The location chosen by the Sand shinobi for their retreat was exceptionally well hidden. There was only a single concealed entrance to the cave. If an enemy attempted to attack, that narrow path was the only point of entry.
Beneath the ground at the entrance, puppets had been buried in advance. The moment an intruder approached, the mechanisms would be triggered, ensuring immediate detection and a rapid counterattack.
So when Uchiha Hayashi casually stepped into the narrow path, a dense storm of shuriken erupted from within the cave. Countless metal projectiles tore through his body in an instant.
The next moment, his figure dissolved into a burst of smoke.
It was only a shadow clone.
This brief exchange served as a test from both sides.
"Since you have already noticed us, come out," Uchiha Hayashi said calmly, standing not far from the cave entrance with his arms crossed. "There is no point in hiding inside."
Behind him, Taki Yuu stood alert in a defensive stance.
"The Leaf shinobi are as relentless as ever."
A deep voice echoed from within the cave, followed by heavy footsteps.
The first to emerge was a middle-aged man with white cloth wrapped around his head. Behind him followed a fifteen or sixteen-year-old Sand Chunin.
Both were visibly wounded. Their faces were pale and their breathing unsteady, showing that their injuries were far from light.
The middle-aged man was momentarily stunned when he saw that only two young shinobi stood at the entrance. He had assumed the disturbance had attracted a Konoha Jonin squad.
But the instant his eyes clearly locked onto Uchiha Hayashi, his heart tightened violently.
It was him.
"Captain, that is the person from the photo the village released earlier," the Sand Chunin whispered urgently.
Of course I know who he is.
The bitterness in the captain's chest deepened.
In the Rain Country battlefield, he had personally witnessed this young man strike their tailed beast with lightning. At that time, the distance between them had been less than a hundred meters.
"What, you recognize me?" Uchiha Hayashi asked with faint amusement.
"Of course," the Sand Jonin replied. "The famous Leaf Lightning Flash. I witnessed your strength firsthand in the Rain Country."
"That is quite the compliment," Uchiha Hayashi said calmly.
He immediately lost the urge to continue the conversation and rushed forward. At the same time, Taki Yuu engaged the remaining Chunin.
The Sand Jonin's injuries were severe, making close combat extremely dangerous for him. Thankfully, he was a puppet master.
His fingers moved sharply, and a beast-shaped puppet surged forward, slotting itself between him and Uchiha Hayashi.
The battle intensified in an instant.
After several rapid exchanges, the Sand ninja formed another hand seal, and a second puppet burst out from the cave entrance.
Uchiha Hayashi retreated half a step and formed hand seals in rapid succession. Five compressed wind blades launched forward.
The instant two of them passed the first puppet, they abruptly accelerated and violently collided with the frontal blades. The redirected Wind Release twisted at a ninety-degree angle, cleanly slicing through three chakra threads.
The Sand Jonin's eyes narrowed, but he did not panic. His fingers twitched again as the remaining chakra threads shot downward and linked with the earth below.
"Hm?"
His expression changed instantly.
The scouting puppet buried beneath the ground had lost all control.
At the same time, Uchiha Hayashi had already closed in. His fist, reinforced by terrifying physical strength, smashed directly into the beast puppet, shattering it into scattered fragments.
Three puppets in total.
Two destroyed.
One disabled.
At this stage, the Sand Jonin fully understood that the outcome was already decided.
If this were peacetime, there might have been a slim chance to flee. But heavily wounded and cornered, he would not escape far before being hunted down.
As Uchiha Hayashi approached step by step, the man stopped resisting and asked calmly, "What did you do to my puppet?"
"Did you really think I was only chatting with you earlier?" Uchiha Hayashi replied with a faint smile. "While we were talking, I had snakes destroy the inner mechanisms of the puppet underground. You were too focused on recovering your chakra to notice."
"The genius of the Leaf truly shines brightly."
The Sand Jonin let out a long sigh.
"Oh? Brightly how?" Uchiha Hayashi asked.
"Your Lightning Release is the most dazzling ninjutsu I have witnessed in my entire life."
Uchiha Hayashi chuckled softly. "Actually, I am fairly dazzling in other areas as well."
The instant their eyes met, genjutsu activated silently.
Just as the illusion began to take effect, the chakra threads connected to the ground suddenly snapped back, linking to a decapitated puppet head nearby. In the next instant, thick black poison erupted outward and completely swallowed Uchiha Hayashi.
...
"Cough, cough."
Moments later, he calmly walked out of the dispersing poison mist, holding the Sand Jonin's severed head in his hand.
Taki Yuu had already finished dealing with the Chunin.
"Captain, are you alright?" he asked immediately.
"I am fine," Uchiha Hayashi replied. "Lady Tsunade's antidote pill handles this type of poison easily."
"That is good," Taki Yuu said with visible relief. "I was startled when I saw the black smoke. I thought it was a new strain of poison."
"No," Uchiha Hayashi replied thoughtfully. "The scent is no different than before. Maybe they just changed the flavor."
"What about the Chunin?"
"I knocked him out and restrained him."
"Good. Let's return and regroup with Himeji."
...
Seeing them return unharmed, Taki Toru finally released the breath she had been holding.
"Are you both alright?"
After circling Yuu twice in concern, she skipped in front of Uchiha Hayashi.
"I am fine," he answered cautiously. "What are you planning?"
She smiled brightly. "I just wanted to check if you were injured. If you were, I could practice treating you."
"Toru," Taki Yuu said firmly, tapping her on the head, "no medical ninja should ever wish for their teammates to be hurt."
"…Yuu-san, you are always like this," she muttered, then stuck her tongue out at him. "No wonder you cannot find a partner."
"..."
"We should leave soon," Himeji reminded them. "Staying in one place too long is dangerous."
"Agreed," Uchiha Hayashi said with a nod. "We also need to find a hidden spot to rest and deal with lunch."
"There is a trench not far from here," Taki Yuu said, pointing in a direction. "That area is farther from the Sand base. It should still be safe."
With no objections, the team moved out together toward the trench.
At that very moment, inside a distant cave more than a dozen miles away, a Sand shinobi in his thirties was devouring dried rations.
Suddenly, the black ninja rat hidden in his pocket let out a sharp squeak.
"Oh? Has the prey revealed itself?"
He gently stroked the rat's head and smiled. Packing the remaining food into a scroll, he rose to his feet and strode off without hesitation.