"Shadow… shadow clone?"
The woman exclaimed, confused by Hui's words.
Hui pondered for a moment, then a second shadow clone emerged from his body, standing beside him.
"This is a shadow clone—an entity made of chakra and mental energy," Hui explained, while the second clone waved at the woman.
Her eyes widened in shock. She had never seen such a technique in her life.
"It seems you haven't left this place in a long time… or perhaps, you've never left at all?" Hui asked curiously, noting her ignorance of even the basics of ninja techniques.
"I… I've never left this place. Has the world outside become this incredible?" the woman replied, staring in amazement at Hui and his shadow clone.
"Hmm… then, do you know about the era of shinobi villages?" Hui inquired.
"Shinobi villages? Are they villages formed by shinobi clans?" The woman still looked puzzled, clearly unfamiliar with the concept.
Hui quickly deduced her situation. Dispelling his shadow clone, he casually sat down and began to explain, "It all started at the end of the Warring States period with Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara…"
Hui proceeded to narrate the history of the shinobi world, from the founding of the shinobi villages to the present day.
When he finished, he looked at her and asked, "Now, can you tell me your story and that of this village?"
The woman, returning from her rapt attention to Hui's storytelling, had a complicated expression on her face.
"I never imagined that the era of clan wars had ended… Very well, I'll tell you the story of our village," she began.
"During the Warring States period, our clan, the Naigawa, fled the chaos of war. Seeking refuge, our ancestors led the clan to this remote and desolate place.
"We cut off all contact with the outside world and lived in isolation. For a hundred years, no one knew of the Naigawa clan's existence.
"Here, we lived in peace, with no wars, no strife, just happiness and harmony.
"But eighty years ago, that harmony was disrupted. One of our elders fell ill with a strange affliction, causing him to periodically descend into madness.
"During these episodes, his strength grew exponentially. He harmed several clansmen, and, wracked with guilt, he voluntarily confined himself to a cave, hoping the madness would end with him.
"Initially, we thought his case was an anomaly, and that life would return to normal after his self-imprisonment.
"But over time, more people in the village began experiencing the same symptoms.
"Ten years passed, and nine individuals had already succumbed to this strange madness.
"Fear spread among the villagers, as anyone could be next victim. Some even considered abandoning the village and moving away.
"But seventy years ago, everything changed.
"The first elder who had suffered from this condition found a way to overcome it. For an entire year, he did not succumb to madness.
"Not only that, but his strength continued to grow, and his body developed unique abilities.
"Realizing others shared his affliction, he gathered them and taught them to control their madness.
"His methods were effective, and soon, the entire clan could manage their symptoms.
"What we thought was an illness turned out to be something else entirely. Over time, it changed our clan.
"The unique energy saturating this land wasn't chakra but something different. Over time, this energy fused with our chakra, forming a new, specialized type of chakra.
"This fusion was the root of our madness.
"The elder's method involved teaching us to control this special energy and gradually adapt our bodies to it.
"He called his method Human Body Evolution Technique.
"The discovery transformed our clan, beginning our journey of evolution."
The woman's tone reflected deep admiration for the elder, but her expression darkened as she continued.
"Everything seemed fine until twenty years ago, but because of that bastard Naigawa Seiryo, a catastophe struck our clan.
"Seiryo was a genius of our family. He showed signs of madness at a very young age and began practicing the Human Body Evolution Technique. By his twenties, he had mastered it and became one of the strongest in our clan.
"But it wasn't enough for him. He yearned for more power, hoping to push the technique further.
"Unfortunately, even the elder who created the technique had failed to advance it before his death.
"Unable to see a path forward, Seiryo grew increasingly desperate and deranged.
"He even began conducting experiments on his clansmen's bodies.
"At first, no one realized what he was doing. We assumed the deaths were caused by wild beasts.
"But one day, a clansman visiting Seiryo's home stumbled upon evidence and a body.
"When Seiryo discovered he'd been exposed, he captured the man and used him as a live test subject.
"This time, Seiryo succeeded.
"He gained the ability to absorb and control the special energy in others' bodies.
"Drunk on his new power, Seiryo began targeting the entire clan.
"He drained his clansmen of their energy, turning them into puppets to serve him and act as living reservoirs of energy.
"To him, this village became his kingdom, and he was its sovereign.
"Not content with the clan's energy, he started leaving markers outside the village to lure outsiders in, using them as test subjects.
"Once they began absorbing the special energy, he would enslave them too.
"In the past twenty years, over a dozen outsiders have fallen victim to him.
"I'm no match for Seiryo. I've been forced to watch helplessly as he lured people into the village, never to leave.
"The only thing I could do was destroy the markers he placed outside, though he always replaced them quickly.
"I assume you followed one of those markers to get here. Lucky for you, you had this unique technique, or else you'd have suffered the same fate," the woman finished telling Hui the whole history of the village.
Hui pondered her words for a moment before asking, "Then why did you want to save me?"
The woman hesitated, then smiled faintly.
"Because I think you're handsome. And… I've decided not to endure this any longer. I want to end it."
"So, he's your…" Hui began.
"Father. Naigawa Seiryo is my father. My name is Naigawa Kage."
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