Four magma balls surrounded Uchiha Tatsumi, and the temperature in the air became unbearably scorching. He felt as if he were about to be roasted alive.
Just as the magma balls were about to engulf him, a sharp sound cut through the air from a distance.
In an instant, four lightning-infused ninjutsu struck the magma balls, causing them to shatter and rain down in molten fragments.
A cold glint flashed before Uchiha Tatsumi's eyes, grazing past his bangs. The sensation of steel so close to his face sent a chill down his spine. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, and for the first time, he felt an overwhelming pressure—so much so that even the jutsu he had been preparing failed mid-cast.
Suddenly, he recalled Yura's words: "When I went to the battlefield, I was so scared that I couldn't even perform the Three Body Technique."
Before, he had scoffed at those words, but now he understood.
That was too close… If his chest had been just a little broader, that blade might have cut straight through his heart.
But in the next moment, excitement surged through him. There was only one person he could think of with swordsmanship that sharp.
That's right—
"The Eight Ninja Hounds are here!"
"..."
Eight dogs, each wearing stylish little sweaters and sunglasses, appeared between Uchiha Tatsumi and Roshi. Several of them struck exaggerated poses, as if basking in the spotlight.
The yellow dog in the lead squinted at Roshi and spoke in a provoking tone.
"Finally found you, Four-Tails Jinchuriki."
"Boss, this is the Four-Tails? Looks pretty ordinary," the black dog to the left sneered.
"Yeah, not impressive at all," another dog chimed in.
The others followed suit, their chatter filling the air, making the battlefield momentarily chaotic.
Roshi's already fiery temper flared. His flushed face darkened with fury. The thing he hated the most was being called a "Four-Tails Jinchuriki," and now, a group of talking dogs was mocking him.
The veins on his forehead bulged as he stepped forward, ready to turn them into roasted dog meat.
Just then, a flash of white light streaked through the air like a meteor, landing between Uchiha Tatsumi and Roshi.
The figure that appeared was fast—so fast that if Uchiha Tatsumi's dynamic vision weren't sharp enough, he wouldn't have seen it at all.
The man who landed had the signature white hair of the Hatake clan, tied in a dashing ponytail. He wore a green Jonin vest and carried a short sword on his back.
Hatake Sakumo.
After scanning the battlefield, Sakumo turned his sharp gaze to Uchiha Tatsumi and nodded.
At that moment, Uchiha Tatsumi let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
Looks like I won't die today.
With Hatake Sakumo here, even if he wanted to die, it wouldn't happen.
He didn't know why the legendary "White Fang" had appeared, but he was grateful nonetheless.
Old Sakumo, if you still end up dying like in the original story, don't worry—I'll take care of Kakashi and your wife for you.
He made this solemn vow in his heart.
"Are you alright?" Hatake Sakumo asked, his eyes still locked onto Roshi.
Uchiha Tatsumi shook his head. Although exhausted, he wasn't injured too badly.
"Why are you here?" he asked, voicing the biggest question on his mind.
"Mission," Sakumo replied succinctly.
That single word was enough to send Uchiha Tatsumi's mind racing.
Could it be... he was sent to capture the Four-Tails Jinchuriki?!
Seeing the excitement in Uchiha Tatsumi's eyes, Sakumo's expression twitched slightly.
His mission was merely to observe Roshi's movements. In other words, reconnaissance.
Capturing a Jinchuriki was not part of the plan.
A Jinchuriki wasn't just some random ninja. They were the ultimate weapons of their villages, and Sakumo wasn't sure if he could defeat Roshi outright.
After all, he hadn't yet reached his peak.
But Uchiha Tatsumi didn't know that. In his eyes, Hatake Sakumo was already one of Konoha's strongest.
So, filled with blind confidence, Uchiha Tatsumi boldly declared, "Alright then, let me show you some real skill!"
He glared at Roshi with newfound arrogance.
Roshi, who had once been a peer of the Third Tsuchikage, now found himself being treated like a mere stepping stone by this young upstart.
Roshi's volcanic rage surged to the surface, his magma-colored eyes burning with killing intent.
Sakumo let out a subtle sigh. Not only had this brat thoroughly angered Roshi, but he had also managed to shift the enemy's full attention onto him.
Sensing danger, the yellow dog in sunglasses immediately prepared to flee.
"Sakumo, my friend, a mere Four-Tails Jinchuriki shouldn't be a problem for you, right? We trust you to handle this! We'll be taking our leave now!"
With that, the hounds vanished in puffs of smoke, canceling their summoning.
Seeing Roshi's growing fury, Uchiha Tatsumi also prepared to make himself scarce.
"Sakumo-sama, I'll leave this to you. I suddenly remembered I have an urgent matter—I need to go support Mikoto and Nawaki!"
With that, he turned to flee.
"Wait," Sakumo's calm voice stopped him mid-step.
"How much chakra do you have left?"
"About a third," Uchiha Tatsumi answered cautiously.
"Why?"
Sakumo gave him a sidelong glance. "I heard about your A-rank mission... You easily killed two Jonin, didn't you?"
Uchiha Tatsumi froze.
"...Are you talking about me?"
He had indeed been on an A-rank mission, but those were unexpected situations.
And when had he "easily" killed two Jonin?! He had barely survived!
"Who told you that?" he demanded.
"Orochimaru," Sakumo replied. "He's mentioned more than once that you have a natural talent for genjutsu—even he would fall for it."
Uchiha Tatsumi broke into a cold sweat.
Lord Orochimaru, I know you like to hype up your disciple, but this is straight-up false advertising!
Sakumo's meaning was clear.
He wasn't certain he could defeat Roshi alone, and since Uchiha Tatsumi was supposedly strong in genjutsu, he wanted him to assist in battle.
Of course, this trust stemmed from Sakumo's faith in Orochimaru's judgment.
Orochimaru wasn't the type to praise just anyone, and if he spoke so highly of Uchiha Tatsumi, there had to be some truth to it.
Now, faced with a powerful opponent, Sakumo needed every advantage he could get.
"I can't use high-chakra-consuming jutsu right now," Uchiha Tatsumi admitted. "But I can handle genjutsu without too much drain."
"Good," Sakumo nodded. "Your role will be to harass him with genjutsu. If that doesn't work, we'll adapt. I'll take the front line, and you provide support."
Seeing how composed Sakumo was, Uchiha Tatsumi sighed.
It seemed that, for now, he had no choice but to stay and fight.
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