-----
-----
After overhearing from some people in the Leaf that Tsunade, together with Orochimaru and Jiraiya, was setting out to ambush a Rain ninja, Nawaki couldn't sit still anymore. With a few voices whispering in his ear and egging him on, he finally snapped and ran out, determined to help his sister fight that enemy.
When Dan Katō heard about it, he could only smile bitterly. To keep an eye on Nawaki, he had no choice but to follow him. That was how the earlier scene came to be.
"Wood Style: Thorn Killing Jutsu!"
The moment Nawaki spotted Hayato and heard Tsunade's warning, he didn't even think about dodging. Instead, he shouted, his hands flashing through seals as chakra surged through him. Thick vines burst out of the ground, twisting like snakes as they lashed toward Hayato, trying to bind him up.
Hayato's eyes flickered in surprise. Wood Style?! He hadn't expected the kid standing in front of him to actually wield Wood Release.
What Hayato didn't know was that Nawaki had only awakened Wood Release not long after the Second Great Ninja War ended. He could use Wood Style now, sure, but the power behind it was still raw and incomplete—far weaker than what Yamato would later wield, and nowhere near the level of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
Still, Nawaki's Wood Release was a natural awakening. Even if it wasn't that strong yet, the potential was terrifying. With time and growth, its strength would keep rising, and in another twenty or thirty years… the world might very well see another Hashirama.
Unfortunately, the Senju clan by then had already begun to decline, quietly suppressed by certain forces who preferred it that way. Nawaki's awakening should have been the spark that could put the clan back on top—a future others definitely didn't want to see happen.
Because of his Wood Release, the Senju treated Nawaki like a precious treasure, shielding him from danger. They wouldn't even let him take on risky missions. Without real experience, he lacked the edge of battle-hardened shinobi. That was why, even at his age, he had only just become a jōnin. In reality, with his bloodline limit awakened, he should already have been brushing against Kage-level strength.
Hayato didn't know any of this, though. All he saw was a boy using Wood Release, and while it did surprise him, it wasn't nearly enough to slow him down.
Hayato suddenly slammed his foot into the ground with all his strength, a sharp shout tearing from his throat. The earth cracked beneath him, leaving a deep crater as his body shot forward at explosive speed. In a blur, he tore straight through the wooden jutsu that had been closing in and appeared right in front of Nawaki.
His right hand flattened into a blade-like shape. Before the inexperienced Nawaki could even react, there was a sickening shhk! as Hayato's hand pierced clean through his chest, the blade-like strike jutting out from his back.
"Nawaki!!! No!!" Tsunade's scream ripped out raw and broken. Her mind blanked in shock—her younger brother, the Senju clan's last hope, had been struck down right before her eyes. From the force of that blow, Tsunade could already feel it… Nawaki's life was slipping away. Her legs went weak, her body trembling, yet Hayato's figure seemed impossibly fast, always just out of her reach.
Hayato didn't care. Whether Nawaki lived or died meant nothing to him—he raised his hand again, ready to strike a second time and finish the boy off, to snuff out the last chance of him ever being saved.
But at that moment, Dan Katō, who had been right behind Nawaki, finally made his move. Whatever his reasons, one thing was clear—he could not let Hayato kill Nawaki.
"Spirit Transformation Jutsu!"
His body slumped as his soul left it, glowing and swift, darting toward Hayato. This forbidden jutsu allowed him to become a living spirit, able to bypass distance, invade minds, or seize control of another's body. Dan had defeated many foes this way.
But this time… he chose the wrong target.
The instant Dan's spirit touched Hayato, something went terribly wrong. A surge of violent fury erupted inside Hayato—his very soul screamed to destroy the intruder. Rage he had been holding back burst loose like wildfire, burning out of control. With a guttural roar, Hayato's body swelled and warped, transforming into a hulking, green-skinned monster.
"Raaaghhh!"
The giant fist came down before Dan could even retreat. His spirit snapped back into his body, leaving him dazed for a split second—just long enough.
BOOM!
Blood exploded into the air. Dan hadn't even managed a second technique, hadn't even gotten a word out, before Hayato's fist crushed him into paste. His body burst apart under the blow, torn beyond recognition, nothing left but shredded flesh and splattered blood.
Tsunade collapsed to the ground, her whole body trembling as her world unraveled. Nawaki lay sprawled in blood, eyes wide open, on the brink of death if not already gone. And Dan… Dan had been obliterated, reduced to a formless heap of gore.
"RRAAAHHH!"
Hayato's roar shook the air. His wild gaze fell on Tsunade, crumpled on the ground, her face streaked with tears. Even though his mind was slipping, some flicker of memory told him this woman had stood against him again and again. That was enough to reignite his fury. With another roar, he raised his massive fist, stained with Dan's blood, and swung it down at her.
Tsunade couldn't move. Her strength was gone. She just lay there trembling, watching that enormous fist descend, eyes drowning in despair.
"Ninjutsu—Mandara no Jin!"
A sharp voice cut through the chaos. Orochimaru had finally arrived. Seeing Tsunade about to be crushed, a rare trace of urgency flashed in his golden eyes. His hands blurred through signs, faster than ever before.
BOOM!
Just as Hayato's punch was about to connect, a massive snake erupted from underground, slamming into his body and forcing him back. His gigantic feet crashed into the ground, each step leaving a crater as he staggered.
But in his retreat, one colossal foot came down on Nawaki's body.
CRUNCH!
"....."