Konoha's Mission Master

A strong heartbeat suddenly sounded, the dust on Hatake Sakumo's body instantly disappeared, and he slowly opened his eyes, a flash of blood disappearing in an instant.

"Are you the challenger this time? Do you know me?" Sakumo Hatake asked. Perhaps because he hadn't spoken for a long time, his voice was very hoarse, like a leaky bellows.

"Kakashi and I are classmates," Yakumo said. In fact, he wasn't just chatting casually; he was trying his best to increase his favorability with the BOSS and avoid the rule of unleashing his full power when he was low on health.

Sakumo Hatake did not respond immediately, and his eyes remained unmoved. Even the name Kakashi could not stir any emotion in him. He was alive, but he was like a decaying corpse.

After staring at Yakumo for a few seconds, Hatake Sakumo finally spoke, his voice no longer hoarse. "I know why you're here. Kill me, kill me!...You will...you will get the key."

His words were even somewhat incoherent, but Yakumo could still understand what he was trying to say.

A sharp clang of a blade echoed, and the scenery before them changed rapidly.

Amidst the dilapidated buildings, thin air, and cracked earth, Yakumo returned to the real world.

His soul energy spread out by about one centimeter, and as expected, he received no warning. This meant that he could use all his means in this world.

"Kill me and take the key!" Sakumo Hatake shouted fanatically, his eyes turning completely blood red.

The blood-red dagger separated from Sakumo Hatake's body and was then grasped by his right hand. The dagger was basically no different in shape from White Fang, but the material it was made of was compressed virtual energy to a substantial degree.

Because of his excessive fusion with that weapon, Sakumo Hatake unknowingly lost himself.

"Bloodshed."

Sakumo Hatake was enveloped in crimson arcs of electricity, surrounded by crimson gales. This was a fusion of the power to destroy worlds and the attributes of wind and lightning, maximizing his speed while also possessing extremely terrifying cutting abilities.

From a distance of two hundred meters, he transformed into a streak of blood-red light and arrived in front of Yakumo in an instant. The blood-red blade in his hand left a straight line of blood in the air, with faint arcs of blood-red electricity flickering on the blade.

The crimson arc of electricity suddenly expanded upon approaching, like a crimson net hunting prey, with a blade thrusting straight forward at its core. The crimson arc of electricity converged in the air, like countless blood spears attacking at the same time. If one could not dodge in time, one would likely end up riddled with holes.

From initial simple exchanges to a duel where every move was a deadly strike.

All Yakumo could sense from the person before him was unfamiliarity. Since the strategy of appeasement had failed, he could only resort to a direct attack to end the battle. Originally, he did not want to expend too much energy on Hatake Sakumo.

After all, Kushina Uzumaki is the most difficult boss.

"Azure Dragon Mode - Breaking Army Mode".

"Ultimate Skill: Heavenly Spring - Guardian!"

The dazzling golden light converged into a thick and majestic barrier. The blood spear bent upon impact, turning into a spray of crimson lightning. The golden barrier collided with the blade, producing a piercing sound, and Hatake Sakumo's offensive momentum was abruptly halted.

Golden fragments scattered in all directions.

Countless crimson energies filled the sky, like raging beasts hunting, yet they could not shake the golden barrier. Points of golden light dissipated in the air, and even more golden light separated from Yakumo's body.

At this moment, Yakumo borrowed the will of countless people, converging it into this almost invincible move.

The Guardian is the most powerful defensive technique Yakumo could imagine, especially after being infused with the will of many powerful individuals, making it even more indestructible.

Thirteen golden figures appeared behind him, protecting him from the subtle erosion of the ethereal energy.

Human will is very fragile, but there are geniuses among the human population who can forge their will into an incomparably strong state through countless trials, an immortal will that even time cannot erode, and can even resist the erosion of illusory energy. It is precisely because of this that the indestructible technique, Guardian, is formed.

Clearly, those golden phantoms were beyond Sakumo Hatake's comprehension, and his fierce attack was directly neutralized.

As Hatake Sakumo watched the golden barrier move backward, he immediately sheathed his sword and gathered his strength.

Suddenly, the golden figure shifted its position and appeared behind Hatake Sakumo. The silver blade light drew a perfect semi-circle from bottom to top, and the blade was wrapped in bright golden energy.

In mid-air, Hatake Sakumo showed no panic. Blood-red blades rapidly grew from his back, blocking Yakumo's swift slash. Then, six blood-red blades, each 120 centimeters long, grew from his back.

"Ding."

Along with the changes in his body, Sakumo Hatake's eyes became even more bloodshot, and he could no longer be seen with any rationality, only endless madness.

