At Hayashi's speed, a distance of one hundred meters vanished in an instant.
Sakumo, who had been monitoring the battlefield from the moment he engaged the enemy, noticed him immediately. The moment he saw Hayashi approaching, Sakumo understood the implication. If Hayashi was here, then the Sand Jonin guarding the supply route had already been defeated.
Even with this expectation in mind, Sakumo still felt a ripple of disbelief. He knew his own talent well, yet even he had never accomplished such feats at Hayashi's age. A gifted child had appeared, someone even more monstrous than the usual geniuses the Uchiha clan produced. Rumors of Hayashi fending off Shukaku had already reached his ears.
For a fleeting moment, Sakumo wondered sarcastically if this boy had started training while he was still a fertilized egg.
Still, Hayashi's arrival was undeniably fortunate. Many wounded around them had lost their ability to fight, and they desperately needed protection. Sakumo valued his comrades deeply, and Hayashi showing up to reinforce the rear only made Sakumo's impression of him rise a little more.
"You handle illusions and guard the wounded," Sakumo instructed. "I will take care of the frontline."
"Understood."
Hayashi nodded. Sakumo's strength towered above his own, by many levels. Even if Hayashi had not come, Sakumo could still have dealt with the Jonin here and moved on to assist others. But now, being asked to play a support role was a blessing. Support roles were comfortable, safe, and efficient. Hide in the back, bind enemies at the right moments, collect silent achievements, and avoid needless danger. To Hayashi, it was a relaxing way to contribute.
The moment the orders were exchanged, Hatake Sakumo surged forward like a gust of cutting wind.
The Jonin at the outer edge of the Sand formation felt a chill crawl up their spine as the White Fang sprinted in. The elite Jonin behind him began forming hand seals rapidly.
Hayashi acted first. His Sharingan spun as he cast an illusion, instantly interrupting one of the Sand Jonin in mid-hand seal. Sakumo engaged two elite Jonin without hesitation, the White Fang short blade emitting a halo of bright chakra.
Hayashi released another illusion, this one carried by sound. It seeped into the mind of the Jonin closest to Sakumo.
The man raised his arm to strike Sakumo, only to freeze in confusion when his body refused to move.
Had he been caught in a Body Binding Technique?
He wasn't the first to mistake Hayashi's illusions for a simple immobilization jutsu, but it didn't matter. His head left his shoulders an instant later, cleanly severed by the White Fang's blade.
Blood arced through the air as Sakumo lowered his posture, his already blinding speed spiking even further. He shot toward another Jonin with terrifying momentum.
Witnessing a teammate die without any chance to react shook the nearby Sand Jonin to their core. Fear crept into their hearts despite their attempts to resist. One of them began forming a seal to stall Sakumo's next attack, but once again, his hands froze mid-motion.
History repeated itself. Another Jonin lost his head.
One more Sand Jonin tried to rush Hayashi directly. But the moment his eyes met Hayashi's Sharingan, dread wrapped around him. His body trembled uncontrollably as an icy sensation invaded his mind.
A wet sound followed.
Sakumo's kunai pierced straight through the Jonin's chest, blood spilling freely as the White Fang drove him backward and flung his body aside.
The remaining Sand Jonin stared in horror. Before Hayashi arrived, Sakumo alone had been locked in a deadlock with several of them. Neither side could overwhelm the other.
But now, with Hayashi supporting him, everything collapsed in moments.
The "Chunin" who had slain Shukaku was the same one controlling the battlefield now. Since when did Konoha's Chunin reach a level that made even Jonin tremble?
It was nothing short of unnatural.
Panic spread among the Sand Jonin. Their thoughts shifted from fighting to the possibility of retreat. Against this duo, staying meant death.
"There are reinforcements approaching! Be careful!"
Hayashi's Sharingan caught movement at the battlefield's edge before Sakumo could see it. Several Sand Ninjas rushed inward, and Hayashi shouted a warning.
The enemy had clearly grown terrified. Their most powerful units were collapsing too quickly. These Jonin weren't disposable soldiers, they were the core strength of Sunagakure. Even the Third Kazekage, hailed as the strongest in the village's history, wouldn't eradicate Jonin this cleanly.
Yet the impossible was unfolding before their eyes.
Hayashi continuously disrupted enemies with his illusions, turning Sakumo into a lightning-quick executioner. It resembled perfect synergy. Hayashi controlled the rhythm every second, and Sakumo struck like a high-speed assassin.
Why wouldn't the Sand Ninjas be terrified?
More enemy Jonin converged, though the majority were still occupied battling Orochimaru and Tsunade on the other flank.
Sakumo, completely immersed in combat, carved through another illusion-bound Jonin. His Lightning Release-enhanced blade ended the man in an instant, and Sakumo leapt toward the newly arriving enemies without slowing.
His blade severed the arm of a Sand puppeteer before the man could deploy his puppet. Hayashi struck the puppeteer with an illusion at the same moment. Sakumo then shifted his stance, slicing horizontally.
Half of the puppeteer's head separated from his body. He died without time to scream.
Within only a few minutes, despite their numbers and Jonin-level strength, the Sand forces found themselves utterly helpless against the combined assault of Hayashi and Hatake Sakumo.
For the first time, the fangs of the new duo was witnessed:
The Konoha Lightning Fang.
Chiyo, observing from afar, felt her heart sink. Her eyes locked onto the young Uchiha who was dismantling their elite forces, fury burning behind her gaze.
Meanwhile, Sakumo was drunk on momentum. For the first time, he could attack freely without worrying about incoming ninjutsu. Hayashi disabled every threat before it could reach him.
This sensation, this flow, felt almost elegant. Almost nostalgic. Almost… intoxicating.
Sakumo had fallen in love with the ease of cutting down Jonin as if they were nothing more than training dummies.
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Milestone
100 Powerstones = 1 Bonus chapter.
I've been getting little to no Powerstones, don't be greedy with them 😪