"Lime mixed with water—you're trying to make cement?"
"I won't let you pull that off."
The moment Hayate saw Kurotsuchi's two techniques, he understood exactly what she intended. He formed hand seals.
"Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique."
Since they were inside Iwagakure territory, he couldn't use anything too destructive. Otherwise, instead of wind blades, he would've raised an earth wall right away.
But against a Chūnin-level technique, Wind Cutter was more than enough.
The water stream was sliced apart by the wind blades, redirected completely, never touching the lime—meaning no cement could form at all.
Kurotsuchi's attack collapsed instantly. The girl stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
"Still too green. Combination techniques are powerful, but only if executed properly."
"The gap between your two jutsu is far too long. It leaves your combo full of openings."
Hayate shook his head as if delivering a formal evaluation. Kurotsuchi was stunned.
She'd always had smooth sailing. She never imagined this happening.
"You—"
"Young lady, you've still got a long road ahead. Yūgao, let's go."
Hayate smiled, ready to guide Yūgao to another street.
But Kurotsuchi would never let them walk off so easily.
"Akatsuchi! Are you just going to watch me get bullied!?"
Akatsuchi hadn't intended to step in, but seeing Kurotsuchi's eyes turn red and her face full of grievance, he had no choice.
"Alright, alright, I'll do it."
"Excuse me, you two. You fought Kurotsuchi, but not me."
His sudden words made Hayate and Yūgao stop.
They turned to the towering man. Hayate frowned slightly, but Yūgao spoke first.
"I'll fight you. Konohagakure, Yūgao Uzuki."
Yūgao drew her katana from her waist. As an ANBU, her strength relied heavily on her blade.
Seeing she was ready, Akatsuchi smiled.
"Akatsuchi, Chūnin of Iwagakure. Please spar with me."
Without any fancy buildup, Akatsuchi opened with a punch—his massive body exploding forward with speed totally inconsistent with his size.
The punch even generated a blast of air.
"Clang!"
Yūgao flipped her blade, defending with the spine of her katana. Even so, she was forced backward, her arms going numb.
"What incredible strength."
"Konoha Style: Flower!"
As a woman, raw strength wasn't her best attribute—though of course, there were exceptions.
Tsunade: ???????
But she had her own specialties. Her blade danced gracefully, chakra spreading along its edge.
For an instant, Akatsuchi felt like countless flowers bloomed before his eyes.
"So pretty…"
"No!"
By the time he realized something was wrong, the katana was already pressed to his neck.
"Such speed… a fusion of genjutsu and kenjutsu…"
"As expected of Konoha's sword style. I concede."
A flicker of shock flashed in his eyes. It was the first time he truly grasped Konoha's strength—swordsmanship combined with genjutsu? Unimaginable.
"You concede."
"This is just my basic swordsmanship. Hardly worth mentioning."
"If you get the chance, come to Konoha. Then you'll see real Konoha-style kenjutsu."
Yūgao wasn't being modest—her skills genuinely weren't elite by Konoha standards.
Konoha had too many sword masters. The Hatake clan's sword techniques were practically the pinnacle.
"If there's a chance, I'll go."
Akatsuchi nodded seriously. Winning or losing didn't matter—experience did.
And his loss finally quieted Kurotsuchi.
"You're so strong… It feels like you're stronger than the average jōnin in our village."
"Let's spar again! I love fighting strong people!"
Seeing her eyes sparkling with excitement, Hayate and Yūgao exchanged a helpless smile.
Little did they know Kazuyama had been watching the four of them from afar the whole time.
He simply grinned and said nothing.
...
The next day, Kazuyama was enjoying Iwagakure's hot springs. No matter the village, the hot springs were always something he had to experience.
"Bro… is this really okay?"
"This is a mission."
Hayate stood beside him feeling uneasy. Was this really proper behavior during a mission?
Kazuyama gave him a calm glance.
"Hayate, are you living too tightly wound?"
"Didn't I teach you since childhood to enjoy life when it's time to enjoy it?"
"That's how you live longer."
Seeing Hayate's confused expression, Kazuyama shook his head helplessly.
He considered telling Hayate to sneak off and check on his better half, but after thinking about it, he let the idea go. Some of his "fine traditions" shouldn't be passed down.
Just as he was about to speak again, he suddenly looked upward.
"Hayate, get out. Something happened."
"What?"
Once they left the hot springs, Kitsuchi was already waiting outside.
"Kazuyama Gekkō, the Tsuchikage wishes to see you."
"I know. That's why I came out."
Kazuyama's sensory abilities were far beyond ordinary. He had sensed Kitsuchi the moment he approached.
When he arrived at the Tsuchikage's office, Ōnoki's expression was extremely grave.
"Kazuyama Gekkō, according to the latest intelligence…"
"Kumogakure was attacked. The Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, Killer Bee, has been captured. The Fourth Raikage is seriously injured. The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, has lost an arm."
"Konoha jōnin Asuma has been killed."
Kazuyama's eyes widened at the barrage of information.
What the hell?????
"Difficult to accept, isn't it? But it's the truth."
"I was wrong… If the opponent was him, I shouldn't have hesitated at all!"
"Damn it!"
The old Ōnoki, usually smiling like a harmless elder, now had a face dark enough to drip water.
Not just him—Kazuyama was also still processing the news.
Damn it, why didn't that old Sarutobi use the scroll to inform him?
What the hell happened?
"Lord Tsuchikage, my apologies. I need to go to Kumogakure immediately. Please inform Tsukikage and Hayate Gekkō to return to Konoha."
"I'll go see for myself first."
As the words left his mouth, Kazuyama didn't hesitate. Terrifying chakra burst from his body.
The overwhelming pressure cracked and shattered the walls of Ōnoki's office.