-----
-----
Boom!
The massive boulder couldn't take Hayato's punch — it shattered into chunks and crashed to the ground. Only then did Hayato stop, letting out a long breath.
This training method of his was actually inspired by a move from an anime he'd once seen — Saint Seiya, specifically Pegasus Meteor Fist.
Truth be told, in this world, with different rules and limits, only someone like Hayato — with insane recovery abilities — could train like this. Anyone else would've wrecked their body long ago and died from the strain.
"Whoa… that's insane!" Nagato and Yahiko were staring at him in shock, totally stunned.
After throwing over a hundred punches in an instant, Hayato felt searing pain rip through his body.
Different world, different rules — even with the strange energy known as chakra, unleashing over a hundred punches like that had ripped most of the muscles in his body. His arms were especially bad — muscle fibers shredded all over.
That was the side effect of his fast-punch style, similar to the Pegasus Meteor Fist. Sure, the move packed serious power, but the backlash was brutal. If it were a normal ninja, they'd be crippled for life — or dead — after just one round. Only Hayato's unique body could pull this off and still stand.
He took a deep breath, glanced at his arms, already turning a nasty shade, and shook his head. His body still wasn't strong enough. He'd have to train harder… a lot harder. But for today, he was done.
Just as he pulled his shirt back on and turned to leave, he suddenly froze. His expression sharpened instantly.
In the next second — whoosh, whoosh, whoosh — several figures appeared in front of him. Ninja. Hayato's eyes went to their headbands — four vertical stripes. Rain Ninja.
"You're Hayato?"
The leader looked down at him with a smug, superior expression.
"Yeah. What do you want?" Hayato frowned, already feeling annoyed.
"Heh. You're lucky. Lord Hanzō's taken an interest in you. Come with us." The tone was pure condescension, like he was doing Hayato a favor.
"Not interested." Hayato's frown deepened.
"…What did you just say?" The Rain ninja leader blinked, then glared, his face darkening, killing intent spilling out.
One look and Hayato knew — if he didn't go with them to see Hanzō, they weren't letting him walk away.
He took a deep breath. His body was still screaming in pain, but he ignored it. His nearly useless arms clenched into fists. With a sudden roar, he exploded forward — his fists blurring, pounding toward the Rain ninja like lightning.
In the blink of an eye, over a hundred punches rained down, fists and shadows swallowing the Rain ninja in a storm of blows.
They never saw it coming. In their minds, Hayato was just a wandering rogue ninja — way lower in status than an official Rain shinobi with a village backing them. For them, calling him to serve under Hanzō was basically charity.
They couldn't have been more wrong.
Because they underestimated him, and because Hayato attacked without warning, they didn't even react before his fists were already in their faces.
Punch after punch smashed into them — Hayato's strength was monstrous. Even exhausted from training, his assault was overwhelming.
When he finally stopped, the lead Rain jōnin in front of him collapsed with a sickening thud, his body almost completely unrecognizable — bones shattered to powder, flesh pulped.
The others closest to the front weren't any better — every bone broken, their bodies mangled beyond recognition, nothing human left.
"What the hell—?!"
"Run!"
"Get out of here!"
The Rain-nin that were left were mostly just genin. The strongest among them were maybe chūnin at best. But after seeing even a jōnin get instantly taken out by Takeda Hayato, they were so terrified they nearly wet themselves. Screaming in panic, they turned and bolted, vanishing who-knows-where in the blink of an eye.
What they didn't know was that, after throwing out another hundred-plus punches, Hayato's old training injuries had gotten way worse. His muscles weren't just torn—they were shredded. Even worse, the bones in his hands and arms were starting to crack.
Hitting with that kind of power twice in a row was way more than his body could handle.
Hayato's body swayed for a moment before he plopped straight down onto the ground. His hands and arms were slowly turning red—only it wasn't Rain-nin blood. It was his own, seeping from deep inside his arms.
"Ah! Big Brother Hayato, are you okay?!"
"Hayato!"
"Hayato, how bad is it?!"
Konan, Nagato, and Yahiko—who had been hiding and watching earlier—had been caught completely off guard when the Rain-nin showed up. They never expected Hayato to attack first. By the time they processed what was happening, it was already over.
Konan's eyes immediately filled with tears, like pearls rolling off a broken string. Nagato and Yahiko both had tense, worried looks on their faces.
When it was finally over, the three of them rushed over. Konan, especially, froze when she saw the state Hayato was in.
"Konan, I'm fine! You know me—by tomorrow morning, I'll be good as new." Hayato smiled, struggling to lift a hand to ruffle her hair. But when he saw how soaked his palm was with blood, he hesitated and slowly let it drop.
Konan noticed and, without saying a word, grabbed his hand herself—bloody or not—and placed it firmly on top of her head.
"....."