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"Konoha's Three Sannin?"Hayato frowned as he stared at the three figures before him. He had known from the start that fighting against Konoha meant sooner or later he'd have to face the legendary trio, but he hadn't expected the encounter to come this quickly.
"Kid, I'll admit you're strong," Jiraiya called out, his tone brash as ever, "but against the Three Sannin of Konoha, you don't stand a chance. Be smart and surrender while you can!"
"Shut it, Jiraiya," Orochimaru cut him off sharply. His snake-like eyes locked on Hayato without so much as a blink, brimming with a chilling curiosity. "This man… he's the one who killed Hanzō the Salamander, isn't that right, Hayato?"
The last time Orochimaru had fought Hayato, he'd nearly been killed, though he'd managed to snatch some of Hayato's blood. He'd used it for research, probing its secrets. The sample had been too small, his experiments incomplete, but even that tiny amount had revealed an overwhelming power within.
"What?" Jiraiya's face tightened. He glanced at Hayato warily. The title of "Three Sannin" had been born a decade ago, when he, Tsunade, and Orochimaru had fought Hanzō together. They hadn't won, but they hadn't lost either—earning his respect and the nickname. Since then, each of them had grown far stronger, and Jiraiya was confident that even alone he could stand his ground against Hanzō now. But this man had already killed Hanzō, and not recently—long ago. That meant Hayato's strength was nothing to take lightly.
"What's with all the chatter? He's the enemy! Let's take him down!" Tsunade barked. Her tone was sharper and more impulsive than either of her teammates. With a shout, she activated her monstrous strength, slammed her foot against the ground, and launched herself straight at Hayato.
Hayato shifted his body just enough to dodge her punch, then swung both fists toward her stomach. Tsunade crossed her arm to block. The impact rang out like steel meeting steel, and the raw force sent her skidding back several steps.
A flash of surprise crossed Tsunade's eyes. His punch hadn't carried quite the same crushing weight as hers, but it wasn't far off either. For the first time, she'd found someone else whose raw strength rivaled her own.
Hayato leaned forward, ready to press the attack, but before he could, Orochimaru unleashed a jutsu. Hayato was forced to halt and shatter it with a punch. At that same instant, Jiraiya rushed in, trying to engage him head-on with taijutsu. Hayato spun and lashed out with a whip-like kick that slammed into Jiraiya's stomach.
"Argh!" Jiraiya flew backward like a ragdoll, crashing straight toward Orochimaru. The snake-nin quickly summoned a massive serpent to block the collision. Jiraiya's body smashed into the snake and sent it flying, but he managed to land on his feet, coughing blood at the corner of his mouth.
"Damn… that strength's insane. Good thing I've built up a tolerance from getting pounded by Tsunade, or I'd be in real trouble." Jiraiya winced, but still found room to joke.
Both Tsunade and Orochimaru just stared at him in silence.
"Idiot! Stick to ninjutsu. You can't match him in taijutsu!" Tsunade snapped. After that brief clash, she understood: Hayato was fast, powerful, and sharp—an absolute menace in close combat. Against him, anyone but her would be fodder in a straight fight. Jiraiya wasn't weak, but compared to Hayato, the gap was glaring.
"Oi, oi, Tsunade! Don't tell me you expect me to stand back like Orochimaru, hiding behind his jutsu like some woman!" Jiraiya protested.
"Shut it, Jiraiya! Are you looking down on women?"
"Who the hell are you calling a woman?" Orochimaru's voice dropped dangerously cold.
In one careless sentence, Jiraiya had managed to rile them both, earning a pair of murderous glares.
But while they bickered, Hayato wasn't just watching. His foot slammed against the ground as he shot forward, vanishing in a blur. In the blink of an eye he was in front of Orochimaru, fist cocked back, a storm of power behind it.
The punch landed—Orochimaru's body exploded in a spray of blood, torn apart instantly.
"Orochimaru!"
"Damn it!"
Jiraiya and Tsunade's faces twisted in shock and rage. Their eyes burned red as they charged at Hayato. But Hayato only frowned. Orochimaru—of all people—wouldn't go down that easily. He was the trickiest of the three, maybe even the strongest.
Sure enough, the "corpse" dissolved into sand—just a Doton clone.
By then, Tsunade was already on him, fists like wrecking balls. Her style wasn't elegant, but her sheer power made finesse irrelevant.
"....."