The remaining Sand Hidden Leaf ninjas, who witnessed Ryu being impaled by Sakumo Hatake and were still reeling from the shock of the Amaterasu arrow, found their courage dwindling.
Ryu was the strongest among them, and if even he couldn't withstand a single blow from Sakumo Hatake, who else could possibly stand against him?
While the others were still gripped by fear, Sakumo Hatake gave them no time to think, launching into a series of high-speed leaps.
The nearby Sand Hidden Leaf ninjas convulsed and fell to the ground, each with a kunai, crackling with lightning, embedded in their bodies.
"Come," Sakumo Hatake waved his hand, and the nearby Leaf ninjas immediately swarmed forward, restraining the incapacitated Sand Hidden Leaf ninjas and confiscating all their ninja tools to prevent them from committing suicide.
Then, Sakumo Hatake looked at Ryu, who in the eyes of others was "dead."
Ryu was now lying on the ground, gasping for air, his entire body paralyzed by the powerful electric current.
What the other Sand Hidden Leaf ninjas had seen was merely an illusion created by his genjutsu.
Sakumo Hatake wasn't particularly skilled in genjutsu, but he knew that sometimes simple genjutsu could be effective in troublesome situations, especially for a high-speed ninja like himself, where even a slight delay in the battle's rhythm could change the outcome.
Therefore, Sakumo Hatake had consulted Hattori Heizo, a fellow ninja, on how to incorporate genjutsu into combat.
Hattori Heizo, a master of this art, advised Sakumo Hatake that a non-genjutsu ninja, wanting to quickly cast genjutsu in battle, should best utilize their strongest aspect, as it would be faster and more unpredictable.
For Sakumo Hatake, who used Lightning Release, among the many genjutsu styles, vision was the most suitable medium, as his lightning glow was too striking, easily drawing people's attention, and even a brief moment of confusion was enough to set up a strategy.
It was the scene of Sakumo Hatake mercilessly "piercing" Ryu that plunged the surrounding Sand Hidden Leaf ninjas into fear, and before they could even react, Sakumo Hatake took them down one by one.
"You, you bastard...!" Even as Ryu's body convulsed from the electric current, he still reached out towards Sakumo Hatake, completely unable to accept his defeat here.
"If you have the guts, kill me! Don't mock me like this!"
It seemed Ryu believed Sakumo Hatake had spared him to watch him struggle miserably.
Sakumo Hatake shook his head and said, "You'd better behave.
Perhaps you'll still get to see your wife."
Ryu, who had been struggling violently, suddenly froze, though his body still twitched involuntarily from the electric current.
His eyes widened, staring intently at Sakumo Hatake, and he said in a hoarse voice, "You, what did you say?"
"She's alive and well, just a prisoner of war in our village," Sakumo Hatake said.
"Just stay put.
As long as you're alive, you'll have a chance to meet."
A prisoner of war? But didn't the Leaf Village not accept Sand Hidden Leaf prisoners of war? Weren't they all killed immediately?
Countless questions swirled in Ryu's mind.
He didn't know if Sakumo Hatake was telling the truth, but Sakumo Hatake's calm demeanor and serious gaze gave him a glimmer of hope, and he involuntarily quieted down, making no move even when others came to restrain him.
Seeing this, Sakumo Hatake breathed a sigh of relief and turned his gaze to the other side, where Chiyo, Asuna, Mizuki, and others were battling.
Now he could free himself to help.
At the same time, Chiyo's side also became flustered because the tremendous impact of Uchiha Ken's Black Flame Arrow caused a momentary pause in her control over the puppets.
As a result, Asuna seized the opportunity and used Wind Release to sever three puppets in one go.
The Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets were not specially modified puppets like Ryu's.
Once their bodies were cut into several pieces by Wind Release, there was no point in using them again, and Chiyo's combat power immediately decreased.
At this moment, Asuna had already found an opportunity within Katsuyu to absorb senjutsu chakra from the chakra reserve block, instantly entering Sage Mode.
Her overall abilities and qualities greatly increased, and it was this rapid change that Chiyo struggled to adapt to for a while.
— The strength of this girl suddenly...!
Chiyo hurriedly controlled her puppets to block Asuna's lightning-fast attacks, and at the same time, Mizuki's voice rang out from the side: "There are still people here, old lady!"
