A stunned silence fell over the clearing, so absolute it was terrifying. The words "Konoha White Fang" hung in the air, freezing everyone in place. Kakashi Hatake felt as if the world had tilted on its axis. His father, the man he believed had chosen a coward's death by suicide, was supposedly standing right in front of him.
Nearby, Sarutobi Shinnosuke's wife was just as shocked, but for a different reason. If this man truly was Hatake Sakumo, then their situation had just become impossible. There was no way this would end peacefully. A man who had already died once would surely have uncovered the truth behind his death. His appearance at this exact moment couldn't be a coincidence.
"Kakashi Hatake!"
Sarutobi Shinnosuke's roar shattered the silence. A sharp, searing pain shot through him as he stared at the stumps where his arms had been. The black-robed man's single strike had disarmed him completely. Even if his wife tried to help, she wouldn't be fast enough. There was only one person who could possibly intervene in time.
Shinnosuke knew it was ironic. He had been the one who orchestrated Hatake Sakumo's downfall, yet now he was desperately trying to buy time. He didn't care if this man was the real Konoha White Fang or just an imposter. By attacking them, he had made himself an enemy of Konoha.
And Kakashi, a member of the Hokage's personal Anbu guard, was under his command. Forcing a son to fight his own father—it was a cruel but brilliant tactic. In that split second, even as he bled out, Shinnosuke felt a surge of pride at his own cleverness.
But his pride was short-lived. Another flash of silver light cut through the air, and Shinnosuke screamed as both of his ears were sliced clean off. An overwhelming wave of pain crashed over him, threatening to drag him into unconsciousness.
"Damn it!"
The sight spurred the other Anbu members into action. They didn't hesitate, charging toward the black-robed figure from all sides. It no longer mattered who he was—the legendary Hatake Sakumo returned from the dead or some imposter using his name. All that mattered was saving Sarutobi Shinnosuke. If they failed, they would face a fate worse than death when they returned to the village.
Shinnosuke wasn't just the leader of the Hokage's Anbu; he was the eldest son of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. He was, for all intents and purposes, the crown prince of Konoha. If he died here, Lord Third's wrath would be unimaginable. None of their families would be safe. They had to save him, no matter the cost.
"Kill him!"
With a furious cry, Shinnosuke's wife, an elite Jōnin herself, lunged at the black-robed man. At the same time, Kakashi moved to intercept him from the opposite direction. He couldn't let Shinnosuke die. As much as he despised the man for what he'd done, the consequences of his death would be catastrophic for Konoha. Even if this mysterious attacker truly was his father, he had to be stopped.
"Let them handle their own affairs."
A calm, detached voice echoed through the air, stopping Kakashi and the other Anbu dead in their tracks. An immense pressure suddenly crushed down on them, heavy and suffocating. It felt as if the very air had become solid, pinning them in place. Strange, fleeting images flashed through their minds, and they struggled to breathe under the invisible weight. It was terrifying. This man's power was on a completely different level.
"Stop him… please, stop him!" Shinnosuke shrieked as he saw the terrifying white blade swing toward him again. Though he had lost his arms and ears, his legs still worked. He scrambled backward, trying desperately to escape. That familiar fighting style, that blade… it had to be Hatake Sakumo. But the man had said he hadn't been the White Fang for years. Either he had somehow come back to life, or something far stranger was going on.
Whatever the truth was, the power gap between them was as wide as the sky. And this man was clearly here to kill him. Fear and rage boiled inside Shinnosuke, erupting in a panicked, incoherent shout. "You… do you know who I am!? Damn you!"
He began to ramble, his words slurring together. "I'm the son of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi! Of Konoha, in the Land of Fire, one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations! I'm the young chief of the Sarutobi clan! You… you can't kill me!" Death felt so close now, a cold presence breathing down his neck.
"And do you know who I am?" the black-robed man's voice thundered in his ears.
Crack!
A sickening crunch echoed as Shinnosuke's legs were severed just below the knees. He collapsed to the ground with a wet thud, his body now just a helpless torso.
"You… who are you…?" he whimpered, his face pressed into the dirt. He was no better than a wild dog now, utterly broken.
The man's voice boomed across the clearing, filled with cold, absolute power. "I am Upper Rank Five of the Twelve Divine Moons, under the command of Lord Tsukihiko. My name is Hatake Sakumo."
He paused, letting the words sink in.
"And I am here to settle my account with you."
As his voice faded, the air grew sharp with a new kind of stillness. Kakashi and the other Konoha ninja could only stare, their eyes wide with disbelief. The man before them wasn't just the resurrected hero of Konoha. He was now something else entirely—a high-ranking monster serving a mysterious being named Tsukihiko.
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