Being surrounded was always the greatest disadvantage in battle.
As long as the opponents coordinated properly, even someone like Uchiha Hayashi would find it difficult to create an opening. Only monsters on the level of Uchiha Madara could casually kill one enemy after another while encircled by multiple Jonin.
Even so, Hayashi had chosen to stay behind with confidence.
Although Aoda was no match for Kage level powerhouses, dealing with ordinary Jonin posed no real problem.
Aoda's scales were as hard as steel, something ordinary puppet weapons could not penetrate. The poison the Sand Village prided itself on was completely useless against it. Being surrounded meant little more than a joke. With a single sweep of its massive tail, even boulders several meters tall were crushed into fine powder.
This was precisely why Orochimaru had unleashed summoned snakes throughout the village during the invasion of Konoha.
Against creatures like these, ordinary shinobi had almost no effective countermeasures.
....
As Aoda continued its rampage, Hayashi, whose chakra had recovered slightly, leapt down from the snake's head.
Swish.
The kunai in his hand flashed like lightning. Pushing his speed to the limit, Hayashi slashed ruthlessly toward a Sand ninja's neck, showing no hesitation.
The Sand ninja reacted instantly. With one hand, he raised his greatsword and accurately parried the strike.
A close combat specialist?
The moment Hayashi felt the force transmitted through the kunai, the thought surfaced in his mind.
He withdrew immediately, but the greatsword followed closely. The Sand ninja did not aim for a vital point. Instead, he attempted to use raw strength to lock Hayashi in place.
The next instant, the Sand ninja suddenly leapt backward, his chest expanding as he inhaled deeply. At the same time, from Hayashi's blind spot, a massive fireball roared toward him.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A violent gust of wind erupted from the Sand ninja's mouth, slamming into the fireball mid-air. The two techniques combined seamlessly.
The wind intensified the flames. With a sudden surge of airflow, the fireball expanded into a wide sea of fire that engulfed the battlefield.
Hayashi's expression hardened. His hands moved swiftly as he condensed chakra and formed a semicircular stone dome in front of him.
Shielded by the dome, he rolled forward, charging straight through the scorching inferno. In the next moment, he burst out from the opposite side, escaping the range of the combined Great Fireball Technique and Great Breakthrough.
The Sand ninja hiding on the far side wasted no time. As Hayashi emerged, he threw a powerful punch directly at Hayashi's neck.
Hayashi appeared momentarily stunned, staring at the attacker with slightly unfocused eyes.
Crack.
Blood sprayed into the air.
A head, still wearing a confused expression, flew upward.
"Finally killed…"
The Sand ninja did not finish his sentence.
The severed head suddenly dissolved into a flock of crows, which scattered before reforming into Hayashi's body.
"Genjutsu…"
The realization surfaced too late.
A sharp pain pierced through his back.
The Sand ninja slowly lowered his head, staring at the bloodied tip of a kunai protruding from his chest. The blade had sliced cleanly through his heart, draining the strength from his limbs. His mouth twitched as darkness overtook his vision, and he collapsed silently to the ground.
Hayashi was already moving again, charging toward his next target.
.....
Several minutes later, the stretch of desert lay shrouded in smoke and the stench of scorched earth.
When the smoke finally dissipated, only one figure remained standing.
Hayashi, drenched in blood, stood amidst the corpses of fallen Sand ninja. He gripped a chipped kunai tightly, breathing heavily as his chest rose and fell.
By now, Minato and the others should have successfully met up with the Konoha rescue force.
After resting briefly, Hayashi decided to retreat immediately. He had delayed the enemy long enough. According to Dabai's observations, the next wave of Sand ninja would reach the battlefield in less than thirty seconds.
Even someone as monstrous as the Third Raikage had only survived three days while being surrounded. With his current condition, Hayashi judged that lasting even half an hour would already be pushing his limits.
The results spoke for themselves.
Once he pushed his speed to the limit, the Sand ninja chasing him were unable to close the distance quickly.
Thus, a strange scene unfolded across the battlefield. A single young boy sprinted at full speed, while a group of furious Sand ninja chased after him relentlessly.
After running for nearly two minutes, Hayashi finally spotted the leading Konoha forces.
Tsunade.
The Konoha princess, already gaining fame as the strongest medical ninja and the most powerful female shinobi in the world.
Though her expression appeared calm, Tsunade was seething with rage. She knew all too well that if they had arrived any later, her younger brother would have died from Sand Village poison.
At this moment, she charged forward at full speed, leaving the other Konoha ninja far behind her.
Hayashi's eyes met Tsunade's.
No words were exchanged, but both immediately understood each other.
Hayashi did not stop. He continued running straight toward the Konoha camp. The intense battle had drained a significant portion of his chakra, and remaining on the battlefield would only slow things down.
His objective had already been achieved.
Minato and the others were safe.
The Sand ninja pursuing him came to an abrupt halt upon seeing Tsunade.
What did we do to provoke her?
The same thought surfaced in the minds of every Sand ninja present.
None of them had forgotten the scene not long ago when Tsunade and Orochimaru had stormed the Sand Village base. At that time, Tsunade had seemed almost immortal, regenerating from every injury no matter how severe.
Even Elder Chiyo had been unable to stop her.
Facing such a monster again was unthinkable.
Slowly, the Sand ninja began to retreat.
Tsunade showed no intention of letting them go.
Burning with fury, she charged forward alone, while the supporting Konoha ninja followed closely behind her.
.....
Having left the battlefield, Hayashi continued on until the main Konoha base finally came into view.
After checking in with the ninja guarding the entrance, he passed through the gates and headed straight toward the medical area.
He nearly collided with Kato Dan as the man stepped out of a tent.
"Huh? Hayashi, what are you doing here?"
Kato Dan looked exhausted, dark circles visible beneath his eyes.
"I came to see Nawaki," Hayashi replied.
"Dan san, what about you?"
"I heard Nawaki was injured and rushed over as soon as I could," Kato Dan said with a gentle smile.
Hayashi raised an eyebrow slightly. "How is he now?"
"The medical ninja are already performing surgery. It should be fine, otherwise Tsunade would still be here."
Hayashi nodded in relief.
"Alright then. I'm heading back to rest. I've been on missions all day and I'm completely worn out."
After saying goodbye, Kato Dan
slowly walked away.
Watching his retreating figure, Hayashi let out a quiet sigh. The man's lonely posture seemed to spell out his fate with every step.
___
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