To thank the reader Dashōme Shirogane for five encouraging votes and all readers for their support, two additional chapters are added today.
The profession of a ninja seems to be inherently tied to spreading or gathering information.
The great battle between the Wind and Fire countries had barely subsided when various villages in the ninja world, who had been closely monitoring the war's progress, received news through their respective channels:
Kakashi Sakumo, the commander of the Leaf's Wind Country front line and a Jonin, had displayed immense power on the battlefield.
Wielding a single blade, he had single-handedly defeated the Sand's strongest young puppeteer and his wife, a powerful Jonin who inherited the Second Kazekage's sand manipulation jutsu, nearly killing them on the spot.
He then managed to retreat calmly under the combined assault of the reinforcing Sand ninja army.
And the words of praise that Chiyo finally bestowed upon Kakashi Sakumo also spread like wildfire.
"The White Fang of the Leaf, a powerful warrior with a compassionate heart!"
Circumstances forge heroes!
The name "White Fang" quickly reverberated throughout the ninja world!
Kakashi Sakumo, following the older generation of ninjas, became the first strong individual to be jointly recognized by enemy nation ninjas, earning his own exclusive title.
Upon hearing the news back in the Leaf, Hiruzen Sarutobi beamed, his smile reaching his eyes.
"The White Fang of the Leaf, hah!"
"Sakumo has truly brought great honor to the Leaf this time. It was not in vain that I trusted him. Excellent, excellent!"
Recalling Sakumo's solemn vow when he appointed him commander for the Wind Country direction, Hiruzen was filled with emotion and praised him repeatedly.
"Hiruzen, coupled with what happened with Danzo before, Sakumo's reputation within the village has now reached an unbelievable level."
"If this continues, Orochimaru..."
Koharu Utatane lowered the intelligence report she was holding and voiced her concerns.
Homura Mitokado nodded in agreement, appearing simple and honest.
Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled and shook his head, showing no concern about Sakumo's rising prestige potentially overshadowing Orochimaru.
"Koharu, you are overthinking it!"
"Given Sakumo's personality and their relationship, he would never harbor thoughts of competing with Orochimaru for status."
"Besides..."
"In terms of controlling public opinion and winning hearts, you are not as far-sighted as Orochimaru!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff from his pipe.
"Furthermore..."
"Hasn't the real war in the Land of Rain not yet begun?"
"I believe Orochimaru will present the village with a satisfactory answer."
Comfortably exhaling a puff of smoke, Hiruzen squinted and leaned back in his chair. He suddenly found himself missing Danzo.
"It seems Danzo was indeed a menace..."
"Now that he is gone, why has being Hokage become so much easier for me?"
"Everything seems to be going smoothly!"
If Danzo, from the underworld, could know of these sentiments, he would likely be so enraged that he would jump out and unleash a torrent of curses upon Hiruzen.
Meanwhile, in the Bazaar, the most widespread mercenary organization in the ninja world, the bounty on Kakashi Sakumo's name was quietly raised from thirty million ryo for a regular Jonin to fifty million ryo. A designation of "dangerous" was also added next to the intelligence on Kakashi Sakumo.
The bounty's high amount and the emphasis placed upon it were second only to the Five Kage.
Kakuzu, holding the latest bounty list from the Bazaar, stared for a long time at the string of zeros after fifty million ryo before reluctantly turning to the next page.
"So troublesome!"
"Like those hotheads from the Land of Iron, another one who only knows how to talk with his blade."
"What a shame about this fifty million..."
...
Wind Country Front Line Camp.
Takuma, repairing a damaged puppet from the previous battle, sat in silence, lost in thought.
Mihiko sat beside him, occasionally handing him spare parts that needed replacing, just as usual. However, being not good at concealing her thoughts, all her worry was evident on her face.
"Takuma..."
Mihiko called out.
"Hmm!"
Takuma looked up at her for a moment, then after a prolonged silence, lowered his head and continued tinkering with the puppet in his hands.
"With... the White Fang of the Leaf around, this war..."
"Does Sand still have hope?"
Takuma's hands paused. Under Mihiko's somewhat disappointed gaze, he gently shook his head.
"I don't know!"
"However..."
Takuma put down the part he was holding and looked at his wife with a calm expression.
"This war was initiated by Lord Kazekage against the Leaf, and Sand cannot stop until he achieves his desired outcome."
"Moreover..."
"So many people have already died or been injured. The Leaf will not easily back down either!"
Mihiko's brow furrowed, her worry deepening.
"But now..."
"Some of the ninjas below are showing signs of fear and reluctance to fight. If we cannot recover from the previous defeat, we may not be able to hold on for much longer."
Takuma offered his wife a reassuring smile and rubbed her shoulder.
"Don't worry!"
"I've already sent someone to inform Mother. I'm sure she'll have a solution soon!"
...
"Elder Chiyo, Lord Takuma has sent an urgent report!"
At the camp on the border of Rain and Wind, a Sand ninja rushed into Chiyo's tent, handing her the intelligence without even completing the customary salutation.
Chiyo's expression tightened, and she quickly stood up to take it.
"Takuma has actually been defeated?"
"This Kakashi Sakumo is truly an extraordinary individual!"
After reading the report, Chiyo sighed inwardly. After a moment of contemplation, she retrieved the seal scroll of the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu from her person and summoned three puppets carved with the characters for "Buddha," "Dharma," and "Sangha" on their tongues in front of the Sand ninja.
"Click!"
With the sound of mechanisms, Chiyo manipulated the chakra threads to open the puppets' bodies and formed a seal for unsealing.
With a faint spatial fluctuation, Chiyo carefully extracted a purple seal scroll from within the puppets' bodies. Placing it aside, Chiyo took a blank scroll from herself and reinserted it into the pocket dimension within the three puppets.
"Take the scroll and deliver it to Takuma with care."
"What is sealed inside is extremely dangerous. Do not open it carelessly."
"When you give it to Takuma, tell him it's something I obtained from Hanzo. He will know how to handle it."
"Go!"
The Sand ninja's eyes widened in shock. If Elder Chiyo deemed something extremely dangerous, how perilous could it truly be?
Open it?
They dared not even consider it.
Carefully securing the seal scroll to their chest, the Sand ninja nodded heavily and turned to leave, heading directly for the front lines between the Wind and Fire countries.
"Elder, the people from Rain are here again!"
Shortly after the messenger Sand ninja departed, a ninja responsible for patrolling the border reported to Chiyo that Hanzo had once again issued a challenge.
A cold glint appeared in Chiyo's eyes, and she let out a hateful snort.
"That damned leaky pipe old man, he's truly inescapable!"
"This time, I will ensure you never return!"
"Everyone, guard the camp and prevent any surprise attacks from Rain. I will personally go and meet that damned Salamander Hanzo!"
The Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu – one person forming an army.
This was the confidence of the greatest puppeteer of the era!