"Hayashi... is already this strong."
Kakashi muttered softly, watching the back of Hayashi.
With Hayashi's current strength, plus his hidden trump cards, he was at least at the level of a quasi-Kage.
Kakashi even thought that the current Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, might not be able to match him in this state.
When he faced Hayashi earlier, Kakashi felt an overwhelming pressure.
If Hayashi had wanted to attack him, even if they managed to win, it would have been a Pyrrhic victory. Kakashi even thought they might have lost.
Hayashi still hadn't shown his Eight Gates.
And there was more...
This was just Hayashi. His younger sister, Hikari, was around the same age as Genya, but her strength wasn't any weaker than Hayashi's. Not to mention the terrifying power of Uchiha Genya.
Kakashi couldn't even begin to imagine how strong the future organization, "Atsukara," would become.
"Atsukara... Wood Ox? So strong!" Kurenai murmured, watching the figure slowly disappear. Her eyes flickered with light.
As expected of a Wood Release user.
She was thankful she hadn't acted earlier. If she had, she would've been the first to die among the three of them. When facing Hayashi head-on, her strength was the weakest.
"The Wood Ox is gone. Where do we go next?" Might Guy was the most confused among them. After thinking for a while and not figuring out who it was, he cleared his mind and focused on what they should do next.
Tracking Hayashi now would be too dangerous, and Hayashi had clearly refused—they wouldn't be going to Konoha.
As for their mission? They probably wouldn't be able to complete it either.
"Head back to Konoha and report today's events to the Hokage!" Kakashi clapped his hands and gave the order. This matter was no longer something they could be involved in.
From here on out, let Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others figure out a solution!
If they still wanted to capture Hayashi, they would need to send someone else.
"Kakashi, one of our Konoha ninjas was killed! Why didn't you stop them?" Just as the three of them were about to leave, a group of people appeared in front of Kakashi, glaring angrily!
These people were also sent on a mission by the Third Hokage, but they hadn't rushed in to attack Hayashi right away. In doing so, they had inadvertently saved their lives.
Now, seeing Kakashi casually about to leave, they couldn't help but question him.
"You were in the crowd at that time, right? Why didn't you step in to help?" Kakashi sneered coldly, unimpressed. They didn't have to die in the first place, but these people overestimated their own abilities.
Before making a move, didn't you assess the strength of both sides?
"You…" One of the newcomers said, somewhat agitated, but still managed to speak, "Are you trying to send us to our deaths? That person is too strong! If we act, it's suicide!"
"Then are you asking us to go die?" Kakashi responded without backing down. "Our main objective here is to bring the Wood Ox to Konoha, not to capture it!"
"You should remember one thing: If we anger him, the three of us might be able to escape, but you may not be able to leave this place alive!"
Kakashi slowly explained the gravity of the situation.
Hayashi, who had clearly activated a forbidden technique, was on the verge of madness—violent, ruthless, and decisive in his actions!
Kakashi even thought that if Might Guy weren't here, Hayashi would likely have gone on a killing spree today.
"You are Konoha's top elite ninjas! You must be responsible for the village's ninjas!" The ninja who had arrived shouted. "Do you believe me? I will report today's events to Lord Hokage!"
"Do whatever you want!" Kakashi replied, leaving those words behind as he took Might Guy and Kurenai back to Konoha.
As for their punishment, it would follow later.
Dozens of miles away, Hayashi stood atop a tree, scanning the surroundings. Only after confirming no one was following did he deactivate the forbidden technique.
Immediately, Hayashi felt a sense of weakness, but his cells were actively rejuvenating and recovering.
"This is the side effect of the forbidden technique?" Hayashi muttered softly, feeling his body change. "I'm only a little weak, but I don't feel any life force draining."
This time, though, he seemed to feel minimal discomfort. As for the regeneration that consumes life force, after merging with the Uzumaki Cells, the Wood Style cells didn't seem to consume much at all! It felt like the usual fatigue after a fight.
It's also possible that the one who used the forbidden technique didn't overexert themselves and didn't reach the point of losing life force.
Hayashi silently pondered and then found a hidden spot to sit and recover.
He needed to heal his wounds.
Now, he had already killed two rogue ninjas. After he takes down another from the bounty list, he could proceed to complete the next task given by Genya.
As time passed, the story of the Wood Ox began to spread through the ninja world.
Land of Lightning, Cloud Village...
"What a disaster! The Wood Ox dares to kill my Cloud ninjas!" Raikage Ai slammed the table and stood up abruptly, his face full of fury.
His muscles were taut, and lightning crackled around him.
This showed just how powerful the Raikage truly was.
"Yo yo, don't get so angry, big guy. Anger can harm your health," Killer Bee's voice broke the tension. Though no one dared to speak when he was enraged, one person did step forward to try and calm him.
It was the Eight-Tails' Jinchuriki, Killer Bee.
"Hmph, not angry? He ruthlessly killed several ninjas from the Land of Lightning!" Ai roared, especially furious that the Wood Ox had used their fallen ninjas' bodies to assert dominance.
"Should I step in and capture the Wood Ox?" Killer Bee spoke up again.
"You're the Jinchuriki, this kind of thing is not something you need to handle!" The Raikage vented his frustration, his anger starting to subside a little. "Get someone to issue a bounty order! Capture the Atsukara member, the Wood Ox!"
"Also, classify the Atsukara as a dangerous and evil organization!"
Land of Earth, Iwa Village...
Recently, Onoki had been in a foul mood. Not only had Deidara not returned after going to Konoha, but he had also learned that one of their Rock ninjas had died while pursuing a Wood Release user. His face darkened even more.
That Wood Release user dared to kill one of Iwagakure's ninjas. Despicable! Despicable!
"Tsuchikage-sama, we underestimated that Wood Release user's power!" At that moment, Kitsuchi spoke, his tone serious.
"It's said that during this operation to capture the Wood Release user, the countries of Fire, Lightning, and Wind all suffered significant losses!"
"I don't care about the others, but anyone who dares to harm our Iwagakure will not be forgiven!" Onoki was furious, and after a moment, he gave the order.
"Issue a bounty in Iwagakure. Target: Atsukara, Wood Release user, Wood Ox!"
Land of Wind…
"Atsukara… Wood Release user… Wood Ox?" A slightly plump old woman murmured softly, a trace of melancholy in her eyes. "Will he become someone like Senju Hashirama…?"
Senju Hashirama, a nightmare of an era, who had overwhelmed the ninjas of his time.
Land of Rice Fields, Sound Village…
Inside a cave, slightly dim, an older man with a cold expression seemed to be reading a letter.
His snake-like eyes were full of malice, and his smile carried a sinister edge.
Suddenly, he seemed to find something amusing. "Heh… Atsukara, Wood Release user, Wood Ox? Interesting, interesting!"
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