Village of Waves was annihilated without any surprises. Hui completed his first mission tainted with darkness, officially exposing him to the true nature of such grim tasks.
It wasn't a good feeling—this kind of experience clashed with a person's core beliefs and shook their spirit. For someone without strong resolve, it might lead to a complete descent into the darkness.
Deep down, Hui rejected such missions. But he also understood that a great leader must face, comprehend, and wield such darkness when necessary. Being a leader required not only compassion but also the ability to be cold and ruthless.
He wasn't just an individual anymore—he was the captain of Anbu's First Division. Furthermore, in the future, he might even become the head of the entire Konoha Anbu, or possibly, the Hokage.
So no matter how much he despised these kinds of tasks, he knew he had to accept them.
"Captain, it's done. Everything's been taken care of," one of the Anbu members reported, his body still faintly reeking of blood.
"Light, this side is clear as well," Lightning reported as he approached. He had taken over as the leader of Team 4 after Hui's promotion.
Currently, though, Team 4 only consisted of Lightning and Hatake Sakumo, as new members hadn't yet been assigned.
"Captain, we've dealt with everything, including the squad from Kumogakure. But there was no sign of the Iwagakure team."
Another Anbu quickly arrived, delivering news that caused everyone to pause.
Hearing this, Hui closed his eyes. His Yuan Qi radiated outward like a third eye, scanning the surroundings. A moment later, he reopened his eyes and looked toward a specific direction.
"Two o'clock, three kilometers out. Pursue!"
Boom!
Thunder roared across the sky, lightning flashing as the rain continued to pour heavily. The Iwagakure squad was fleeing at full speed, trying to escape from Village of Waves.
It was pure chance that one of their members had been unable to sleep that night and had happened to spot the Konoha Anbu's actions.
That gave them just enough time to make a break for it. But luck wasn't on their side—they had still been discovered.
To Hui, the pitch-black night was as clear as day.
With his elite-level physical abilities, he quickly closed the distance on the four fleeing Iwagakure shinobi.
When they saw Hui approaching, their faces turned pale with fear.
"Konoha's Ghost!"
It only took a moment for them to recognize who he was.
After all, Hui had made his name in battle against their Iwagakure Anbu, having assassinated many of their members, including their previous commander, the elite shinobi Ishigawa.
Every Iwagakure ninja knew Hui's name. Seeing him now sent chills down their spines.
This was the "Ghost" who had killed their commander, and according to the latest intelligence, his strength was definitively at the Kage level.
Facing him, they knew they had no chance of survival, especially with more Konoha Anbu following behind him.
"I'll hold him off! The rest of you, run!" the squad leader shouted through gritted teeth before charging toward Hui, intending to engage him in close combat to buy time.
He chose to fight hand-to-hand rather than use ninjutsu for a reason. Based on the intelligence, the Konoha's Ghost's mastery of ninjutsu was exceptional.
He could use nearly all elemental jutsu as well as complex combination techniques. Engaging him in a ninjutsu battle was suicidal.
Additionally, the squad leader believed that because Hui was only eleven, his body couldn't possibly be as physically strong as that of an adult. He assumed that taijutsu would be Hui's weakness.
But he was wrong—dead wrong.
What he didn't know was that during Hui's sparring session with Tobirama, no other shinobi had been present to witness Hui's taijutsu prowess.
The intelligence report he had received was incomplete.
As soon as the squad leader lunged at Hui, his movements appeared sluggish in Hui's eyes, as though he were moving in slow motion.
Hui swiftly identified an opening and struck with his sword, killing the squad leader instantly. He hadn't even managed to delay Hui for a few seconds.
Seeing their leader fall so quickly, the remaining three Iwagakure shinobi were filled with despair.
Their limbs went weak, and their minds were in turmoil. One of them collapsed to the ground, supporting himself with his hands, paralyzed by fear.
They were swiftly executed by Hui, who showed no mercy. Though interrogating them for information might have been an option, Hui wasn't in the mood tonight. So they were simply killed on the spot.
When the other Konoha Anbu arrived, they found Hui standing motionless in the rain, letting the downpour wash over him.
Boom!
Thunder continued to rumble, flashes of lightning illuminating the sky, as darkness and light alternated in rapid succession.
"Rest here for the night. We'll depart for Land of Mushrooms in the morning," Hui ordered. The Anbu had been drenched by the rain, and if they didn't rest and dry off, they risked falling ill.
What Hui didn't know was that elsewhere, an Iwagakure shinobi had arrived at Village of Waves on a reconnaissance mission.
Upon discovering the village had been wiped out, he quickly relayed the news back to his superiors.
Along with that message, he sent another piece of information: a single character for Ghost, which he had found etched into the dirt at the site where the Iwagakure squad had been killed.
It seemed one of the dying shinobi had scratched the character into the ground with his fingers in a desperate attempt to leave a clue.
Although the message was incomplete, that one character was enough.
Somewhere in Land of Mushrooms, upon receiving this report, a man shot up from his seat.
"Ghost? It must be Konoha's Ghost! Hui, you've finally shown yourself!" he growled, his voice filled with murderous intent.
The man was short in stature, almost childlike in size, yet his face showed that he was in his thirties. His appearance wasn't remotely handsome; in fact, he was quite ugly, with a large, distinctive nose.
Despite his unimpressive looks, no one in Iwagakure dared to underestimate him. He was an idol to many of their shinobi. His name was Ōnoki of the Two Scales, the current leader of Iwagakure's Anbu.
Ōnoki was the grandson of Iwagakure's First Tsuchikage and a student of the Second Tsuchikage.
He was also the inheritor of the Second Tsuchikage's Bloodline Expansion: Dust Release.
In addition, his predecessor, Ishigawa, the former Anbu leader, had been his kin and his closest friend.
After Hui had killed Ishigawa, Ōnoki had personally requested to take over as the head of Iwagakure's Anbu, driven by a singular purpose—vengeance.
For two months, he had scoured the battlefield, consumed with thoughts of avenging Ishigawa. But Hui had been silent during that time, leaving Ōnoki's thirst for revenge unquenched.
Now, finally, news of Hui had surfaced. And Hui was close—just within Land of Mushrooms.
"Prepare to move out. Our target is Village of Waves!" Ōnoki ordered decisively. This time, he intended to tear Hui apart at the atomic level with his Dust Release.
join my patreon for 65+ advanced chapters: patreon.com/HyppoTL