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Right now, Hayata Hayato was still in the middle of his training. He had always trained hard, but after getting ambushed multiple times, he pushed himself even harder.
Knowing that he couldn't die no matter what, he started training like a madman, pushing himself to the absolute limit.
Meanwhile, the war between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain had already begun. But since Hayato stayed completely cut off from the outside world, he had no clue that the Second Great Ninja War—started because of him—was now raging on fiercely.
The Land of Rain was a small and chaotic country. Even though they had the legendary "Demi-God" Hanzo, they simply didn't have enough people, resources, or power to compete with the Leaf Village. Konoha was the most resource-rich village in all of the ninja world.
Even with all the elite ninja they'd lost because of Hayato, they were still on a whole different level compared to the Land of Rain.
The war had barely started when the Land of Rain began losing ground fast. The battles had already shifted from the border of the Land of Fire into the Land of Rain itself. Things were going downhill for them—fast.
BANG!
Hayato was just cooking a meal when—BAM!—the front door slammed open from a powerful kick. Several ninja wearing forehead protectors from the Hidden Rain Village stormed in.
"Hey, kid! Hand over all the valuables in this house! And make us something good to eat while you're at it, or don't blame us for getting rough!" one of them barked.
These Rain ninja were deserters, having just run off from the battlefield. They weren't worth much in a real fight, and the moment they ran into any Leaf ninja, they turned tail and fled. Now they were trying to act like big shots in front of civilians, throwing their weight around. Too bad for them, they picked the wrong house to mess with.
Hayato, who'd just been about to sit down and eat, was caught off guard. A few ninja barging into his house, talking big, calling themselves "boss," and even threatening him? His expression immediately darkened. He slowly turned around and shot them a cold, icy glare.
"The hell are you lookin' at, punk? Didn't you hear what I said? Move it!" one of the Rain ninja snapped. Then he muttered under his breath, "Damn it, those Leaf bastards are strong... we've gotta get outta here before they catch up."
"Humph." Hayato snorted. His eyes were cold and indifferent. Without a word, he launched himself forward like a flash.
The Rain ninja hadn't even taken him seriously. They were completely relaxed, not expecting any resistance—until he was right in front of them.
By the time they realized someone had moved, Hayato was already in their faces. They barely had time to react.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
In a flash, Hayato landed a series of lightning-fast punches. These Rain ninja were nothing more than low-ranking grunts—chunin at best. They were sloppy and careless, and Hayato's surprise attack caught them totally off guard.
Crack! Crack!
Bones snapped loudly in unison. In an instant, the Rain ninja collapsed to the ground. Except for one guy who'd taken a punch to the chest and was still alive, the others all dropped lifelessly, their heads twisted at unnatural angles. Hayato had broken their necks with a single punch each.
THUD!
Hayato stomped hard on the chest of the only survivor.
"Talk. Who the hell are you people? And what was that about Leaf ninja earlier?"
"Ahhh! Mercy! Please don't kill me! Have mercy!" The injured ninja was totally terrified. He'd already been panicked from fleeing the battlefield, and now he was facing a guy who didn't even bother talking before murdering his comrades in cold blood. He was scared stiff.
"Answer my question! Or I'll kill you right now!" Hayato growled, pressing down harder with his foot.
"....."