He’s Avoiding Our Edge!
11: Chapter 11: The White Fang of the Leaf?
He’s Avoiding Our Edge!
Chapter 11: The White Fang of the Leaf?
He’s Avoiding Our Edge!
So hungry…
His stomach rumbled violently, sending waves of burning pain through his body.
The intense discomfort ripped the boy out of his unconscious state.
He jolted awake and sat up from the ground.
Looking at his dark, unfamiliar surroundings, he felt completely disoriented.
He didn’t scream or shout, nor did he wildly look around.
He just hugged his knees tightly, curling himself into a tiny ball.
The horrific scenes he had just witnessed began flashing relentlessly through his mind.
His mother, who had promised she was just going out to find food, but never came back.
His little brother, who was always so sweet and obedient, following him everywhere.
And…
that demonic ninja, asking him with a sick smile if the meal tasted good…
Even though the boy was young…
He knew that he would probably never see his mother or his brother again in this lifetime.
He buried his face into his thighs, his body trembling violently as he desperately tried to suppress the sound of his sobbing.
“I was wondering who was crying.
So, you’re awake…” A slow, calm voice drifted over.
Lifting his head, he saw the ninja wearing the demon mask—the one who had saved him—walking into the tree hollow from outside.
The boy frantically wiped his tears, trying his best not to look so pathetic.
“Hey, what’s your name?” Surprisingly, the ninja’s voice was quite pleasant to listen to.
He hadn’t noticed that before.
“Lord Ninja…
my name is Yukio…” The boy mumbled timidly, “You can…
you can also call me by my nickname, Hikoro.
Mom always used to call me and my brother that.” Ayane gave a slight nod.
Her ten years living in the Land of Rain hadn’t been for nothing.
She knew that names like Shun and Hiko carried cultural elegance.
They were incredibly popular among commoners when picking nicknames for their children, carrying the simple, rustic blessings of parents hoping for a bright future.
It was roughly the equivalent of a modern parent naming their child Liam or Noah.
“Yukio, here are a few ration biscuits.
Eat them slowly with some water.” “I only gave you a soldier pill earlier because we had to move fast.
Your stomach must be in knots by now.” Ayane wasn’t one for unnecessary chatter.
She tossed down a small pile of food and a canteen, then instructed, “Once you’ve rested up, follow the river heading northwest.
Once you’re out of the forest, you’ll see a small town.” Bringing him this far was already the absolute limit of her benevolence.
She couldn’t exactly play nanny and take him to a warzone, could she?
Yukio listened in silence.
He hadn’t spoken a single word until the very end, when he asked timidly, “Lord Ninja…” “Hm?” “That man…
is he dead?” “If he isn’t, I want to kill him with my own two hands!” The boy gritted his teeth, his fists clenched tight.
His voice was hoarse and filled with pure venom.
“No, I’ll bite him to death!
I’ll bite every single piece of flesh and drink all the blood from his body!” Ayane sighed inwardly.
Her tone softened considerably as she drew Arashikiri.
“He’s dead.
He died by this blade.
I ran him straight through the chest.
His blood spilled all over the ground.
He died a miserable death.” The boy’s posture went rigid.
His tone became incredibly complex.
“Dead?
Good…
that’s good…” The tears he had just managed to hold back instantly came flooding down again.
Ayane felt a pang of sympathy.
She leaned closer and gently ruffled the boy’s messy hair like one would a stray puppy.
She pulled a few crumpled banknotes from her pocket and pressed them into his hand.
“Here.
Do your best to survive from now on.” Like a dam bursting, Yukio’s tears flowed uncontrollably, washing away everything.
The warm tears blurred his vision entirely.
Even the terrifying demon mask right in front of him looked hazy, its vicious features now seeming like the gentle smile of a guardian deity.
“My Lord, please tell me your name.” He fell to his knees, his words tumbling out incoherently, “I swear I will repay you!
I swear on my life, no matter what it takes—!” “Yeah…
we’ll see about that.” “But I will remember your name, Yukio.” With a sharp click, the girl sheathed her blade and reminded him, “By the way, those biscuits are highly compressed.
Don’t eat too many at once.” With that, she turned and silently exited the tree hollow.
Hearing the footsteps fade entirely…
Yukio scrambled to his feet and clumsily wiped away his tears.
But Ayane was already long gone.
He was the only one left in the hollow.
The boy could only stare blankly at the banknotes in his hand.
Then, as if waking from a long dream, he carefully tucked the money close to his chest—just as he firmly engraved the image of that demon mask deep into his heart.
Saving the boy named Yukio…
To Ayane, it was just a minor interlude.
Although dumping him near a random town seemed a bit like leaving him to fend for himself…
Ayane believed she had done everything in her power.
Whether Yukio could survive his future was entirely up to his own fate.
Because of his injuries, Woodpecker couldn’t move very fast.
But fortunately, they were already incredibly close to the frontlines.
After crossing a few small hills…
And spending roughly half a day, the two finally arrived at their destination: the forefront of the Rain-Konoha battlefield.
The border separating the Land of Rain and the Land of Fire was a massive, endlessly rushing river known as the Anyue River.
Ayane and Woodpecker stood atop a ridge, looking down at the warzone below.
At the base of the mountains, Amegakure’s encampments were pitched.
Tents dotted the wilderness like the scales of a long, winding dragon.
Across the river lay dense, overlapping forests.
Looking as far as the eye could see, the dark, fertile plains of the Land of Fire stretched out into the horizon.
Ayane’s gaze was uncontrollably drawn to the sight.
Over there, she could see a sunset—something she rarely saw in the Land of Rain even a handful of times a year.
The fiery red sun hung on the edge of the sky, radiating a hazy, golden halo that bathed the distant world in light.
The mountains and rivers shared the same vibrant color; heaven and earth were illuminated as one.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Woodpecker’s voice pulled her back to reality.
“I was stunned too, the first time I saw it.” Woodpecker stared at the setting sun and chuckled dryly.
“Being able to live under brilliant sunlight every single day…
I can’t even imagine how happy those Konoha ninja must be.” Because they had fled for their lives together…
The two of them had grown quite a bit closer.
Hearing this, Ayane couldn’t help but tease him.
“If you feel that way, why don’t you envy the Sunagakure ninja?” When it came to ‘living under brilliant sunlight’, the Sand Village were the true experts!
Woodpecker shook his head.
“I never said I envied the Konoha ninja.” The girl raised an eyebrow.
“Oh?” You’re surprisingly stubborn, she thought.
But Woodpecker replied with absolute seriousness, “Because that is not my home.” He paused, casting a deep, complex look at her.
“My home is right behind me, and right beneath my feet.” Ayane was momentarily speechless.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that his words carried a profound, hidden meaning.
“Let’s go.
I’ll take you to meet our new Squad Captain.” Woodpecker immediately reined in his emotions, reverting to his usual stoic self.
“The new Captain’s code name is Night Raven.
You can just call him Captain Raven.” Team Owl had suffered devastating casualties on the Sunagakure battlefield.
Even their previous Captain—the original Owl—had died in the deserts of the Land of Wind, his body completely unrecoverable.
During this reorganization period…
The upper echelons of the Rain Anbu hadn’t bothered to promote one of the surviving veterans.
Instead, they parachuted in a brand new Captain from the top down.
Specifically, the son of the Minister of Finance that Principal Ichii had warned her about.
But because the team’s roster was technically still being filled out…
Their official squad designation hadn’t been changed yet.
Everyone was still accustomed to calling them ‘Team Owl’.
Ayane nodded, a slight smirk curving beneath her mask as she mentally made a terrible pun.
What?
Captain Quack?
That fits my image of a nepotism hire perfectly!
Too bad if she said it out loud, no one here would understand her deadpan humor.
Following the Anyue River downstream, Woodpecker led Ayane toward a dense patch of forest about ten miles away.
He fired a signal flare into the sky.
Shortly after, an Anbu ninja dressed in identical gear emerged from the trees to receive them.
“Passcode?” Woodpecker answered firmly, “Dedicate your hearts to Lord Hanzo!” “Passcode verified!” Standing next to him, Ayane thought: “…” My graduation exam was literally just a few days ago.
How the hell did this slogan spread so fast?!
Naturally, she didn’t know that carrier pigeons containing the new rallying cry had been dispatched from the village days in advance.
While Principal Ichii was chatting with her in his office, the slogan was already being drilled into the troops on the frontlines…
With the passcode verified…
The tense atmosphere in the forest instantly relaxed.
The Anbu ninja wearing an Eagle mask glanced at Ayane and giggled.
“Woodpecker, is this the rookie?” Her voice was crisp with a hint of childishness.
Assuming she wasn’t purposefully disguising her voice, it was definitely a young female ninja.
Woodpecker gave a curt nod and pointed to Ayane.
“Black Swan.” He then turned and introduced the girl.
“This is Eagle.
She only joined the squad half a month before you did.” Woodpecker had already briefed Ayane on Team Owl’s current roster during their sprint here.
The squad consisted of seven members in total.
Excluding the new Captain and the newest members, there were only two true veterans left: Woodpecker and Peregrine.
The three of them made their way deep into the forest to the squad’s concealed camp.
At this point, all seven members of Team Owl were present and accounted for.
After a round of quick introductions so everyone knew each other’s code names, Woodpecker formally reported the incident at Maba Village to Captain Raven.
After listening to the report, Raven stroked his chin and sneered.
“I know that guy, Mashu.
He’s a diehard loyalist to Chiyo and her son.
He managed to survive the slaughter, but instead of having the guts to seek revenge on the Konoha ninja, he ran to our territory to vent his anger on civilians!” He quickly analyzed the situation.
“As for the rogue ninja Black Swan mentioned?
In all likelihood, Suna hired him off the black market to act as a local guide when they infiltrated the Land of Fire.” Ayane nodded internally.
That explains it.
It made perfect sense why a rogue ninja would be fraternizing with an Elite Jonin from the Sand.
Captain Raven continued arrogantly, “It seems Mashu at least knew his place and didn’t dare to keep chasing you.
Hmph!
He wouldn’t have the guts to pick a fight with us at a critical juncture like this anyway!” His conclusion actually matched Ayane’s perfectly.
After all, ninja didn’t ride horses.
There was no such thing as “your horse is faster than mine so I can’t catch you.” If an Elite Jonin genuinely wanted to hunt them down, there was absolutely no way Woodpecker and Black Swan would have escaped so easily.
Ayane pursed her lips, shot Raven a profound look, and then lowered her head.
So…
Slaughtering hundreds of innocent villagers purely to vent his frustration…
In the eyes of this Anbu Captain, that constitutes ‘knowing his place’?
A bone-chilling cold instantly crawled up her spine, seeping into her very marrow.
As a veteran Anbu, Woodpecker was meticulous.
He had already pieced most of this together during their flight.
He took a deep breath and probed carefully, “Captain, what is the status of the Sunagakure battlefield?
Do we have any news?” Night Raven fell silent for a moment.
His tone was incredibly flat as he revealed the truth.
“Sunagakure suffered a crushing defeat.
The Puppet Brigade was completely annihilated by Konoha.” !!!
The members of Team Owl were collectively stunned.
Eagle chirped up immediately, voicing her disbelief first.
“What?!
Suna’s Puppet Brigade?
Annihilated?
That’s impossible!” The Puppet Brigade was Sunagakure’s absolute trump card.
Their reputation was terrifying, and their overall combat effectiveness was practically a beefed-up version of an entire Anbu division.
Night Raven shot her a chilling glare.
