From the former daimyo's son's memories, the whole affair seemed simple: Ryoma had rallied the convicts of Beika Town, planning a riot in his name.
The problem was, neither Ryoma nor the Kirigakure ninja had shown themselves; three days ago, they vanished without a trace.
Then something even stranger occurred—Team One had encountered the departing Kirigakure ninja in the forest and wiped them out.
Now, Ryoma's whereabouts were unknown. Yet from the daimyo's son's recollections, Hayashi had learned another critical piece of intelligence: in five days, another group of Kirigakure ninja would reach the Land of Fire. The Third Hokage's orders were clear: eliminate Ryoma and every invading Kirigakure ninja.
But Ryoma had disappeared, and the mission remained unfinished. Hayashi could not return to the village yet, or the assignment would be considered a failure.
Thus, he had no choice but to lie in ambush along this stretch of coast, waiting for the Kirigakure ninja to appear.
For some reason, though, he felt as if the entire situation was manipulated from the shadows, steeped in conspiracy.
Gazing at the sun filtered through white clouds, a terrifying thought struck him—the worst possible scenario.
'Don't tell me… Madara has set his sights on me?'
'And this is a repeat of the battle at Kannabi Bridge?'
Hayashi pressed his temples, feeling the headache pulse. It was only a guess, admittedly pessimistic, yet he was already here. He couldn't order a retreat. Only a thief works every single day—who ever stayed on guard constantly?
Madara could hatch plots like a ghost from underground at will, but Hayashi couldn't abandon every mission that felt off. If he did, he might as well go home and raise pigs.
Still, he wouldn't sit idle. Whenever he undertook a task, he always planned the retreat before the advance. With that in mind, he retrieved all the Intertwining Explosive Tags he had accumulated over the years—if things went south, he'd carve a bloody path out, no matter what.
'I've worked too hard all these years not to end up as Madara's pawn.'
Seeing him lost in thought, Mikoto and Himeji quietly rose and left. The three had not yet had dinner, and Hayashi hadn't slept since the day before. The girls went to the sea to see if they could catch some fish for supper. Afterward, the boy could finally rest.
After a simple fish soup, Hayashi stopped overthinking, crawled into the tent, and slept. Tonight's watch would fall to Mikoto and Himeji.
When he awoke, it was already late morning. Walking onto the beach, he saw Mikoto practicing Chidori. She was far enough away that she hadn't disturbed his rest.
Cratered sand showed the intensity of her training.
'Can your chakra handle this level of exertion?' Hayashi asked quietly.
Because of the pressure he radiated, Mikoto trained harder than even Minato had at her age. Where others showed standard diligence, she pushed herself mercilessly—otherwise her arm wouldn't have given out so quickly.
'I'm being careful,' Mikoto said, dispersing her lightning chakra as he approached. Sweat dotted her face.
'At least save some chakra for the mission,' Hayashi said, handing her a soldier pill.
She nodded and swallowed it, then asked, 'My Chidori is stabilizing and becoming more precise—what's the next step?'
'…Isn't that a bit fast?' he asked.
'I'm just setting a direction for now, not starting full training,' she replied.
Hayashi considered for a moment, then nodded. 'Words are tricky. Let me show you.'
'One path you've already seen: stop overcomplicating the elemental transformation of lightning chakra and focus on shaping it,' he explained. 'This advanced ninjutsu leans defensive; the Chidori Current forms a protective lightning cloak around the body.'
As he formed the hand seals, the familiar chirping of thousands of birds echoed across the beach. The Chidori in his hand shifted, its chakra mass expanding past his arm. With steady control, the Chidori Current grew into a potent defensive field.
'The other path is a one-way street to destruction,' Hayashi continued, dispersing the current and weaving new seals. 'Push the elemental nature of lightning chakra to the limit—offense-focused. This technique is S-rank, called Lightning Cutter.'
After the demonstration, he looked at her. 'Those are the two mainstream routes. You could attempt a hybrid, but that's much harder. So—which path do you want?'
Mikoto stared at the ground, thinking. Hayashi didn't press for an answer; this would determine her future strength.
He walked over to Himeji, who was scanning the surroundings with her Byakugan. A white snake, Great White, coiled around her neck.
'When did you two get so close?' Hayashi asked, surprised. It was the first time Great White had shown affection toward anyone besides him.
'She likes me,' Himeji said with a small smile, holding the snake out to him.
'Anything unusual?'
'Nothing.'
Hayashi's gaze shifted to Great White nestled in his arms. The snake flicked its tongue and shook its head.
Finding the scouting range insufficient, Hayashi formed hand seals again, summoning a swarm of smaller snakes. Though less precise than the Byakugan, their sheer numbers extended his reconnaissance range dramatically.
Once satisfied, Mikoto came over from the beach. Quietly, she said, 'I've decided.'
'Mm,' Hayashi nodded. 'Defensive Chidori Current, or offensive Lightning Cutter?'
'Chidori Current. Only the living can launch a better attack.'
Her voice was soft but resolute. She no longer wanted to protect him by strength alone—she wanted to protect herself. Only by doing so could she avoid being a burden in battle.
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