Boom!
The ground split apart with a deafening roar, shaking the entire battlefield like an earthquake.
Uchiha Hayashi, still off balance, watched as his Chidori, which had been aimed straight at Rasa's heart, veered slightly off course and pierced through the man's arm instead.
Another tremor hit, then another — the land itself seemed to be falling apart.
When Hayashi's gaze returned to Rasa, the Kazekage-to-be had already broken free from the Genjutsu. Blood soaked his right sleeve, and he staggered back several paces, clutching his severed arm.
Rasa grimaced, forming a thin layer of sand armor to seal the wound temporarily. "You… you knew about my Sand Eye?" he demanded through clenched teeth, fury flickering in his eyes.
Only a few trusted individuals even knew of that ability. He had told Hayashi earlier that he could sense movement through sand itself, but that was merely a bluff — his true sight came from the Sand Eye floating in the sky, linked directly to his vision.
Yet somehow, Hayashi had caught on. By placing his Genjutsu on the Sand Eye above, he had trapped Rasa through his own vision — and that miscalculation had cost him an arm.
Such was the nature of shinobi combat: deception upon deception. Never trust the enemy's words. That was the first rule of survival.
Rasa coughed violently, his face pale as the tremors continued. His mind raced. Only a handful of people — the Third Kazekage, Chiyo, and a few elders — knew of the Sand Eye. Could there be a Konoha spy among the Sand ranks?
The thought made his stomach twist.
If Hayashi had known what he was thinking, he would have simply chuckled and said, "You're overthinking it, Rasa. Someone named A and B mentioned it to me."
But Hayashi wasn't wasting time with banter. His intent was clear — to finish this fight and eliminate Rasa for good.
Before he could act, the ground convulsed again, shaking harder than before. Another earthquake? What now? Hayashi frowned, scanning the area.
Then a whistling sound cut through the air. A blast of wind surged toward him.
"Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet!"
Hayashi leapt aside just in time as the attack tore through the spot where he had stood.
But more came — dozens, then hundreds. A storm of compressed air bullets rained down like meteors, exploding against the battlefield and tearing up the ground in chaotic bursts.
Hayashi cursed under his breath. "You've got to be kidding me, Rasa. Your tricks never end, huh?"
Taking advantage of the chaos, Rasa staggered backward. Blood loss and pain dulled his movements, but his will to survive burned bright. He summoned sand around his feet and vanished in a blur using the Sand Body Flicker Technique.
"I'll be back…" he spat coldly, retreating from the field in a battered, desperate state.
Hayashi didn't bother chasing. His eyes lifted toward the source of the wind attacks — and then he saw it.
The towering shadow of the One-Tail, Shukaku, loomed in the distance, its form half-hidden by swirling dust and mist.
"The only one capable of firing Drilling Air Bullets on that scale…" Hayashi muttered. "So it's you."
Mikoto and Nawaki rushed over, breathless from battle.
"Hayashi, what's going on?" Mikoto asked, eyes scanning the horizon.
"We're in trouble," Hayashi said grimly.
"Trouble?" Nawaki frowned. "Wait — don't tell me…"
"That's right," Hayashi confirmed. "The Sand Village has unleashed their Tailed Beast."
Nawaki's expression darkened. "But on a battlefield like this, that thing won't tell friend from foe."
"Exactly," Hayashi replied. "And haven't you noticed? Most of the enemies blocking our path were from the Sand Village. But inside the battlefield itself… there are barely any of them left."
The realization hit both of them at once.
"They're planning to let the One-Tail go wild," Hayashi continued, his tone cold. "It'll attack anything that moves — Konoha, Iwa, even the Rain shinobi. If no one stops it, Sunagakure will end up the only winner here."
War cared little for morality. In moments like this, even allies could be sacrificed. Victory was all that mattered.
And if they failed to contain the One-Tail, the entire battlefield would be erased.
---
Across the field, a booming laugh echoed.
"Ahahaha! I'm finally free again! Those little Sand brats actually let me out!"
The One-Tail, Shukaku, roared in delight, towering over the land. Since being sealed inside its jinchūriki, it had longed for this moment — the chance to feel the wind, the sun, the scent of the desert again.
It swayed its massive body, inhaling deeply. "Ahh, the air, the sand, the freedom! I missed this!"
Then its enormous foot sank slightly. "Huh? What's this swamp?"
The ground beneath it rippled — the Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld (Yomi Numa). Konoha's counterattack.
The jutsu spread wide, turning solid ground into a thick mire that dragged at Shukaku's feet, threatening to swallow the beast whole.
But restraining a Tailed Beast was easier said than done.
Shukaku chuckled, patting its belly. "Nice try, pests."
It opened its maw and spewed an unending torrent of sand, drowning the swamp in moments. The entire field transformed into a rolling sea of gold.
Now free again, Shukaku dove gleefully into its own sandstorm, spinning and thrashing like a playful child.
Then it noticed the movement around it — thousands of shinobi below, scrambling to escape.
"Heh. So many little bugs," it sneered. Its enormous paw slammed down, the impact creating a vacuum that erased everything within tens of meters.
"No matter how much you scream, no tanuki's gonna save you!" Shukaku's mad laughter echoed through the battlefield.
Hayashi watched from afar, his jaw tightening.
"Every time I see one of these things," he muttered, "my opinion of the Tailed Beasts gets worse."
Memories of his encounter with Roshi, the Four-Tails' jinchūriki, flashed through his mind.
"Honestly," Hayashi said under his breath, looking toward the heavens, "Sage of Six Paths… can't you keep your pets under control?"
A sudden gust of wind carried the distant roars of Shukaku, shaking loose sand and debris across the battlefield. Hayashi's eyes narrowed, calculating the beast's trajectory and potential targets.
Nawaki and Mikoto instinctively crouched behind nearby rocks, keeping alert. They knew the Tailed Beast's raw power could annihilate them with a single swipe.
Hayashi raised his hand, chakra sparking at his fingertips. "We can't let it rampage unchecked. We need to steer it away from our allies and civilians, or this entire warzone becomes a graveyard."
He glanced at the horizon where Shukaku's massive silhouette moved with terrifying freedom. His mind raced, forming strategies to confront a force so overwhelmingly destructive, yet he knew there was no room for hesitation.
The desert seemed alive now, responding to the Tailed Beast's every movement, sand swirling violently as if bowing to Shukaku's chaotic will.
Hayashi inhaled deeply, determination hardening in his chest. "Time to see if we can survive this… and contain the One-Tail before it's too late."
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