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Hayato's strength was already at the very peak of Chūnin level—he was just one step away from breaking into Jōnin class. And get this—he'd only been training for about a year since awakening the Hulk bloodline.
From someone who didn't even have Genin-level power in the beginning, to nearly reaching Jōnin now? Yeah, that tells you just how insanely talented Hayato is.
Of course, a big part of this was how crazy hard he trained. Let's be real—if he didn't have that Hulk-level healing factor, he'd have dropped dead from exhaustion ages ago.
His training style was also way different from your average ninja. It was more like how martial artists train, which is why in battle, he fought more like a brawler than a ninja.
With a sudden burst from his feet, he dashed forward like lightning, dodging a Sand ninja's jutsu and getting right in front of a Genin. One hand-chop—straight into the guy's chest. Crushed his heart. Killed him instantly. Then he leapt away before the follow-up attacks could hit, already moving in to target the next ninja.
Hayato's combat style? Straight-up brute force. He didn't bother with fancy tricks—just speed and power. He moved so fast that most ninjas couldn't even react in time.
Lately, he'd been fighting wandering ninjas or any ninja that got in his way, and over time, his battle experience really piled up. That made him even deadlier—he was now able to bring out the best of his strength in actual combat.
His enemies included one Jōnin, a few Chūnin, and a bunch of Genin. They all ganged up on him, trying to take him down. But not only did they fail, Hayato actually managed to kill several Genin in just a short time. Still, numbers are numbers, and the enemy had more people, so little by little, Hayato started taking some hits. His body was getting covered in wounds.
"RAAAHHH!!! You're all DEAD MEAT!!"
The more wounds he got, the more pissed off he became. The anger inside him was boiling over. With a roar, his eyes started glowing green—and that same green began creeping over his whole body.
It had been a while since Hayato last transformed into the Hulk. But now, right near the Sand Ninja's camp, he was going full-on Hulk mode again.
Not far from the battlefield, someone was lurking underground, watching the fight between Hayato and the Sand ninjas. When he saw Hayato begin to transform after getting attacked, a sly grin curled on his lips.
"As I thought… he's transforming again. Good. Now let's see if the Sand ninjas can handle this monster. Or maybe… just maybe… this could be the perfect chance to break through their defenses."
With a pale face and a devilish smirk, Orochimaru muttered to himself. His long, snake-like tongue flicked out and licked his lips as he let out a low, creepy chuckle.
Clearly, Konoha had started to suspect something was off with Hayato's actions. And maybe… just maybe, this was an opportunity. That's why Orochimaru had been secretly following Hayato from the shadows—and now, he was witnessing the clash between Hayato and the Sand ninjas firsthand.
"RAAAAHHHH!!"
A furious roar burst from Hayato's mouth, and in the blink of an eye, he had completely transformed into the Hulk.
Then—BOOM—he stomped the ground and charged. In the very next second, he was in front of a Chūnin, and with one punch, killed him instantly. Every bone in that poor guy's body got shattered.
After turning into the Hulk, Hayato's strength had shot through the roof—straight-up monster level.
[Insert author plea for flowers/gifts, left in tone:]
Send flowers, please~
"Huh? What kind of secret jutsu is this?! Wait a sec… could he be from the Akimichi Clan of Konoha?"
The Sand Jōnin watched as Hayato's body suddenly bulked up. He sneered, clearly clueless, and mistook Hayato's Hulk transformation for the Akimichi clan's size-enhancing jutsu.
"Wind Style: Blade of Wind!"
A sharp, slicing wind jutsu shot from the Jōnin's mouth, slashing straight toward Hayato.
Slice!
It hit—but all it did was make a tiny scratch. The wound didn't even have time to bleed before it started healing instantly. It was like the jutsu hadn't done anything at all.
"What the—?!"
The Sand Jōnin gasped in shock. But before he could even react, Hayato—now a furious, savage beast—was already right in front of him. With one massive punch powered by sheer rage…
CRACK!
It was like smashing open a watermelon—no, way worse. The Jōnin's head exploded like a blood-filled balloon, vanishing in an instant. Nothing left. No trace.
THUD!
The headless corpse collapsed to the ground.
"....."