A sharp sound cut through the air behind him, fast and violent, like something tearing the wind apart.
Hayashi reacted on instinct. He twisted sideways and threw himself behind a tree just as several short blades struck the trunk with rapid clack, clack, clack sounds. Bits of bark scattered across his shoulder.
"Give up," the enemy ninja said in a calm, almost bored tone.
Hayashi bent forward slightly, hands on his knees as he tried to steady his breathing. His chest rose and fell sharply, but his eyes remained clear.
"Can I say something…" he muttered between breaths.
"I don't want to hear it."
---
Wave Country, Konoha Outpost.
Hayashi sat in a chair facing the sea, one leg crossed over the other as the wind from the coast moved through the quiet camp. In his hands was the latest installment of Jiraiya's novel, and he read it aloud in a deep, dramatic voice, deliberately exaggerating every sentence.
When he reached a particularly intense scene, he waved his arms too enthusiastically and nearly jabbed Nawaki in the eye.
Nawaki shot him an annoyed glare, then turned to Nono with a pitiful expression, hoping for sympathy.
Unfortunately for him, she did not even look up. Nono was completely focused on checking Himeji's eyes, examining them carefully as if the rest of the world did not exist. Nawaki sighed quietly, looking even more miserable.
Hayashi continued reading without mercy. When the story reached another dramatic moment, Mikoto suddenly grabbed his arm. She looked nervous, as if the tension of the story had pulled her in completely.
The problem was that she had no control over her strength.
Hayashi hissed sharply. The sudden pressure made his arm ache, and he almost bit his tongue while trying not to shout. Nawaki immediately showed a smug expression, clearly enjoying the situation.
Hayashi paused for a second, glanced at him coldly, then calmly continued reading as if nothing had happened.
From his point of view, Jiraiya's novel, the one with Naruto as the main character, was not particularly impressive. The plot was average at best, and the writing was not very polished. Only certain scenes felt natural, as if they were written by someone with real experience.
Still, entertainment in the ninja world was scarce. A passionate story like this was more than enough to attract readers, especially people like the ones sitting around him now, who were completely absorbed in every word.
Finally, Hayashi closed the newspaper and spoke softly.
"That's the end."
"That's it?" Mikoto asked immediately, clearly dissatisfied. "That's all there is?"
"I already told you not to get too invested," Hayashi said with a small shrug. "Uncle Jiraiya has only finished a small part of the book. The word count is short, and his updates are painfully slow."
"Wasn't it your idea in the first place?" Nawaki said without hesitation. "Something about a marketing plan and releasing it chapter by chapter."
Jiraiya originally planned to finish the entire book before publishing it. However, Hayashi had suggested that he release it in serialized form through newspapers first, then publish physical copies later. That way it would build popularity and make money at the same time.
Jiraiya, who was always short on funds, had agreed immediately.
The result was surprisingly successful. Even ninjas on the battlefield were subscribing to the newspaper just to read the story. For a while, it earned a ridiculous amount of money.
The only problem was the update speed. As a commander, Jiraiya was far too busy. He barely had time to rest, let alone write new chapters. What started as daily updates slowly became weekly ones, and now it had already turned into monthly releases.
"I deserve half the credit for this book," Nawaki said proudly. "I gave him plenty of material."
Seeing that Nono was listening seriously, he puffed up his chest even more, as if the success of the novel belonged entirely to him.
Hayashi sighed.
"There is even a character in the story that was written because of you," he said calmly. "The one named Cheng Ge. Didn't you ask for that yourself? If I remember correctly, he ended up marrying seven women."
Nawaki froze.
Nono glanced at him quietly, and his face turned red instantly, like a watermelon left under the sun for too long.
Feeling the danger, he quickly pointed at Hayashi.
"He also—"
Hayashi coughed loudly and cut him off before he could continue.
"By the way, Nono," he said quickly, changing the topic, "how are Himeji's eyes now?"
"They're completely fine," Nono replied calmly. "There is no difference compared to before the injury."
"Good. Then thank you."
Himeji blinked a few times. There was a faint smile in her eyes, and she looked at Hayashi quietly.
"So what happens at the end?" she asked softly.
Everyone immediately looked at him. As the person who helped edit the novel, he obviously knew the ending.
"Do you really want to know?" Hayashi asked. "Spoilers ruin the story."
"Just tell us," Mikoto said, leaning closer. "Spoilers are the best part."
Hayashi cleared his throat, then spoke in a serious tone.
"At the end, Naruto finally marries a very beautiful girl. But on the wedding day, the bride's entire family looks down on him because of the fox sealed inside him. Even his friends feel complicated about it."
Silence fell over the group.
Mikoto blinked.
"What kind of ending is that?"
"Yeah," Nono said with a small frown. "That sounds disappointing."
"Jiraiya is just writing whatever he wants," Nawaki added immediately. "What does he know about real stories?"
"You're the one who asked for the spoiler," Hayashi replied calmly.
Just as he was about to continue, he suddenly stopped talking. His expression became slightly more serious.
A jonin had appeared not far away.
"Lord Hayashi, Lord Sakumo is asking for you."
"Understood," Hayashi replied. He placed the newspaper down, stood up, and dusted off his clothes. "Looks like I have to go. You guys continue talking."
They all nodded.
As a young commander, he was naturally extremely busy, especially during wartime. However, the war in the Land of Water had already reached its end. The entire outpost had slowly fallen into an unusually quiet state.
This was not surprising. Most wars ended after long periods of exhaustion and slow victories. But this time, the result came too suddenly. Even the people on the front lines had not fully adjusted yet.
The village had not adjusted either.
Meetings were being held constantly to decide what should happen next. Which battlefield needed reinforcement, which troops should return, and how the war would continue.
Half a month passed like this.
During that time, the name of Konoha's Lightning Flash spread across the entire ninja world. For the first time, his reputation even began to surpass the legendary Sannin and the White Fang, and it was slowly approaching the level of the village's strongest figures.
The ninjas of Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure all pulled back their battle lines and strengthened their defenses. None of them were willing to attack recklessly anymore.
Thousands of Konoha ninjas remained stationed in the Land of Water. Because of Hayashi's actions, their casualties had been far lower than expected. That kind of powerful force could change the outcome of any battlefield instantly.
Even so, the great nations had no intention of ending the war.
Kirigakure had already withdrawn, but the Third Great Ninja War was still continuing.