A massive black ninja hound sprinted through the endless forest, Hayashi riding astride its back with a map in hand, carefully confirming their position.
The forest around them felt deep and boundless.
To the left lay the border of the Land of Grass, while to the right, the darkness marked the direction of Konohagakure.
In truth, even before the Third Hokage officially issued his orders, Hayashi had already taken the initiative and requested permission to carry out the rescue mission.
He did not yet know who had abducted Kushina, but based on the snakes he had deployed around the outer forest of Konoha, the enemy's movement was unmistakable.
Their direction pointed toward the Land of Grass.
Compared to Konohagakure, Sunagakure was much closer to the Land of Grass.
That alone was reason enough for him to approach Tsunade and volunteer for the task.
However, there was a glaring problem.
He could not possibly cover the entire border between the Land of Fire and Konoha with surveillance snakes.
His information network only extended to the perimeter of the village itself.
At the moment, he had nothing more than a general direction.
The area ahead was vast, far too large to sweep thoroughly without deploying a full reconnaissance unit.
Yet the war against Sunagakure was raging at full intensity.
Where would he find the spare manpower for a large scale pursuit?
"Dadada…"
The black hound's paws struck the ground rhythmically, the sound echoing through the empty mountain paths.
The temperature seemed to drop slightly as moisture thickened the air, the scent of greenery becoming more pronounced.
Rain?
Hayashi frowned and glanced up at the thin clouds slowly creeping across the crescent moon.
Rain would severely weaken Dabai's tracking ability.
"Stop."
The ninja hound skidded to a halt, dirt scattering as Hayashi leapt down from its back.
"You can go back. I'll handle the rest on my own."
The hound hesitated briefly, then dissolved into a cloud of white smoke and vanished.
He had borrowed the ninja dog from Sakumo purely for transportation.
Sustained high speed movement consumed too much chakra, so it was better to let the hound deliver him close to the area before withdrawing.
More importantly, what came next could not be witnessed.
"Ssssss…"
With the hound gone, Dabai poked its head out from Hayashi's sleeve and spat out a sticky scroll.
"…Hurry up and take it."
The snake coiled loosely around Hayashi's neck, its golden vertical pupils glinting faintly.
"What, disgusted by my saliva?" Dabai hissed.
"N no," Hayashi replied stiffly, forcing a polite smile.
At that moment, he finally understood why Orochimaru never bothered wiping his hands.
Sometimes, there simply was no choice.
"Release."
"Hahaha, I'm finally free!"
Shukaku's arrogant voice echoed as chakra surged from the scroll.
"Hey, brat, what did you smear on me? It's sticky everywhere."
"Haha, nothing important," Hayashi replied calmly.
"The air here is humid. Don't worry about it."
With Hayashi's chakra reserves currently limited, Shukaku manifested at only a small size, roughly no larger than a child's plush toy.
Still smug, still loud, but undeniably less imposing.
"So this is Konoha? Looks even more desolate than Sunagakure."
"This isn't Konoha," Hayashi corrected.
"It's just a forest in the Land of Fire. I need your help finding someone."
"Help you?" Shukaku scoffed.
"That's not part of my contract."
"You wanted to see the Nine Tails, didn't you?" Hayashi replied evenly.
"That's who I want you to locate."
Shukaku froze, eyes widening.
"What? Did that mangy fox break free too?"
"No. It's still sealed inside its Jinchuriki. I'm keeping my promise to take you to it."
Shukaku stared at him for a moment, disbelief written all over his face.
In the end, curiosity won out.
"Tailed Beasts can sense each other," he muttered.
"Fine. I'll look."
He plunged one purple marked arm into the earth, chakra spreading outward.
"…The signal's weak," Shukaku said after a moment.
"About thirty kilometers east."
For locating Tailed Beasts, Shukaku was more reliable than any reconnaissance unit.
"Thanks."
Hayashi grabbed the raccoon by the scruff and slung him over his shoulder before sprinting eastward.
"Hold on," Shukaku complained, bouncing slightly.
"Once we cross into the Land of Grass, Konoha ninja won't be able to pursue them anymore."
...
"Stay alert," a middle aged ninja said quietly as he led his squad forward.
"Once we reach the Land of Grass, we're in safer territory."
After hours of high speed movement, fatigue had dulled everyone's vigilance, but now was not the time to relax.
"Captain," one of the younger ninja asked, unable to hold back,
"why aren't we heading straight to the Land of Lightning? Why detour through the Land of Grass?"
The captain's expression remained calm.
"The man who helped us infiltrate Konoha agreed to assist, but his real intentions are unknown.
If he turns on us en route to the Land of Lightning, we'd be walking into a trap."
He continued coldly,
"Our village has forces stationed near the Land of Grass. Once we reach them, we'll be safe."
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly closed his mouth.
The other three ninja sensed it at the same time.
Their hands moved instinctively, kunai sliding into their palms.
"Looks like we need to deal with a few mice before we leave," the captain said, a cold smile forming as killing intent spilled outward.
Lightning chakra surged into his shuriken as he spun and hurled it forward, hand seals flashing rapidly.
"Lightning Release, Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique."
Explosive lightning chakra multiplied the shuriken mid flight, turning the forest ahead into a storm of crackling blades.
No tree could withstand such an assault.
Realizing he could no longer remain hidden, Hayashi leapt down from above, narrowly avoiding the barrage.
"Just one kid?" one of the younger ninja sneered.
"Has he lost his mind, trying to stop us alone?"
Hayashi sighed quietly.
It seemed his reputation had yet to spread beyond the Land of Wind.
Any Sunagakure ninja would know better than to underestimate him.
Speed, power, precise tactics, overwhelming offense, and above all, enemies who underestimated him.
Those who had faced Konoha's Lightning Flash understood that lesson well.
Since his opponents were so confident, Hayashi decided to open with his strongest illusion.
The Sharingan was most lethal in one on one combat, but against multiple opponents, he needed a wide area technique.
"Genjutsu, Falling Sakura."
Soft pink petals drifted through the air, beautiful and deadly, enveloping all four enemies at once.
They were jōnin.
Even so, breaking free from Hayashi's genjutsu would take several seconds.
To ordinary people, a few seconds meant nothing.
To a shinobi, it was the distance between life and death.
More than enough time to end the battle.
____
Power stones please?