Since there was nothing left to discuss, the battle resumed instantly.
In the next moment, Suikazan Fuguki tightened his grip and raised Samehada with one hand. Chakra burst from his feet as he lunged forward with shocking speed, a pace that completely contradicted his massive physique.
The way he advanced with his sword was strangely fluid, almost mesmerizing.
Hayashi watched the movement with quiet admiration. The footwork reminded him of a combat style he had practiced endlessly in his previous life. Back then he had never truly grasped its essence, yet here in the ninja world he was seeing a perfect example of it used in real combat.
Even while observing, his body moved instinctively.
Hayashi shifted along the path of the incoming blade and dodged without hesitation.
Blocking a weapon like Samehada with the small kunai in his hand would have been suicidal.
Through his Sharingan, Hayashi clearly saw the dark blue barbs hidden beneath the bandages at the sword's tip. Those jagged spikes were quietly exposed, like the teeth of a waiting predator.
If he tried to block with a kunai, Samehada would probably devour both the weapon and his arm in the process.
The missed attack did not slow Fuguki down.
Planting his right foot on the ground, he twisted his body with explosive force and swung Samehada again. The massive blade tore through the air as it slashed toward Hayashi.
The weapon was enormous, clearly designed for a power based fighter. In the hands of Fuguki, however, it moved with terrifying agility.
While airborne, Hayashi inhaled deeply and released a scorching breath toward his opponent.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.
The blazing sphere expanded instantly, roaring forward with intense heat.
Fuguki reacted without hesitation. He lifted Samehada and swung upward, splitting the fireball apart from bottom to top.
At the same time, the bandages around the sword shifted slightly. A wide mouth and thick tongue emerged from the blade's tip, revealing Samehada's living nature and obvious irritation.
The weapon clearly disliked the heat.
Hayashi did not follow up with another fire technique.
He already knew it would be useless.
Samehada could absorb chakra. Any ninjutsu attack would simply become nourishment for the sword. The same logic applied to sealing methods that targeted ninja tools. Since those techniques also relied on chakra, Samehada would likely neutralize them.
Activating Sage Mode was another possibility, but Hayashi had no intention of doing that right now.
Whether Samehada could handle natural energy was an interesting question, perhaps something to test in the future. For the moment, he had a far simpler way to fight.
"Eight Gates, Fifth Gate, open."
Chakra erupted from his body.
A powerful green aura burst outward, surging around Hayashi like a storm. His face flushed red as intense power flooded his muscles, and his eyes sharpened with fierce focus.
The air around him rippled.
Years ago he had only been able to open the Third Gate. Now his body could handle the Fifth Gate of the Eight Gates.
His training in taijutsu had strengthened his body enough to handle the strain, while his strong vitality allowed him to recover from the backlash more easily than most shinobi.
Of course, Hayashi had never been obsessed with pushing the technique to its absolute limit.
He had no desire to gamble his life by opening the Gate of Death.
Using the Fifth Gate was already more than enough.
If his opponent had been Kisame Hoshigaki, the situation would be different. But against Fuguki, the Fifth Gate would suffice.
Hayashi vanished.
His body moved like a phantom, appearing behind the massive orange haired swordsman in an instant.
Even though Hayashi's speed had increased dramatically, Fuguki was still a seasoned jonin. The moment Hayashi appeared behind him, Fuguki reacted on instinct and attempted to swing Samehada.
However, awareness alone was not enough.
His body simply could not keep up.
Before the sword could complete its motion, Hayashi's kick had already landed.
The impact exploded against Fuguki's chest.
The huge shinobi was launched through the air like a ragdoll. Blood surged into his throat and nearly choked him as the crushing force spread through his ribs.
Fortunately, Samehada immediately began feeding him chakra, helping him stabilize his condition.
Before Fuguki could recover, Hayashi appeared in front of him again.
Fuguki relied on pure battle instinct. The moment Hayashi materialized, Samehada suddenly expanded and slammed forward in a wide horizontal strike aimed at Hayashi's head.
The strike hit nothing.
It had only sliced through an afterimage.
Hayashi was already above him.
Suspended in mid air, he drew his arm back and clenched his fist.
A thunderous roar erupted across the battlefield.
Both the Konohagakure and Kirigakure ninja fighting in the distance heard the violent sound. It was followed by a deep, rumbling pressure that rolled through the forest.
Hayashi's movements accelerated.
With a final explosive strike, he unleashed a massive compressed shockwave.
Daytime Tiger.
A gigantic blast of air pressure erupted forward, shaped by overwhelming force. The attack crashed down upon Fuguki with unstoppable momentum.
Boom.
The surrounding trees were instantly blown apart. The earth was torn open as if plowed by a giant blade, leaving behind a massive crater.
At the center of the crater stood Fuguki.
He was gripping Samehada tightly with both hands, desperately trying to absorb the chakra within the attack.
But the Daytime Tiger was not chakra.
It was pure physical force.
The sword could do nothing.
Moments later, blood burst from Fuguki's eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. His grip weakened, and Samehada slipped from his hands before clattering onto the ground.
The giant swordsman collapsed.
The battle was over.
Hayashi released the Eight Gates and exhaled slowly.
A wave of exhaustion spread through his body. His muscles ached, and fatigue crept into his bones.
He had only opened the Fifth Gate, yet the strain was still heavy.
Hayashi could not help wondering how people like Might Guy and his father endured the Seventh Gate, or even the terrifying Eighth Gate.
After resting briefly, Hayashi walked toward Fuguki's body.
He sealed the corpse inside a storage scroll before turning his attention to Samehada, which was lying on the ground pretending to be lifeless.
Hayashi pulled out a kunai and poked the blade.
Samehada reacted instantly.
The dark blue spikes along its body rose sharply, nearly piercing Hayashi's wrist. A moment later the sword seemed to realize its master was gone.
The spikes slowly lowered again.
Then the sword's handle extended slightly and gently tapped Hayashi's ankle, almost like a cautious greeting.
Hayashi raised an eyebrow.
Was this sword really that quick to change loyalty?
He clicked his tongue but grabbed the handle anyway, lifting Samehada onto his shoulder.
Free equipment was still equipment.
At worst he simply would not use it if he ever encountered the Eight Tails jinchuriki in the future.
In that sense, Samehada seemed more loyal to the Eight Tails than to any human master.
As he held the weapon, Hayashi felt a steady stream of chakra flow back into his body. The fatigue from the Eight Gates slowly faded as the sword fed him energy.
The sensation made him pause.
This weapon was practically a combination of a chakra absorber, a small tailed beast, and a medical support ninja all in one.
Samehada truly deserved its reputation as the most brutal weapon among ninja tools.
Hayashi chuckled softly.
In the end, power always came easier when you had the right advantages.
After all, the world often favored those who knew how to use them.
Milestone
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