Mizuki threw a large number of kunai, mixed with steel wires and other assistive ninja tools, and her Fire Release followed, combining with Asuna's occasional Wind Release to trigger a fierce explosion.
If Mizuki's Fire Release had also been Black Flame, the commotion it caused would have been comparable to Uchiha Ken's Black Flame Arrow.
In the fierce battle, Chiyo noticed her son being struck down by Sakumo Hatake, and she immediately became anxious.
However, the two girls opposite her gave her no chance to leave, as Wind Release, Fire Release, and Katsuyu's acid were sent her way intermittently.
Facing such an unfavorable situation, Chiyo hardened her heart and used the Puppet Secret Skill: Three Jewels Suction Crushing, but her target was not Asuna and the others, but the ground nearby.
A large amount of rock fragments were absorbed into the Three Jewels Suction Crushing, and then Chiyo changed direction, releasing the crushed rocks all at once, forming a unique Earth Release attack that temporarily suppressed Asuna and Mizuki's Wind and Fire ninjutsu.
Chiyo turned her head and quickly looked over, seeing her son being tied up by the Leaf ninjas.
Although she was surprised why the Leaf ninjas didn't choose to kill him, it made Chiyo breathe a sigh of relief.
She couldn't think clearly about the subsequent impact of this matter right now; she was simply relieved for her son's safety.
At this moment, a white light pierced through the rock fragments, and Asuna darted out, striking at the puppet using Three Jewels Suction Crushing.
Seeing this, Chiyo quickly used other puppets to block Asuna.
However, Asuna, due to her advanced Sage Mode, had combat power far exceeding her past self.
Furthermore, in Sage Mode, her movements seemed to be in perfect harmony with nature, barely emitting any presence, and her changes in technique were so unpredictable.
Another puppet was vertically cut in half by Asuna.
"Don't get carried away!" Chiyo cried out in anger and alarm, operating the puppets to use Three Jewels Suction Crushing once again.
She had previously confirmed that Asuna couldn't use Fire Release ninjutsu.
Now, Mizuki was temporarily blocked by the previous rock fragment impact.
At such a close distance, it was the perfect opportunity to deal with her.
However, what happened next was like a re-enactment of the past: as Asuna was being drawn into the center of the Three Jewels Suction Crushing sealing jutsu, a powerful explosion immediately engulfed three puppets—it was just a shadow clone carrying a large number of explosive tags.
Long ago,Fumori Masaki had taught Sakumo Hatake, Asuna, and Mizuki how to deal with Three Jewels Suction Crushing when facing Chiyo's Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets.
The Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets were indeed very powerful puppets, but perhaps because they were too exceptional, it wasn't easy to incorporate innovations.
The abilities of the Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets, while seemingly diverse, could actually be said to be quite singular in some respects.
As a result, Chiyo's Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets had already lost more than half, severely reducing her combat power.
At the same time, the situation on her side took a sharp turn for the worse.
Her puppet army suffered heavy losses, while the Leaf ninjas' morale was soaring, and Sakumo Hatake was also rushing to join the fray.
Continuing the battle seemed to offer no possibility of victory.
Chiyo looked painfully in her son's direction.
As an experienced old ninja, she understood that at this moment, she couldn't stop due to personal feelings; she had to preserve her remaining strength.
However, how easily can human emotions be set aside?
Suffering while making a ruthless choice might also be the tragedy of the ninja profession.
Chiyo hurriedly ordered everyone to retreat.
The Sand Hidden Leaf ninjas threw a large number of smoke bombs to cover their escape.
Before leaving, Chiyo still glanced in her son's direction, praying that the Leaf ninjas would treat prisoners well according to their past policy.
She had already lost a daughter-in-law; she couldn't lose her son as well.
Sakumo Hatake slashed through the smoke, aiming at Chiyo's position he had previously seen.
The strong gust of wind generated by his high-speed movement blew away some of the smoke.
He felt no impact, knowing that his opponent had already left.
"Are you alright?" Sakumo Hatake then looked to the other side.
Beneath a large amount of rock debris, a giant slug slowly rose, and Asuna and Mizuki emerged from its soft body.
Asuna shook her head at Sakumo Hatake: "Nothing serious."
Sakumo Hatake breathed a sigh of relief and said, "First, reorganize the team, and then we'll pursue."
