Gari lay sprawled in the massive crater like a lifeless dog.
Watching the unconscious Iwa-nin, Hayashi didn't take another step forward. A jet-black kunai appeared in his hand, which he swiftly hurled toward Gari's head.
"Die."
Just as the kunai was about to strike, a wave of overwhelming chakra erupted nearby. Even from where he stood, Hayashi could feel the scorching, oppressive pressure radiating through the air.
What terrifying chakra!
In an instant, a figure streaked toward him like a flash of lightning. A gust of wind surged past, momentarily forcing back the falling rain. When Hayashi looked up again, a man was already standing beside Gari.
The newcomer extended one hand and caught the flying kunai between his fingers as if it were nothing.
"What do you think you're doing to my disciple, brat from Konoha?!"
The roar was deafening, causing Hayashi's eardrums to throb painfully — like an explosion detonating beside his head.
The man appeared middle-aged, dressed in purple armor with a flak jacket beneath. His crimson hair was tied into a high ponytail, and a thick red beard covered his rugged face.
Hayashi's eyes widened in recognition.
The Four-Tails' Jinchūriki — Rōshi.
He'd walked straight into a trap.
No report had mentioned that Iwagakure had sent Rōshi to this front! How could he have appeared here of all places? Hayashi's expression darkened.
Are Konoha's intelligence teams sleeping?!
His mind immediately jumped to the main battlefield. If a Jinchūriki had been dispatched here, it likely meant Iwa's forces were reaching their limits — or that the decisive battle was already underway. Normally, Jinchūriki were deterrents, not expendable weapons. Their power was immense, but if one died, their Tailed Beast would rampage unchecked.
Rōshi's sudden appearance could only mean one thing: Iwa's army was desperate… or Konoha was already losing ground.
A chill ran down Hayashi's spine. His memories said Konoha would win this war — but with his existence altering history, could the outcome have already changed?
The two stared at each other in tense silence. The rain began to fall again, steady and relentless.
Rōshi's gaze swept across the battlefield, his fury mounting as he saw the bodies of fallen Iwa-nin scattered across the mud.
"Did you kill all of them?" His voice was low, but the killing intent within it was palpable.
Rōshi had always been a proud warrior of Iwagakure. Yet despite his loyalty, the Third Tsuchikage kept him under constant surveillance, restricting his movements like a prisoner. Now, seeing his student nearly dead, that suppressed rage boiled over.
Without another word, Rōshi hurled Gari's battered body toward a safer distance and began forming hand seals.
"Earth Release: Mountain Earth Technique!"
The ground rumbled violently as two massive hemispheres of earth rose from both sides, closing in to crush Hayashi like a vice.
The sheer scale of the jutsu was staggering — the kind of attack powerful enough to restrain even the Ten-Tails.
Hayashi's pupils shrank. I can't block that!
Lightning chakra surged through his body as his fingers blurred through seals. Sparks crackled in his palm, forming the piercing cry of a thousand chirping birds.
"Chidori!"
The ground exploded behind him as he used his enhanced speed to flash out of range, narrowly evading the crushing earth domes. With the Chidori still blazing in his hand, he kicked off a wall and launched himself toward Rōshi.
But Rōshi didn't even flinch. His arm shot out, effortlessly catching Hayashi's wrist mid-strike and diverting the Chidori aside.
Hayashi's eyes widened in disbelief. He stopped my Chidori bare-handed?!
The difference in their levels was overwhelming — Rōshi completely outclassed him in both speed and strength.
With a mocking smirk, Rōshi's eyes gleamed with killing intent. "Too weak. Do you feel that? The weight of your own powerlessness?"
"You sure talk too much," Hayashi muttered coldly. His Sharingan spun, and a genjutsu surged forward, invading Rōshi's mind.
In that instant, Hayashi lunged, a kunai glinting in his left hand as he aimed for Rōshi's head.
But the Jinchūriki's will was monstrous. He shattered the illusion almost instantly, sidestepping the kunai and countering with a vicious kick that sent Hayashi flying backward.
Rōshi's grin widened. "Yes, that look! That helpless expression! I love it."
Hayashi gritted his teeth, his body aching. His chakra reserves were already low after the fight with Gari, and using Chidori had drained even more. Fighting a Kage-level opponent in this condition was suicide.
Pain flared across his chest as Rōshi appeared in front of him again, striking him square in the ribs before he could react.
"Spacing out in battle, brat? That's fatal."
Hayashi gasped, barely managing to perform a one-handed seal. "Body Flicker Technique!"
He vanished just before Rōshi's next punch landed, reappearing several meters away, clutching his chest. The attack had cracked his ribs — he could feel it.
He needed to buy time. His only option now was to rely on genjutsu and stay mobile.
Once again, his Sharingan flared.
Rōshi's gaze followed calmly. "The Uchiha clan's illusions truly are formidable." His chakra began to boil — literally. Heat shimmered off his body. "But I'm done playing games."
"Lava Release: Scorching Stream Rock Technique!"
Rōshi exhaled a torrent of molten projectiles. The air itself sizzled as blazing magma spheres flew toward Hayashi, lighting up the rain-soaked forest with a hellish glow.
"Damn it!" Hayashi muttered, darting back through the rain.
But Rōshi's control was precise — the lava followed his every move. In an instant, four massive fireballs arced overhead, cutting off his escape.
"Go to hell, brat!" Rōshi roared, his voice echoing through the storm.
The air filled with the deafening hiss of molten stone descending upon Hayashi.
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