"They've arrived!"
Hui spoke suddenly as groups of shinobi emerged in the distance.
"Second Mizukage?!"
"Mochizuki Hui?!"
Both the Kirigakure and Konoha shinobi froze upon seeing the two figures standing off.
Shock filled their hearts; none of them had anticipated that these two powerful figures would appear here of all places.
"Your sensory abilities are impressive. No wonder you were so difficult to track back then," said Gengetsu Hozuki, speaking to Hui while subtly relaxing now that the Kirigakure reinforcements had arrived.
With over a hundred shinobi on his side, including several elite Jonin, he felt the odds might finally shift in his favor.
"What are you doing here?" Danzo Shimura, who had just arrived with the Konoha reinforcements, frowned as he approached Hui.
"Weren't you supposed to be in the Land of Rain? And why are you facing off against the Second Mizukage?"
"The situation in the Land of Rain is resolved," Hui replied calmly. "I'm here to bring an end to this war. As for the Second Mizukage, I suppose he was planning to sneak attack Konoha's camp."
Danzo's eyes widened, as did those of the Konoha shinobi behind him.
The prospect of the Second Mizukage launching a surprise attack was alarming, but Hui's first statement eclipsed even that.
"The Land of Rain… resolved?!" A Konoha ninja standing nearby couldn't help but exclaim in disbelief. The idea was almost too astonishing to accept.
Hui nodded. "Yes. Iwagakure and Sunagakure have surrendered. The Second Tsuchikage Mu and the Second Kazekage Shamon have both been killed by me. Now, our only remaining enemy is Kirigakure. And you can leave them to me."
His words were not meant to boast but to demoralize the Kirigakure forces. The truth of his accomplishments would inevitably come to light, so there was no harm in sharing it now.
"Ridiculous! Who do you think you are, claiming you defeated both Iwagakure and Sunagakure by yourself?" an elite Kirigakure ninja shouted, his voice dripping with mockery. "If you think we'll fall for such nonsense, you underestimate our intelligence."
Hui didn't respond to the taunts. Instead, his gaze remained fixed on Gengetsu.
Calm and composed, he declared, "You don't have to believe me now. But once I kill your Mizukage and the Konoha forces arrive, you'll have no choice but to accept the truth."
His words sent waves of fury through the Kirigakure forces.
"Kill our Mizukage?" A Kirigakure shinobi emerged from the crowd, stepping forward with a massive sword in hand.
Hui recognized it immediately—the Kubikiribōchō, one of the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist.
"So, you're one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist," Hui said casually. "Fine. Before I deal with Gengetsu Hozuki, I'll warm up with you."
The calm arrogance in his tone made the wielder of the Kubikiribōchō bristle with anger.
"This kid is stronger than me," Gengetsu suddenly warned. "If we're to defeat him, we'll need to attack together."
The swordsman paused at Gengetsu's words, his eyes narrowing in disbelief. Was the Second Mizukage, their leader, truly acknowledging this boy's overwhelming strength?
For a moment, he hesitated. Then, whether out of pride or stubbornness, he muttered, "All the more reason for me to test him myself." Without waiting, he charged at Hui with his blade raised.
Gengetsu's jaw tightened, and he readied himself to intervene if necessary. In his mind, the swordsman's defeat was inevitable.
Still, as long as Hui didn't kill him in one strike, Gengetsu believed he could save him.
Hui moved.
His speed, already astounding during his earlier fight with Gengetsu, now seemed even faster. To the onlookers, it was as if he had become a streak of light.
The swordsman's eyes widened in panic as Hui closed the distance almost instantly. His grip tightened on the Kubikiribōchō as he swung it with all his strength at the incoming shinobi.
Hui's sword flashed—a brilliant arc of silver light that dazzled the battlefield.
When the light faded, the two stood back-to-back, frozen in place as if time itself had stopped.
Silence enveloped the battlefield. All eyes were on the pair, their movements suspended. Then, the wielder of the Kubikiribōchō spoke, his voice trembling.
"So… fast…"
With those words, the Kubikiribōchō broke in two, its severed edge falling to the ground.
The swordsman's body crumpled, collapsing lifelessly. Blood began to pool around him as his body split in two.
Hui stood, sword pointed at Gengetsu, his voice calm and steady. "You're next."
A collective gasp swept through the crowd. Both Konoha and Kirigakure shinobi stared at Hui in shock, their minds struggling to process what they had just witnessed.
One of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, an elite Jonin, had been killed in a single strike. A true one-hit kill.
The impact of the scene was overwhelming. Even those who had heard tales of Hui's strength were unprepared for the reality of his abilities.
The Konoha shinobi, including Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade, were left speechless, their thoughts in turmoil. Danzo himself looked as though he'd seen a ghost.
"Unbelievable," Gengetsu muttered, his expression darkening. So, you weren't even fighting me seriously earlier. You were really just stalling, waiting for the rest of my forces to arrive.
Now, as Hui's sword remained fixed on him, Gengetsu understood: the real battle of life and death was about to begin.
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