Escape from Konoha.

Pulling the puppet, the male ninja retreated, and the female ninja beside him also retreated. The two did not speak, but silently manipulated the puppet, yet they seemed to understand each other perfectly. They did not need to communicate with their eyes or words; they only needed to see the other's movement to understand what the other wanted to do.

Upon witnessing the white light emitted by the White Fang Short Sword, they understood what Sakumo intended to do.

We can't give him a chance.

Shuo Mao weaved through the rain of hidden weapons, his figure moving so fast that he was invisible, only a faint white light could be seen whistling through him, cutting off all the hidden weapons rushing towards him on the straight path, and charging straight forward.

Two puppets, draped in black robes, took turns blocking Sakumo's path, like ghosts that appeared and disappeared without a trace.

scoff!

Suddenly, neatly cut rips appeared on the black robe, revealing the wooden body of the puppet inside.

"What!?"

Shuo Mao disappeared from their sight.

The sharp light made the man and woman squint.

The male ninja shoved the female ninja away, and was slashed from shoulder to chest by the blade, splattering a large amount of blood.

Sakumo was surprised. He had planned to attack the woman as well, but he didn't expect the man to push the female ninja away so decisively.

However, he was only surprised and did not hesitate, continuing to swing his sword a second time.

The puppet that was suddenly pulled over from not far away by the male ninja was the one that was cut open, and it took the fatal second blow for him.

"This guy!" Sakumo's eyes were serious.

Knowing that he couldn't dodge the first strike, the male ninja didn't need to dodge at all. He simply pushed the female ninja next to him aside and pulled the puppet back. Just as Sakumo swung his second strike, the puppet was pulled back and stood in front of him.

This powerful mindset—remaining completely calm and composed even in the face of life and death—made Sakumo feel quite troubled.

boom!

The smoke grenade exploded, blocking Sakumo's view.

Then countless senbon and kunai shot out from the other end of the smoke, and Sakumo had no choice but to use his white dagger to defend himself.

By the time they rushed over, the man and woman had already disappeared from sight.

"This is troublesome. If we meet again next time, they'll probably see through our tricks..."

Sakumo looked at the deserted forest before him and let out a soft breath.

Instead of chasing after the man and woman, Sakumo hurriedly returned to the battlefield where Shiraishi and the others were fighting.

By the time they arrived, the battle had already ended.

It seems that the ninjas who were fighting the three of them, who were fighting against Shiraishi, also retreated, and from here we could only barely see their backs as they left.

Should we chase after them?

As this thought flashed through Sakumo's mind, he saw Ayane and Ruri sitting wearily by the tree, receiving Shiraishi's healing jutsu to restore their strength and chakra.

Seeing this, Sakumo had no choice but to abandon the idea.

It would be too much of a strain for him to deal with so many ninjas all by himself.

His stamina and chakra were quickly depleted after fighting the male and female ninjas from Sunagakure, so he should focus on resting now.

"Shiraishi, how are their injuries?"

Shuo Mao walked over and asked, a hint of fatigue on his face.

During his battle with the two Sand Village Jonin, he remained on edge, trying to avoid being cut by poisoned darts.

"It's nothing serious, just a superficial injury, but I've used up a bit too much chakra."

Shiraishi answered.

Ruri and Ayane were recovering their strength and chakra and had no time to answer.

"That's good." Sakumo nodded, then suddenly smiled and said, "You performed better than I expected. You managed to remain undefeated against the combined attack of three Jonin and several Chunin, which is beyond my expectations."

"That's because the two strongest puppeteers were held back by you, Sakumo-sensei."

Ayane could see it clearly with her Byakugan. The torrential rain of senbon and kunai was enough to make her scalp tingle. It was impossible for her to dodge it unscathed like Sakumo did.

The so-called ninja is not necessarily stronger because the ninjutsu is more powerful or more flashy.

Some ninjas may seem to have ordinary abilities, but they are actually the most lethal.

Puppet masters are among the best.

A scratch, a moment of carelessness—even if one isn't poisoned, one could be riddled with countless projectiles and turned into a hedgehog.

As the saying goes, it's easy to dodge a spear in the open but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. Puppet masters are a group of assassination experts skilled in mechanisms and hidden weapons.

This is also why the Sand Village puppet troops are a headache for many ninjas.

"Don't say that. With your age and abilities, you will definitely surpass me in the future. I believe in your potential. Until then, as your captain and part-time teacher, I will protect you with my life."

"Since Professor Sakumo has given such assurances, I do feel much safer. However, the current situation is not optimistic. What exactly is happening at the front lines? How could such a powerful elite force have infiltrated the country?"

Ayane frowned deeply, completely baffled.

"Compared to this, shouldn't we be considering why there are ninjas skilled in Earth Release mixed in with the Sand Village's forces? The consequences of that problem are far more serious, aren't they?"

