The Shinobi World News
[Interview with Hayashi, a Chūnin and hero of Konoha Village]
In recent days, alongside live reports from the Shinobi World War front, a Chūnin named Hayashi has been the talk of the ninja world. This shinobi has been called a "Hero of the Shinobi World War" and the "Genius of Lightning Technique" by some onlookers.
The following is the interview content:
Ninja Reporter, "Did you have to use that ninjutsu at the time?"
Hayashi, "If I had not used that technique then, I doubt there would have been a better option."
Ninja Reporter, "Some believe Shukaku vanished because it could not bear the pain, and they treat it like punishment, what do you say?"
Hayashi, "That is hearsay, it depends on how you interpret it."
Reporter, "A Sunagakure shinobi who wished to remain anonymous suggested that directly applying electrical discharge to such a creature could harm its development. Is that certain?"
Hayashi, "I believe that such a brief, concentrated lightning strike should not permanently harm it."
Ninja Reporter, "That is your personal opinion."
Hayashi, "Yes, it is my personal opinion."
Ninja Reporter, "When we questioned Shukaku it seemed to imply those seconds were like a trial, what is your take?"
Hayashi, "Show off and get struck by lightning."
[End interview]
[The originally scheduled second special feature: The Legendary Sannin? The Secrets We Can't Tell with the Demigod, has been postponed due to unforeseen circumstances.]
....
Back on the battlefield, the thunderous explosion of the Lightning technique still rang like a funeral dirge. Where the Kirin struck, Shukaku collapsed into a mound of sand. Everyone stared at the ruin in stunned silence.
The Lightning technique's spectacle and force were undeniable, so even minutes after Shukaku's collapse, no one moved. Ninjas frozen mid-stride simply watched. Who could explain what had just happened?
How had a Tailed Beast, a living cataclysm, been scattered like sand? How had the supposedly invincible One-Tail been dealt with so suddenly? For many present, this was the first time they had seen a Tailed Beast up close, and then they had witnessed an unprecedented lightning strike. It felt like watching legend play out.
Of course, no one expected Shukaku to be dead. Tailed Beasts are tenacious, and a single S-rank lightning strike would not end a jinchūriki so easily. At the instant the Lightning technique landed, Shukaku had absorbed most of the blow in its own mass. If the energy had entered the Jinchūriki, the host would have died, and the beast might have temporarily vanished. Instead, Shukaku took the hit itself.
The attack shattered Shukaku's body, and the Jinchūriki stirred.
A hand, smoldering from the impact, pushed up through the sand. Smoke curled from burned flesh. It was an ugly, familiar scene for seasoned warriors: the beast wounded but still dangerous.
Experience matters on a battlefield.
Silence broke when Chiyo barked two orders.
"Recover Shukaku, and"
"Eliminate that brat!" she snarled.
These commands came because the One-Tail's jinchūriki, once Sunagakure's greatest asset on the field, had been rendered combat-ineffective. If their side could retrieve the Tailed Beast, they would salvage a strategic advantage. Even if the war slipped away afterward, the priority now was to seize the jinchūriki back.
Sunagakure's numbers were thin and their cohesion strained, and allies could not be counted on forever. The Tailed Beast was the last strategic card they had, so they surged toward the sand sea with a single-minded rush. In focusing forward, their flanks were left exposed.
The exchange of casualties flipped immediately.
From a distance Hyūga Tenku shouted with mocking heat, "Chiyo, this war is practically Konoha's victory, Shukaku couldn't beat a kid, what a disgrace to the Tailed Beasts, ha!" His tone dripped with scorn even as Branch Family Hyūga tried to steady him. He was still suffering from the backlash of a forbidden technique that cost him his Byakugan, and he struggled to hide the pain in his bloodshot eyes.
Despite the wounds, Tenku knew this was a moment to capitalize on. The Tailed Beast had been neutralized, and the Allied Forces had lost their trump card. If the fighting continued, Konoha's odds for winning rose with each passing minute.
No one expected such a decisive display to come from a Chūnin. Hayashi's action had not alone won the war, yet it dramatically altered the immediate balance. The sight of a shinobi leveling a Tailed Beast inspired awe and fear in equal measure.
That was precisely why Chiyo shifted priorities. The most important orders were clear.
"Protect him," Hyūga Tenku commanded, voice tight, "at all costs."
In other words, save Hayashi.
The battlefield itself seemed to hold its breath. Dust and sand swirled around the injured, the victorious, and the fearful alike. Every eye that turned toward Hayashi acknowledged the weight of what had just occurred.
Even in the chaos, strategy persisted. Every shinobi knew that this single Chūnin's display would become a legend whispered for decades—an embodiment of skill, timing, and audacity that could redefine expectations for generations to come.
Hayashi, still standing despite the exhaustion and burns, tightened his grip on the remnants of his chakra, ready to face the next threat. The war was far from over, but for now, the tide had unmistakably shifted.