According to the classification system within the universe, Sakumo Hatake should only be considered a virtual energy infected person.

He once wanted to master the ethereal energy and become its master, but unfortunately he ended up becoming an infected person and losing everything.

Not only that, but blood blades also grew on Hatake Sakumo's elbows and knees, yet his hands still gripped the short blade that resembled White Fang. It was that short blade that posed the greatest threat to Yakumo, and it was very likely that it was the core of the ethereal energy.

Sakumo Hatake still retains his human form, his body is slender like a wriggling snake, but his skin has become very pale, and the surface of his exposed skin is covered with blood-red patterns, which undulate slightly like blood vessels. His silver-white hair has also been dyed blood-red, making him look very eerie, and he exudes an aura of madness.

"Kill me...!" Hatake Sakumo roared suddenly, all the blood-red blades on his body extended simultaneously, pointing at Yakumo who was defending with his sword. The seven weapons worked together to show a terrifying killing intent.

Crimson arcs of electricity and fierce winds poured down like a torrential rain, but the golden barrier remained steadfast.

Yakumo wanted to finish off his opponent as soon as possible, but he was inevitably dragged into a long war of attrition.

"Then let me see just how many tricks you still have up your sleeve after you've fallen into madness!"

Yakumo gripped his weapon tightly, quietly unleashing the fighting style of Amaterasu. His sword strikes flowed continuously, forming a perfect sphere that served as both the most perfect defense and an endless offensive.

The blade energy converged like a river into a sea, colliding with the crimson gale. The two energies recklessly destroyed everything around them, instantly shredding rocks into dust. The shockwaves from the confrontation affected an area of ​​hundreds of miles, turning the already dark sky even darker, as even light was swallowed and absorbed by the two energies.

The Heavenly Spring technique is designed to absorb surrounding energy to replenish oneself, but Yakumo discovered that the surrounding energy was extremely thin. Although it could temporarily compensate for the energy consumption, it could not last long.

Almost instantly, Yakumo made a judgment: he had to defeat the enemy in a very short time.

This was the initial plan, but it proved very difficult to execute.

In this state, Hatake Sakumo doesn't possess many skills; his attack style relies on his primal instincts, which become extremely terrifying when amplified by ethereal energy.

The blood mist that had been drifting around suddenly spread toward Yakumo, vaguely forming a huge tiger phantom.

"Fierce Tiger!"

With seven blades on his body serving as fulcrums, Sakumo Hatake channeled his ethereal energy into the crimson dagger in his hand, transforming the illusory tiger into a lifelike creature that roared to the sky.

The tiger roars through the mountains and forests, its might shaking all directions.

The next second, the crimson tiger lowered its head and spat out a crimson beam of light from its mouth, which eventually converged on the crimson dagger in its hand. Both arms opened countless crimson eyeballs, and invisible chaotic energy rapidly invaded Yakumo, attempting to shake Yakumo's spirit.

However, it could not shake Yakumo's near-immortal soul.

"Broken Army - Ultimate Intent - Extinction of Life Force"

The flow within Yakumo's body instantly changed, transforming from a ceaseless river into a raging, unstoppable torrent. A deathly darkness spread outwards, like a warrior of light raising a butcher's knife. The pure wave of death even briefly restored Sakumo Hatake's consciousness.

"Ascending Dragon".

As his blood energy contracted and compressed, the crimson short blade extended into a two-meter-wide greatsword. Hatake Sakumo gripped the greatsword with both hands, and his pale face was gradually covered by a crimson mask, leaving only the space for his eyes. He then unleashed a powerful slash that seemed to split the heavens and the earth.

This was an attack method completely different from Hatake Sakumo's usual agility, but it possessed a transcendent and domineering power that could split everything in two. This move made Yakumo feel somewhat wary.

Clearly, this was not a move by Sakumo Hatake, but rather came from the ruler who could rival Runyu.

Faintly visible in the sky were a pair of blood-red, merciless eyes.

The crimson greatsword and the Demon-Subduing Sword collided in mid-air, and the two immediately began to struggle.

Space is thus fractured, like a river that has been cut off.

Even space itself could not record the power unleashed by the two.

In a daze, Yakumo saw the blood-red giant sword, with the words "Slaying Immortals" engraved on its hilt.

Hatake Sakumo's eyes, beneath his blood-red mask, briefly regained their clarity as he gazed at the several golden phantoms standing behind Yakumo, revealing intense envy and longing.

If he had achieved immortality of his soul back then, how could he have failed to become a world-destroying symbiote?

