Senju Nawaki was not particularly satisfied with the talent of the genin under his command.
Every year, Konoha graduated a large number of genin, and naturally, not everyone could be a prodigy. Talents on Kakashi's level were rare even across the entire shinobi world.
Still, since they were his students, Nawaki intended to guide them properly. At the very least, they needed enough ability to become tokubetsu jōnin in the future.
Hayashi glanced toward Minato.
"What about your team?"
Minato smiled warmly.
"Aside from Obito being a little troublesome at times, Genma and Raidō are both doing well."
That description was putting it lightly.
Shiranui Genma and Raidō were practically inseparable. Obito often looked like an outsider whenever the two of them started talking.
Minato continued calmly.
"The three of them are all interested in the Flying Thunder God Technique. I'm considering teaching it to them."
He was already preparing to create a Flying Thunder God support squad.
And honestly, the odds of success were fairly high.
Obito possessed the Sharingan and had excellent talent in space time ninjutsu due to his future Mangekyō ability, Kamui. Learning the Flying Thunder God Technique would suit him naturally.
As for Genma and Raidō, both of them had the coordination and chakra control required for the technique.
If everything worked out, Minato could practically open a shinobi delivery service with himself as the founder.
At that moment, the situation below changed once again.
The old Nara clan elder who had slipped away earlier had returned, this time bringing reinforcements.
More specifically, he dragged Team Four into the mess.
The famous Ino Shika Chō trio had officially entered the fight.
Since they were students under Kushina, they jumped into the conflict almost immediately after hearing what happened.
Unfortunately, their fighting style looked completely bizarre.
Nara Ensui used Shadow Possession Jutsu to control Yamanaka Sanshō directly while Sanshō charged forward swinging her fists.
The moment her punch struck the ground, cracks spread across the stone tiles.
Hayashi stared blankly.
Something about this felt extremely wrong.
Sanshō was from the Yamanaka clan.
So why was she fighting like a miniature Tsunade?
No, worse, this looked suspiciously similar to Kushina's style.
And more importantly, who was going to pay for the broken pavement?
"Still not planning to stop them?" Hayashi asked while glancing at Minato and Nawaki.
Nawaki folded his arms with a grin.
"It's finally getting interesting. Let's wait a little longer."
Minato nodded in agreement.
After watching for a while, Nawaki suddenly smirked.
"Hayashi, are you sure the Yamanaka clan won't complain to Kushina? Sanshō's fighting style is becoming stranger by the day."
The Yamanaka clan naturally possessed excellent chakra control, which allowed Sanshō to learn monstrous strength techniques far more easily than normal shinobi.
In terms of combat development, she was moving toward the same path Sakura would eventually take.
It wasn't exactly wrong.
Just... heavily distorted.
Hayashi immediately shifted responsibility elsewhere.
"That definitely wasn't Kushina's idea."
He paused briefly before continuing with complete seriousness.
"It was probably the Nine Tails influencing her."
Yes.
The Nine Tails was clearly responsible.
As time passed, the confrontation in the plaza escalated further.
This time, Hayashi, Minato, and Nawaki finally stepped in personally.
The moment they appeared, the atmosphere changed completely.
Hayashi's reputation alone was enough to pressure the surrounding shinobi. Meanwhile, both Minato and Nawaki had become famous during the Third Shinobi World War.
The ninja from the other villages immediately became cautious.
Some even retreated instinctively after recognizing them.
However, neither the Sunagakure nor Kirigakure ninja chose to leave.
Yashamaru glared at Hayashi with obvious hostility.
The resentment regarding Karura still remained deeply rooted within him.
Zabuza, on the other hand, looked at Hayashi with intense interest instead of hatred.
His gaze resembled admiration more than hostility.
Kisame remained unreadable as always. Nobody could tell what he was thinking.
As for Mei Terumī, if Kisame and Zabuza had not stopped her earlier, she probably would have already attacked Hayashi directly.
Hayashi merely shrugged.
To him, these children posed no real threat yet.
Perhaps after another decade, things would be different.
But not now.
With Minato and Nawaki handling the situation, the confrontation quickly dispersed.
The various teams eventually left one after another.
Just as the Ino Shika Chō trio attempted to quietly escape, Hayashi suddenly grabbed Sanshō by her ponytail.
"You destroyed the pavement and still want to run away without paying?"
Sanshō stuck out her tongue playfully.
"We were helping avenge the Sixth Elder. You should ask the Nara clan for compensation."
The so called Sixth Elder referred to the old Nara man running the gambling stall.
Unfortunately, the old man had vanished again the moment the fight intensified.
Hayashi remained expressionless.
"I don't care. You're the ones standing here."
Nara Ensui laughed awkwardly.
"We're broke. You should ask Kushina sensei instead."
Hayashi smacked the back of Ensui's pineapple shaped hairstyle.
"You little brat."
Then he pointed toward the nearby streets.
"If you don't have money, then work it off. Patrol this area."
The three of them instantly wore bitter expressions.
In the end, Hayashi successfully acquired three free laborers to guard the district while he, Minato, and Nawaki went off to eat.
With Team Four and Kakashi's team watching the area, ordinary genin would not dare cause trouble anyway.
Later that afternoon, Hayashi finally headed home.
However, just before reaching his house, he suddenly stopped walking.
His eyes shifted toward a nearby rooftop.
"I'll kill you!"
The voice rang out before the figure appeared.
Mei Terumī leaped across the rooftops in blue clothing, charging directly toward Hayashi at full speed.
A kunai pierced toward his throat.
Hayashi tilted his head slightly and avoided the strike effortlessly before grabbing her wrist.
Mei Terumī's body was instantly pulled off balance.
The moment she attempted to retreat, Hayashi's backhand slammed into her chest, knocking the air from her lungs.
Before she could recover, his leg swept low and struck her shin, disrupting her footing completely.
Her body pitched forward involuntarily.
Hayashi immediately followed with a knee strike to her abdomen.
Mei Terumī gasped painfully and nearly collapsed.
Then Hayashi grabbed her by the neck and pinned her firmly against the wall.
"Your ambush skills are terrible," Hayashi said with amusement. "Who warns their target before attacking?"
Mei Terumī couldn't answer.
His grip prevented her from speaking.
Her face turned red as she glared furiously at him.
Still, Hayashi understood something immediately.
She never intended to kill him.
Otherwise, she would not have shouted a warning beforehand.
Clearly, she had been waiting here for quite some time, probably since he left with Minato and Nawaki earlier.
Hayashi considered his options briefly.
He could provoke her.
He could humiliate her.
Or he could simply end this quietly.
In the end, he chose the simplest solution.
A genjutsu.
Mei Terumī's eyes lost focus almost instantly before her body went limp.
Hayashi caught her casually before she hit the ground.
After all, this was Konoha.
There was no reason to kill a Kirigakure genin over something this minor.
Then Hayashi glanced toward a nearby corner.
"She's unconscious now. You can stop hiding."
A few moments later, a figure emerged from the bushes.
Kisame Hoshigaki stepped forward slowly, revealing a grin filled with sharp teeth.
"Mei Terumī came here looking for trouble," Hayashi said casually. "So what exactly are you doing here, Kisame?"