"Block off his escape route!"
Hayashi raised his voice, snapping the three of them out of their daze.
Naruto reacted first, gritting his teeth and darting to the side.
Sasuke cut diagonally toward another corner, blade in hand.
Sakura tightened her grip on her kunai and closed the last gap.
The three of them sealed off the Demon Brother's retreat.
Sakura glanced at the charred heap on the ground, and her stomach churned again despite herself. Naruto didn't look much better; his arms were still trembling slightly.
"Thanks."
Only then did Hayashi turn back to his sweat-drenched "opponent," a sudden smile crossing his face.
"What? I got the feeling you wanted to run earlier."
The Demon Brother's eyelid twitched.
"D-don't get cocky!" He stretched his chain across his body and bellowed, "I've still got an ace up my sleeve! Push me too far, and I'll take you brats down with me!"
His threats rang out loud and clear, but his eyes betrayed him, darting left and right as he surveyed every tree and ditch around him.
Hayashi didn't call him out. He simply watched the man's wandering eyes with a cheerful smile.
Look all you want. Wherever you look, someone's blocking the way.
Once the man had looked his fill, Hayashi leisurely took a step forward.
The taut string inside the Demon Brother snapped.
-To hell with fighting!
This kid's been toying with me from the start, and now those other three brats have surrounded me. If I don't leave now, I'm going to die here!
He kicked off hard, shooting up into a roadside tree. Planting his feet on a thick branch, he prepared to leap into the woods-
"You bastard! Don't run!"
"Get down here if you've got the guts!"
"You can't escape!"
The three kids below erupted,