In the depths of the night, Uchiha Hayashi streaked through the darkness like a bolt of lightning, his chakra blazing with fierce intensity.
Sakada's expression turned grim. Judging by Uchiha Hayashi's youthful appearance, he couldn't have been more than ten years old. If someone had told him earlier that a ten-year-old brat could fight evenly with a Jōnin, he would've laughed and flicked their forehead. But now, he was living it.
Worse still, this boy had awakened a two-tomoe Sharingan. That level of talent sent a chill through Sakada's heart. Originally, he had planned to kill Hayashi before the poison in the boy's body took effect. But now, seeing the fierce red eyes spinning with power, he wanted nothing more than to flee and let the poison finish the job for him.
Fear. A word that had no place in the heart of a Jōnin now began to gnaw at him. Those blood-red tomoe, revolving rapidly, locked onto him like a predator sizing up its prey. For a veteran shinobi to feel fear before a Genin from Konoha—It was a disgrace beyond words.
"Damn it!" Sakada cursed, forcing his trembling hands into hand seals. "Earth Release: Rock Pillar Impalement!"
The ground quaked violently. The once-flat forest shattered as the earth cracked open, rising and falling like waves. Jagged pillars of rock surged upward, pressing in from all sides toward Uchiha Hayashi. It was an A-rank jutsu—deadly, precise, and overwhelming.
If Hayashi had been fully conscious, he could have easily evaded it. But the poison coursing through his veins dulled his senses. His vision blurred, his breath grew heavy, and yet, one thought echoed endlessly in his mind: Kill him.
The ground caved in beneath him, stone spikes erupting in every direction. Each step Hayashi took was greeted by another deadly spike sprouting from the earth. The poison was eating away at his body. Ten minutes—no, less than that—before he lost all control. Even so, he pressed forward.
As the terrain closed in, Sakada's chakra reserves began to wane. Sweat streamed down his face as he molded more chakra to maintain control of the jutsu.
And then—
The sound of a thousand birds chirping shattered the silence.
"Chidori!"
From beneath the trembling ground, a brilliant flash of lightning burst forth. The forest blazed with light as Hayashi unleashed the last of his chakra, merging it with what little remained from his sealing scroll. The Chidori roared like thunder. Sparks flew across the earth, splitting through the rock pillars with frightening precision.
Sakada's eyes widened in disbelief as the hardened stone was sliced apart as though it were paper. Uchiha Hayashi pierced through the collapsing earth, his lightning chakra carving a radiant path through the darkness.
But just as Sakada tried to react—his body froze. His eyes darted down. He couldn't move.
"When—!?"
Realization struck. He was trapped in a genjutsu. The Body Bind Technique? No—it wasn't that strong. Hayashi's chakra reserves were far too low for that. It must have been a simpler illusion cast through his Sharingan. Still, the precision was terrifying.
To manipulate a genjutsu so effectively mere minutes after awakening the Sharingan—That kind of mastery chilled Sakada's blood.
Hayashi charged straight toward him, lightning flashing wildly from his hand.
"Move… Move, damn it!" Sakada screamed in his mind, straining against the paralysis. His muscles twitched, his control slowly returning as the illusion weakened. But Hayashi didn't notice. His gaze had grown unfocused, the poison spreading faster through his bloodstream.
Just before the Chidori reached its mark, Sakada finally broke free. Desperation took over—he swung his short sword up to block the strike. The blade met the Chidori's crackling edge— and shattered instantly.
The lightning pierced forward, grazing across Sakada's face. Blood sprayed into the air. The scent hit Hayashi's nose immediately, sharp and metallic. He blinked, dazed. He'd expected to see the man's head rolling on the ground, but instead, Sakada was still standing.
The sword's last-second deflection had saved him, though half of his face was charred and oozing blood. The Chidori flickered and died out. Hayashi's Sharingan dimmed as his chakra was completely depleted. His body trembled. His vision blurred.
Sakada swayed before him—his body blackened, barely alive. If it had been a full-powered Chidori, the man would've been dead instantly. But Hayashi's lack of chakra had weakened it too much. Still, the outcome was clear. Sakada's life was hanging by a thread.
Hayashi exhaled shakily, his knees buckling. "In the end… I still won…" His voice came out hoarse, his arm dropping to his side.
"Heh… you… haven't won yet…" Sakada wheezed through his ruined face, a mad grin twisting his lips. "Come with me… to hell!"
His chakra flared violently one last time— and the forest was swallowed in a flash of red light.
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