seeing this scene unfold before them, their minds momentarily went blank with confusion. But these were all elite members of their respective clans; they quickly recovered and began attacking.
[Water Release: Exploding Water Shockwave!]
[Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!]
[Earth Release: Earth Needle!]
Wave after wave of ninjutsu battered the puppets, shattering many into pieces. Yet there were simply too many puppets—their steady advance continued unabated. The sheer pressure of this overwhelming force made every Konoha ninja's heart sink into the abyss.
The puppeteers controlling these puppets were hiding inside a massive beetle-shaped construct, their chakra threads extending outward through tiny holes in its shell.
Standing atop the beetle was a lone figure—Elder Chiyo. Her face set with grim determination, she watched the advancing puppets. Her fingers danced ceaselessly, echoing the movements of the unseen puppeteers below. Any skilled puppeteer present would have realized she was commanding the entire operation alone—a feat requiring immense perception and spiritual strength.
It proved that, in her prime, she truly had the power to defeat the White Fang.
At some point, Rasa had arrived beside Chiyo and quietly asked, "How are we doing?"
"Hmm. Everything is going smoothly. We haven't faced any major resistance yet. It seems Konoha knows we're using puppets to drain their strength, so they haven't gone all out," Chiyo replied with a knowing smile.
Without taking his eyes off the puppet assault, Rasa replied firmly, "Exactly. Then let's push harder. Speed up the puppets."
Chiyo hesitated. "This is already the limit of what I can control. If we go faster, the puppets will become far less effective."
Hearing this, Rasa couldn't help but sigh. "Elder Chiyo, your grandson truly is a puppet genius. To complete so many puppets in such a short time… If you would allow him to join this battle, our advance would be much smoother."
Chiyo caught the implication in his words and replied coldly, "Sasori is my only grandson. His parents sacrificed their lives for the village. He is still too young for the battlefield. He needs the village's protection."
Rasa caught the sharp edge in Chiyo's voice. For a moment, irritation flickered in his eyes. But he quickly returned to a calm smile. "You're right. A genius like him should indeed be kept safe. He'll surely become a trump card for the village in the future."
As the two were discussing, suddenly someone burst from underground, followed by a sudden flash of light. An invisible, deadly intent spread across the area like a tidal wave, engulfing both of them.
In an instant, daylight gave way to pitch darkness. Endless blackness transformed the space into a lonely void, as if the cold itself had swallowed every last ray of light. Darkness closed in on them—no sky, no ground, only silence so complete it felt suffocating. What was even more maddening was that the intense sounds of battle from earlier had vanished completely, leaving not even the faintest echo.
Cold sweat dripped from their brows, vanishing into the endless abyss without a trace.
"Ambush."
"Be careful."
[Magnet Release: Gold Dust Defense]
Sword Light, accompanied by thunder and lightning, shot straight toward them. At first, it carried a faint dragon-like roar; in moments, the sound deepened like a dragon diving into the ocean, scattering low, echoing growls in all directions. The Blade Aura carried an extreme sense of illusion and unreality, making it impossible to tell where the attack had come from.
The wind surged into a cyclone, and the Blade Aura gleamed like ice under moonlight.
Only Anya could unleash such a powerful Sword Art. Wielding the Blade of Indifference, he unleashed sonic booms that crackled in succession as they surged toward them. Countless strikes wove a dense net, surging back and forth like a tidal wave. Wave after wave crashed in, wrapping and ensnaring them, leaving almost no room to escape.
"Ding ding ding..."
The *Sword Light* struck through the darkness, producing sharp metallic clangs. The shockwaves and blade howls shattered the silence, causing the ground to tremble violently.
Finally, the Sword Light scattered, fully withdrawn. The Blade of Indifference's hum faded completely. Anya moved in harmony with his blade, a streak of light vanishing into the endless void like a comet across the storm-lit sky. At the same time, the Supreme Blade was unsheathed. All the surrounding blades and lightning arcs converged into a single, devastating strike. Death and annihilation sharpened at the tip of the blade. The original blue hue of the sword had faded, concentrated now as a glowing point at its core, revealing the blade's true silver body...
[Breaking the Blade.]
Blood dripped onto the ground.
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