That was the realm he had once longed for, yet the person before him was favored by such an immortal soul.

The black lightning spread out like a spider web, a spatial force condensed to its limit. These aftershocks created enormous cavities within a radius of nearly a hundred kilometers, repelling the existence of all matter, even the thin air.

The void space was left with only pure blackness, like flowing energy or compressed black lightning.

The two energies canceled each other out, and Yakumo's muscles bulged as his Azure Dragon Fruit powers and physique were pushed to their limits, with endless energy being poured into the weapon in his hand.

Golden light, blood light, and thunderbolts appeared and disappeared in turn.

Four pairs of eyes met, both men carrying a deep, unwavering killing intent, even though Hatake Sakumo had regained his senses. His killing intent remained incredibly strong.

The weapons bent in various ways, emitting piercing, sharp sounds.

An oppressive atmosphere spread outwards, and the will to die swept through the surroundings.

Finally, the scales of the battle began to tip. Fine cracks appeared on the surface of the blood-red greatsword, like the crisp, melodious sound of porcelain, and then transformed into a mirror that shattered in an instant.

"What a pity." Yakumo sighed softly in his heart, partly because he regretted that his strongest move hadn't been able to defeat his opponent, and partly because he felt sorry for Hatake Sakumo.

Yakumo immediately caught up. The moves they used were both ultimate techniques used by the rulers, and there was no difference or superiority between them in essence. However, the difference was that Yakumo's moves had been guided by Runyu for a thousand years and had reached a state suitable for him, while Hatake Sakumo's moves were contrary to his own characteristics.

He remained in a state of utter devastation, his black aura of death outlining a massive phantom.

With light and swift steps, Hatake Sakumo also began to wield the blade in his hand, as well as the blade extending outward from his body. In an instant, countless weapons collided in the air, dazzling flames rose, and were suppressed in an instant.

The clash of countless blades was like a dense war drumbeat. The two men continuously increased the speed at which they swung their weapons, as swift as lightning, tearing through the curtain of darkness in the blink of an eye. The blades formed a net, a mountain, and a river, ultimately resembling a world, as if two worlds were constantly strangling each other.

The two stared at each other, searching for weaknesses.

Each move of Yakumo's Fuma technique was like a precise scalpel, attempting to find weaknesses and cut them out. Its speed was also extremely fast, like the Grim Reaper dancing. The combination of illusion and reality made it impossible to distinguish which move was the real killing move.

However, he could not break through the defense formed by the eight blades. The method demonstrated by Hatake Sakumo was very simple: he defended against every slash from Yakumo. The blade light formed a barrier that was impenetrable to any material.

This is a battle of energy, a contest of physical strength, and a confrontation of wills.

Each of Yakumo's slashes was sharp and deadly enough, yet it could not penetrate the defenses erected by Hatake Sakumo. Amidst the flashing swords, dusk had fallen, the surrounding air temperature became extremely cold, and colorless, transparent ice crystals drifted down from the sky.

The two clashed, and the tornado-shaped storm was created and destroyed. The ice crystals were evaporated into nothingness before they even got close. After exchanging a thousand blows, Yakumo's blade broke through Hatake Sakumo's defense and slashed a huge gash in his shoulder.

In the blink of an eye, the wound had healed completely, leaving no trace of injury. His body had long since transformed into pure ethereal energy, essentially devoid of any vital points, making him extremely difficult to kill.

Two hours later, the two separated, and Yakumo's breathing was slightly disordered.

The absolute death and the power of world destruction, formed by the fusion of numerous energies and the will of the soul, resisted and diminished each other, and neither could gain the upper hand in a short time. If this continued to drag on... Yakumo would win, but there would be no time left.

In a moment of clarity, Yakumo remembered what Runyu had said; it was the last time the two of them met.

—I used to only want to live for myself.

But one day, I suddenly realized that if I continued to remain silent, everything I cared about would be trampled on and destroyed. From that day on, I seemed to awaken... and become a leader.

On the path of fighting against the void, I have experienced the death of loved ones, the departure of old friends, a long slumber, and a great war that lasted for thousands of years, taking countless lives.

You will become a leader in the future, carrying the hopes of many people.

Then you will understand that great things always require sacrifices, and you must never stop moving forward.

.........

Returning to the battlefield, the memory from just now took less than a second to flash through Yakumo's mind. Both of them were retreating, like wounded beasts gathering their strength, preparing for the upcoming death match.

The two locked eyes, and Yakumo's expression gradually became serious and earnest.

In fact, he had a trump card to break the deadlock, but once a trump card is used, it's gone.