"Strike the leader first to take down the army," Hui reminded himself. His first target was clear—the Mist Jonin leading the group.
It might seem easier to start by eliminating the Chunin, but ninjas could recover quickly. Hui didn't want to find himself facing a Jonin who had regained some strength after he'd finished dealing with the Chunin.
Hidden in the darkness, Hui had chosen a spot that would seem like a poor hiding place for an adult—it was too exposed, too obvious.
But for a child like him, barely seven years old, it was the perfect fit. His small body fit snugly into the space, making him almost invisible.
The rain continued to pour, and thunder rumbled across the sky.
"I found him! Over here!" a Mist Chunin shouted, drawing the attention of the others, who quickly gathered around.
The Jonin's eyes lit up, and despite his fatigue, he pushed forward eagerly. He was certain they had found the real target—his prey wouldn't have enough chakra left to create any more shadow clones.
Boom!
Lightning flashed, illuminating the night sky for a brief moment before plunging the world back into darkness.
Now!
Hui's eyes gleamed as the Mist Jonin approached, mere feet away. His grip tightened around his blade, and without hesitation, he struck.
In that instant, the world seemed to slow. The blade in Hui's hand gleamed with a silvery light, cutting through the darkness like the rising moon.
The Jonin's eyes widened in shock, unable to comprehend the sudden situation.
The Jonin reflexively raised his weapon, thinking he could block the strike. But in the blink of an eye, Hui's sword sliced cleanly through the man's throat.
"Guh... guh..." The Jonin tried to speak, but blood gushed from his neck, silencing him.
Another flash of lightning illuminated the scene, revealing the young boy who had struck him down—a child's face, far too young for the battlefield.
The Jonin's eyes were filled with disbelief, the light fading from them as his body crumpled to the ground.
There had been no prolonged fight, no dramatic showdown. It was a single, decisive blow—a perfectly executed assassination.
Hui stared at the fallen Jonin, his heart racing with exhilaration. He could feel the blood pumping through his veins, every sense heightened.
He had won.
The countless scenarios he had played out in his mind had led him to this—the best possible outcome. Everything had gone perfectly, with no unexpected complications.
Then again, it made sense. The Jonin hadn't expected an attack, especially not from someone who was fully rested and waiting in ambush.
In his mind, the only enemy was the exhausted ninja he had been chasing—he had no reason to suspect that a second, fully capable foe was lying in wait.
His overconfidence, combined with his physical exhaustion, made him slow to react. By the time he realized what was happening, it was already too late.
Everything had unfolded in less than two seconds—perhaps not even that long. From the moment Hui struck until the Jonin fell, only a single second had passed.
Now, it was time to deal with the Chunin.
Hui quickly suppressed the rush of excitement that threatened to overtake him. There was still more work to be done—he had to rescue Lightning.
In his original plan, Hui had asked Lightning to simply hide. The idea had been for Hui to find the right moment to assassinate the Jonin.
While the success rate of this plan was lower, it was safer for Lightning. If things went wrong, Hui wasn't sure he could kill the Jonin before Lightning was overwhelmed.
But Lightning, understanding Hui's thinking, had taken a risk. He had intentionally revealed himself to the enemy, lowering their guard and allowing Hui the opportunity to strike.
Lightning had put his own life on the line to create the best possible chance for Hui to succeed.
Thankfully, everything had gone according to plan. With the Jonin—their greatest threat—now dead, the remaining Chunin posed little danger to Hui.
Meanwhile, Lightning was struggling. Surrounded by the Chunin, he was doing his best to fend off their attacks, but he had already sustained several injuries.
Lightning specialized in ninjutsu, not close combat, and his weakened state only made things worse.
"Keep running! What's the matter? Tired already?" one of the Mist Chunin taunted, his voice dripping with malice as he closed in on Lightning.
"Is this what they call the elite of Konoha's ANBU? Pathetic. You're nothing more than a rat that's good at running away," another Chunin sneered.
The Mist ninja didn't attack immediately. They were waiting for their captain to arrive and decide Lightning's fate. But what they didn't know was that their captain was already dead.
Instead of their leader, what was coming for them now… was death itself.
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