The Tailed Beast Ball, packed with an overwhelming mass of chakra, fell like a burning meteor from the sky, crashing straight into the battlefield where the Third Kazekage and Orochimaru were locked in fierce combat.
Orochimaru might not have fully understood the true destructive power of a Tailed Beast Ball, but the Third Kazekage certainly did. He had faced such attacks before. A single one was enough to erase Sunagakure from the map if it struck directly.
This was precisely why the world feared the Tailed Beasts and why so many powers sought to control them.
Yet Orochimaru, instead of retreating, had done something utterly reckless. He neither dodged nor defended. Instead, he clung tightly to the Third Kazekage like a madman, as if determined to drag them both into destruction together.
The problem was, the Third Kazekage had no intention of dying here.
For a Kage to perish in such an undignified way would be the greatest humiliation imaginable.
Let go, you damned lunatic.
The Third Kazekage's fury surged. His chakra erupted violently as it began to circulate at terrifying speed, his immense reserves clearly revealed.
His body trembled as though it had become the core of a massive magnetic field. The iron sand scattered across the battlefield surged toward him in a violent torrent.
In an instant, the towering forest of iron sand vanished, replaced by a colossal spherical barrier that enveloped the Third Kazekage entirely, sealing him at its center.
High above, Shukaku howled with manic excitement.
"Hehehe, die, die, all of you!"
Moments later, the Tailed Beast Ball slammed into the iron sand sphere.
Boom.
A deafening explosion tore through the Land of Rivers. The desert floor split open as though the world itself had been carved apart, exposing the rocky Gobi beneath. The shockwave spread outward with crushing force, like an invisible wall of steel.
Even Uchiha Hayashi, positioned over a hundred meters away, was struck by the shock. Blood surged up his throat and spilled from his mouth as his body was slammed into the sand.
Several long minutes passed before the violent winds finally subsided. The battlefield gradually fell silent, as if peace had returned.
However, Hayashi could barely process it. His ears rang continuously, drowning out all other sound.
The massive iron sand sphere at the heart of the explosion had been torn apart.
From within the wreckage, the Third Kazekage staggered forward. His entire body was drenched in blood, his once dignified robes reduced to shredded tatters. The proud presence he once carried was now replaced by exhaustion and ruin.
Despite appearances, his injuries were not as severe as they seemed. The layered iron sand had absorbed most of the impact.
With a flick of his hand, iron sand on the ground began to rise once more.
His gaze swept across the devastated battlefield. Among the ruins, he spotted Orochimaru's body lying motionless. There were no signs of life.
The Third Kazekage smiled faintly.
Enduring a Tailed Beast Ball and surviving was reason enough for satisfaction. Seeing Orochimaru apparently dead only made it sweeter.
"Now it's your turn, beast."
Shukaku, its massive form marked with dark purple patterns, exploded with rage at those words.
It lashed its tail violently and roared, "Then let's see how many of those attacks you can survive."
Half-buried beneath the sand, Uchiha Hayashi watched everything with tense focus.
This battle was far beyond his level. It was like watching two natural disasters collide. Orochimaru lying unattended in the distance already seemed as good as dead.
The Third Kazekage stepped forward. Iron sand formed beneath his feet, lifting him off the ground. With each step, another platform of iron sand appeared, allowing him to walk through the air itself.
If not for his torn clothing and bloodied form, the scene would have looked almost majestic.
Shukaku opened its mouth again, chakra rapidly gathering.
Hayashi held his breath and pressed himself even deeper into the ground, leaving only his eyes above the surface.
Time stretched painfully long.
Yet no Tailed Beast Ball came.
Instead, a lump of compressed sand was spat out and hurled toward the Third Kazekage in mockery.
The meaning was obvious.
Shukaku was taunting him.
The Third Kazekage's expression darkened. With a sharp gesture, iron sand surged forward, condensing into a deadly spear aimed straight at Shukaku.
Before the attack could land, a sharp cracking sound echoed through the air.
Shukaku's massive body shattered apart, dissolving into countless grains of sand.
"You fools. Every last one of you has been tricked by the great Lord Shukaku."
The voice echoed with contempt as the sand continued to scatter.
After firing the first Tailed Beast Ball, Shukaku had already fled. What remained was nothing more than a decoy.
This was no different from the Eight-Tails abandoning a tentacle to escape.
As Shukaku's laughter faded, its remaining presence swept the battlefield one last time and fixed upon Uchiha Hayashi.
For a brief moment, their gazes met.
Then Hayashi's body also dissolved into a cloud of smoke.
A shadow clone.
Shukaku's laughter stopped abruptly.
So even this human had used deception to buy time.
In truth, right after the first Tailed Beast Ball detonated, Hayashi had already left behind a shadow clone and fled with his real body at full speed.
This was not a battlefield where he belonged.
Still, the last glance Shukaku gave his clone lingered in his mind. For reasons he could not explain, there had been a strange sense of understanding in that look.
Several minutes later, Hayashi reached the predetermined rendezvous point.
There, he found Orochimaru waiting.
Despite his calm expression, Orochimaru had in fact escaped first. The moment the Tailed Beast Ball was about to strike, he had used a high-level substitution technique to shed his body like a snake and retreat underground.
This advanced technique consumed a terrifying amount of chakra. Even now, he could barely stand. His face was pale, and his body was soaked in blood from the shockwave's aftermath.
"How did it end?" Orochimaru asked hoarsely.
"My shadow clone confirmed it. Shukaku escaped."
Orochimaru let out a dry, raspy laugh. The motion pulled at his wounds, and more blood welled up from his mouth.
Even so, his eyes held a twisted satisfaction.
"At least the Kazekage was humiliated."
"For now, we should be safe," Hayashi said quietly. "He won't abandon the hunt for Shukaku just to chase us."
"Once the One-Tail returns to the desert, finding it again will be nearly impossible."
Hayashi nodded. Supporting the heavily wounded Orochimaru, he led him back toward the Konoha encampment.
When they arrived, the camp was in chaos. Tents were destroyed, the air thick with the scent of blood and smoke. Injured shinobi lay everywhere.
Hayashi did not bother seeking treatment for himself. Orochimaru's condition was far worse.
He brought him directly to Mikoto San for emergency medical treatment.
Only after confirming that Orochimaru's life was no longer in danger did Hayashi finally return to his own squad.
Inside a battered tent, he found them.
All three were alive.
The moment she saw him, Taki Tou burst into tears and rushed forward.
"Hayashi San, where did you go? We thought you were dead."
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "It was nothing serious. Just handled a small situation."
"…Small?" the others echoed in disbelief.
Hayashi gave a weary smile. "I crossed paths with the Third Kazekage, and the One-Tail slipped away in the end. That's all."
The tent fell silent.
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