Shiraishi spoke first.

The other three people's expressions changed slightly when this was mentioned.

"Seriously, someone who can use Earth Release techniques with that kind of power isn't an ordinary ninja. How come it wasn't mentioned in the intelligence? What are those Anbu guys doing, who are the Hokage's direct subordinates?"

If it weren't for that Earth Release ninja separating the three of them, the combination of the Byakugan and Sharingan, along with Shiraishi's densely packed smoke bombs, would have made the fight much easier.

Therefore, Ruri expressed her dissatisfaction with the inactive Anbu members.

Sakumo stood awkwardly to the side. Although he also questioned the Anbu's recent abilities, they were, after all, an elite force directly under the Hokage. Perhaps he had simply been negligent and hadn't noticed.

The secret agents are very efficient.

"Perhaps we're overthinking it. Occasionally, there are ninjas in Sunagakure who are proficient in Earth Release techniques..."

When Sakumo said those words, the three of them, including Shiraishi, didn't seem to believe it.

Because everyone's nerves are too sensitive at times like this.

The Sand Village has launched a full-scale attack on the Leaf Village. So, will the Stone Village, which has been observing from the sidelines, really let such a good opportunity pass by and not enter the Land of Fire to plunder?

Perhaps Iwagakure didn't initially intend to participate in the war, but now it's hard to say.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Shuo Mao's Considerations

July, Konoha Year 36.

The weather in the forest was starting to get a bit muggy and irritating.

Bai Shi has been away from the village on a mission for three months now.

During this period, they encountered a total of eleven waves of enemies. Apart from the lineup of five Jonin encountered in the first month, the Sand Village troops they encountered later were all very weak in combat.

Sometimes, even without Sakumo, a Jonin, taking action, he only needs to stand by and oversee things, while Shiraishi and the other two cooperate to wipe out enemies several times their size.

As the number of battles increased, the three members of Shiraishi accumulated more and more combat experience, and their teamwork improved.

In order to research new tactics, Shiraishi used local materials to find materials for making smoke bombs in the wild.

Fortunately, when he came out, he had sealed some simple small instruments in the scroll. During his rest time, Shiraishi would take them out to make smoke bombs.

Sakumo was used to this kind of thing.

If Ruri and Ayane focus on accumulating hard skills, then Shiraishi is undoubtedly the one with the best academic knowledge and the most flexible mind among the three.

Sakumo greatly admires his ability to maintain a calm and composed mindset while studying and enriching himself even during wartime.

Therefore, Sakumo proposed the idea of ​​giving Shiraishi special training.

He taught Shiraishi some practical knife-handling techniques.

While he couldn't help Shiraishi in the fields of medical ninjutsu and research, Sakumo, being a Jonin known for his swordsmanship, felt he could teach Shiraishi swordsmanship skills to give him some combat ability.

With Ruri and Ayane working together like this, the overall combat power of the three will definitely increase significantly.

Shiraishi was slightly surprised by Sakumo's suggestion of special training, but he did not refuse.

When he had free time, he would practice swordsmanship with Sakumo.

His weapon was a standard ninja sword, slightly longer than the White Fang Short Sword, but several levels inferior to the White Fang Short Sword in terms of chakra conduction.

After all, ordinary weapons cannot conduct nature-transformed chakra, and they are easily broken when they encounter a superior weapon that can conduct chakra.

In the afternoon, when the sunlight is strongest.

"Hey, remember not to come over and peek."

Ruri and Ayane brought clean new clothes to prevent anyone from peeping while they were bathing, so they came over to give them a heads-up.

Shiraishi assured him, "Don't worry, you can go ahead. I'll keep an eye on Sakumo-sensei, even if it costs me my life."

"I'm talking about you, not Sakumo-sensei."

"..."

No matter how perverse he is, he would never peep at a twelve-year-old girl taking a bath.

Ruri's wary look towards the pervert hurt Shiraishi's feelings.

"It's fine if Shiraishi-kun comes to peek, because I will make sure that Shiraishi-kun can never be a proper man physiologically again."

Ayane smiled gently, as if she were hinting at something.

While it felt like a gentle spring breeze, it also sent chills down one's spine.

Watching Ruri and Ayane leave, Shiraishi sighed and said, "Honestly, what time is it? They still need to take a shower. It's not like we're camping."

"There's no other way. These past few months have been filled with either fighting or traveling. It's good to let them relax a bit. Besides, this place is very close to a Konoha outpost, making it safer than other places."

Sakumo added from the side.

Shiraishi had no choice but to nod and agree with Sakumo's opinion.

A gentle breeze wafted through the dense forest, carrying with it a slightly oppressive heat.

In this situation, Shiraishi even felt like taking a peaceful afternoon nap under the shade of a tree.