Chapter 35: Team 8 vs Team Suna
As the Suna trio emerged, their eyes were on Hayashi.
Hayashi observed them in return. His gaze moved from Kankuro, whose smirk held an edge of challenge, to Temari, whose piercing gaze seemed to assess every move, before finally settling on Gaara. The latter stood stoically, arms crossed and expression unreadable.
Draped in sleek black tights, Gaara strides with purpose, the formidable gourd secured firmly to his back. His short crimson hair frames his face, marked by a prominent forehead tattoo and dark circles beneath his eyes.
While his visage remains stoic, the fiery intensity in his gaze betrays a simmering cauldron of anger and malice, ready to boil over at a moment's notice.
Hayashi brandished the Heaven Scroll, his voice devoid of emotion as he addressed them.
"You want this?"
Kankuro sneered, his eyes flicking briefly towards Hinata and Shino, who flanked Hayashi. Recognizing their Konoha insignia, he relaxed his stance slightly. There was a brief pause before he spoke, his words dripping with disdain.
"Ah, Konoha Shinobi," he remarked, his tone carrying a subtle air of superiority.
"Well then, perhaps we can come to an arrangement. Hand over that scroll, and maybe, just maybe, we'll consider sparing your pitiful existence."
But behind those words lay a challenge. Hayashi simply smiled.
"Ah, but life is such a fleeting thing, is it not?" he mused.
"As for the Scroll of Heaven..."
He trailed off, his gaze shifting to Gaara.
"I'm going to kill them!" Gaara's chilling voice sliced through the tense air, dripping with unmistakable killing intent.
Kankuro's expression shifted, a hint of concern flickering in his eyes. Leaning in close to Gaara, his words meant for Gaara's ears alone.
"Gaara," he murmured, his voice low and urgent, "these are Konoha Shinobi. One of them is from the Hyuga clan, while the other is of the Aburame clan. Killing them could unravel everything we've planned. Let's consider having them hand over the Scroll of Heaven instead."
But Gaara remained unmoved, his gaze fixed ahead with an unsettling intensity. As he lowered his arms, his hand rose with a chilling calmness, palm outstretched towards Hayashi's group.
"I must kill them," he stated flatly, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"Mother's will is absolute."
As Kankuro and Gaara conversed, the members of Team 8 exchanged hushed words among themselves.
Shino's usually calm voice carried a note of urgency now, his words heavy with concern.
"Hayashi, my insects sense danger emanating from the red-haired one. His aura reeks of bloodlust."
Hayashi nodded, as he tucked the Heaven Scroll securely into his arms.
"Prepare for battle," he instructed quietly.
"Hinata, you take on the woman. Shino, handle the man. Leave the red-haired one to me."
"Understood," Hinata and Shino replied in perfect unison.
But before anyone could react, Gaara's commanding voice cut through the tension, carrying an ominous aura of impending danger.
"Sand Binding Coffin!"
In an instant, the earth beneath Hayashi and his team trembled as sand erupted, swirling around them like a vortex.
As the sand closed in around them, Hinata's Byakugan flared to life, scanning the area for any sign of danger. Meanwhile, Shino's loyal insects buzzed with anticipation, ready to swarm their target at a moment's notice.
Yet, before the sand could even brush against their skin, the trio vanished in a blur of movement, leaving Gaara momentarily taken aback.
Then, a thunderous explosion shattered the air as Hayashi reappeared, catching even Gaara off guard.
"This one... is different," Gaara mused aloud, uncertainty flickering across his face.
As Kankuro's astonished gaze locked onto the figure of Hayashi closing in on Gaara, his heart raced with concern.
"He's fast!" Kankuro exclaimed.
Hayashi's arrival before Gaara seemed almost choreographed.
With practiced ease, he invoked his Armament Haki, a dark shroud enveloping his leg as he prepared to strike.
The air reverberated with a deafening crack as Hayashi unleashed his attack with lightning speed, his kick aimed directly at Gaara with lethal precision. Despite Gaara's desperate attempt to shield himself with a barrier of sand, it proved futile against the sheer force of Hayashi's assault.
A resounding explosion echoed across the battlefield as the sand wall shattered like glass upon impact, leaving Gaara reeling from the blow. His body was sent hurtling backward, the ground beneath him offering little resistance as he skidded across the terrain like a ragdoll.
Struggling to regain his footing, Gaara's mind raced as he assessed his opponent's unexpected prowess. This was no ordinary adversary; his formidable combination of speed and power threatened to shift the balance of the battle in his favor, leaving Gaara to confront an opponent unlike any he had faced before.
As the dust settled, Hinata and Shino positioned themselves strategically, their eyes glinting with determination as they prepared to unleash their respective abilities.
"How can it be?!"
Kankuro and Temari, standing nearby, couldn't help but scream subconsciously. In their minds, Gaara, their seemingly invincible brother, had always remained untouchable, yet here he was, sent flying by the opponent before them. The scene was almost surreal, shaking the very core of their beliefs in Gaara's invincibility.
Reacting on pure instinct, Kankuro and Temari grabbed their weapons, bracing themselves to retaliate against Hayashi.
But in the heart of the chaos, Hinata's voice pierced the tumult with firm clarity. Temari, her senses heightened by the gravity in the tone, swiftly pivoted to confront the distorted air flow roaring towards her.
"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm."
Temari's instincts surged into action, her fan raised in a desperate attempt to deflect the impending onslaught. Yet, despite her swift reaction, the force of the attack propelled her backward with a violent ferocity, sending her soaring through the air like a leaf caught in a tempest.
"I won't let you get close to Hayashi," Hinata asserted.
Meanwhile, Kankuro found himself surrounded by a living tide of insects, their buzzing filling the air like an ominous symphony.
As the relentless swarm closed in around him, he couldn't help but feel a primal instinct urging him to retreat. With every step backward, the insects seemed to carve a path, parting to reveal their master, Shino.
At the center of the swarm, Shino stood with an eerie calmness, his demeanor exuding an unsettling calmness amidst the swirling cloud of bugs.
"You face me now," Shino stated coolly, his eyes gleaming with quiet confidence, a stark contrast to the chaos surrounding them.
"You...!" Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, Kankuro and Temari exchanged unbelieving glances, their silent communication betraying their shared realization—they had underestimated this trio.
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As Gaara emerged from the forest, still staggering from the force of Hayashi's kick, he couldn't help but feel a surge of animosity towards the ninja before him.
"My father spoke true," Gaara mused inwardly, his voice a whisper edged with both respect and resentment.
"Konoha truly breeds geniuses."
His mind echoed with memories of his father's words, praising Konoha as the birthplace of prodigies. Now, facing Hayashi, Gaara couldn't help but acknowledge the truth in those words.
"Tell me your name?" Gaara demanded, his gaze piercing as it locked onto Hayashi.
"Yusuke Hayashi," came the calm reply.
"And you?" Hayashi prompted. His eyes remained fixed on the slight breach in Gaara's sand armor, revealing the vulnerability beneath.
A flicker of surprise crossed Hayashi's features as he observed the sand armor's resilience. His enhanced kick should have made a greater impact, yet Gaara seemed unfazed.
"Yusuke Hayashi," Gaara echoed, his voice devoid of emotion.
"Your name is etched in my memory. Killing you will affirm my existence."
Hayashi's grip tightened on the hilt of his blade, the metallic chill grounding him at the moment.
"I'm not so easily dispatched," he retorted evenly.
"The outcome of this battle remains uncertain."
With a swift motion, he drew his blade, its polished surface catching the dappled sunlight filtering through the forest.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone