Chapter 1048: A Killing Spree

A fierce battle was taking place in this remote forest.

"Hoo, hoo, hoo..."

Hatake Sakumo was panting heavily.

With the loss of an arm, Hatake Sakumo's combat power was greatly affected.

And the terrible situation right now was not just Sakumo's injury, but more fatally, the ninja fighting him knew Hatake Sakumo's abilities extremely well.

Unless one reaches the "Six Paths" level, transcending mortals to reach the level of a sage, everyone has weaknesses.

And once this weakness is grasped, the form of the battle will instantly reverse.

Even in the original work, "Shisui of the Body Flicker," known as the "Uchiha's number one genius" and blessed with the powerful Kekkei Genkai of the Sharingan, still met his end under the siege of Danzo and a bunch of minions.

And was Danzo able to defeat Uchiha Shisui because Danzo's strength was above his?

Not necessarily.

The reason was probably only one—that Shisui's weakness was firmly grasped in Danzo's hands.

Hatake Sakumo's situation right now was so similar to Uchiha Shisui's.

The enemies in front of Sakumo could not only dodge Sakumo's attacks at critical moments but also seize the flaws in Sakumo's attacks at critical moments.

This put immense pressure on Sakumo during the battle, coupled with the impact of the missing arm on his combat power.

After a period of fighting, Hatake Sakumo's body was already covered in wounds.

If this continued, Sakumo's defeat and death seemed to be only a matter of time.

"Whoosh, whoosh!!!"

Water Release: Rain Needle Senbon Technique!

Dense water needles shot toward Hatake Sakumo without mercy.

"Clang, clang, clang!!!"

Sakumo swung the short blade in his single arm to block quickly.

"Pfft!!"

Although Sakumo's sword technique had reached perfection, no matter how fast his speed was, how many attacks could he block with just one short blade?

At this moment, several more wounds were inflicted on his body.

Hatake Sakumo gritted his teeth and could only struggle to protect "Hai" by his side from being attacked.

He looked deeply at "Hai," who was still unconscious beside him, and a trace of struggle flashed in his eyes.

At this moment, a thousand thoughts flashed through Sakumo's mind.

He thought of his determination when he passed by the Hatake house earlier, and then thought of his wife and young son at home.

Finally, the image of the Third Hokage's seemingly kind old face appeared in Hatake Sakumo's mind.

In the end, all thoughts gradually returned to calm.

At this moment, Hatake Sakumo regretted immensely: why was he so determined when he passed by his home earlier?

But now, no matter what he thought, it was too late.

A trace of indifference flashed in the depths of Hatake Sakumo's eyes, and finally, all the emotions in his heart turned into unyielding determination.

"Kakashi, I think one day you will forgive me."

He said faintly in his heart.

Sakumo named his son Hatake Kakashi.

Kakashi means "scarecrow."

Originally, Hatake Sakumo's intention in naming his son Kakashi was to hope that he would be as strong as a scarecrow enduring loneliness in the fields.

Looking at it now, everything seemed to have been unfortunately predicted by Hatake Sakumo.

Because Hatake Kakashi's life was destined to only endure loneliness.

Missing out on love.

Parting ways with friendship.

Hatake Sakumo looked calmly at the unconscious "Hai."

The situation right now was already very clear.

The enemies in front were not ordinary people, and Sakumo was simply powerless to defeat them while missing an arm.

If he wanted to survive, he could only abandon the burden of "Hai" and break out alone.

With Sakumo's strength, even if he lost an arm, he could still manage to escape if he couldn't win.

"Hai," as an existence carrying the First Hokage's cells and suspected of having awakened Wood Release, had an importance to Konoha that went without saying.

As a Konoha ninja who aspired to inherit the title of "Hokage," Hatake Sakumo naturally would not sit idly by and watch "Hai" be abducted.

Therefore, even if he had to pay everything, even if he had to pay with his life, Hatake Sakumo must ensure the completion of the mission.

In this way, the matter seemed to have returned to a dead end.

If he abandoned "Hai," Hatake Sakumo could live.

But if he chose to continue the mission and successfully rescue "Hai" back to Konoha, then Hatake Sakumo would inevitably die.

At this crossroads of fate, Hatake Sakumo's choice was already very clear.

"Hoo..."

Hatake Sakumo took a deep breath and then exhaled.

Subsequently, he no longer looked at "Hai" behind him, but turned his gaze to the "enemy" in front.

Breaking out with "Hai" was already impossible.

Then, to complete the mission and ensure "Hai" returned safely to Konoha's hands, only one path remained.

That was—to kill all the enemies in front!

Thinking of this, Hatake Sakumo barely formed seals with one hand and activated the technique he thought he would never use. ===== CHAPTER 1050 =====