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"Has the Kazekage shown up already? Hehehe... just as expected." Orochimaru sneered from the shadows, his voice cold and mocking.
The Kazekage and the Sand shinobi were throwing every kind of jutsu they had at Hayato, but none of it seemed to work. Most of the attacks hit him square on, yet they barely left a scratch. And the few that did manage to hurt him? The wounds closed up in seconds, healing right before their eyes. It was like nothing they did could actually hurt him.
Boom!
One punch—and a masterfully crafted puppet shattered into pieces, nothing left but a pile of junk. One stomp—and a ninja was crushed like a bug, blood splattering everywhere. Another punch—and whether it was ninjutsu, ninja tools, or even actual people—it all got blown away in a single hit.
Hayato's massive size, insane strength, and terrifying jumping power made him an unstoppable force. If he missed, fine. But if he hit you? You were dead. No one survived. Most didn't even leave behind a whole body.
Genin, chunin, even jounin were dying left and right at Hayato's hands, and the body count was still rising. The ground was already soaked in blood, and the air was thick with the smell of it. The Third Kazekage's face was pale as death. Fighting a monster like Hayato made him feel like he was up against a tailed beast. It honestly felt like he was leading his men into battle against Shukaku itself.
...
"A Tailed Beast…?"
The Third Kazekage muttered, his expression shifting. As the battle raged on, he slowly realized—Hayato didn't seem to have any reason or logic left. He was rampaging like a wild beast, just like Shukaku when it loses control.
That thought made the Kazekage change his strategy. If Hayato was fighting like a tailed beast, then maybe they had to fight him like a tailed beast too.
The Sand shinobi started switching tactics. Some of them kept blasting Hayato with jutsu to keep him distracted, while others began pulling out heavy iron chains—special equipment forged from rare alloys and engraved with chakra-suppressing seals. These chains were usually used to restrain rampaging tailed beasts—specifically Shukaku. Now, they were being used on Hayato.
Hayato swung his massive fist down at a group of Sand shinobi. Just as it was about to hit, a huge iron shield popped up in front of him, trying to block the attack.
But it was useless.
With a deafening crash, Hayato's punch smashed into the shield—and didn't stop. His fist kept going, slamming the shield into the ground with so much force that the ninja underneath was crushed into a pulp.
The Third Kazekage's face turned even darker. That shield was his jutsu. He had tried to stop the killing, but Hayato's brute strength was just too much. Nothing was working.
"ROOOOAAARRR!!"
Hayato let out a thunderous roar that echoed across the battlefield like an explosion.
Right then, dozens of iron chains suddenly shot out, wrapping tightly around his body. Every chain had a pair of jounin anchoring it on both ends, gripping tightly. In the blink of an eye, Hayato was tangled in more than fifty of them.
Red light started pulsing along the chains—chakra from the ninjas powering up the seals. One by one, the chains linked together, forming a powerful field around Hayato. And as the energy built up, all the chains activated at once, forming a massive sealing barrier that completely trapped him inside.
The Third Kazekage finally allowed himself a flicker of hope. This was exactly how they had sealed Shukaku when it lost control before. Even though Hayato had turned into some kind of giant green monster, strong as hell—he wasn't any weaker than a berserk tailed beast.
...
Hidden in the shadows, Orochimaru watched the scene unfold. A smug smile crept across his lips as he scoffed, "Using Tailed Beast sealing techniques on Hayato (Hulk)? What a joke. Third Kazekage, you've totally misunderstood the situation."
He narrowed his eyes.
"Sure, Hayato is as powerful as a Tailed Beast... but here's the catch—Tailed Beasts are made of pure chakra. This thing in front of us? That monster? He's got a real, physical body. And when he transforms into that massive green beast, there's not even a trace of chakra in him. You seal a Tailed Beast by sealing its chakra. But using chakra-sealing methods on Hayato ? Kazekage, you've seriously miscalculated."
As Orochimaru muttered to himself, Hayato, who was chained up by a dozen thick iron chains, suddenly let out a thunderous roar. His enormous green hand grabbed the chains wrapped around him and yanked hard.
Even though elite jonin were strong, when it came to raw strength, they were nothing compared to the Hulk.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The shinobi holding the chains were instantly pulled toward him. With a loud boom, Hayato swung his massive fist—completely obliterating them. Then he grabbed the chains and smashed them into the ground like a weapon.
SPLAT!
The ninjas who were still clinging to the chains were slammed into the ground with bone-crushing force—turned into bloody mush in an instant.
With the chains in hand, Hayato went absolutely berserk, swinging wildly at the Sand ninja. What was supposed to be a sealing technique meant to trap him had now become his weapon of destruction.
BAM!
The chain swept across the battlefield like a wrecking ball. Any ninja who got hit by it was instantly torn in half. Every time it struck the ground, it left behind a huge, gaping crack in the earth.
The crazed onslaught continued, each strike claiming the lives of multiple Sand shinobi.
Watching all this, the Third Kazekage's eyes widened in shock and horror. He finally understood—this monster might be as strong as a Tailed Beast, but it was fundamentally different. The standard tactics used to capture a Tailed Beast? Completely useless here.
With a furious roar, the Kazekage poured out his chakra, desperately manipulating his Iron Sand. Weapon after massive weapon formed from the swirling iron, and he hurled them all at Hayato while shouting orders:
"Sand ninja—listen up! Stop the attack! I'll lure this monster away!"
"....."