With the muffled sound of a kunai strike, the Sand Village jōnin fell lifelessly to the ground, eyes still wide with disbelief.
"Iwaki!"
"I'll kill you all for him!"
The two remaining Sand shinobi—who had been restrained moments ago—could only watch as their teammate died at the hands of a mere boy.
And so, once again, the cycle of hatred turned. Every death, every revenge, gave birth to another.
But philosophy meant little on a battlefield. Here, survival was the only rule.
Hayashi pulled his kunai free, his gaze hard as he advanced toward the remaining two Sand ninjas. Instantly, their confidence faltered. The upper hand they'd held a moment ago was gone, replaced by an instinctive dread.
They both knew what they were up against. Maybe, if they joined forces, they could defeat one jōnin. But this boy? This "chūnin" who had just killed a jōnin as if it were nothing?
No. That wasn't something they could handle. Who were they kidding? A chūnin who could slaughter a jōnin like cutting through paper?
They exchanged a look—silent, but understood. Retreat now. Avenge Iwaki later. Their plan was decided in the span of a heartbeat.
The two Sand ninjas erupted with sudden energy, overwhelming the injured Konoha jōnin they'd been fighting. Their chakra threads trembled, summoning another puppet from beneath the ground. The puppet's mouth gaped open, releasing a thick cloud of red gas that rolled forward like a poisonous tide.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!" one of them shouted.
Hayashi had been expecting it. He immediately held his breath and formed hand signs. A burst of wind erupted from his own jutsu, pushing the toxic gas right back toward them.
The Sand ninjas didn't wait to see the result. Smoke bombs, explosive tags, paper scraps, even rubber balloons—anything they could grab from their pouches—flew through the air. The forest filled with smoke, fire, and confusion.
Hayashi squinted but didn't move. His teammates quickly formed Wind Release signs, sweeping the battlefield clear.
When the smoke lifted, the Sand shinobi were gone.
"They ran?" Shikaku muttered. "So much for revenge."
If it had been any other time, Hayashi would have pursued and finished them, but chasing into unknown terrain risked running straight into an enemy ambush. He decided to let them go.
The rescued Konoha jōnin, exhausted and bloodied, dropped to the ground with a heavy sigh. "Thanks for saving us," he said toward Hayashi's direction.
Hayashi didn't answer immediately. He watched the man carefully instead, a frown forming on his face.
The jōnin looked like he was somewhere between twenty and thirty, though the thick black beard and unkempt hair made it difficult to tell. Something about that scruffy face seemed… familiar.
Hayashi tapped his temple, trying to remember. "I've seen that wretched face somewhere before," he murmured under his breath.
The bearded jōnin noticed the staring and finally walked over. "Kid, what's with that look? Did I owe you money or something?"
When he got closer, Hayashi noticed blood soaking the man's back — evidence of a brutal fight.
"Hey, Nawaki," Hayashi nudged him. "Doesn't this guy look familiar to you?"
"Now that you mention it…" Nawaki rubbed his chin. "Let me search through my memory palace."
Hayashi sighed quietly. "...You and your memory palace."
"Wait—are you Shin'nosuke-san?" Nawaki suddenly said, snapping his fingers.
The man blinked. "Eh? Nawaki? You've grown! It's been what, five years?"
Nawaki grinned. "Yeah. But what happened to you? You're only seventeen, right? Why do you look… like that?"
Everyone froze for a moment.
Hayashi's mouth twitched. Mikoto's eyes went wide. Even Shikaku gave a low whistle.
Seventeen? That face screamed thirty.
Shin'nosuke scratched his beard awkwardly. "Ah… accident. Purely accidental. I'm actually quite clean. Bit of a neat freak, really. Believe me!"
Hayashi deadpanned. Sure. Totally believable.
Nawaki laughed and turned to the others. "Let me introduce you. This is Shin'nosuke-san, the Hokage-sama's son."
"Oh," Hayashi said as realization hit him. That's why he looked familiar. The resemblance to the Third Hokage was uncanny.
He couldn't help a quiet chuckle. So this is Sarutobi Shin'nosuke… probably the most forgotten man in Konoha's history.
In all of Naruto's stories, flashbacks, and memories of the Sarutobi clan—there was Hiruzen, Asuma, Konohamaru—but never Shin'nosuke. Not even once. Poor guy.
Hayashi thought for a second. Wait, Konohamaru was born around Konoha's fiftieth year. That means Shin'nosuke would've been nearly forty when that happened…
Oh no… maybe that's why there was such a long gap before Asuma was born. Talk about family complications.
Nawaki, oblivious to Hayashi's train of thought, asked curiously, "So where've you been all this time, Shin'nosuke-san? There was no word about you anywhere."
Shin'nosuke sighed. "I've been with the Anbu all these years. Long story."
He rubbed the back of his neck and began to explain. "It started years ago. Back then, Konoha had a troublemaker — a real wild one. She did whatever she pleased because she was the granddaughter of the First Hokage."
Nawaki immediately frowned. "Wait, are you talking about—?"
Shin'nosuke nodded grimly. "Tsunade. She had three main hobbies: gambling, losing, and drinking."
Hayashi nearly choked on air.
"Normally," Shin'nosuke continued, "someone like that would've been kept under control by the police force or Anbu. But with her status, no one could touch her. Eventually, she lost a ton of money and decided to form a gang — gathered a few kids from powerful clans as her muscle. And me? I was one of them."
Hayashi blinked. "You were one of Tsunade-sensei's… henchmen?"
Shin'nosuke looked away. "Supporters. Loyal supporters."
"Right." Hayashi didn't look convinced.
"Anyway," Shin'nosuke said, "once my father, the Third Hokage, found out, he disbanded the group. Everyone else got off easy. I was the only one who got thrown straight into Anbu as punishment."
He shrugged, a faint, rueful smile crossing his face. "And that's the story of how I spent my youth in the shadows."
The group fell silent. Even Shikaku looked impressed.
Nawaki whistled softly. "Wow. That's… rough."
Hayashi crossed his arms. "Sad story or not, at least you survived it."
Shin'nosuke laughed. "Yeah. But compared to what's coming next, this was just the prologue."
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