Following the ninja's sharp command, the sand surrounding Uchiha Hayashi suddenly contracted with crushing force.
Yet, from the center of the sand, only fragments of shattered wood fell to the ground.
"Substitution Jutsu?" the ninja muttered.
Hayashi reappeared beside Mikoto and Nawaki, lightning flickering faintly around his body.
Across from him stood a boy about his age — brown-haired, with deep dark circles beneath his eyes.
Hayashi immediately recognized him: Rasa, the future Fourth Kazekage.
Other than his hair color, the resemblance to Gaara was uncanny.
Hayashi narrowed his eyes. Though Rasa was still young, underestimating him would be foolish. This boy was a prodigy, destined to lead Sunagakure one day. His Magnet Release, allowing him to manipulate gold dust and any metal-infused sand, gave him terrifying potential.
From that perspective, Rasa truly was the definition of "tall, rich, and gifted." A rare Kekkei Genkai user, a future Kage, and literally capable of creating gold. In the entire shinobi world, the only person wealthier might have been Konan, though she probably spent every coin on explosive tags she didn't even need.
Thinking about it, Hayashi couldn't help comparing the two Fourth Kage — Minato and Rasa. Their starting points couldn't be more different. Rasa had everything, yet his poor decisions later cost him his life.
Hayashi remembered how Rasa sealed the One-Tail inside Gaara, believing his son could handle it, even ordering Yashamaru to assassinate him to "test" his control.
The man's logic was baffling. Red hair didn't make Gaara an Uzumaki.
A thought sparked in Hayashi's mind: If I eliminated Rasa here, it would prevent a lot of future pain… Gaara, Temari, the chaos in Sunagakure — gone in one stroke.
His fingers twitched with the idea, but before he could act, Rasa's expression hardened. The boy noticed Hayashi's distant stare and felt insulted. No one had ever ignored him before.
"Don't look down on me!" Rasa snapped.
He pulled a scroll from his back and unrolled it with a flick. The kanji for "Sand" glowed faintly before a wave of sand erupted toward Hayashi.
Hayashi sidestepped gracefully, evading the sweeping current. He formed hand seals in rapid succession and expelled a torrent of water from his mouth. The liquid soaked the sand mid-air, causing it to collapse with a heavy splash.
"The environment here isn't doing you any favors," Hayashi said calmly. "This is the Land of Rain. The constant drizzle slows down your control over sand."
With a swift Body Flicker Technique, he closed the distance between them, lightning dancing along his kunai as he thrust forward.
A dense wall of sand rose instantly, blocking the strike.
"So what?" Rasa retorted sharply. "Defeating an opponent even in a disadvantageous setting proves my strength!"
He waved his hand, and the sand wall twisted, forming an arm that lunged at Hayashi.
Hayashi's lightning-coated kunai sliced through the sand arm cleanly, but it reformed immediately, grasping again.
"Water Release: Water Trumpet!"
Streams of pressurized water burst from Hayashi's mouth, colliding with the sandy limb and scattering it apart once more.
"You've been using Water Release for quite a while," Rasa said, smirking. "How much chakra do you have left?"
He gestured, and a stream of sand coiled along the ground like a snake, aiming for Hayashi's ankle.
Hayashi leapt upward to evade, but the sand continued to pursue him, shifting mid-air as if alive.
While twisting his body mid-leap, Hayashi activated his Sharingan, locking eyes with Rasa. A subtle genjutsu shimmered through the rain.
Without hesitation, Hayashi threw a kunai — fast as a bullet — straight toward his immobilized opponent.
Rasa didn't move, but the sand reacted automatically, blocking the strike. The kunai tore through the barrier, yet just before hitting him, it deflected midair with a sharp metallic clang.
"Magnet Release, huh…" Hayashi muttered. "Annoying."
The ability to manipulate metal nullified much of his projectile advantage.
Rasa snapped out of the genjutsu, eyes narrowing. He unfurled another scroll marked "Gold". Instantly, gold dust poured out, merging with the wet sand.
Sand infused with gold — heavier, more resistant to water.
The next attack came faster. The golden sand surged like a living creature, wrapping toward Hayashi in spiraling waves.
Hayashi's chakra flared, his movements accelerating as lightning pulsed beneath his skin.
But the golden sand overwhelmed the airspace around him. Tentacle-like streams surrounded and caught his ankle, dragging him down before wrapping around his limbs.
"This time, let's see you escape!" Rasa sneered, pressing his palm downward.
The sand constricted like a vice, closing in on Hayashi.
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