Rasa had noticed Uchiha Hayashi long before their encounter.
The boy's overwhelming strength, far surpassing others of his age, had caught Rasa's attention. Curious and cautious, he had secretly monitored Hayashi's movements for some time, studying every detail of his abilities.
Now, convinced that Hayashi posed a threat, Rasa decided to strike first and personally eliminate this dangerous opponent.
Hayashi was already bound tightly by Rasa's sand. Watching him struggle, Rasa's lips curved into a smug smile. He clenched his right hand mid-air and called out, "Sand Binding Coffin!"
The sand around Hayashi instantly compressed, aiming to crush him. But within the swirling sphere, blue lightning suddenly erupted in all directions.
"Chidori!"
Boom!
The sphere exploded apart as Hayashi tore through it, his body surrounded by crackling lightning. The raw power of his Chidori pierced effortlessly through the sand's restraint.
Landing hard, Hayashi slid several meters across the muddy battlefield before steadying himself.
"That's surprising," Rasa admitted, watching him closely. "It's rare for anyone to escape once caught inside my sand."
Despite his calm tone, Rasa's mind was tense. The chakra output Hayashi displayed had exceeded his expectations, and even he felt the drain of continuously manipulating so much sand. He needed to lure his opponent in closer—end this fight with precision, not attrition.
Determined, Rasa extended his hand again. Sand surged forth, but the attack's scale and speed were noticeably weaker than before.
Hayashi noticed immediately. A deliberate flaw.
He formed a single seal and vanished with a Body Flicker Technique, weaving around the sand with fluid grace as he closed the distance between them.
Activating his Sharingan, Hayashi's scarlet eyes locked onto Rasa's.
Genjutsu.
Rasa's movements froze.
Hayashi's lightning surged again, forming another Chidori in his palm. The piercing cry of a thousand birds echoed through the rain-soaked battlefield as he lunged forward, bursting through Rasa's sand wall and appearing before him in a blur.
The blade of lightning drove straight toward Rasa's chest—
—but suddenly, the ground beneath Hayashi gave way. His foot sank deep into a trap of loose sand, throwing off his balance.
Before he could recover, two streams of sand coiled up like living serpents, binding his arms.
Rasa clenched both fists. "Desert Funeral!"
The sand compressed violently around Hayashi's body.
"Hayashi!" Nawaki shouted from across the battlefield. Seeing his comrade trapped, he formed rapid hand seals and unleashed a roaring Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu! A massive torrent surged forward, scattering several enemy ninjas in his path.
But the Sand shinobi regrouped quickly, cutting off Nawaki's advance.
Nearby, Mikoto's Sharingan spun with intense focus. Her speed doubled instantly. In her heightened perception, the enemy before her seemed to slow to a crawl.
A flash of silver—her kunai sliced across her opponent's neck before he could even react. She sprinted toward Hayashi, determination blazing in her eyes.
Yet before she could reach him, the sand cocoon imprisoning Hayashi began to tremble.
A brilliant blue light burst from within.
"Chidori Current!"
Crackling lightning exploded outward, scattering the sand in every direction. Within seconds, the electric field around Hayashi shredded every trace of restraint.
Standing tall amidst the dispersing dust, Hayashi's chakra flared fiercely.
"You two handle your own battles," he called out, voice calm but firm. "I'm fine."
"Understood! Be careful!" Nawaki replied, flipping back and driving his kunai into a charging Iwa-nin.
Mikoto exhaled in relief and returned to the fray—though she couldn't help shifting her position slightly, keeping closer to Hayashi's side.
Hayashi noticed and smiled faintly.
"What are you smiling at?" Rasa's eyes narrowed. "If not for that last trick, you'd be dead already."
"Yeah," Hayashi said evenly, crossing his arms. "I'll admit, I was careless. You weren't really caught in my Genjutsu at all, were you?"
Rasa's earlier weakening of his attacks now made sense. He had deliberately feigned fatigue to bait Hayashi into close combat. Hayashi's usual tactic—using Genjutsu at close range—had been anticipated.
A clever trap.
Rasa gave a small, regretful smirk. "That's right. Your illusion didn't affect me."
The false eye in his socket cracked apart, crumbling into fine sand before reforming to cover his face again.
"With Magnet Release, the sand itself becomes my senses. My sand is my eyes. Your Sharingan's illusions are useless against me."
Hayashi tilted his head slightly. "Interesting information," he said, smiling subtly.
"Without Genjutsu, your strength is greatly reduced, isn't it?" Rasa shouted, confidence flaring. "Today, all of you will die here!"
The desert around him erupted. Waves of sand rose high into the air, swallowing the battlefield in a golden storm.
Hayashi's eyes blazed. He charged forward, lightning coiling around his arm once more. "Chidori!"
He leapt into the air, slicing through the encroaching sand like a thunderbolt.
"Pointless!" Rasa sneered, raising his hand.
The moment Hayashi landed, his feet sank deep into the quicksand beneath him, halting his movement.
Rasa thrust his arm out, forming a spear of glittering gold dust in his grasp.
But Hayashi didn't panic. He simply smiled, lifting his gaze toward the sky.
High above them floated a spectral eye—one born of illusionary chakra, staring directly at Rasa.
"Genjutsu: Dream Lock Body."
"What—?" Rasa froze mid-motion, the gold spear slipping from his hand.
In that instant, the suppressed Chidori reignited in Hayashi's palm.
Lightning screamed as it pierced through Rasa's chest, illuminating the battlefield in a blinding flash.
The golden sand around Rasa shuddered violently, shards flying in all directions as he staggered backward. For the first time, his arrogant composure faltered.
Hayashi landed gracefully, the storm of sand and lightning settling around him. His Sharingan glinted ominously in the dim light of the battlefield, a silent promise of the power he wielded.
Rasa's breathing grew ragged, his hand instinctively clutching the wound. Blood seeped through his fingers as he stumbled, the desert's endless waves of sand no longer under his command.
The surrounding ninjas froze, sensing the shift in dominance. Nawaki and Mikoto exchanged tense glances, realizing the battle had irrevocably turned.
Hayashi's voice cut through the charged air, calm but carrying an unyielding authority. "This ends now. Yield, or face the consequences of your arrogance."
Rasa's eyes burned with a mix of rage and disbelief. For the first time, he felt the raw weight of his opponent's strength—and fear that he had rarely experienced.
A long, tense silence filled the battlefield, broken only by the crackle of dissipating lightning and the whisper of shifting sand.
Then, slowly, Rasa sank to his knees, his voice barely audible over the wind. "Impossible… how could someone so young…?"
Hayashi took a measured step forward, keeping his stance ready, yet showing no malice beyond the necessity of the fight. The desert around him seemed to bend to his presence, sand settling into stillness as if acknowledging the victor.