Who the hell do you think you are?
You dare question me?
But considering he had just taken command, he suppressed his annoyance.
He unfolded the classified battle report he had received and passed it around for the squad to read.
News of this magnitude couldn’t be hidden anyway; it held no real value as a secret.
Night Raven sneered, “Obviously, the ‘complete annihilation’ of the Puppet Brigade is an exaggeration—likely Konoha bragging to boost morale.
Otherwise, how did Mashu make it out alive?
However, the fact remains that Suna suffered catastrophic casualties!” Ayane took the battle report from Woodpecker’s hands.
The text was brief—barely a few lines long—but the contents were earth-shattering.
[Confirmed Intel:] [Nine days ago, Sunagakure’s Puppet Brigade made landfall on the northern banks of the Land of Rivers, launching a surprise attack deep into Konoha territory!] [Six days ago, Suna forces were ambushed by Konoha shinobi near the Shiqian Forest in the Land of Fire, suffering devastating losses!] [The commanders of the Puppet Brigade—Advisor Chiyo’s son and daughter-in-law—were both slain in combat by a single man: Konoha Jonin, Sakumo Hatake!] [The remaining Suna forces were routed.
Based on battlefield analysis, the structural chain of command for the Puppet Brigade has completely collapsed.
The unit exists in name only!] “Sakumo Hatake…
leading a squad by himself…” “Is he really that monstrous?
I wonder who is stronger, him or the Hokage?” Seeing the dual official seals of the Anbu Commander and Lord Hanzo stamped at the bottom of the report, the squad members immediately dropped their doubts and began fervently discussing the name mentioned in the intel.
Woodpecker was a true veteran.
Hearing their murmurs, he chimed in, “Sakumo Hatake is known as the White Fang of the Leaf.
He is an Elite Jonin of Konoha with terrifying combat strength.
He specializes heavily in kenjutsu and nintaijutsu.
His speed is completely absurd!
If you ever encounter him on the battlefield, remember this: run as fast and as far as you can.” Ayane glanced at him but remained silent.
But the girl Eagle couldn’t hide her curiosity and immediately asked, “Have you actually fought this White Fang before?
How do you know so much about him?” “More or less.
But that was when he was younger.” Woodpecker lowered his voice.
“Sakumo Hatake used to be in Konoha’s Anbu.
About six or seven years ago, the previous Captain Owl and I encountered him during a border skirmish.” Although he didn’t explicitly state the outcome…
Judging by his grim expression, everyone understood that the encounter had likely been a one-sided slaughter.
Seeing the looks of apprehension and fear creeping onto his squad members’ faces…
Night Raven quickly clapped his hands, signaling for attention.
“There is no need for excessive panic.” “The intel states that the White Fang’s ninjutsu isn’t particularly strong.
He relies on a single short chakra blade.” Night Raven spoke calmly, “His combat style naturally hard-counters Puppet Masters.
Combine that with the fact that he was fighting on his home turf, laying an ambush against an enemy who wasn’t expecting him…
achieving such a massive victory isn’t actually that surprising.” “If it were a straight, head-on fight…” He crossed his arms, his tone practically overflowing with confidence.
“…It’s impossible to say who would have emerged victorious!” The squad members exchanged awkward glances, having absolutely no idea how to respond to that level of delusion.
In the end, it was Woodpecker—the seasoned veteran—who stepped in to save the Captain’s face so the scene wouldn’t turn painfully awkward.
“Captain Raven is right.
If the White Fang is truly that invincible, why isn’t he deployed to our battlefield?” Since he was the only one who had actually fought the White Fang, his words carried a strange sense of misplaced credibility.
Night Raven slammed his fist down, delivering the final, definitive conclusion.
“Exactly!
When it comes down to it, the White Fang is intentionally avoiding a direct clash with the might of Amegakure!” Ayane was silent for a long moment before respectfully cupping her fists.
“The Captain’s insight is truly profound!”