The battleground where Hui and Kamizuru Ishigawa had fought was now a large crater, a result of Ishigawa's self-detonation.
His final trump card, a suicidal explosion meant to ensure a mutual demise, had been unleashed without the slightest hesitation.
Upon learning of Hui's age and witnessing his terrifying potential, Kamizuru had decided that the only way to secure the future of his village was to take down Hui at any cost, even if it meant sacrificing himself.
He knew that if Hui were to survive and continue to grow, his future power could rival that of legends. Kamizuru couldn't risk allowing this threat to exist, even if it meant dying in the process.
But Hui hadn't anticipated that Kamizuru would resort to such a drastic move. He had prepared his own trump card, a technique of his own creation, to finish the battle.
However, before he could execute it, Kamizuru detonated, leaving Hui no choice but to react on instinct.
Had Hui not sensed the impending danger, had he not launched that final kick and braced his body for the explosion, he would have likely been killed in the blast.
It was sheer luck, combined with quick reflexes and instincts, that saved him from a worse fate.
Even so, Hui was now unconscious, lying on the edge of the forest in a pool of his own blood.
His condition was dire. Internal organs had been severely damaged, and his body was critically wounded. Death hovered close.
If it weren't for the residual energy of his "yuan qi" keeping him barely alive, Hui would have perished already. But in his current state, it was uncertain when—or if—he would awaken.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, Lightning and Hatake Sakumo had successfully made it back to the Konoha Anbu base after Hui had stayed behind to cover their escape. Upon returning, they immediately reported the situation to their squad leader.
The squad leader was shaken to the core.
Sweat ran down his back as he realized the gravity of the situation. Kamizuru Ishigawa, the Anbu Commander of Iwagakure, had entered the Land of Fog, close to the Hidden Fog Village.
This unexpected move rendered all of the squad leader's carefully laid plans useless. The presence of a Kage-level enemy could shift the balance of the entire mission.
And now, the squad leader was filled with dread as he learned that Hui had stayed behind to face Kamizuru.
While he didn't know Hui's exact identity, he was well aware of the special interest the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, had in this young Anbu operative known by the codename "Light."
From the specific orders Tobirama had given him, it was clear that Hui's importance to Konoha went far beyond that of an ordinary Anbu member. Under no circumstances could anything happen to him.
The squad leader immediately used a reverse summoning jutsu to relay the situation to Konoha. The message quickly reached the desk of Tobirama Senju himself.
Upon reading the report, Tobirama wasted no time. He set off for the Land of Fog at once, ordering the squad leader to abandon all other plans and focus entirely on rescuing Hui.
Soon, all the Konoha Anbu forces in the Land of Fog, along with reinforcements from nearby areas, converged on Hui's location. Their mission was clear: save Hui at all costs.
But Iwagakure's Anbu were also on the move.
Having noticed the sudden surge of Konoha activity, they deduced that something significant was happening and began to converge on the area as well, with the intent of assisting Kamizuru Ishigawa.
As both sides approached the region around the Horizontal Abyss, tension built.
The two opposing forces finally clashed near the massive chasm, just as a deafening explosion echoed through the night. Both sides paused, the sound of Kamizuru's self-destruction halting their advance.
With their battle momentarily forgotten, the Anbu from both villages rushed toward the source of the explosion.
When they arrived, what they saw was a massive crater, littered with torn clothing and fragments of flesh. Among the wreckage, Lightning spotted the unconscious form of Hui, lying in a pool of his own blood.
The Iwagakure Anbu saw him as well.
In an instant, the two forces broke into a fierce battle.
Konoha's Anbu fought desperately to protect Hui, their hearts pounding with urgency, while the Iwagakure Anbu were enraged at the sight of what they believed to be the death of their commander, Kamizuru Ishigawa.
However, the battle did not last long.
Both sides quickly realized their priorities: Konoha's Anbu had to save Hui, and the Iwagakure Anbu, devastated by the loss of their commander, found themselves on the losing side. After suffering further casualties, the Iwagakure forces retreated, vowing vengeance.
And so, the skirmish ended. But the consequences of what had transpired were far from over.
The death of Iwagakure's Anbu commander was a monumental event, one that sent shockwaves throughout the ninja world.
Iwagakure came dangerously close to declaring war on Konoha, and within days, news of Kamizuru Ishigawa's death in the Land of Fog spread across the nations.
Speculation ran wild.
Who could have killed a Kage-level figure like Kamizuru? The rumors centered around a mysterious Anbu from Konoha, code-named "Ghost."
Descriptions of this "Ghost" painted a picture of a slender, small-framed figure—suggesting someone quite young. Yet the exact identity of the Anbu responsible remained a mystery.
Until, one month later, when the speculation died down, a shocking revelation came to light.
Iwagakure had not taken Kamizuru's death lightly.
For weeks, they had been conducting secret skirmishes with Konoha's Anbu, determined to uncover the truth. In one such battle, they managed to capture a Konoha Anbu operative. Under intense interrogation, they extracted key information.
Much of it was irrelevant, but one piece of intel stood out.
The one who had killed Kamizuru Ishigawa was none other than the leader of Konoha's First Squad, Fourth Unit—a boy known by the codename "Light."
And his real name… was Hui. He was only eleven years old.
The captured Anbu operative knew this because he had been part of the rescue mission sent to retrieve Hui after the battle.
And on that fateful night, he had seen Hui's face in the pool of blood, and had recognised him immediately.
The news spread like wildfire.
Hui, the eleven-year-old boy from Konoha, had slain the Anbu commander of Iwagakure.
This revelation hit the ninja world like a thunderclap, shaking every village to its core.
The ninja world would never be the same.
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