Chapter 73: The Unseen Hand
Until the very moment of his death, Moonlight Hayate's eyes were filled with a complex storm of emotion.
Confusion. Incomprehension. Stunned disbelief.
No matter how he reasoned, he had never anticipated that after escaping the wolves, he would run straight into a tiger. In the end, the black hand that ended him was Aizen Sōsuke.
A single, innocent-looking sword stroke had severed all his vitality, leaving this Konoha shinobi to die with immense regret and hatred.
It was only in his final moments that Moonlight Hayate realized the truth: Aizen had been wearing a mask all along. Those cold, detached eyes felt like the gaze of Death itself, instilling a soul-deep fear in him.
But it was too late. Far too late.
Aizen's decision to eliminate Moonlight Hayate was a simple, pragmatic one—to prevent the proctor from escaping the Sand ninja and leaking the critical intelligence he had overheard. To Aizen, killing Hayate was no more significant than crushing an ant underfoot.
"It seems they're almost here. Time to go."
Aizen sensed the approaching chakra signatures of the Sand pursuers. A meaningful, almost imperceptible smile touched his lips.
He took a single step, employing Shunpo, and his figure vanished without a trace. Simultaneously, the purifying flames of the Haien spell flickered and died out. All that remained of Moonlight Hayate was a fine ash, scattered and carried away on the night breeze.
Swish!
Just moments after Aizen's departure, the team of Sand ninja arrived.
"Huh? What's going on? Where is he?"
The Sand shinobi scanned the area with suspicious eyes, but found no disturbance, no sign of struggle. It was as if Moonlight Hayate had simply evaporated from the face of the world. They had been tracking him by the distinct fluctuation of his chakra, but that signal had abruptly vanished the moment they reached this spot.
"Impossible. How could a Special Jōnin just disappear into thin air?"
They exchanged uneasy glances, refusing to believe their target could have simply vanished. There was only one logical conclusion: someone else had intercepted Hayate before they could reach him.
The thought sent a chill down their spines. If that were true, it meant the secret of the Oto-Suna alliance could already be compromised. The consequences would be catastrophic.
After a frantic but fruitless search, the Sand ninja were forced to retreat empty-handed, returning to report this bizarre development to Yakushi Kabuto.
Kabuto, who had been waiting for good news, felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He had held back from intervening personally, confident that a mere Special Jōnin like Hayate couldn't escape the Sand team. The news of his inexplicable disappearance was a devastating shock.
"This is bad," Kabuto muttered, his face pale. "If he truly escaped, it could jeopardize the entire operation. If Lord Orochimaru holds us responsible..."
He didn't dare to finish the thought. As Orochimaru's most trusted subordinate, he was intimately familiar with the Sannin's cruel and unforgiving nature. Failure was not an option in Orochimaru's eyes. This plan to destroy Konoha was a meticulously crafted act of vengeance, and any misstep could be fatal.
Fearing Konoha's heightened security, the conspirators didn't dare to launch a wider search. They dispersed nervously, hoping to avoid drawing any further attention.
Baki, the Sand jōnin leading their team, was deeply troubled. Their failure to capture or confirm the kill of Moonlight Hayate left them in a state of precarious uncertainty. As the internal coordinator, he bore the heavy responsibility entrusted to him by the Kazekage.
Plagued by anxiety, both Yakushi Kabuto and Baki spent a sleepless night. They were mere pawns in a much larger game, powerless to control the outcome. Hayate's fate would determine their own. The dawn would reveal everything.
If the news had leaked, they would be plunged into immediate and mortal danger. If Moonlight Hayate was truly dead, they could proceed with their plans unhindered.
Aizen, the unseen architect of this new uncertainty, returned to his residence with calm composure. By eliminating Moonlight Hayate, he had, without even intending to, done the Sand-Sound alliance a great service.
The outcome he truly desired, however, was chaos. More chaos would divide Konoha's attention and resources. When the time came for him to finally reveal his true nature, the village would already be beset by powerful enemies, sharing the burden of his assault.
Though supremely confident in his own power, Aizen was not foolish enough to believe he could challenge the entire might of Konoha alone. He would only make his move when the situation was perfectly unstable, ensuring a single, decisive, and overwhelming victory.