Lightning had finally left the Anbu, returning to the light. With his departure, the once-formidable Konoha Anbu First Division's Fourth Squad had dwindled to just one member—Mochizuki Hui.
Not only Lightning but many of the other familiar faces from the Anbu had also left, returning to their lives as regular shinobi. By the next day, the Anbu's ranks had been reduced to just seventy members.
Sakumo Hatake, however, did not leave. He had become the new captain of the Fourth Squad, determined to stay by Hui's side and witness how this brilliant light would guide Konoha forward.
As for Hui, after being promoted to Deputy Commander of the Anbu, his life wasn't filled with the expected bustle or social obligations. It seemed as though no one even acknowledged that the Anbu had a new Deputy Commander.
But that was impossible. The Deputy Commander of the Anbu was part of Konoha's upper echelon, and such a significant personnel change was undoubtedly known by the various high-ranking ninja clans and village leaders.
So, the reason why no one bothered Hui? There was only one explanation: the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, had shielded him from everything.
Hui couldn't help but feel grateful. Having a Hokage as a mentor and protector certainly made life comfortable.
It was precisely because of this comfort that Hui resolved to ensure that Tobirama wouldn't perish during the peace talks with Kumogakure.
At first, Hui had believed Tobirama would die during the First Great Ninja War and assumed it would happen when Hui was about six or seven.
But when the war ended without anything significant happening like peace talks with Kumogakure, Hui realized that the timeline here followed a different path.
This means that about twenty years after the First Shinobi World War, assuming hui's estimations were correct, (around the thirty-seventh year of Konoha), Kumagakure would launch an attack on Konoha, resulting in Senju Tobirama leading an elite ninja force to defeat them, after which the Raikage would requested peace talks with Konoha.
However, during the peace talks, a coup by Kinkaku and Ginkaku would lead to the deaths of the Raikage and Senju Tobirama.
This would subsequently trigger the Second Shinobi World War.
If this timeline were correct, Tobirama would die when Hui is twenty-seven years old. This gave Hui plenty of time to act.
Even at his current age of twelve, Hui was confident he could change Tobirama's fate. By seventeen, with his Qi fully assimilated with natural energy, not only would he be able to save Tobirama, but he could potentially alter the course of the entire war.
And by twenty-seven, who knew how powerful he might become? Perhaps he would already be strong enough to dominate the entire ninja world.
With that in mind, the worry that had lingered in Hui's heart for so long finally eased. Now, he felt like there was nothing to do but wait. Time would bring him everything he needed.
"An invincible, yet lonely life," Hui mused to himself with a smirk as he headed toward the training grounds to find Sarutobi's team.
With the drastic reduction in Anbu personnel and no pressing missions due to the newfound peace in the ninja world, Hui found himself with an abundance of free time.
After all, he was only the Deputy Commander, not the Commander, so he didn't have too many responsibilities.
When Hui arrived at the training grounds where Sarutobi Hiruzen and his students often trained, he immediately saw Hiruzen instructing Jiraiya, while Orochimaru and Tsunade trained independently.
This was typical of the Sarutobi squad. Jiraiya was the only one who needed direct guidance, as Orochimaru and Tsunade were both far more naturally gifted.
Orochimaru had an uncanny ability to learn techniques quickly, while Tsunade was focused on mastering superhuman strength and medical ninjutsu, skills that required little guidance from Hiruzen.
On the other hand, Jiraiya, though he had matured somewhat after the incident with Danzo, still had a carefree nature that made disciplined training difficult for him.
"Hey, Sarutobi-sensei, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, how are you all?" Hui greeted them with a wave, immediately drawing their attention.
When they saw Hui, their faces lit up. Tsunade rushed over, practically throwing herself at him, clinging to him tightly.
"Hui! Congratulations on becoming the youngest Deputy Commander in the history of Konoha's Anbu!" Sarutobi said, his tone filled with awe and admiration.
As the leader of Konoha's elite Jonin squad and a prominent figure in the village's leadership, Sarutobi had been one of the first to hear about Hui's promotion.
"Haha, it's nothing, really. It's all thanks to Tobirama-sama's support. I still have a long way to go," Hui responded humbly.
"Don't be so modest. Apart from your age, you're already as close to perfection as it gets. I wouldn't be surprised if your strength has already surpassed mine," Sarutobi continued, still marveling at Hui's rapid rise.
To him, Hui's accomplishments were nothing short of miraculous. At just twelve years old, Hui had slain two Kage-level opponents during the Cold War, along with numerous elite Jonin and regular Jonin. Such feats were almost unbelievable.
If Hui weren't someone Sarutobi knew personally, he would have never believed it.
"No, no, my strength is nowhere near yours, Sarutobi-sensei. I still have much to learn from the leader of Konoha's Jonin," Hui replied, maintaining his humility.
Though he wasn't completely lying, as Sarutobi was in his prime and undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with, Hui wasn't entirely sure who would win in a direct confrontation.
Of course, Hui didn't think he'd lose either.
"Oh please, Hui's strength can't be compared to Sensei's. At most, he's only slightly stronger than me!" Jiraiya grumbled under his breath, clearly annoyed by the praise Hui was receiving.
"Just slightly stronger than you? Jiraiya, you sure have high hopes for yourself!" Hui thought with a chuckle, though outwardly, he said, "Yes, yes, I'm just a tiny bit stronger than you, Jiraiya. Our gap is only a fraction."
Sarutobi smiled wryly at their exchange. Jiraiya, as a Chunin, had no idea how powerful Hui really was. Hui was a ninja whose very name, the "Konoha's Ghost," sent shivers down the spines of other village's Anbu. In fact, the Anbu of other villages were allowed to abandon missions without penalty if they encountered Hui.
Watching Jiraiya's ignorance, Sarutobi suddenly had an idea. Though Jiraiya had matured, he still lacked consistent motivation.
His drive was unstable because he hadn't fully grasped just how vast the gap was between him and true powerhouses.
But if Hui, someone Jiraiya's age, could demonstrate that gap, maybe it would give Jiraiya the push he needed.
With that in mind, Sarutobi smiled and spoke up, "Jiraiya, haven't you always said you wanted to surpass Hui? Why don't the two of you spar right now, so you can see how much further you have to go?"
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