Getting the Byakugan was the best news Hayashi had heard in days.
The mission had already succeeded. According to the original plan, he should have retreated immediately, disappeared into the night, and returned to the Land of Fire without leaving a trace.
But he did not leave.
Instead, he walked calmly toward the center of the Hidden Mist Village.
The path ahead of him was filled with broken kunai, scorched buildings, shattered stone, and bodies that had not yet gone cold. Flames burned in the distance, and pieces of debris kept falling from the ruined rooftops.
The destruction was not entirely his doing.
The real disaster was the Six Tails, which had already lost control and was rampaging through the village. It smashed everything in sight and fired Tailed Beast Bombs without restraint. What Konoha had once experienced during the Nine Tails' rampage was now happening in Kirigakure, only worse.
Hayashi did not slow down.
At the end of the ruined street, the Mizukage Building finally appeared. That was his final destination.
Five Shadow Clones still remained inside the village. One had already disappeared earlier, but the remaining ones were enough. Their purpose was simple, to draw every available enemy toward this place.
If everything went according to plan, the Mist ninjas would gather here in large numbers. If he was lucky, the explosion he prepared would wipe out most of them in one strike. If not, it would not matter much. The village had already lost the majority of its fighting strength in this chaos.
More and more Mist ninjas began to appear around the Mizukage Building.
Hayashi stood at the top of the building without moving, while his five Shadow Clones guarded the surrounding area.
Among the arriving ninjas was the current head of the Hozuki clan, Hozuki Takigetsu. His pale eyes were filled with suppressed rage as he stared at the Leaf ninja standing above the ruined village.
Even though the Hidden Mist had many flaws, it was still his home. As a descendant of the Second Mizukage's clan, protecting the village was his responsibility.
Today, no matter what happened, he intended to leave Uchiha Hayashi here.
But Takigetsu did not attack immediately. Instead, he raised his hand and stopped the clan members behind him. With his sensory abilities, he could clearly feel more and more Mist ninjas gathering in the distance.
The opponent was the Lightning Flash of Konoha. Someone who could cause this level of destruction alone could not be handled by just a few people. The only reliable method was to surround him completely and exhaust him.
Takigetsu did not believe there was anyone in the world who could fight an entire village alone.
Hayashi remained calm.
Standing there quietly, he continued absorbing natural energy. The Sage chakra stored in his scroll had already been used up during the earlier battle. If the fight continued, he would need to rely on his own recovery.
Soon, the number of Mist ninjas increased even more.
They surrounded the Mizukage Building from every direction, forming a wide circle. Many of them had never seen the Lightning Flash before, but looking at the ruined village and remembering the companions who had died tonight, their hatred could not be hidden.
"Konoha's Lightning Flash," Takigetsu finally spoke.
With the Fourth Mizukage absent, he was the highest ranking person present. Naturally, he had to take control of the situation.
"You cannot escape," he said coldly. "You killed my clan members, slaughtered my comrades, and destroyed the village I swore to protect. Even if the Fourth Mizukage is not here, as long as I am still alive, you will pay the price for everything you did today."
Angry voices immediately echoed around the area.
"Kill him!"
"He must pay for this!"
"Lord Takigetsu will deal with him!"
Some even began questioning where the Fourth Mizukage had gone during such a critical moment.
Takigetsu raised his hand again, and the crowd slowly quieted down.
Hayashi watched everything silently.
He understood this type of person very well. Someone who truly loved his village, someone willing to stand in front of everyone during the worst moment and take responsibility. Hayashi could respect that kind of determination.
But respect did not mean mercy.
When he looked up again, he saw that hundreds of Mist ninjas had already surrounded the Mizukage Building. The encirclement was complete. Even the remaining forces of the village were currently busy holding back the Six Tails, which meant these were all the ninjas that could be gathered here.
Hayashi's expression remained calm.
The three tomoe in his Sharingan began spinning faster and faster until the tomoe slowly connected, transforming into the Mangekyo Sharingan.
He spread his arms slightly and smiled faintly.
"I'm right here," he said calmly. "If you want revenge, come and take it."
Takigetsu felt a trace of uneasiness, but he immediately gave an order.
"Do not get close. Use long range ninjutsu!"
The command was carried out instantly.
Hundreds of Mist ninjas formed hand seals at the same time. In just a moment, lightning, wind, and water techniques gathered together and surged toward the Mizukage Building.
The combined chakra of so many ninjas created an overwhelming pressure that filled the entire area.
This was something that had almost never happened before. Never in any previous war had so many ninjas launched so many techniques against a single person at once.
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