Enma charged straight toward Shukaku, shattering the Wind Release: Air Bullet with a powerful punch, drawing the attention of the One-Tailed Shukaku.
New chakra waves rippled across the battlefield as the shock of Enma's punch dispersed the violent gusts. For a heartbeat, even the rain seemed to hesitate, hanging in the air like silver threads suspended by tension alone. The clashing energies twisted the atmosphere into a whirl of pressure that made nearby shinobi stagger.
"Oh, a monkey? How delightful. Just perfect for roasting," Shukaku said with a strange amusement, bursting into wild laughter and slapping the ground.
"Does this tanuki have a problem with its brain?" Enma snorted coldly.
Despite his gruff tone, Enma's muscles tightened and his stance lowered; even he understood that a moment's carelessness against a Tailed Beast could mean annihilation. His eyes sharpened, tracking every shift of sand beneath Shukaku's bulk.
"Sand Binding Coffin!"
Still laughing, Shukaku pressed both hands to the ground, gradually merging with the earth. Two massive sand arms erupted from the ground, reaching for Enma.
A low tremor pulsed across the terrain as the arms formed, the earth vibrating violently under the weight of Shukaku's chakra. Several weaker shinobi collapsed to their knees, clutching their heads as the pressure distorted their senses. It was the kind of oppressive force only a true monster could unleash.
Just as the sand hands were about to seize him, Enma vanished with a swift 'swoosh'. He charged at Shukaku with incredible speed. Shukaku swung its arms, but Enma easily broke free, moving with near-blinding agility.
In an instant, Enma appeared behind Shukaku. Before the One-Tailed could react, Enma grabbed its tail and began swinging it violently.
The ground groaned as Shukaku's enormous body scraped across it, uprooting earth and stone like fragile fabric. Debris flew everywhere, and a few unlucky Sand shinobi were swept aside by the shockwave, tumbling helplessly through the storm.
Shukaku roared, and a sandstorm rose from the ground, pressing against Enma.
Enma planted his feet and leapt with force, breaking through the sandstorm's grip. Landing on Shukaku's head, he struck with a heavy punch.
"Stupid monkey! I'm going to eat you!" Shukaku bellowed, writhing in pain. Its head turned into quicksand, and Enma's feet sank into it.
Before Enma could free himself, one of Shukaku's massive hands shot from behind, slamming his head into the ground.
Boom! A massive pit formed instantly, sand erupting in violent storms.
"Stupid monkey!" Shukaku roared, slamming Enma repeatedly. After several hits, it realized the monkey was unharmed and flung him away.
The impact of Enma's body hitting the ground cracked the earth open, splitting it into jagged fractures that glowed faintly from lingering lightning residue in the atmosphere. Even with his toughness, the repeated blows were beginning to shake the ancient summon's core.
"Wind Release: Air Bullet!" Shukaku sent balls of wind-infused chakra flying. Explosions erupted around Enma, submerging him in slicing wind blades.
Watching Enma being battered, Uchiha Hayashi abandoned chakra recovery. He leaped gracefully onto the remaining tall earthen wall, observing the battlefield below.
Corpses lay scattered, blood bright red against the lush green leaves. Distantly, Shukaku cried out, and Hayashi narrowed his eyes, recalling the past.
The chilling smell of wet iron rose with the steam from fallen bodies, mixing with the earthy scent of rain-soaked mud. Hayashi's breath stilled for a moment. War was cruel—but this level of destruction reminded him more of nature's wrath than any battle of men.
Thunder rumbled faintly above.
A large amount of chakra, transformed to the extreme, gathered in Hayashi's hand in an instant. In a very short time, it reached the level of a thousand birds chirping.
If it were normal times, Shinnosuke would not have been stingy with his praise, but now… just relying on such a ninjutsu, wanting to defeat the giant body of the Sand Shukaku… is still too naive.
What else are you hiding?
Shinnosuke looked up at Uchiha Hayashi standing in the high sky, and such a thought popped into his head.
A faint, eerie stillness fell over the battlefield as if all the combatants—Leaf and Sand alike—were awaiting Hayashi's next move. Even the rain seemed to grow colder, sliding down Shinnosuke's face in sharp streaks.
Accompanied by the sound of thunder in the sky, Uchiha Hayashi raised his right hand high, his five fingers curled irregularly. The lightning flashing in the sky seemed to flash in a specific pattern.
For Hayashi, he couldn't use the Lightning Release: Kirin technique before. Because the caster must clearly see the speed and flow of the lightning, so as not to strike himself when using it. The dynamic vision of the Two-Tomoe Sharingan was far from enough.
But in that cave, his left eye accidentally evolved to the Three-Tomoe, thus solving Hayashi's biggest concern.
As for the other difficulty, transforming lightning into a specific shape, Uchiha Hayashi was already able to complete it in the fourth grade.
Therefore, this Lightning Release is simply perfectly tailored for the environment of the Land of Rain!
"Come forth, lightning!" Hayashi shouted, his voice resonating across the battlefield. A Kirin composed entirely of lightning emerged from the storm clouds.
The Kirin's body writhed through the sky with majestic ferocity. Every movement carried enough power to vaporize a forest. Its roar echoed through the clouds, a sound so primal that dozens of shinobi instinctively dropped to the ground in terror, covering their ears.
"What is that?" Shinnosuke whispered, staring in shock at the electric beast above.
The battlefield fell silent. Ninjas dropped their weapons as they stared upward.
"Lightning… this can't be… a jutsu?"
A single flash illuminated everything—every corpse, every wounded shinobi, every trembling leaf. And in that moment, everyone understood that this was no ordinary Lightning Release. It was nature itself being bent into a weapon.
Bathing in the raw power of the storm, Hayashi felt unstoppable. The Kirin's form flickered, as it was his first attempt, but its destructive potential was unmistakable.
Shukaku, sensing the threat, dove into the sand sea, but Enma immediately transformed into a massive iron rod, stirring the sand like a needle in water.
"Get out!"
The iron rod forced Shukaku to the surface. The Kirin, now fully formed, scanned the battlefield with electric eyes. Hayashi bowed his head, watching Enma swing Shukaku's tail into the sky.
The sight of the colossal tanuki being hoisted upward filled the Leaf shinobi with renewed hope. A faint cheer began to rise among them—raw, desperate, and trembling—like soldiers clinging to their final miracle.
"Not good! Stop him!" Chiyo shouted, realizing what was coming. Sand ninjas rushed toward Hayashi, but it was too late.
Bathed in lightning, Hayashi swung his right hand forcefully toward the ground.
"Perish with the thunder!"
The Kirin roared, crashing onto Shukaku. A massive explosion shook the earth, lightning submerging the One-Tailed in its full force.
Boom!
The deafening roar ended, and Shukaku was no more. The battlefield fell silent. The earth had cracked, and everything within thirty meters of the impact was completely evaporated.
Slowly, the rain resumed its natural rhythm, washing away the smoke and illuminating the scorched crater left behind. Even veteran shinobi stared wide-eyed, unable to comprehend the sheer overwhelming force they had just witnessed. In that silence, one truth spread through the ranks:
Uchiha Hayashi had rewritten the flow of the battle—and perhaps the war itself.
_______
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