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At that moment, Konan had gone through a transformation. She was no longer the naïve girl she once was—she had become a true leader.
Of course, Hayato had no idea how much Konan had changed. If he did, he probably wouldn't try to stop it anyway. Honestly, a part of him had always wanted her to stay innocent, like she was in the beginning. But the moment she chose this path, the change had already been inevitable.
Now, on the border where the Land of Rain met the Land of Earth, Hayato's figure appeared.
"Hm? Are you sure? You're saying the leader of the Land of Rain, Hayato, is standing at the border between our two countries?" Ōnoki's eyes narrowed as he listened to the scout's report, a sharp light flickering in them.
"Yes, Lord Tsuchikage. I didn't mistake him. Hayato has already reached the border, and… he's heading straight this way." The Iwagakure shinobi, kneeling before Ōnoki, spoke with complete seriousness.
"And you're certain he's alone?" Ōnoki frowned, a trace of suspicion flickering in his eyes.
"Yes. I already scouted a ten-mile radius around him. There's no one else."
"…Huh?" Ōnoki's expression grew stranger. "What the hell is that guy doing? Showing up at the frontlines all by himself? Doesn't he realize how easy it would be to set up an ambush? Or has he just lost his damn mind?"
After all, even a Kage wouldn't go into battle without a strong guard at their side. No matter how powerful, if they got caught in an ambush of enemy shinobi, they could still be taken down. And a Kage wasn't just a village's strongest fighter—they were its symbol, its pillar of morale. Losing them would be devastating. That's why Hayato's behavior wasn't just odd—it reeked of some kind of scheme.
What Ōnoki didn't know, though, was that this wasn't new for Hayato. He'd already marched into enemy strongholds alone not once, not twice, but three times—facing Konoha, Sunagakure, and even Ame itself in the past.
"Hmph. Whatever tricks he's planning, this is still an opportunity. Kurotsuchi! Gather a squad—we're going after him. Heh, this time, I'll capture the leader of the Land of Rain with my own hands. Let's see what that country can do once I've got him." A cold smile spread across Ōnoki's face. For such a small old man, the malice he gave off was overwhelming.
The next moment, Ōnoki and a squad of Iwa's elite ninja charged toward Hayato's position.
Hayato, of course, had no idea what they were up to. But he wasn't surprised either. It was only natural. If their roles were reversed—if the Tsuchikage had wandered to the border alone—he would have ordered an ambush without hesitation.
Just as Hayato stepped out of Rain's territory and crossed into Earth's, the ground suddenly shook beneath him.
"Earth Style: Moving Core!"
With a thunderous boom, the ground behind him heaved upward, cutting off his retreat. At the same time, another jutsu activated—an enormous boulder came crashing down from the sky, aiming to crush him on the spot.
A cold glint flashed in Hayato's eyes. His foot pushed off the ground and he darted forward, trying to slip past before the massive rock landed.
But the earth in front of him shuddered again. From the ground, sharp earthen spears thrust upward, blocking his escape.
"Earth Style: Great Mud River!"
From the side, a torrent of mud came roaring in, surging toward him, threatening to sweep him straight back.
In the blink of an eye, a storm of jutsu erupted, all converging on Hayato, sealing him in the very center. The plan was simple—obliterate him in one strike.
The Iwa-nin moved with terrifying coordination. Their attacks overlapped perfectly, each technique amplifying the next, their combined power reaching its peak. Every move, every seal, was aimed at one goal: kill Hayato, wipe out the leader of the Land of Rain.
"Tch!" Hayato let out a sharp, dismissive snort. His right fist clenched tight, his body leaning back like a drawn bowstring. With a guttural roar, he didn't even care what lay in front of him—he just drove his fist forward.
Cracks rang out one after another as stone and jutsu shattered before his natural, brute strength.
BOOM!
A massive boulder slammed into the ground with an earth-shaking crash, sending tremors across the battlefield. But Hayato wasn't crushed beneath it—instead, he burst through, charging straight at the nearest Iwa-nin. With another roar, he swung a heavy punch right at the man's face.
THUD!
The Iwa-nin vanished, replaced by a splintered log. A substitution. Hayato's earlier rampage had destroyed wave after wave of attacks, but it had also slowed him just enough for his opponent to prepare an escape. The Iwa-nin had seen him coming and slipped away with a substitution technique, dodging a blow that would've ended him instantly.
A hiss of movement—"Shff!"—as another ninja burst up from the ground, kunai flashing straight for Hayato's chest.
Hayato growled, spinning on his heel. His leg whipped out like a steel cable, slamming into the attacker's ribs. The Iwa-nin screamed as he was launched backward.
Hayato lunged to follow up, but suddenly, hands shot out from beneath his feet, clamping around his ankles. Earth Release—an attempt to drag him into the ground, to pin him in place for the kill.
But the instant the hands appeared, Hayato sneered. His foot came down hard.
CRACK!
Blood sprayed up from the soil as the hidden ninja beneath was crushed.
In a blink, two ambushers lay dead, their own trap turned against them. Hayato didn't pause, didn't even flinch. He kept tearing through the enemy lines, his fists smashing, his kicks breaking bones.
From start to finish, he hadn't used a single jutsu. No hand seals, no techniques. Just natural power.
And in the middle of the battlefield, he was like a tiger loosed among sheep. The Iwa-nin were strong—seasoned warriors with earth-style ninjutsu honed to perfection—but against Hayato, against his sheer, unstoppable strength, they were nowhere near enough.
"....."