~ Hayatou's Pov, several hours later ~
.
.
.
As instructed by the Hokage, we waited until sundown to head out... Still, that wasn't much of an issue to me right now. I needed to give of confidence in my actions around these two. If I do such, they will likely think I'm capable, more so of what they've seen of me. If I give that kind of impression, it'll only benefit me in the long run.
Despite that, we all gathered as much as we needed for the mission. Of course, I didn't take much of anything for myself... But, I was working on that. I wanted to create a pair of weapons for myself to use in the future, but right now; I just don't have the materials for it right now.
"Hey~ Hayatou, right?"
I looked to the side, seeing Kakashi looking at me, "Hmm?"
"I just wanted to see who I was working with... And so far, It seems like I'm in good hands."
Hmm? "I see..." I haven't even done anything yet, but there are people who don't need actions to judge something like that in certain cases. Maybe he's more laid back than I thought he is.
"Alright you two, we'll need to head north from here... It'll take us a few days if we rest moderately in between the trip." Shikaku said.
I saw Kakashi putting his arms in his pockets, "I figured it would be something like that." He stopped, looking towards me, "I knew you beat Fugaku, but I'm not so sure you can handle, this." he finished. I could tell he meant no disrespect by it, and of course; he likely had his own doubts about me.
So, I'll clear them.
"Shikaku, how far is our current destination in comparison to our designated location, give or take." He raised his brows at me, clearly thinking... "Around three thousands kilometers from here, directly north-west, why do you ask?"
I walked ahead, doing some calculations in my head, "I plan on getting us there in a few minutes."
Both of them paused to look at me, "Oh? And how would you accomplish something like that?" Shikaku put down the map, which means I've definitely gotten his attention.
"Don't worry about that part... By the way, how long can the both of you hold your breaths for?"
"Most Jonin can do something simple like that for around 20 minutes, at least. However, seeing that we are elites... We can do so for an hour." Kakashi said.
"Even better. I need you two to hold your breaths, I'll also need you both to enhance your bodies with chakra until I say you should stop; is that clear?"
"Crystal clear, kid, but we still haven't heard what exactly you want us to do," Shikaku replied, arms crossed, his expression as tired as ever.
Hayatou smiled. "It's simple, really. You'll both do what I said earlier—hold your breaths and enhance your bodies with chakra."
Kakashi tilted his head, eyeing him curiously. "That's… oddly specific."
Shikaku frowned slightly. "What exactly are you planning?"
Before Hayatou could respond, N.E.O's voice rang in his head.
[Host… I see where you're going with this, but isn't this a bit extreme?]
Hayatou mentally sighed. 'No, N.E.O… They're grown men and experienced shinobi. Moving at my speeds under normal circumstances might kill them, but if they follow my instructions exactly, they'll live.'
His gaze flicked toward the two seasoned shinobi, both of whom were still waiting for an explanation...
'Given my current maximum speed of around half a million miles per hour, I'd only need a fortieth of that to get us there in a few minutes. For them, it'll be like experiencing their equivalent of 10 Gs on their bodies.'
[They might die, Host.]
Hayatou rolled his eyes. 'They might live, and we'll reach the target in no time—fine!' He sighed internally. 'I'll cut my speed down another half. Happy now?'
[Much better, Host.]
Hayatou clapped his hands together, looking between Kakashi and Shikaku. "Alright, then. You two ready?"
Kakashi blinked. "Not really, but I doubt that'll change anything."
Shikaku let out a long, suffering sigh before cracking his neck. "If I die from this, I'm haunting you."
Hayatou chuckled, bracing them both, "Noted. Now, hold your breaths and enhance your bodies. Things are about to get real fast."
And with that—
They vanished.
Yet, not a single sound was made...
.
.
.
The world vanished in an instant.
No sonic boom. No explosion of force. Just silence.
For Kakashi and Shikaku, the shift was instantaneous—one moment, they were standing on solid ground, and the next, the world blurred into an unrecognizable streak of color.
The sheer force of acceleration slammed into them, like being yanked through existence itself. Their bodies screamed under the strain, every nerve firing as they struggled to process what was happening.
Shikaku gritted his teeth, chakra surging through his limbs as he braced against the immense G-force pressing down on him. "What the hell—?!"
Kakashi's eye widened, his instincts flaring as he forcibly adjusted his chakra flow to keep himself from blacking out. He had experienced high-speed movement before, but this?
This was beyond anything he had ever felt.
The landscape around them wasn't even visible—just blurred streaks of color, stretching infinitely in every direction. Their surroundings didn't move—they simply ceased to exist in any way the human brain could comprehend.
And at the center of it all…
Hayatou.
He held onto both of them effortlessly, his grip firm but completely unaffected by the forces ripping through their bodies. His breathing was steady, his expression calm, as if this level of speed meant absolutely nothing to him.
'Monstrous…' Kakashi thought, gritting his teeth, 'This kid isn't just fast. He's functioning at speeds that should be outright impossible!'
Shikaku, despite himself, let out a strained chuckle through the crushing pressure. "I swear… if we make it through this… I'm going to need a drink."
Hayatou smirked, his voice impossibly casual, "Relax. You're doing fine."
