Shukaku's massive body twisted through the curtain of rain, its enormous tail sweeping back and forth and flattening everything in its path. The creature's sandy skin, the swirling black patterns on its body, and that overwhelming, ocean-like chakra radiated a pressure so suffocating that even veteran shinobi faltered under it.
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The ground beneath its feet compressed with every step, turning solid earth into rippling dunes as if the battlefield itself were being rewritten by a desert storm. The air tasted of iron and grit, and each breath felt as though it carried sand scraping down the lungs.
"What should we do now, Hayashi?" Nawaki asked anxiously, his voice trembling slightly.
The situation for the Leaf Village was dire. All the powerful Konoha shinobi were being restrained by opponents of equal caliber. Even Orochimaru and the others had gone ahead to confront Hanzō, leaving no one capable of dealing with a rampaging Tailed Beast.
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Every direction Hayashi looked, Leaf shinobi were fighting desperately—clashing with Sand nin, shielding their comrades, dragging the wounded away. But no matter how hard they fought, all of it was meaningless if Shukaku continued its rampage unchecked. One careless sweep of that monstrous tail could undo the efforts of a hundred brave men.
The Sand shinobi had seized that exact opportunity to release their ultimate weapon. The might of a Tailed Beast wasn't something ordinary ninja could oppose. Even if it was only the One-Tail, Shukaku, it was far beyond what Uchiha Hayashi could handle at his current strength.
To be blunt, Hayashi lacked the power and experience. His Sharingan hadn't evolved to the Mangekyō yet, and his chakra reserves were limited.
Unless he wanted a hero's funeral under the Konoha flag—complete with twelve explosive tags in salute—it would be suicide to charge at Shukaku head-on.
Still, even if he couldn't face the beast directly, he couldn't stand by and watch while it slaughtered Leaf shinobi.
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His fingers twitched unconsciously, craving a weapon, a plan—anything. But there was nothing to rely on except his own rapidly draining chakra and the stubbornness that all Uchiha seemed born with. Fear clawed at his instincts, but it never reached his eyes.
Staring at the massive form gleefully playing in its own sea of sand, Hayashi's eyes hardened.
He was still trying to figure out a strategy when Shukaku seemed to grow bored of mere destruction.
Under the control of its wild chakra, the sand around it began to move unnaturally. In seconds, enormous sand sculptures formed—each one a likeness of Shukaku in ridiculous poses.
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Some were flexing like bodybuilders. Others posed dramatically as if mid-performance on a stage. It would have been comical if the chakra infused in them wasn't lethal enough to crush entire platoons. Their grotesque humor made the scene all the more terrifying.
Then, with a wicked grin stretching across its tanuki-like face, Shukaku puffed out its cheeks and laughed—a distorted, eerie sound that carried across the battlefield.
Its sand sculptures changed form again, depicting Shukaku brutally striking down a giant fox.
"Hehehehe!"
The beast burst into deranged laughter, then flicked its enormous tail. In the next instant, dozens of those sand sculptures were hurled toward the front lines like living projectiles.
Hayashi immediately noticed Sarutobi Shinnosuke's chakra signature.
Not because they were close—far from it—but because Shinnosuke stood out like a beacon amid the chaos, charging straight toward the Tailed Beast.
"Earth Release: Great Earth Flow Wall!"
With a series of rapid hand seals, Shinnosuke slammed his palms into the ground. Massive walls of stone erupted, encircling Shukaku on all sides. The sheer power of the jutsu was far beyond a typical jōnin's, standing tall even against the torrential rain.
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The earth groaned as the formation locked into place, plates of stone grinding together until they formed a miniature fortress. Even the rain seemed to hesitate above it, breaking apart against the rising walls as if unsure whether to fall or flee.
For a brief moment, Hayashi found himself impressed.
But before he could even finish the thought, the sand sculptures collided with the wall in a thunderous crash. The sturdy earth barrier cracked and shattered instantly.
Shinnosuke, who had been proudly standing atop the wall, lost his balance and tumbled down in a cloud of dust.
"…."
The wall had at least slowed the incoming attack, giving the surrounding Leaf shinobi precious seconds to retreat.
Hayashi exhaled slowly. They couldn't keep this up forever. His chakra reserves were dangerously low—just enough left to form one Chidori.
He still had about one-third of a chakra reserve sealed in a scroll. It wasn't much, but it would have to do.
"You guys stay here!" he ordered sharply.
He stomped the ground, lightning crackling around his body as he launched forward. Within seconds, his entire form was wrapped in bright blue light.
Then, with a sharp burst of speed, he charged straight toward Shinnosuke's position.
From above, it looked like a streak of lightning was cutting through the entire battlefield.
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The scent of ozone spread in his wake. Every shinobi he passed instinctively flinched, the air prickling with static as his chakra carved a path through the chaos. For an instant, it felt as though he alone brought illumination to a battlefield drowning in rain and despair.
All around him, other Konoha shinobi were doing the same—rushing toward Shukaku instead of fleeing from it.
To them, death was nothing new. Whether they fell to a kunai or a Tailed Beast's rampage made no difference. That unshakable resolve, that unity, was what had carried the Leaf through every great war.
Philosophers could debate whether heroes created history or history created heroes—but here, on the battlefield, only action mattered.
Hayashi finally reached Shinnosuke, landing atop the shattered remnants of the wall, breathing hard.
