Compared to the unrest within Konohagakure, the front lines in the Land of Water were unusually quiet.
This silence came at a cost. After several large-scale battles fought in succession, both sides had suffered heavy casualties and were forced into a temporary lull to recover.
However, at this stage of the war, such fragile peace would never last.
After returning from the battlefield, Hayashi's injuries were swiftly treated by Nono. Yet the moment he recovered, he handed over all command responsibilities to Hatake Sakumo and Shikumo, showing no intention of resuming leadership himself.
Both of them understood his decision without question.
In this rare moment of quiet, aside from remaining at Himeji's side, Hayashi spent most of his time along the coast of the Land of Waves, gazing out at the endless sea.
Beyond that horizon lay Kirigakure.
The incident with Himeji had left a deep impression on him.
For a long time, he had believed he could protect everyone important to him. Now, reality had proven otherwise.
Even someone as powerful as Uchiha Madara had failed to do so.
Death had always been a constant presence.
Tsunade once said that the battlefield could change in an instant, that life and death were beyond anyone's control. There were no second chances. If you died, you died.
It sounded simple when spoken aloud.
But could Tsunade herself truly accept it so easily?
If she could, she would not have developed hemophobia, nor would she have abandoned the Village for years in the original timeline.
No one could truly remain indifferent.
Even Hayashi, who had long grown accustomed to death, could not become completely numb.
That was why, in the instant the explosive tag ignited, he awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan and gained a new ocular ability, Magatsukami.
An ability capable of interfering with fate itself.
The sea breeze brushed through his hair as he stood there in silence, until he sensed someone approaching from behind.
It was Sakumo.
"Hayashi… I'm sorry," Sakumo said quietly.
The apology needed no further explanation.
He had been the one to plan the Land of Water operation. He had underestimated the enemy and allowed Himeji to fall into an ambush.
Hayashi shook his head slightly.
"This isn't your fault, Big Brother Sakumo."
And it truly was not.
From the moment he saw the black flames of Amaterasu, he understood that the attack had been aimed at him from the very beginning.
He had already spent time analyzing the mastermind behind it all.
Madara?
Unlikely.
Although he did not know the exact ability of Madara's Mangekyo Sharingan, he did know that Madara's Rinnegan now resided in Nagato.
Which meant the attacker possessed a different pair of Mangekyo Sharingan.
More importantly, the enemy had managed to control the Hidden Mist and even manipulate the Yagura.
That alone proved one thing.
Madara was already dead, and someone else had inherited his will.
Uchiha Obito was still just a child, so it could not be him.
This deviation could only be described as a butterfly effect.
However, Hayashi had already grown used to such changes.
Too many things had diverged from the original timeline. Nawaki should have died but had survived. The Third Kazekage should have perished but had not. Even the Third Great Ninja War had begun earlier than expected.
In comparison, Madara choosing a different successor was not surprising.
Turning his thoughts toward the Uchiha Clan, Hayashi began narrowing down the possibilities.
Over the years, many Uchiha had died, but only a few bore deep grudges against him.
At present, one person stood out.
The young clan head who had once been presumed dead but later returned, Uchiha Fugaku.
Could it be him?
Looking back, Fugaku's disappearance and the death of Uchiha Yama did form a suspicious pattern.
As for why Fugaku had an alibi during the attack, remaining in camp with numerous witnesses, Hayashi already had an answer.
The Transformation Technique.
But not an ordinary one.
A White Zetsu could absorb a person's chakra and replicate it perfectly. Once transformed, even the Byakugan could not distinguish the fake from the original. In the original story, only Naruto, aided by the Nine-Tails, could sense the difference.
Piece by piece, like unraveling a tangled thread, Hayashi reached his conclusion.
The mastermind was most likely Fugaku.
Of course, this deduction relied heavily on knowledge only he possessed.
Even so, knowing the truth did not change his current situation.
The Fugaku in the camp was likely just a White Zetsu clone. Exposing it now would only alert the enemy.
It was better to leave it as it was.
An enemy in plain sight was far less dangerous than one hidden in the shadows.
Seeing Hayashi lost in thought, Sakumo said nothing and simply sat down beside him.
The guilt in his heart remained heavy.
Not just for Himeji, but for the many losses suffered under his command.
After a long silence, Sakumo finally spoke.
"Did you read the Sandaime's letter?"
Hayashi nodded.
"I did."
In truth, he had received more than one letter.
Orochimaru had suggested that Nono could summon Tsunade to perform an eye transplant for Himeji.
Koharu's letter was far more detailed, touching on trivial matters before asking whether Himeji should be sent back to the Village.
Only Hiruzen's message had been carefully worded, urging him to consider the greater good.
Strangely, that brought Hayashi a sense of relief.
Not because he agreed with it, but because he understood it.
As the Hiruzen Sarutobi, he had to prioritize the entire Village.
Everyone stood in a different position and made decisions accordingly.
Hayashi could not resent him for that.
But neither could he follow that decision.
He would not abandon Himeji's eyes for the sake of strategy.
Revenge… was that not the nature of the Uchiha?
Looking at Sakumo, Hayashi spoke calmly.
"Big Brother Sakumo, do you remember the question I asked you before?"
Sakumo nodded.
"I do. If a teammate is injured during a critical mission, do you continue the mission or abandon it to save them?"
It was a choice between logic and emotion.
At the time, Sakumo had chosen to save his comrade.
Which meant Hayashi's answer was already clear.
After a moment, Sakumo let out a quiet sigh.
"In that case, I won't stop you from going to Kirigakure. Just… make sure you come back alive."
Hayashi intended to infiltrate the Hidden Mist Village alone, retrieve Himeji's Byakugan, and strike back at the enemy in the process.
A reckless decision.
If he failed, Konoha would lose one of its strongest fighters and a key commander. The front line would not collapse immediately, but it would become nearly impossible to sustain.
The war would fall into a prolonged stalemate.
But if he succeeded, the outcome would be just as decisive.
Konoha could become the first to defeat one of the Five Great Nations, completely shifting the balance of the war.
It was a gamble with everything at stake.
Hiruzen would never approve of such a risk.
Yet this time, Hayashi could only go against his wishes.
Sakumo said nothing more.
He simply stared out at the distant sea, toward Kirigakure.