The nearby Leaf ninjas began to reassemble, while Sakumo Hatake, Asuna, and Mizuki met with Yamanaka Risa.
Yamanaka Risa had suffered some internal injuries due to excessive use of the Mind Body Transmission Technique earlier.
Fortunately, after taking medicine, her condition improved somewhat, though her face was still very pale.
When Sakumo Hatake inquired about her condition, Yamanaka Risa smiled and said, "It's nothing serious.
Basic communication is still possible, but a scale like before probably won't work."
"We don't need that kind of mental communication," Sakumo Hatake said, turning to look at the still-burning Black Flame, feeling a faint tremor in his heart.
Even though there was no combustible material nearby, the Black Flame continued to burn unhindered.
Its scale had not only not diminished but was expanding, and he didn't know how it would stop.
"Was that thing unleashed by Uchiha Ken?" Mizuki, who had also received Yamanaka Risa's message earlier, asked with some uncertainty.
"It must be him.
I can't believe he can use such powerful Fire Release.
Do you know what this is?
It's black flames!" Yamanaka Risa asked Mizuki, who came from a Fire Release clan.
Mizuki shook her head.
She didn't know what kind of flames these were.
The highest level she had seen was the Fire Release used by her father and Hiruzen Sarutobi, who also came from a Fire Release clan.
That was already close to white flames, incredibly powerful, but it didn't have the same shocking impact as the Black Flame before her.
"I think I've seen something similar somewhere," Asuna said at this moment.
"I remember it was in a book my father showed me."
After a while, Asuna finally remembered that she had seen it in a classic ninja mythology book given to her by her father.
Because of Ritomi and Kana, Asuna had also delved into ninja mythology, and she now realized she had seen a description of this Black Flame in ninja mythology.
In the legends of ninja mythology, this Black Flame was said to be the power of Amaterasu, the highest level of Fire Release.
Such Black Flame could not be extinguished by ordinary means.
If left alone, it would continue to burn for seven days and seven nights before finally stopping completely.
As for the damage it would cause, that remained unknown.
"How did Uchiha Ken master this mythical flame?" Mizuki looked confused.
She had never seen similar records in her clan and couldn't understand how anyone could control the Black Flame from myths.
In fact, the mere existence of mythical flames was already astonishing.
However, since the Six Paths Sage was a real person, then the legends in the ninja classics might also be true.
Some theories suggest that the mythical figures in ninja mythology were actually ninja masters who achieved great things after studying chakra under the Six Paths Sage, and because they were so powerful, they appeared like gods to the people of that era.
"I don't know," Mizuki asked, but no one else could provide an answer.
"If someone can master such power, that's their own ability.
It's not for us outsiders to comment.
Everyone has their own trump cards.
It's best if they're willing to share, but it's also human nature if they're not," Sakumo Hatake said.
Asuna nodded slightly.
She possessed the power of Sage Mode.
Currently, because there had been no progress in her research on Sage Mode,Fumori Masaki had chosen not to publicize it.
Although others knew that Asuna used a secret technique to enhance her own state, they didn't pry, because one's trump cards shouldn't be casually investigated.
It's a favor if they share, but there's nothing to criticize if they don't.
Now, the Black Flame, having lost Uchiha Ken's control, would no longer actively pursue others and had lost the initial impact it had when Amaterasu was first released.
Currently, the Black Flame was just quietly burning.
It had no incombustible material, so it would slowly expand, but at a very slow pace.
Over seven days and seven nights, it would likely expand significantly, but for now, as long as no one approached it, there would be no danger.
As for how to resolve it, that would be decided after this war ended, after all, they couldn't really let it burn for seven days and seven nights, could they?
"Captain Sakumo, everyone has regrouped and is ready to move at any time," someone shouted to Sakumo Hatake.
Sakumo Hatake nodded and said, "Teams Three, Four, and Five will stay to guard the prisoners.
The rest of you, follow me.
Now it's time for a big counterattack."
The others shouted as if to encourage themselves, and then, led by Sakumo Hatake's squad, they swiftly rushed in the direction Chiyo and the others had fled.
The enemy was now a remnant force, while their own personnel were different, full of momentum.
If they could capture Chiyo, it would be an unprecedented great victory.
In a sense, it could be said that the overall situation was decided, and the enemy had no chance of turning the tables.