"Shinnosuke-san, you look terrible," Hayashi said, half-smiling.
Shinnosuke was covered in dust, and the wounds on his back had reopened, staining his flak jacket with blood.
Not that Hayashi looked any better—his hair was matted with rain and blood, and his Chūnin vest was torn and soaked through. Iron shrapnel stuck out from his clothes, which he calmly began pulling out one by one.
Despite the injuries, he wasn't in immediate danger.
After a brief pause to catch his breath, Hayashi tore off his vest and tossed it aside. The blood-soaked weight only slowed him down.
Seeing Hayashi approach, Shinnosuke's face twisted with concern. "Hayashi, you shouldn't be here!"
Though Hayashi was from the Uchiha clan, both of their families shared a history under the Second Hokage's tutelage. They had fought side by side before, and Shinnosuke now saw Hayashi as his junior—someone he didn't want to see die.
"You damn kid, instead of staying safe, you come running straight to the Tailed Beast?!" he snapped.
"Maybe," Hayashi said, smiling faintly. "But I'm already here."
The lightning flickering across his body began to fade as his chakra dwindled to its final drops. Even the sealed reserve was nearly depleted.
Normally, running out of chakra meant a death sentence on the battlefield. But shinobi were strange creatures—push them to the brink, and somehow they always found a little more strength to keep fighting.
Still, what could he possibly do, even at full power, against a monster like Shukaku?
The beast loomed closer, roaring with madness.
Shinnosuke clenched his fists helplessly. Both of them were exhausted, outmatched, and cornered. Yet Hayashi still smiled—a calm, almost fearless smile.
"Hayashi, you're in no condition to move," Shinnosuke warned. "Stay close to me."
Keeping him nearby was safer than letting him run off alone, where survival was impossible.
Hayashi shook his head. "The Jinchūriki's body has been fully absorbed. If we destroy Shukaku's shell, we can end its rampage."
"What you're saying makes sense," Shinnosuke replied grimly, "but who has the power to break that thing's body apart?"
"There's always a way," Hayashi said, eyes glinting. "Lightning Release counters Earth Release, and Shukaku's Sand Release has similar properties. If I use a Lightning technique strong enough, it should pierce through."
Shinnosuke stared at him, speechless.
"That's insane. Shukaku's massive—piercing it won't do much. You'll just get yourself killed."
He'd seen Hayashi's Lightning Release before—his Chidori was fierce, comparable to the Raikage's Hell Stab in piercing force. But against a Tailed Beast? Even with every drop of chakra he had, it was still suicidal.
"You can't be serious," Shinnosuke muttered.
"It's fine," Hayashi said firmly. "I have a way to shatter its body instantly." His tone left no room for doubt.
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There was a quiet certainty in his voice—not arrogance, not recklessness, but the kind of conviction only someone who had already accepted death could muster. Shinnosuke felt his stomach twist. That was the same look his father sometimes had before doing something impossible.
Shinnosuke hesitated. "If you really can break that sand monster apart and awaken the Jinchūriki inside…" He didn't finish. If Hayashi succeeded, he would become the hero of this war.
But letting him go felt wrong. The kid had already done enough—he didn't deserve to die here.
Still, Konoha was cornered.
"…Do you need my help?" Shinnosuke finally asked.
"Yes," Hayashi said. "Can you summon Enma?"
"What?" Shinnosuke blinked.
"I heard from Orochimaru-sensei that Hokage-sama's Enma is the strongest summon. If you can call him out, he can distract Shukaku. Otherwise, if it dives under the sand again, I won't be able to hit it."
"Uh… about that…" Shinnosuke looked uneasy.
"Don't tell me—you haven't signed the contract?" Hayashi frowned. "Are you really the Third Hokage's son?"
"No, no! I have the contract… it's just—Enma doesn't listen to me." Shinnosuke scratched his head awkwardly. He wasn't strong enough to earn the monkey's respect, so Enma refused to fight for him.
"That's fine," Hayashi said without hesitation. "Just summon him. He can fight on his own anyway. You'd only slow him down."
"…You're seriously killing me here," Shinnosuke muttered, clutching his chest in mock pain.
Still, he slammed his palm to the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!"
With a burst of smoke, a muscular monkey wearing black leggings and a leopard-print loincloth emerged.
"Who summoned this old man?" Enma growled. His sharp eyes fell on Shinnosuke. "Tch, you again? You're too weak. I'm not fighting for you."
"…If you don't help, Konoha will lose this battle. Please, for my father's sake," Shinnosuke pleaded desperately.
Enma glanced toward Shukaku, who was roaring and tearing through the sand, then sighed. "Hmph. That tanuki's not a bad opponent. Fine—just this once. What's the plan?"
"Keep Shukaku busy. Don't let it burrow underground. I'll release my jutsu soon," Hayashi said quickly.
"That's a troublesome request," Enma muttered. Still, with a grunt, the demon monkey charged toward the Tailed Beast.
Hayashi exhaled, nodding. Everything was in place.
As for whether his technique would harm Enma, he wasn't concerned.
Enma wasn't his summon, after all.
And besides—if the monkey truly possessed an indestructible body, he'd be fine. Probably.
Hayashi smiled faintly at the thought.
One thing was certain: after today, Shinnosuke's friendship with Enma was as good as gone.