After moving forward for some time, Uchiha Hayashi reached the edge of the battlefield. Standing atop a sand dune, he looked down and finally saw the elusive Shukaku.
However, with just a single glance, Hayashi froze.
At the same time, a realization settled firmly in his heart.
Shukaku being discovered was no accident.
The reason was simple. The desert below was filled with massive sand sculptures, so conspicuous that only someone blind could miss them.
It turned out that Shukaku was a fantasy driven artist.
More specifically, a Fauvist one.
Looking at the exaggerated, rough, and wildly expressive sand sculptures shaped like tailed beasts scattered across the desert, the description felt almost appropriate.
As for the fantasy aspect, the enormous sand sculpture at the center, vividly portraying Shukaku beating the Nine Tails into submission, said everything that needed to be said.
At this moment, Shukaku was clearly enjoying itself. It continuously unleashed Wind Release techniques, sending sand surging upward without pause. The rising grains nearly formed a full sandstorm.
If not for several elite Sand Village jonin working together and using advanced Earth Release to resist the pressure, the violent winds alone would have blown away the sealing unit, whose overall strength was only around chunin level.
Seeing this scene, Hayashi felt a trace of regret.
Perhaps this mission should never have been approved.
It was obvious that Shukaku was deliberately luring Sand shinobi to attack it.
As for the reason?
Retaliation against the Sand Village was likely part of it, but Hayashi suspected the real reason was far simpler.
Shukaku had been sealed for too long.
It was bored.
"Hiss, hiss."
Suddenly, the large white snake coiled around Hayashi's neck sent a signal directly into his mind. The message was clear, Sakumo was in position, and Hayashi could draw Shukaku's hostility at any time.
Hayashi did not hesitate.
He pulled out a kunai, attached with an explosive tag, and casually threw it forward.
Boom.
With the explosion, not only did Shukaku, which had been rolling around in the sand, react, but every Sand Village shinobi on the battlefield was instantly alerted.
Leaf Village shinobi began to emerge from concealment.
Kirito and Gin exchanged quick glances and immediately ordered their subordinates to form a defensive formation.
Shukaku, which had been thoroughly enjoying itself, let out an earth shaking roar. At the same time, its tail, marked with purple patterns, lashed out violently, sending several Sand shinobi who failed to dodge flying through the air.
"It's you again, you detestable brat!"
A year ago, it had been killed by this very person.
That pain was still etched deep into its memory.
Aside from the Third Kazekage, the one it hated most now was the brat standing before it.
For Hayashi to appear so openly in front of it was nothing short of a direct provocation. How could Shukaku not be furious?
Even tailed beasts had their pride.
And besides, it, Shukaku, was one of the strongest tailed beasts.
Cough.
One of the few strongest.
Without hesitation, Shukaku abandoned the elite Sand Village jonin restraining it and charged straight toward Hayashi, who stood farther away.
At the same time, the sand around it surged violently. One after another, massive golden hands formed from sand reached out toward Hayashi.
I must crush this Leaf Village shinobi to death.
Faced with Shukaku's rage, even several elite Sand Village jonin were powerless to stop it. While they were still shocked by Shukaku's sudden fury, Sakumo had already led the Leaf Village force into action from the other side.
The Leaf contingent moved with clear coordination.
Several elite jonin each engaged a Sand Village jonin.
Three jonin squads confronted four Sand Village teams head on.
As for the remaining shinobi, their objective was simple, disrupt the sealing unit's work and eliminate as many members as possible.
Sakumo's role was even more critical.
He needed to cut down the Sand Village forces in the shortest time possible, then immediately go to support Hayashi.
And the only one who could stop him now was the red haired man standing before him.
The desert wind swept across the battlefield, lifting sand into the air as Kirito slowly opened his half lidded eyes.
As Sakumo drew the White Fang, his presence intensified sharply. Kirito showed no fear, instead, excitement crept onto his face, causing his hands to tremble slightly.
The man before him stirred a feeling he had never experienced before.
"You came."
"I came."
"You were waiting for me?"
"I was waiting for you."
"You knew I would come?"
"I knew you had to."
Silence followed.
A suffocating, oppressive silence.
Yet within it, killing intent clashed violently, invisible but overwhelming.
Finally, Gin, who had been standing by, could no longer endure it. Her figure blurred as the giant fan on her back appeared in her hands.
"Wind Release, Sickle Weasel Technique!"
With the tearing roar of Wind Release chakra, the three instantly plunged into battle.
Meanwhile, the clash on Hayashi's side was even more intense.
After all, his opponent was not human.
It was a monster, and a terrifyingly powerful one.
Countless massive sand hands overlapped and interlocked, forming a vast net that sealed off nearly every possible escape route in the sky.
From Hayashi's perspective, it was as if a colossal curtain had fallen from above, covering an area far beyond what any shinobi could normally achieve.
"Hehe."
Shukaku let out a sinister laugh.
At this moment, nothing mattered to it more than Hayashi's death. It did not even care that the Sand Village shinobi were still attempting to reinforce the seal.
As long as this brat died, it would feel supreme satisfaction, like a child finally obtaining the toy they desired most.
Facing the sky swallowing sea of sand, Hayashi remained calm.
He had expected this.
After all, his mission was never to defeat Shukaku.
He only needed to stall it.
So Hayashi shouted loudly, "Shukaku, do you know Kurama?"
Shukaku paused.
It had not expected to hear that name here.
"What, even a little insect like you knows it?"
Hayashi felt a surge of joy inside.
This might work.
"I am friends with it."
There was nothing wrong with that.
He was friends with Kushina, Kushina was the Nine Tails' jinchuriki, so by extension, being friends with the Nine Tails was not unreasonable.
However, Shukaku clearly did not believe him.
With the innate arrogance of a tailed beast, it sneered, "I do not know what kind of personality that stinky fox has, but you becoming friends with it?
Hahaha, you are trying to kill me with laughter."
Although it claimed to hate Kurama, Shukaku cared deeply about its situation. After all, Kurama was the only lifelong rival it truly acknowledged.
Because of this, it paused to hear Hayashi out.
Unfortunately, the moment he spoke, it sounded like nonsense.
Becoming friends with a tailed beast?
Who did he think he was, the Sage of Six Paths' descendant?
Seeing the sand above begin to descend once more, Hayashi quickly spoke again.
"It's true. I have proof."
Shukaku stopped once more.
"What proof?"
"Promise you won't get angry first."
"…Fine," Shukaku replied lazily. "I cannot think of anything you could say that would make me angry."
You humans should understand, my strength is not just physical, but spiritual as well.
"The Nine Tails said," Hayashi continued, "the more tails a tailed beast has, the stronger it is."
"…."
Shukaku felt as if it had been stabbed straight in the knee.
"That is indeed what that stinky fox said," it muttered, scratching its ear with one claw. "Alright, I believe that you know it."
"That's good," Hayashi said with a smile. "Then how about we sit down and have a proper discussion about the Nine Tails?"
"Fine," Shukaku grinned.
Then, as its voice fell, the sand suspended in the sky suddenly surged downward.
"I still prefer that you die."
...