Naruto: Starting as the Third Hokage with Tears in His Eyes

Chapter 554 Konoha's White Fang—Sakumo Hatake!!

They roared, their fingers dancing wildly as they manipulated their most prized puppets, abruptly turning them around to launch a deadly attack on their stunned companions.

"Pfft!"

"You...you're insane?!"

A puppeteer stared in disbelief at the blade piercing his chest—the very puppet of his most trusted companion.

The puppeteer, who was still nervously manipulating the puppet, suddenly stiffened.

Their movements stopped.

Some people still had expressions of terror on their faces, but deep in their unfocused pupils, tears began to flow, and they began to sob helplessly like babies.

Some people suddenly burst into laughter, laughing so hard they were doubled over, tears and snot streaming down their faces, as if they had seen the most ridiculous thing in the world.

Others huddled together, hands covering their heads, trembling, muttering repeatedly, "Don't come any closer... don't come any closer..." completely engulfed in the deepest fear.

The youngest-looking puppeteer wore a blissful, almost obsessive smile.

In his illusion, the humanoid female puppet that he cherished and had personally crafted over several years suddenly came to life.

She had long, flowing black hair, wore a beautiful dress, and was gazing at him with gentle eyes.

"Owner……"

The puppet girl called softly and slowly opened her arms.

"Am I...am I dreaming?"

The young puppeteer's eyes filled with tears. He reached out his trembling hand, wanting to embrace the culmination of his life's work, his only companion.

He finally got his wish and was embraced in a warm and soft hug.

then……

puff!

An incredibly sharp blade emerged from behind the puppet girl and mercilessly pierced his heart.

The young puppeteer shuddered. He looked down at the blade that had pierced his chest, but there was no pain on his face. Instead, his happy smile grew even brighter.

"very nice……"

He met his death in his most beautiful illusion.

The scene instantly descended into bizarre chaos and infighting.

"Illusion...wait!"

Chiyo suddenly realized that this was no ordinary illusion! To be able to manipulate the other person's mind so precisely, distort their perception, and make them see their comrade as a mortal enemy, this was beyond the scope of conventional illusions.

This is... a pupil technique!

It's the Uchiha clan, that legendary supreme power!

Chiyo's heart sank deeper and deeper.

She realized that she might have really messed up this time.

Just as the canyon descended into brief chaos, a tiny, overlooked poisoned needle, coated with deadly venom, silently pierced through Danzo's Wind Release defenses and struck Uchiha Kagami in the back of the neck at an extremely tricky angle.

This needle was insidious and vicious, and the timing was perfect.

Uchiha Kagami's entire focus was on controlling the enemy puppeteer's mind, leaving him no time to spare for anything else.

The poisoned needle was about to succeed.

"Clang—"

A faint, almost inaudible metallic scraping sound.

A white light flashed and disappeared in the dim canyon.

The poisoned needle broke in two mid-air and fell helplessly to the ground.

Hatake Sakumo had appeared behind Uchiha Kagami at some point, still in the position of drawing his sword, the White Fang short sword in his hand only about three inches from its sheath.

The blade remained spotless, untouched by a speck of dust, its white surface still sharp and cold.

This is the light!

That fleeting white blade of light!

It was like a bolt of lightning, forcefully cleaving open the floodgates of Chiyo's memories.

Her body began to tremble violently and uncontrollably.

The color drained from that aged face instantly, turning it deathly pale.

A bloody intelligence, which she had forcibly suppressed deep within her heart through endless years and work, and which she had almost forgotten, suddenly surged into her mind like a flood breaking through a dam.

That was a battlefield from many years ago.

Her son, a puppet genius unseen in a century in Sunagakure, and her equally outstanding daughter-in-law, were easily... killed by a white-haired man with a short sword.

And that...that white blade of light that was so fast it was despair-inducing!

It's exactly the same!

Chiyo's breath suddenly stopped. Her world spun around in that instant. All the sounds and sights began to fade away, leaving only the white-haired figure in the center of the canyon, slowly sheathing his short sword.

That face, even after more than a decade, is still clearly imprinted deep in her soul!

"ah--!!!"

A piercing scream suddenly ripped from Chiyo's throat.

That voice contained a torrent of hatred and boundless pain that had been building up for over a decade, almost burning her to ashes.

All the Sand Village ninjas trembled at the sudden scream. They looked at their leader in horror, wondering why their usually composed advisor elder had lost his composure like this.

Chiyo stared intently at Sakumo Hatake below. In her extreme anger, her fingernails dug deep into the flesh of her palms, blood trickling down between her fingers, but she was completely unaware.

"Hahahaha—!"

Her voice was hoarse and distorted, each word sounding like it was being squeezed out from between her teeth.

"Konoha's White Fang—Sakumo Hatake!!!"

When this name, which had disappeared from the ninja world for several years, was roared out of Chiyo's mouth with endless resentment, the entire canyon seemed to be frozen by this chill.

Sakumo Hatake slowly raised his head and looked at the old woman on the rock wall who looked like a madwoman. A hint of understanding flashed in his eyes, which always carried a hint of gentleness and weariness.

"The murderer who killed my son...the murderer who killed my daughter-in-law!!"

Chiyo looked up to the sky and let out a long howl, two streams of bloody tears rolling down her cheeks.

Enemies meeting are bound to be filled with hatred.

All the calculations and plans became insignificant at this moment.

"The Ten Ninja of Chikamatsu!"

Chiyo held nothing back. The ten enormous scrolls behind her exploded simultaneously with a loud "bang," turning into a cloud of smoke.

Amidst the smoke, ten pure white humanoid puppets of various shapes quietly appeared.

They had no ferocious appearance, no exaggerated weapons, they just stood quietly, yet they exuded a chilling sense of oppression far surpassing that of any previous puppet.

Legend has it that the first puppeteer, Monzaemon, possessed the forbidden puppet technique—the White Secret Technique: The Ten Puppet Masters of Chikamatsu!

"Sakumo Hatake—!!!"

Chiyo let out a final roar, her ten fingers flying like phantoms, ten chakra threads, barely visible to the naked eye, extending from her fingertips and connecting to the ten white puppets.

"Today, I will use your life to atone for my son's spirit in heaven!!!"

The moment the words fell, the ten white humanoid puppets seemed to be infused with souls, and their eyes suddenly shone with a scarlet light.