ChatGPT said:
Instantly—
The moment Hayate's eyes shifted, his pupil technique activated. In a flicker of motion, his body vanished and reappeared behind the vulture.
"Wh–what…?!" The vulture froze, horror flashing across his face. "He broke my illusion?!"
His pride as the Desert Mirage—the shinobi whose genjutsu had claimed countless victims—shattered in an instant. His A-rank illusion, Jellyfish Mirage, was his signature technique. No one had ever dispelled it before. Yet now, this boy, who looked barely sixteen, had dismantled it as if it were nothing.
"Possesses the Body Flicker… and broke my illusion in an instant?" The vulture gritted his teeth, disbelief twisting his features. "Who is this kid…?"
Still, he didn't truly consider Kazehaya Hayate dangerous. The boy's attacks couldn't even break his Sand Armor. A mere genin—no matter how tricky—couldn't possibly possess any high-level ninjutsu. All he needed was to track his movement pattern and end it.
The vulture clasped his hands together, preparing another jutsu. But before he could weave the next seal—
Whoosh!
Hayate was gone again.
"Damn that Body Flicker! Where did you go this time—?!"
Then, from behind him—
"Mayfair… I've avenged you! Big Jade Rasengan!"
The vulture spun around just in time to see a massive golden sphere of chakra surging toward him, glowing in Hayate's outstretched palm.
"What—behind me?!"
BOOM!!
The golden Rasengan struck him squarely in the chest. His Sand Armor disintegrated instantly, torn apart by the violent swirl of chakra. The orb consumed him completely, erupting in a blinding explosion of light and wind.
When the smoke cleared, the vulture's body was gone—shattered, dismembered, and scattered into dust.
Hayate stood motionless, staring at the drifting sand particles dissolving into the air. His breathing was ragged, his expression blank. It was the first time he had killed a jōnin-level shinobi with his own hands—but there was no satisfaction in it.Only emptiness.
He reappeared beside Mayfair's fallen body. His hands trembled, whether from exhaustion or grief, even he couldn't tell. Kneeling down, he steadied himself with several deep breaths, then gently pulled the long blade from her back.
"Mayfair…" he whispered, touching her cheek. Her face was peaceful, as if she were merely asleep. Tears fell silently onto the grass beside her.
In his mind, her voice still lingered—soft, fragile, and kind:
"Because life is painful… Brother, are you hurting too?Brother… why did you save me?How will I live from now on…?Brother, this flower is for you.Also… my name is Mayfair. Remember it, okay?"
Hayate's throat tightened. "Mayfair… I'll never forget you. Don't forget your brother either."
Just then, the emotionless voice of the system echoed in his mind.
'Resurrection skills are available in the exchange shop.'
"What?" Hayate's eyes widened. "Resurrection skills…?"
Why was the system suddenly telling him this now?
He opened the system menu, searching desperately through the skill list until he found the entry. But the description read:
[Insufficient Authority – Access Denied.]
"Then how many points do I need to unlock higher authority?" he demanded.
This time, the system actually responded.
'Three thousand Almighty Points required.'
The number hit him like a thunderclap.
"Three… thousand?!" He clenched his fists, trembling between fury and hope. "You've got to be kidding me…"
Then, a thought flickered through his mind—rational, sharp, determined.
If quest rewards kept increasing, three thousand points might not be unreachable. Maybe ten more missions. Maybe fewer.
He looked at Mayfair's lifeless face again and whispered, "I'll bring you back… I swear it."
With renewed resolve, Hayate wiped his tears, smiled faintly, and lifted her body onto his back. Then he turned toward the direction of Hinata and Kiba's chakra signatures.
—
When Hayate emerged from the forest carrying someone on his back, both Hinata and Kiba's eyes widened.
"Th-that's the girl from before…!" Hinata gasped.
"She's… dead?" Kiba's voice trembled slightly, Akamaru whimpering beside him.
Their shock turned quickly to unease. Something about the stillness around Hayate made their skin prickle.
The hours dragged on. They had been waiting since midmorning—yet their sensei still hadn't shown up. As the sun began to sink, the forest turned orange, and tension filled the air.
Hayate sighed, glaring toward the horizon. "If Jiraiya-sensei's still in the Land of Tea, he's probably peeking at women in the hot springs again. I swear, next time I'll stick a Big Jade Rasengan right to his face and ask if he forgot the mission because of that."
Kiba snorted. "You wouldn't dare."
Hayate's expression said he absolutely would.
Fortunately, before his irritation could boil over, their teacher finally appeared, arriving with the sunset—Kurenai Yuhi, her red eyes sharp but weary.
"This is…" Kurenai's gaze fell on the body Hayate carried. She frowned deeply. "Jiraiya mentioned you had the Blood Clan leader with you, but now…"
"Ambushed by a Suna shinobi," Hayate said quietly. "He killed Mayfair… but I managed to take him down."
Kurenai nodded grimly, murmuring, "I see… so her name was Mayfair."
Then she looked at him again. "But why didn't you bury her, Hayate? Why bring her with you?"
"I was hoping you could seal her body, Sensei," he said earnestly. "There might be a jutsu out there—something that can bring her back. If we can preserve her body until then…"
Kurenai studied him silently. His words were naive—impossible, even—but the emotion behind them was genuine. Finally, she sighed softly, pulling out a sealing scroll.
"All right. I'll do it."
She performed the hand signs, and Mayfair's body was gently sealed into the parchment. She handed the scroll back to Hayate.
"Thank you, Sensei," he said quietly. "So… what do we do now?"
"The mission's complete," Kurenai replied, rubbing her temple tiredly. "If you're not too exhausted, we'll head back to the village tonight."
"Yes, Sensei!" Hayate and the others replied together.
They traveled through the night, and by three in the morning, Team Kurenai finally reached Konoha's gates.
They dismissed each other with plans to meet again at noon.
—
The next morning.
Knock knock knock!
"Brother Hayate! It's almost time for our meeting—are you up yet?" Hinata's soft, cheerful voice rang from outside his door.
"Mmm… yeah…" Hayate groaned, prying his eyes open. His vision cleared just enough to see the clock—11:40.
"Ah—!!"
He jumped out of bed like a startled cat, scrambling to throw on his clothes and wash up in record time.
When he finally opened the door, Hinata was waiting patiently, her hands folded behind her back. Despite having waited so long, she didn't look the least bit upset.
"Brother Hayate, were you tired from yesterday?" she asked gently.
"O–oh, no, not at all!" Hayate puffed out his chest. "My stamina's great!"
Grrrgle…
His stomach betrayed him instantly.
Hinata giggled behind her hand. "I figured that might happen," she said, pulling a small paper bag from behind her back. "So I brought you breakfast."
Hayate blinked, then smiled faintly. "Hinata… you're the best."