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Hayato was seriously considering ending things once and for all—either scare the hell out of Sanshuyu Hanzō so he'd never dare come back, or just straight-up kill him. That was the only way to be done with it.After all, Hayato wasn't naive enough to think that if he killed Hanzō's men again, the guy would just let it slide.
Looking at Konan's bright, happy face, Hayato felt more certain that tying up loose ends was the right move. That way, even if he did lose control and turn into the Hulk, at least it wouldn't be in front of her—and she'd never have to get hurt because of him.
"I've got something I need to take care of. I'll probably be gone about a week. Stay safe while I'm gone," Hayato said, glancing up at her while she was eating.
"Huh? You're leaving? Can't you take me with you?" Konan froze for a moment before blurting it out. Ever since she'd started following him, she'd been by his side almost every day. Now, hearing he'd be gone for a while, she couldn't help but panic.
"No. This is personal. I have to go alone. Just stay here and wait for me to come back," Hayato shook his head. The truth was, one big reason he wanted to go after Hanzō first was to stop him from making the first move—cornering Hayato into transforming and possibly hurting Konan.
"…Fine. But you have to come back soon," Konan said, nodding with a worried look. She might've been young, but she wasn't dumb. Ever since the Rain ninja showed up, she'd already guessed what Hayato was planning. She knew her strength wasn't enough to help; tagging along would just slow him down.
When Yahiko heard Hayato was leaving, he dragged Nagato over and thumped his chest, promising they'd protect Konan no matter what. Not that Yahiko realized—Konan's combat skills were way above his and Nagato's combined.
And so, Hayato set out alone toward Hanzō's turf, determined to finish this in one go.
Problem was, he didn't actually know much about Hanzō. Hell, he didn't even know exactly where the guy lived. That meant taking a few wrong turns and wasting time on the road. But after a few days, he finally reached the place.
It was a lavish mansion, worlds apart from the run-down shacks scattered across the Land of Rain—never mind the countless poor souls who didn't even have a roof over their heads.
"This is Lord Hanzō's estate! Get lost!"
Hayato, dressed in baggy clothes so they wouldn't rip if he transformed, didn't exactly look impressive. The gate guards took him for some random vagrant and barked at him to scram.
He snorted coldly. In the next instant, his foot tapped the ground and—whoosh—he was right in front of them. His fists shot out like lightning, slamming into both men's chests and shattering their hearts in a single strike.
From the moment he decided to come here, Hayato had already made up his mind—this time, he was going to kill Hanzō. No holding back.
"Enemy attack!"
The instant Hayato made his move, the whole estate was alerted. Shouts rang out as a swarm of ninja poured from the mansion, surrounding him in seconds. Even more lurked in the shadows, ready to strike.
Hayato looked around at them and let out a mocking laugh. For someone who stood near the top of the ninja world, Hanzō sure clung to his life like it was made of gold—stationing this many guards around his own house. Didn't exactly scream "fearless warrior."
"Go!"
"Kill him!"
In an instant, the surrounding ninjas lunged at Hayato, faces twisted with malice. Their weapons gleamed with a sinister blue sheen—clearly coated in deadly poison. After all, Hanzo the Salamander was a master of toxins, and his subordinates never considered poison a dishonorable tactic. These Rain-nin were the kind who would use any means necessary to win.
Hayato didn't so much as flinch. Even with their numbers and poisoned blades, his expression stayed perfectly calm. Instead, he let out a sharp battle cry and charged straight into them.
His punches and kicks were blindingly fast and brutally heavy. The moves were simple, even crude—but that didn't matter. Against these enemies, speed and raw power were more than enough to make up for a lack of fancy technique.
Bang!
A fist slammed into a ninja's head. Blood burst from the man's skull as his whole body seemed to shrink—Hayato had literally punched his neck down into his chest.
Bang!
A savage kick sent another ninja flying. His chest caved in with a deep footprint-shaped dent, and his body smashed into several others, knocking them all off their feet. The weaker ones spat blood from the impact alone.
"Water Style: Water Bullet Barrage!"
"Blink Strike!"
"Steel Fist!"
While Hayato attacked, the ninjas fought back just as fiercely—some hurling ninjutsu, some swinging weapons, others coming in with raw taijutsu. They swarmed him from every direction.
Hayato suddenly drove his foot into the ground and launched forward like a charging bear, slamming straight into a ninja's chest and killing him on the spot. He grabbed the corpse and used it as a shield, blocking the flurry of attacks aimed his way.
Fists, feet, palms, knees—those were Hayato's weapons. No ninjutsu. Just pure, straightforward taijutsu, delivered with overwhelming force and ruthless dominance.
"....."