The Chunin before him had already given up resisting.
Hayashi closed the distance in an instant, using the Body Flicker Technique. The cold gleam of a kunai flashed as he prepared to end it—when suddenly, a sharp surge of chakra rippled from afar.
Without warning, multiple explosions erupted around him. A scream pierced through the rain as a body was blown apart, and the shockwave sent debris scattering through the drenched forest.
As the smoke cleared, a boy of about fourteen or fifteen stepped out, face expressionless beneath spiky blond hair that stood on end. His eyes were cold, calculating.
Hayashi, who should have been caught in the blast, appeared a few meters away. He had used Substitution Jutsu at the last instant to avoid the explosion.
Seeing the boy, Hayashi gave a small, amused smile. "You're quite ruthless. You used your own comrade as bait just to distract me, then launched a sneak attack when I was focused on him."
The boy—Gari of Iwagakure—snorted. "You're not innocent either. You sensed me long ago, didn't you? You just pretended not to notice and lured me in."
Hayashi chuckled. "Tsk. You talk like you didn't just kill your own teammate without blinking. Are all Iwa-nin as cold-blooded as you?"
Gari's tone darkened. "What do you know, Leaf brat? Ninjas are always ready to die. By killing you, I'm avenging him!"
"That's quite the logic," Hayashi replied dryly. "Maybe you should tell that to his face yourself."
Gari tilted his head, studying him. "Have we met before, Leaf ninja? Otherwise, why would you bring only three people to ambush my squad?"
Hayashi smirked. "Do you really have to ask? I'm here to kill you—and to avenge my comrades."
Gari chuckled lowly, glancing toward the distant sounds of battle. "Pathetic. My men can't even handle three kids."
As he spoke, white-hot heat began radiating from his arm, the air shimmering around it. Explosion Release.
"I hope you can entertain me, kid."
With that, Gari slammed his fist into the ground. The soil split apart with a thunderous crack as a deep fissure raced toward Hayashi.
Hayashi blurred aside with another Body Flicker, but Gari closed the distance, his left fist wrapped in condensed heat. A red glow pulsed from within his palm—the air hissed as if burning.
The punch came fast as lightning. Hayashi met it with a kunai, but the moment metal met chakra, the kunai shattered.
Boom!
The resulting explosion blasted Hayashi backward, his body skidding across the wet earth like a kite with a broken string.
That power… at least C-rank level, and instantaneous, Hayashi thought, analyzing the unique Kekkei Genkai. So this is Explosion Release.
Gari thrust both arms forward. Two kunai whistled through the rain like cannon shells.
Still mid-air, Hayashi countered with his own. Two kunai shot out with deadly precision. The four collided mid-flight—
Clang!
The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the clearing. Hayashi's eyes narrowed. He'd never seen someone weaponize kunai with such destructive power.
His own throws relied on monstrous strength and precise chakra control. But Gari's? His came from raw, explosive energy—literally.
The Iwa-nin didn't stop to admire his handiwork. Gari charged again, faster than before.
Hayashi's Sharingan spun scarlet. "Genjutsu: Illusory Bind."
Gari froze mid-step.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Hayashi shouted, flicking his wrist.
A cloud of shuriken split into dozens of shadow clones, cutting through the air in a deadly wave.
But Gari snapped free of the Genjutsu almost instantly. His eyes widened slightly as he swung his arm forward—
Boom!
The explosion scattered the incoming projectiles before they could reach him. Smoke and embers rained down.
Hayashi landed lightly several meters back, already forming hand seals. His Explosion Release is troublesome… Taijutsu won't work. One touch and I'll be shredded.
He clenched his jaw. I don't have the Raikage's defense. I'll need distance—long-range jutsu.
His hands moved in a blur. "Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"
The ground beneath Gari softened instantly, turning to mud that began pulling him down. But the jutsu's power depended heavily on chakra control, and Hayashi knew his Earth Release wasn't his strongest attribute.
Gari barely sank before leaping free, sneering. "Pathetic. You think a half-baked Earth Release will stop me? You Leaf ninja waste chakra like children."
Hayashi exhaled slowly and formed another sequence of hand signs.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Gari frowned. Fire Release? Here, in the Land of Rain? The humidity alone weakened flames.
Still, he wasn't careless. He slammed his palm to the ground. "Earth Release: Earth Wall!"
A stone barrier rose up just as the blazing fireball roared toward him.
Then—unexpectedly—the fireball expanded. The small, C-rank sphere of flame grew larger and hotter, surging in intensity as it closed in. Within seconds, it rivaled a B-rank technique.
"What—!?" Gari's eyes widened. "That's impossible!"
The ground around him suddenly erupted as well. The Swamp of the Underworld ignited violently, the trapped marsh gas within it catching fire.
The resulting explosion consumed the area in a blinding flash.
Hayashi shielded his eyes and smirked faintly. Don't underestimate swamps. Even artificial ones release gas—and when gas meets fire… boom.
A hint of satisfaction crept into his tone. Fire Release mixed with natural gases. A hybrid ninjutsu—effective and efficient. Who says science doesn't belong in ninjutsu?
The rain hissed as it struck the burning ground. Slowly, the smoke cleared.
At the center of the crater lay Gari, his body scorched and battered, clothes in tatters, blood mixing with mud and ash.
Whether he was alive or dead—was anyone's guess.
Hayashi stepped forward quietly, his Sharingan dimming as the storm raged on.
____
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