Shikaku wasn't fine and neither was Kakashi...
But they didn't argue. They simply focused, doing everything in their power to keep their bodies intact as Hayatou tore through the world at speeds no human should be able to survive.
And then—
It stopped.
Only hearing a soft *tap* of Hayatou landing...
However, the moment their own feet touched solid ground, both men staggered forward, knees nearly buckling from the whiplash. The sudden return to normal gravity hit them like a literal hammer. Kakashi being more combat oriented and a veteran at stealth was surprised to see that no sound was even made...
'That's... not possible... I'm sure this kid broke the sound barrier, but he didn't? It's like he's a ghost or the laws of physics just doesn't even affect him.'
Shikaku on the other hand was hunched over, hands on his knees, breathing heavily as if he was a inbred dog. "Yeah… n-never doing that again."
Kakashi let out a slow breath, steadying himself, his entire body still buzzing from what just happened... He rolled his arms, testing his mobility, before finally speaking up; "You know, Hayatou… normal people, much less children don't move any where near that."
'I'm a Jonin and I've never seen a ninja move that fast... Is he even human? I thought the rumors about him were a joke, him beating Fugaku was slightly exaggerated. But, it's real. He's a monster, among monsters, amongst even those monsters... The term monster doesn't even do someone like him justice...
Hayatou shrugged, "Yeah, well… I'm not exactly normal." To Hayatou, there was no use in hiding it at this point___He was the strongest.
Shikaku let out a weak laugh, still catching his breath. "Understatement of the damn year."
The two elite shinobi took a moment to process what had just happened. The implications were… ridiculous.
Not just the speed.
But the fact that Hayatou had even carried them both through it like it was nothing. Kakashi's eye narrowed, his thoughts all over the place, 'Seriously; What the hell even is this kid?'
Shikaku just sighed, already regretting getting involved. "Tch… yeah, I definitely need a drink after this."
Hayatou grinned. "We'll see about that—after the mission." Kakashi straightened, his gaze locking onto their surroundings. They had arrived.
The enemy camp was near. It was time to get to work.
The forest around them was silent—unnaturally so.
Towering trees stretched high into the night sky, their darkened leaves whispering softly in the wind. The ground beneath them was dry, undisturbed, as if no one had stepped foot here in years. But Hayatou knew better.
They weren't alone.
Shikaku straightened, still rolling out the stiffness in his shoulders. "Alright, kid. You got us here in one piece… barely." He gave Hayatou a tired side-eye. "Now what?"
Hayatou didn't respond immediately. He closed his eyes, expanding his senses outward.
At his current level, sensory techniques were almost redundant. His perception—combined with the sheer depth of his chakra—allowed him to feel everything within a massive radius...
And right now? There were twenty-one heat signatures.
Not, fifteen.
His eyes snapped open, "Like I expected, the numbers are off...
"In a good way?" Kakashi chided.
"Unfortunately, it's the opposite." Hayatou said, turning towards them, "In fact, we've got twenty-one bodies, not the filed fifteen."
Kakashi's posture shifted ever so slightly, his instincts sharpening. "That's a bit of a problem"
Shikaku frowned, yet he noted how the boy had just covered at least 2 kilometers distance worth of ninjas so acutely, "Six extra unknowns. Any readings on their chakra levels?"
Hayatou nodded, "Most are low—standard mercenary trash. But two of them are… different. Their signatures are suppressed, but the way their chakra feels…" His eyes narrowed slightly. "They aren't just ex-chuunin. These two are definitely jonin-level."
Kakashi exhaled through his nose. "Like I said, this definitely complicates things."
Shikaku crossed his arms. "We need to adjust the plan."
Originally, this was supposed to be a quick elimination. A standard wipeout of a rogue bandit camp. Now, they were looking at potential enemy reinforcement, jonin-level threats, and unknown variables...
Kakashi turned to Hayatou. "Alright, leader. How do you want to do this?"
Hayatou smirked slightly. He knew Kakashi was likely still testing him, watching to see how he'd respond under pressure. He didn't mind. If anything, it just made things a little more interesting.
He crouched, pressing a hand to the ground, "We stick to the shadows. If these guys have jonin-level shinobi, they're either leaders or special assets. Either way, we take them out first. Once they're gone, the rest will crumble."
Shikaku nodded. "A decapitation strategy. Not bad kid."
Kakashi glanced toward the distant tree line, where faint firelight flickered through the gaps in the leaves. "Do we have a formation?"
Hayatou tapped his temple. "I'll engage the first jonin head-on. Kakashi, you shadow the second. Shikaku, you'll stay back and coordinate support. Once I engage, you lock down anyone trying to interfere. If things go south, you both disengage and regroup."
Shikaku gave him a long look. "…You're planning to fighting all of them alone?"
Hayatou smirked. "You're asking that like it's a bad idea."
Kakashi thought about it for a second, remembering what he had experienced. "Alright then. No objections here."
Shikaku sighed, rubbing his temple. "Tch… fine. But don't go dying on me, alright? I'm not explaining to the Hokage how the kid leading the mission got himself killed."
Hayatou's smile widened, causing both the Jonins to to feel unsettled for a moment... "This'll be over before they even know what hit them."
And with that—
They all moved off...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
END