"So, they finally couldn't hold back, huh?" Avatar One sneered as he watched Kinkaku and Ginkaku charging toward him, brandishing the Six Paths ninja tools.
His eyes narrowed as he launched forward, aiming straight for Kinkaku. Avatar Two let out a cold chuckle, summoning a blade into his hand, and rocketed toward Ginkaku, leaving the ground in tatters beneath him.
They had been waiting a long time for these two to bring out the Six Paths tools.
"Watch out, Ginkaku!" Kinkaku called, his gaze fixed on the blur that was Avatar One. He focused every fiber of his being, desperately trying to track the Ghost-like figure approaching him.
Hui was simply too fast—one lapse in attention could be fatal.
"Got it, Kinkaku!" Ginkaku shouted back, his eyes wide as he tried to keep up with Avatar Two's swift approach.
Avatar Two's lips curved into a faint smile. He held a blade, and Ginkaku dared to face him head-on? What a fool.
"Blinding Flash!" With a swift movement, Avatar Two slashed toward Ginkaku, and in that instant, the blade erupted in a searing light. The flash was as sharp as a blade, piercing Ginkaku's eyes.
"Ahhh!" The unexpected burst of light forced Ginkaku to clamp his eyes shut, but even with his eyes closed, the afterimage of that blinding white flash seared his vision.
"Mountain-Splitting Slash!"
Thunk!
A split second later, a head flew from its shoulders. Ginkaku had been decapitated in a single stroke.
It all happened so quickly that Kinkaku, who was still tumbling through the air from Avatar One's last blow, had no time to react.
He could only stare in shock as his brother's headless body collapsed to the ground.
With a smirk, Avatar Two withdrew his sword, casting a mocking glance up at Kinkaku, who remained frozen in the air.
Then he turned to Avatar One. "You're embarrassingly slow. You couldn't even take out one ninja immediately? What a disgrace. Isn't that right, Original?"
His gaze shifted back to Kinkaku as he spoke.
Landing from his fall, Kinkaku heard these words and froze, as though he had suddenly realized something. With a feeling of dread, he looked over his shoulder.
Shunk!
A sword pierced his heart from behind. Kinkaku's eyes went wide as he looked down at the blade protruding from his chest. He turned his head and saw the face of his attacker.
"M-Mochizuki Hui!"
He gasped, stunned beyond belief.
"Hey, Original, what's the big idea? You promised I'd get to handle this guy!" Avatar One rolled his eyes at Mochizuki Hui in mock exasperation.
"Well, he was already right next to me. How could I resist? Besides, if you had just finished him off in the first place, I wouldn't have had to step in," Mochizuki Hui replied calmly.
He placed his hand on Kinkaku's back, and intricate markings began to spread out, forming a beautiful, intricate seal.
"Let's seal him up first, then have Yamanaka do a sweep of his mind and see if things are as I suspected."
After sealing Kinkaku's body, Mochizuki Hui murmured to himself, withdrawing the blade from Kinkaku's heart.
He placed his hand over the wound, green chakra radiating from his palm—it was a healing jutsu. As a master of all forms of ninjutsu, medical ninjutsu was well within his grasp.
"Alright, you're busy now, so we'll be heading out," Avatar One and Avatar Two said, then released their shadow transformation technique, disappearing.
Once they had dissipated, Mochizuki Hui raised his hand, releasing a jutsu into the sky.
Self-Created Technique: Fireworks Release!
The sky bloomed with a massive, brilliant display of fireworks, their colors vibrant and breathtaking.
Far away, the Konoha ANBU squad saw the signal and, realizing the Commander had dealt with the enemies, began to approach the battlefield with both awe and urgency.
When they arrived at the site, they found the ground devastated, a testament to the brutal battle that had taken place. Their shock grew as they surveyed the scene.
"Commander, I can hardly believe you took down all those enemies this fast! Two Kage-level ninjas and twelve Jonin—it's incredible!" The ANBU squad leader stepped up to Mochizuki Hui, unable to mask his awe and admiration.
They knew the Commander was powerful—one of the strongest in the ninja world. But witnessing his prowess firsthand like this made them realize he was practically unstoppable.
"Kinkaku, Ginkaku, and their entire unit defeated so swiftly… Commander, you're unbelievable! Do you have any tips you could share with us?" Another ANBU member asked, looking ready to latch onto Mochizuki Hui's leg in sheer reverence.
"You're amazing, Commander!" the female ANBU member added, her voice brimming with admiration. She was Mochizuki Hui's most devoted fan.
Mochizuki Hui chuckled, waving them off. "Enough with the flattery. We've still got business to attend to. Head over and comb the battlefield. Ya, let's see if we can find out what's hidden in this one's mind."
"Yes, sir!"
The three ANBU scattered to secure the site, while the one known as "Ya" moved to Hui's side, preparing to cast his mind-entry technique on the immobilized Kinkaku.
Ya was from the Yamanaka Clan, with the Secret Technique to enter and search the minds of others.
After a long moment, just as Kinkaku was on the verge of death, Ya's eyes snapped open in shock.
"Commander… another Shinobi World War is about to begin!"
His words made Mochizuki Hui's expression harden as he thought, So it's true.
"Eight days ago, a summit was held by the leaders of the four great villages, with Iwagakure taking the lead. The Raikage, Mizukage, and Kazekage themselves were present, and together they devised a plan targeting you.
"They decided to ambush you by sending Kinkaku and Ginkaku and their squad. And if the ambush failed, they would form an alliance and declare war on Konoha."
"Their objective… is to kill you, Commander!"
Ya's voice trembled as he finished speaking. The news was just too overwhelming—a matter of life and death that would change the entire ninja world.
Hui took a steadying breath, his gaze turning somber. "Well, they certainly think highly of me."
He understood why the four great villages were taking such drastic measures. If someone like Hashirama Senju had emerged in one of the other villages—someone with the potential to become the next God of Shinobi—he would have done the same, forming an alliance to crush that village and eliminate the threat.
"Commander, what should we do?"
The other three ANBU returned, visibly tense from overhearing the news. The female ANBU looked to Mochizuki Hui, her voice tight with worry.
"What can we do? Their aim is to kill the Commander! Are you suggesting we surrender him to the other villages to avoid war? Let them execute him?"
"Of course not! If it's war they want, then it's war they'll get! We've already beaten them once before. It's been ten years—it's time to remind them how powerful Konoha really is!"
"Exactly! Even if every one of us dies, we'll never let anything happen to the Commander!"
Another ANBU member spoke passionately, defiant at the very thought of surrendering Hui. It was an absurd notion, nothing but a fool's fantasy.
"Calm down. Things haven't reached that point yet. Besides, I won't allow you to sacrifice yourselves on my behalf. If they want to destroy Konoha, they'll have to go through me first!"
Hui's voice was steady and resolute. He was no longer the same man who fought in the last ninja war. Now, he was capable of commanding and changing the course of any battle.
"Let's head back to Konoha. If the four great villages want war, then we'll give them one!"
Mochizuki Hui declared, sealing the Six Paths tools into his ninja pouch and setting off with his squad at top speed back toward Konoha.
Though unafraid, Mochizuki Hui knew that war meant loss. And he was determined to minimize that loss, to prevent as many deaths as possible.
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