An explosion suddenly echoed through the sky, shaking the entire canyon as though a great beast had been struck. The walls of Cloud Overlook Canyon were already weakened and prone to erosion, and under such violent force, they crumbled like sandcastles, cascading down in avalanches from both sides.
For a long moment the thunder of blasts and the crash of falling rock mixed together, reverberating throughout the gorge. A vast number of explosive tags, triggered in a chain reaction, had detonated at once. The blast not only engulfed many unsuspecting Sand shinobi, but it also tore a massive gap through the heart of the canyon's natural defenses.
The sudden catastrophe stunned the Leaf shinobi still standing at a distance, including Minato Namikaze, who was leading the team. At his rank and role he was not privy to the details of Hayashi's mission. Within the Leaf camp itself, only Jiraiya and Orochimaru knew the full contents of that secret order.
As captain of the advance squad, Minato's objective was not to force a passage through Cloud Overlook Canyon, but to lead a portion of the force deep behind the Sand Village base, establishing a strategic thorn in their flank.
"It looks like the enemy is in serious trouble," Minato said, watching the dust rise from the canyon breach.
He could not be certain what had caused such devastation, but rushing his men headlong into that smoke and chaos before assessing the situation would be reckless. First he needed to confirm whether the canyon had truly collapsed and whether any enemy combatants remained capable of fighting.
"I'm going in to check. Shikaku Nara, hold position here. If anything happens, you will take command," Minato ordered, accelerating forward like lightning into the still‑smoldering cloud of dust.
"…Minato, you're going in yourself?" one of the jonin called after him.
By all reason, a reconnaissance specialist should have been sent into that turmoil, but knowing this was Minato's first time leading a team, it made sense that he would take the lead.
Shikaku sighed as he and the remaining Leaf shinobi watched the Yellow Flash disappear into the smoke.
After roughly two minutes, Hayashi ended the chakra supply to the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags he had planted, and the nearly ear‑splitting detonations ceased at once. This forbidden technique, originally created by the Second Hokage, generated consecutive explosions through tag replication in a violent cascade, resulting in overwhelming destruction.
The blast had carved a massive breach through Cloud Overlook Canyon. Although the canyon stretched for kilometers and the Sand forces had been spread out, many of their shinobi were still alive, disoriented but capable of battle.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!" Hayashi formed the signs instantly and summoned twenty shadow clones.
Turning to face his copies he said, "I'll leave the rest to you."
"Don't worry, we've got this," the shadow clones replied in unison, rushing toward the remaining Sand shinobi.
Hayashi and Mikoto exchanged a brief glance, then advanced into the chaos beside the clones, ready to finish the engagement.
Five minutes later, as expected, the three hundred‑strong team of Sand Village shinobi had been wiped out except for those who had died in the earlier explosions. Each remaining fighter had fallen beneath the precise strikes of Hayashi, Mikoto, and the coordinated clones.
When Minato emerged from the smoky haze, the sight before him was one of absolute devastation. Cloud Overlook Canyon stood half‑destroyed, the center blown away as though cleaved by a god's blade. The devastation was immense.
Cautiously he climbed over the unstable rubble, following the only path that remained somewhat intact. Eventually he spotted Hayashi and Mikoto standing atop a sand dune not far ahead, the battlefield littered with broken bodies beneath their feet.
"You did all this?" Minato asked, gesturing at the collapsed canyon and ruined defenders.
"Yes," Hayashi replied simply.
Minato was momentarily speechless. No wonder Jiraiya had given him that knowing wink when he was led away from the Leaf camp at the start of this mission. The plan had already been set in motion by Orochimaru and the others.
"Because it's a top‑secret mission, I can't explain it until it's complete. Sorry," Hayashi said with a small shrug.
Minato waved it off and signalled the rest of the Leaf forces forward.
Seeing the shattered canyon and the aftermath of Hayashi's technique, the Leaf shinobi were visibly shaken. The ability to obliterate an entire canyon like that was beyond what ordinary ninjutsu could achieve. At the very least it suggested forbidden techniques of immense power.
Yet when they recognized Hayashi standing there, a ripple of awe passed through the ranks. Rumors of his strength had grown over the years. When he shook the ninja world at just eleven years old, the legend began; now a few more years later, even surpassing some expectations was not unimaginable.
With the Leaf forces advancing and no time for further words, Minato pressed the troops forward through the new breach. Some familiar faces from Hayashi's past joined him as they walked, among them Shikaku.
The two had shared a close bond back in the Ninja Academy, often lounging on the rooftop together between classes. But years had passed, and Shikaku, now seventeen with the beginnings of a beard, looked far more mature than Hayashi.
"Hayashi, you actually went through with something this messy," Shikaku said with a weary smile.
With his insight, Shikaku could already imagine what kind of mission Hayashi had just executed, even if he didn't know all the specifics.
"I didn't want to do it either, but it was the task given," Hayashi replied, spreading his hands in a gesture of helplessness.
"Fake illness, that's my specialty," Shikaku joked with the same relaxed tone he had years ago, yet when it truly came to the war, he was unquestionably dependable.
Because of his intelligence, Shikaku's father had already begun involving him in strategic discussions. Orochimaru and Jiraiya both respected the Nara family's tactical acumen, and that was why Shikaku was assigned to this mission.
And now, according to the plan, Shikaku and Minato would move to a more distant front, positioning themselves behind the Sand Village base and solidifying the Leaf's strategic footing.