"Ahhh! So it really was you, Hayate! How've you been? Run into any enemies?"Naruto waved cheerfully as he jogged up, then suddenly darted right in front of Kazehaya Hayate, squinting at him like a detective inspecting a suspect.
"You… what are you doing?" Hayate stiffened, instinctively taking several steps back, his expression twitching. Jeez, this guy scared the life out of me… For someone who had chased Sasuke across half the continent in the anime, Naruto definitely had some unpredictable energy — but Hayate refused to believe he was into that kind of thing.
"Heh-heh…" Naruto chuckled awkwardly. The moment he started laughing, Hayate felt an ominous chill.
"I was just thinking," Naruto said with a grin, "from the way you look, it doesn't seem like someone stole your scroll, huh?"
Hayate sweatdropped. "No…" he muttered, a black line forming over his head. Still, he couldn't help liking Naruto's straightforward nature.
"Hmph. Then what are you doing here?" came a sharp voice. Sasuke's tone was cold as ever. He turned his gaze toward Hinata and Kiba, who had just arrived behind Hayate, his eyes narrowing. "Don't tell me… you're planning to steal our scroll?"
The air around them froze. Hinata and Kiba, sensing the sudden tension, exchanged uneasy looks but stayed silent, their eyes shifting toward Hayate for direction.
Hayate frowned, opening his mouth to explain—but before he could, Naruto stepped forward.
"Sasuke! What are you saying? They're Konoha ninja, just like us! We should be working together to deal with the other villages, not fighting among ourselves!"
"Shut up, Naruto!" Sasuke snapped, cutting him off. "This is the Chūnin Exams. Out here, anyone can be an enemy—even people from our own village. And they…" his eyes flicked to Hayate's group, "are competition."
"Sasuke…" Sakura called softly, but he shot her a glare so sharp she immediately fell silent.
Hayate exhaled slowly. So that's how it is, huh…
"If that's how you feel," he said quietly, his voice calm but laced with pride, "then we'll take our leave. Hina, Kiba—let's go."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and leapt into the trees.
"Wait—" Kiba clenched his fists but followed, landing beside Hayate on a branch with a dull thud. "Tch… figures." He wasn't particularly close to Naruto's team anyway, and Sasuke's words had left a bitter taste in his mouth.
"Na–Naruto…" Hinata hesitated, glancing back at him before bowing politely. Then she hurried off to catch up.
Hayate slowed his pace once they were a safe distance away. Smiling faintly, he said, "Sorry, you two… I acted a bit selfishly this time."
"Haha, no way, Hayate—you did the right thing!" Kiba barked out a laugh. "A man's gotta have some backbone, y'know?"
Hayate chuckled softly. Though they hadn't gotten along at first, he had come to appreciate Kiba's straightforward sincerity. They'd become real teammates—comfortable around each other, easy to trust.
Still…"They were cold to us, but that doesn't mean we should return the favor," Hayate said suddenly, stopping in his tracks.
"Eh? What do you mean?" Kiba blinked, confused. Hinata also tilted her head.
"If the enemies chasing us run into Naruto's group first—what do you think will happen?"
Realization dawned. "Ahh, I get it now." Kiba grinned and gave Hayate a light punch on the shoulder. "But even if we went to help, what could we do, really?"
He had a point. Even with Hayate's strength—strong enough to shatter one of Orochimaru's summoned beasts in a single blow—Naruto's team was already formidable. Naruto himself, the host of the Nine-Tails, was a powerhouse. But Hayate, who knew the story, also knew the terrifying truth: Orochimaru couldn't be defeated that easily.
"Hinata," Hayate said quietly, "keep watch with your Byakugan."
"Yes!" She pressed her palms together. "Byakugan—!"
Her pale eyes flared to life, veins rising around them. But almost immediately, she gasped. "What—!?"
"Sasuke, they weren't hostile!" Naruto protested. "You know that as well as I do!"
"I don't care whether they were or not," Sasuke said flatly, his eyes narrowing. "What matters is—our real enemies are already here."
He turned his head sharply toward a towering tree nearby. "Since you're so eager for the scroll—come out!"
"What?" Naruto and Sakura cried out in unison, spinning toward the direction of Sasuke's gaze.
A sinister laugh echoed from above.
"Hehehe… as expected of the one I've taken an interest in…"
A pale figure descended from the treetops—Orochimaru, his serpentine tongue sliding out to lick his lips as his golden eyes gleamed.
"Uchiha Sasuke…" he hissed.
"Hayate—what's wrong?" Kiba asked, startled by Hinata's sudden exclamation.
"They're here…" Hayate's voice dropped.
"Orochimaru's arrived… at Naruto's location!" Hinata reported, her expression tense. "What should we do?"
"Master Orochimaru has arrived…" a low voice sneered from ahead.
Two masked figures wearing Grass-nin headbands emerged from the shadows, blocking their path.
"Heh heh… kid, your chakra and body are already too drained to use that fancy ninjutsu again," one of them taunted, his tone oozing contempt.
Hayate clenched his fists. "Suzune, Kiba—go. Now. These two aren't opponents you can handle."
"No." Hinata shook her head, her voice steady despite the tension.
"What?" Hayate frowned. "Don't be reckless! Their strength—"
"I know they're strong," she said, smiling faintly. "But I have my Byakugan. I can at least watch your back."
Has she… grown stronger? Hayate wondered. Because of me, did the story shift enough for her to mature faster?
But now wasn't the time to think about that.
Even with his system, Hayate didn't have any overpowered failsafe like Naruto's Nine-Tails mode. He wasn't even sure he could pull off a perfected Giant Rasengan.
Facing these two enemies… he wasn't sure what would happen next.