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"Run! Run! Run!"
From the very beginning, Hyūga Nichiyu hadn't made a move—he just kept using his Byakugan to observe the battlefield.
What he saw left him shaken: Hayato suddenly transformed into a giant, at least five or six meters tall, and went on a rampage.
His overwhelming strength and berserk movements terrified Nichiyu. Even more terrifying was that, as powerful ninjutsu landed on Hayato and left serious wounds, they healed almost instantly—and every time he got hurt, he just became even more wild.
His already massive body suddenly expanded again, this time reaching eight or nine meters tall.
That eight- or nine-meter tall monster looked like something straight out of hell. He crushed elite jonin like bugs. Even those who tried to escape—running hundreds of meters—were no match. With a single leap, that towering green giant would catch up and smash them into pulp.
Except for Nichiyu, who hadn't fought at all and had hidden himself the entire time, all the other jonin were killed by Hayato. Witnessing that, Nichiyu finally cracked. Fear completely took over, and he turned to flee without hesitation.
Because he didn't join the fight, Nichiyu had luck on his side. He hadn't drawn Hayato's attention, so he managed to escape death—for the moment. But just because he avoided Hayato didn't mean he was out of danger.
Just as Nichiyu was about to cross the border and escape the Land of Rain, several figures suddenly appeared in front of him—shinobi from the Land of Rain.
They had spotted a Konoha ninja and immediately reported it to their leader, the so-called "Demi-God of the Ninja World," Hanzo.
The moment Hanzo heard that Konoha had sent nearly twenty jonin into his territory, he was alarmed. He started to suspect that Konoha might be planning to launch a war against the Land of Rain. So he rushed over with his own people.
Unfortunately for him, he was a bit late. By the time he arrived, the Konoha squad had already been wiped out—except for one panicked survivor: Hyūga Nichiyu.
Smack!
Nichiyu froze when he saw the Rain shinobi standing in his way. His steps halted instantly, and his expression turned grim. His eyes widened in horror as he looked at Hanzo and his men.
"Oh? That's the Byakugan? So you really are from Konoha." Hanzo narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "Speak. Why are Konoha's ninja in the Land of Rain? Where are the others? What's your real plan?"
"Konoha has no plot, and we never intended to start a war!" Nichiyu replied in a low, steady voice.
"Hmph! You're telling me Konoha secretly sent twenty jonin into my territory and there's no plot? Then tell me—what was your mission in the Land of Rain?" Hanzo sneered.
"…Sorry, I can't answer that," Nichiyu said, shaking his head.
Hayato had already been classified as top-secret in Konoha—one of the village's highest-level confidential files. Even if their entire squad was wiped out, Nichiyu was under strict orders not to reveal anything about Hayato.
But refusing to talk only made things worse. Of course, the Rain shinobi didn't buy it.
So, in the end, they attacked.
Even though Nichiyu was a jonin with the Byakugan, he stood no chance against Hanzo, the legendary Demi-God of the Ninja World. The outcome was obvious: Nichiyu got captured.
Hanzo immediately issued a formal protest to Konoha, demanding an explanation. He wanted to know what they were planning and why Konoha sent troops into the Land of Rain. He was convinced there was some kind of conspiracy.
When the message reached Konoha, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, suddenly felt a massive headache coming on.
"....."