Light blue hair, the Land of Rain, a young girl.
No wonder Hui felt that the girl seemed familiar.
She was Konan.
The future "Angel of the Akatsuki," and the local tyrant with a whooping six hundred billion explosive tags, a legend in her own right.
"Konan, huh… What a lovely name," Hui said, his thoughts drifting to the events of the original story and what was yet to unfold.
Hui didn't know exactly when Konan had become an orphan in the original timeline, but here, it was clear that the five-year-old Konan had already lost her parents.
"Drink some water and take your time eating. There's plenty of food," Hui said, handing her a flask of water. The roasted meat he had been cooking was done, and he began eating it himself.
Soon, Konan finished the bread Hui had given her. She looked longingly at the roasted meat in his hands with eager eyes.
Hui couldn't help but smile at her expression.
That smile caused Konan to blush, and she quickly lowered her head, avoiding his gaze as if she had been caught stealing.
Hui sighed inwardly. It seemed that Konan's parents hadn't been gone for long.
She wasn't yet the resourceful little thief who lived by scavenging. She was still an innocent, vulnerable child.
"Here." Hui tore off a piece of the roasted meat and handed it to her. Given her condition, a little meat wouldn't hurt.
"Thank you, big brother," Konan said. Sitting next to Hui, she felt an inexplicable sense of safety and comfort.
This was partly due to Hui's evolved body. After absorbing vast amounts of natural energy, he exuded an aura of nature that drew people—and even animals—toward him.
The two of them ate quietly by the fire. Konan didn't speak out of shyness, while Hui was lost in thought about what to do with her.
Should he leave her to fend for herself in this chaotic world? Take her with him? Or perhaps send her to Konoha?
After some contemplation, Hui made his decision: he would send Konan to Konoha.
He wasn't concerned about disrupting the story. The timeline of the shinobi world had already been significantly altered by his presence, and worrying about maintaining the original plot seemed pointless now.
Still, he believed in respecting Konan's choice. After all, how could he forcibly relocate someone without their consent.
"Konan, have you ever thought about becoming a ninja?" he asked.
The word "ninja" caused Konan to flinch, her face showing a shadow of fear.
"I… I'll do whatever big brother says," she replied, her voice small and hesitant.
Hui raised an eyebrow, he couldn't quite understand the thought proces of the child.
This little girl was already so willing to trust him?
"Alright. Tomorrow, I'll arrange for you to leave."
Konan stiffened at his words, panic filling her eyes as tears welled up and spilled down her cheeks. She lowered her head, not daring to voice her fears.
Hui immediately realized she had misunderstood.
"I have important matters to attend to, so I'll send you to Konoha first. It's a good place where you'll be able to grow safely," he explained, patting her head gently.
Konan froze for a moment before the tears stopped. Though she didn't know what Konoha was, she understood from his tone that Hui wasn't abandoning her.
"Come on, let's head to the village below to get you some new clothes," Hui said, standing up.
He wanted to clean her up and prepare her for her journey.
Konan quickly followed, sticking close to Hui like a little shadow as they walked at a leisurely pace.
…
After a long walk, they arrived at the village.
While someone helped Konan bathe and change into new clothes, Hui marked an obvious spot in the village with a signal.
"Let's see if there are any ANBU operatives nearby. If not, I'll have to escort her myself," Hui murmured.
Since the end of the last shinobi war, Konoha's activities in other nations had become less frequent.
Fortunately, two days later, an ANBU operative appeared before Hui.
"Lord Hui, what are your orders?" the ANBU asked respectfully. Though surprised to see Hui here, his voice carried excitement.
Hui's legendary exploits during his ANBU career were widely known.
Many members had joined the ANBU inspired by his legacy, and Hui remained an idol among them.
"Yes, I need you to escort this little girl to Konoha," Hui instructed, patting Konan's head as she clung nervously to his cloak.
"Understood. I will complete the mission without fail!" the ANBU replied without hesitation, already treating Konan as his top priority.
He could die if needed, but Konan will reach will reach Konoha without a scratch.
"Konan, go with this big brother to Konoha. Don't be scared; there's a very kind sister there whom you'll like a lot," Hui said, his thoughts drifting to Tsunade.
His lips curved into a smile.
The next time he returned to Konoha, it would be time to formalize his engagement with Tsunade.
Konan reluctantly let go of Hui's cloak. With the ANBU by her side, she left, glancing back at Hui as they departed.
Hui watched them disappear into the distance before resuming his journey.
…
Not long after, Hui came across another battlefield.
This time, the opposing sides numbered about two hundred shinobi in total, all from Amegakure. Their internal strife had not yet ended.
Such battles were not uncommon during Hui's travels. However, this particular skirmish caught his attention because of one individual who stood out among the rest.
This person's strength was leagues above anyone else on the battlefield.
He was a true Kage-level ninja.
The other participants didn't even come close.
There wasn't a single elite jonin among them, with only a couple of regular jonin, with the rest being chunin, elite chunin, and genin.
This Kage-level shinobi dominated the battlefield effortlessly, leading his forces to a swift victory.
His subordinates erupted into cheers.
"Lord Hanzō!"
"Lord Hanzō!"
"Lord Hanzō!"
Hearing the name, Hui's lips curved upward.
He already knew who this was—Hanzō of the Salamander, the future leader of Amegakure and the man known as the Demigod of the Shinobi World.
In the original story, it was Hanzō who bestowed the title of the "Legendary Sannin" upon Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru.
Though Hui now bore the title of the Demigod, that didn't diminish Hanzō's strength.
At this point in time, Hanzō was still relatively young and hadn't reached his peak. But he was already a bona fide Kage-level shinobi.
If this timeline followed the original, Hanzō's peak would come ten years later, when his strength would undoubtedly earn him a renowned title.
Even now, Hanzō was a formidable Kage-level powerhouse, deserving of recognition.
As Hui observed Hanzō, the latter seemed to sense something, turning his gaze toward Hui's concealed location with a hint of suspicion.
Despite feeling watched, Hanzō couldn't pinpoint an enemy.
Hui, however, chose not to reveal himself.
Perhaps if it were the Hanzō of ten years later, he might have been interested in a little spar.
But with the current Hanzō? Hui felt no desire to engage.
To him, this version of Hanzō was too weak to be worth his effort.
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