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The signal for Konoha's counterattack had not yet been given when a dazzling red streak slashed across the sky.
A huge amount of Tailed Beast chakra, pushed to its maximum limit, rushed towards the battlefield, leaving a long trail of fire in its wake. The power it contained could have wiped out everything in its path.
"What is that?!" Sakumo's pupils contracted to pinpoints as the White Light Chakra Sabre hummed in his hand. He immediately raised its cold blade in front of him.
Manji frowned.
A Tailed Beast Ball!
Even worse, he had himself taught the Tailed Beasts how to form and fire this technique.
Manji immediately performed a sequence of hand seals so fast that his fingers became blurred.
"Water Style: Water Wall!"
"Water Style: Water Colliding Wave!"
Two enormous walls of water burst out of the ground, each possessing sufficient force to generate a tidal wave—the surging water hit the Tailed Beast Ball from the side and knocked it off course, sending it towards a remote area of empty desert.
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!"
Blinding white light shot into the sky and the shock wave spread out over the battlefield as if guided by an invisible hand, throwing sand in every direction and causing the ground to tremble under their feet.
The Konoha shinobi were thrown off balance. When they saw the distant dunes that had been erased by the blast, cold sweat soaked their backs.
That single attack could have wiped out every one of them.
Manji's breathing stayed steady as his sharp gaze focused on the source of the attack—on a distant dune stood a young man dressed in simple monk's robes.
The monk was Bunpuku, Shukaku's jinchūriki and one of the more obscure figures from the original story.
Shukaku's chakra cloak curled around his body, while the markings of a partial Tailed Beast Transformation covered his face and arms.
Unlike the past, the Tailed Beasts had not been forced into this war.
This time, they had willingly chosen to fight beside their human partners.
Genuine harmony with their Tailed Beast had been attained by every jinchūriki.
"He deflected a Tailed Beast Ball by himself. Shukaku, we've encountered a dangerous opponent," Bunpuku said, placing his palms together. Although his voice stayed calm, there was a touch of caution in it.
A familiar and confident voice like Shukaku's appeared in his mind. "There's no need to be worried about it—as long as the other Tailed Beasts don't turn up in person I'll be able to face anybody. Even Konoha's Hokage!"
Bunpuku nodded as fine grains of sand rose around him. "Then let us show him our strength."
In the next moment Bunpuku disappeared using the Body Flicker Jutsu and suddenly reappeared in front of Manji and Sakumo.
"You are both young and no match for me,"
Bunpuku said, his palms still pressed together. His voice rang with the weight of an old temple bell as his gaze passed over the two Konoha shinobi.
"You have killed many of Sunagakure's people, but if you take your own lives in atonement and cede this battlefield, I will spare every shinobi under your command."
"Sunagakure treats its prisoners humanely. We do not slaughter the innocent."
Even though the battlefield was in the middle of the smoke and Bunpuku's robes were stained by it, he still held on to his compassion and would not cause any more senseless deaths.
Manji and Sakumo looked at each other as chakra slowly collected around their fingertips.
Inside Bunpuku, the relaxed Shukaku abruptly stiffened. Its lazy eyes narrowed, then widened until they were nearly round.
"Wait! That presence…"
"It can't be…"
"T-Teacher?!"
At nearly the same time, Manji linked his consciousness with that of Shukaku and spoke with a touch of amusement.
"You've improved, Shukaku. After all these years we are meeting again, and before you even say hello you launch a Tailed Beast Ball across the desert as a gift?"
"Teacher! It really is you!" Shukaku cried, torn between relief and embarrassment. "How was I supposed to know? If you'd warned me, I wouldn't have gone through all that trouble!"
It beat its chest quickly and said, "Only tell me what to do, Teacher! Shall we give up the match and let you win, or should I come up with an excuse and pull back? I'll make sure it's believable and no one will in the least suspect anything!"
Manji laughed and turned the offer down. "It won't be necessary. Just fight as you usually do."
Shukaku remained motionless and then gave a firm nod as it spoke in a serious tone. "If that is what you want, I won't hold back any longer. Be ready, Teacher!"
It wasn't remotely concerned about hurting Manji. If Shukaku could injure him through its own strength, that alone would be a miracle.
Without saying anything more, Manji cut off their mental link and the battle then broke out.
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The fight being so intense, Manji and Sakumo joined their strength and fought Bunpuku until the battle ended in a draw.
That day, the Two Lights of Konoha made their names known.
The moment the report from the Land of Wind reached Konoha, the entire village erupted. Before long, the news had spread across the shinobi world.
Manji and Sakumo Hatake managed to defeat Sunagakure's elite main force on their own and then fought a draw against Bunpuku, Shukaku's perfect jinchūriki.
The news caused Konoha's morale to rise greatly.
The village then gave the two a new title: the Two Lights of Konoha.
After that, their names had a shaking effect on the entire Sunagakure front and caused countless Sand shinobi to go pale whenever the two were mentioned.
The rapid emergence of Konoha's two newest stars caused alarm among the leaders of Sunagakure.
The Third Kazekage then sent out an emergency order of the highest priority.
"If any Sunagakure shinobi encounter the Two Lights of Konoha while carrying out a mission, they may abandon the mission and retreat immediately. No prior authorization is required!"
Manji and Sakumo had become the two most promising rising stars of the Second Shinobi World War.
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"The Two Lights of Konoha? That's not bad," Manji remarked with a faint smile.
Fame and prestige held little appeal for him.
The Sage of Six Paths was already known throughout the world and had accumulated more achievements than anyone could count.
On his return to the camp, Manji noticed Sakumo being unusually close to a female medical-nin and at once realised what was going on.
Sakumo Hatake had fallen in love.
On noticing that someone was coming, Sakumo hurried over.
"So that's why you've been hanging around this part of the camp," Manji said with a smile. "You found yourself a girlfriend."
Sakumo looked embarrassed. "No, it isn't like that—I was injured earlier and she looked after my wounds…"
"I certainly see it that way," Manji replied. "If you fancy her, tell her—you might come to regret it if you let this chance go."
Sakumo smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"We never have control over our lives while at war. I can't promise her a future and I have no idea what would happen to her if I died. I'll talk to her when the war is over."
Manji nodded in approval. Sakumo Hatake was indeed a good man since he wasn't driven by what was between his legs and because he understood that starting a relationship meant accepting responsibility for it.
When he looked at Sakumo, Manji thought of Kakashi.
Should the chance ever come along, he would be happy to have Kakashi Hatake, Obito Uchiha, and Rin Nohara as his own genin team.
"If you two get married, remember to invite me," Manji said.
"Of course!" Sakumo answered immediately. "You're my brother for life. I'll even let you name my future children!"
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