Although Root possessed limited records regarding Sage Mode, knowledge of Sage Jutsu applications was extremely scarce. Advanced techniques, such as the so-called Snake Style, were even rarer.
The Lightning Release shattered like glass against the invisible force of Natural Energy, and Jia's right arm snapped instantly.
Hayashi did not waste a single motion. He followed through immediately with a whip kick aimed directly at Jia's chest.
Sage Mode provided a tremendous enhancement to taijutsu. In that state, Hayashi's speed and power had reached a terrifying level.
Jia was struck as though he had been slammed by a small mountain. His body continued its forward momentum for a brief instant before his chest caved in completely, while his back bulged outward from the force.
One of Danzō's closest subordinates died instantly.
Jia's corpse flew backward, slamming into another Root ninja who had been waiting for an opening.
The impact unleashed a violent spray of blood from the second man's chest before he could even react.
A nearby ninja tried to grab his collapsing comrade, but his arm was instantly shattered with a crisp crack. Before he could even process the pain, the two bodies carried by the momentum crashed into him as well.
All three corpses were sent skidding across the ground together until they finally came to a stop near the barrier ninjutsu.
A trail of blood stretched across the floor like a crimson mark.
Hundreds of Root ninjas had surrounded Hayashi in layers, yet none of them could even touch the edge of his clothing.
When Hayashi combined the Flying Thunder God Technique with Sage Mode, his speed surged beyond perception. His reaction time climbed to an even higher level, making his movements impossible to track.
He appeared and vanished within the encirclement like a ghost. At times, he would slip outside the barrier, eliminate the ninja maintaining it, then instantly re-enter the battlefield.
Hayashi continued advancing.
After an unknown period of time, he turned his head briefly toward Nawaki, who carried Samehada, and Hiashi, who stood observing from a distance.
Nawaki and Hiashi were not here to assist in killing enemies or share the pressure of battle.
Their role was to prevent Danzō from escaping.
According to Hiruko's intelligence, Root had four exits.
Nawaki and Hiashi each led squads of ninja to guard separate exits, while Orochimaru guarded another, Minato covered a third, and Hayashi directly assaulted the main entrance.
Once Hayashi signaled them, the two immediately departed with their squads toward their assigned positions.
Now that Danzō's escape routes were secured, Hayashi allowed himself to ease his pressure slightly.
Without war, it was difficult to find opponents strong enough for him to refine his skills.
Many newly developed techniques were still difficult to perfect in real combat.
The advanced applications of Flying Thunder God, such as Minato's future Spiral Flash Super Round Dance Howl Style Three, required precise conditions to master.
That technique involved scattering specialized kunai marked with formula seals around a target, then instantly teleporting to each kunai to strike with a Rasengan.
With so many Root ninjas present, they were the perfect training ground for Hayashi.
He could not wipe them all out. Uncle Snake intended to use Root for research purposes. If they were all eliminated, the purpose of this operation would be lost.
Orochimaru needed living Root ninja, not a buried underground ruin.
Even so, despite Hayashi holding back deliberately, Root's casualties continued to mount at an alarming rate.
"Enough!"
Just as Hayashi began to feel slightly impatient, Danzō's deep voice echoed from the exit.
Hayashi twisted the neck of the ninja in front of him and casually threw the corpse aside.
"Danzō Elder, you finally decided to show yourself. I thought you planned to watch me wipe out every last Root ninja."
His tone was relaxed, almost casual, which only made Danzō's anger burn hotter.
He understood better than anyone how difficult it was to train loyal subordinates. Every body on the ground represented years of effort.
And now, all of it was being erased in front of him.
He had also already heard the rumors spreading during his movement here.
Those rumors were dangerous precisely because they sounded too unbelievable.
And when unbelievable rumors turned out to be true, the consequences were not just shocking, but fatal.
In fact, Danzō had once planned to use similar rumors against Orochimaru. By staining him with allegations of human experimentation, he could force Hiruzen Sarutobi to abandon his protection of his student.
That plan had even extended to matters involving the Fourth Hokage.
Unfortunately, before he could fully exploit such tactics, the situation had turned against him instead.
"I want to know who told you about my transplantation of the Wood Release and Sharingan."
His eyes narrowed. The timing was too precise. There had to be a spy near him.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Elder Danzō," Hayashi replied calmly.
Danzō stared at him in silence for a long moment before speaking again.
"It was Yi, wasn't it?"
Yi was not the only one who knew about the operation, but Danzō believed he was the most likely leak.
"Does it really matter who it was?" Hayashi asked lightly.
Danzō nodded once. "No, it doesn't matter. What matters is something else."
His expression darkened further.
"I don't understand. Over the years, you and I have had almost no direct conflict. No open disputes over interests. Why are you trying to kill me?"
If someone moved to kill, there had to be a reason. Although Danzō himself had subtly undermined Hayashi in the past and had even considered eliminating him, none of it had ever been made public.
So why had it escalated to this point?
Hayashi smiled faintly.
He could hardly say he had wanted Danzō dead ever since he realized the truth of this world.
Instead, he gave a simple answer.
"You've been using my father Kagami's eyes quite well, haven't you?"
"Kagami?" Danzō froze. "How do you know that?"
The source of those eyes was known only to a handful of people. Even Yi was unaware of it.
All Root members who had known the secret had long since been eliminated.
Then Danzō's eyes narrowed.
"I see… Uchiha Yama told you."
That must have been it.
Yama had known the origin of the eyes during the exchange.
"Guess," Hayashi replied with a faint smile.
That ambiguous answer only reinforced Danzō's conclusion.
"It really was him… that damned Uchiha Yama."
Uchiha Yama was already dead, but that did not stop him from leaving behind chaos.
One should remember that before his death, he had attempted to frame the Third Hokage, hoping to destabilize Konoha even after he was gone.
If someone like Uchiha Sasuke had heard such a story, he might have stormed into Konoha recklessly.
But Hayashi did not believe it.
"Enough talk. Aren't you going to make your move?" Hayashi asked.
"Even if you're waiting for the Hokage, he won't make it in time. There's Kushina and Koharu as well…"
"You!" Danzō's expression turned even darker.
Hayashi simply smiled.
Danzō was stalling for time, but Hayashi was doing the same.
In that brief pause, he had already absorbed a significant amount of Natural Energy.
"Since you're courting death…"
Before he could finish the sentence, Danzō vanished.
He reappeared instantly in front of Hayashi, fingers forming a precise strike aimed directly at his eyes.
Hayashi did not move at all.
Only his Mangekyō Sharingan slowly rotated.