Chapter 89
<span style="font-weight:400">Just as Hui was about to finish off ōnoki, an unexpected change urred.
<span style="font-weight:400">ōnoki, lying on the ground, abruptly turned, and a burst of white light erupted from his hands.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
<span style="font-weight:400">It was the Dust Release, aimed directly at the nearby Hui.
<span style="font-weight:400">However, Hui seemed to have anticipated it. He swiftly retreated, dodging the attack. This gave ōnoki a very brief window of opportunity. Despite the excruciating pain ravaging his body, he used thest of his chakra to rise into the air and fled without looking back.
<span style="font-weight:400">Seeing this, Hui did not pursue him.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Captain, should we chase after him? He’s so badly injured, he won’t get far!" one of the Konoha Anbu members, who had been watching the epic battle from afar, finally dared to approach, his face filled with excitement and exhration.
<span style="font-weight:400">The recent battle had been a spectacle, leaving them all awestruck and boiling with adrenaline.
<span style="font-weight:400">But Hui shook his head, refusing the suggestion.
<span style="font-weight:400">"No, I never intended to kill him this time. Otherwise, thatst sword strike would have pierced his heart," Hui exined, noticing the confused expressions on his subordinates'' faces.
<span style="font-weight:400">"ōnoki is different from Ishigawa. He is the grandson of the First Tsuchikage and the inheritor of the Second Tsuchikage’s Dust Release. He holds immense influence in Iwagakure and is almost certain to be the next Tsuchikage. He is far too important to Iwagakure. If I were to kill him here, there’s a 90% chance that Iwagakure would dere war on Konoha.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Although Konoha does not fear war, starting a conflict over someone like ōnoki is not worth it. Besides, if Iwagakure were to dere war, who knows if the other viges would join in?
<span style="font-weight:400">“Konoha has only had peace for five years. We are in a period of rapid development, and I don’t want to see Konoha dragged back into the vortex of war."
<span style="font-weight:400">After hearing this, the Anbu members finally understood, nodding in agreement.
<span style="font-weight:400">It was true—plunging Konoha into war over ōnoki, especially during this crucial time of growth, would be a massive loss for them.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Let’s move on and continue with our mission."
<span style="font-weight:400">"Yes, Captain!" they replied in unison, their voices filled with respect.
<span style="font-weight:400">Witnessing Hui defeat ōnoki had left them in awe, and their admiration for his long-term vision only deepened.
<span style="font-weight:400">Although Hui was just over eleven years old, it didn’t stop him from being a leader they respected wholeheartedly.
<span style="font-weight:400">On the other side, as ōnoki realized that Hui wasn’t pursuing him, he breathed a sigh of relief.
<span style="font-weight:400">He forced his body to keep flying, even though pain continuously wracked him. The sword still embedded in his body was something he didn’t dare pull out—doing so would surely kill him.
<span style="font-weight:400">This battle had ended in a devastating loss for him. He didn’t want to think about it any longer, just hoping to find a safe ce tond.
<span style="font-weight:400">Spotting Iwagakure’s Anbu rushing towards the battlefield below, ōnoki felt a sense of relief. His body rxed, and he began to fall from the sky.
<span style="font-weight:400">His injuries were far too severe, and the flight had used up nearly all his remaining chakra. He was on the verge of death—if he didn’t get treatment soon, he would likely perish.
<span style="font-weight:400">The Iwagakure Anbu below noticed ōnoki’s falling form, their expressions changing dramatically.
<span style="font-weight:400">One of them quickly leaped into the air, catching ōnoki’s body and bringing him safely to the ground.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Commander?!"
<span style="font-weight:400">Seeing the sword lodged in ōnoki and feeling the wet blood staining their hands, the Anbu member''s face turned pale. But he received no response, as ōnoki had already passed out.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Quick, get the medics!"
<span style="font-weight:400">...
<span style="font-weight:400">When ōnoki finally woke up three dayster, it was from a nightmare. He jolted awake, drenched in sweat.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Ghost!!!"
<span style="font-weight:400">The memory of Hui piercing his heart with a sword in the dream left him gritting his teeth in anger, but there was a hint of fear in his eyes.
<span style="font-weight:400">It had been over a decade since ōnoki hadst felt such terror.
<span style="font-weight:400">He hadn’t been this close to death in a long, long time. Thest time he felt this way was when he faced that man from Konoha—Uchiha Madara!
<span style="font-weight:400">This time, he had entered the Anbu battlefield full of rage and confidence, determined to kill Hui and avenge Ishigawa.
<span style="font-weight:400">But after a one-on-one confrontation, he had been utterly crushed, nearly losing his life. From start to finish, Hui hadpletely overwhelmed him.
<span style="font-weight:400">And now, as his thoughts cleared, ōnoki realized the reason he was still alive—it was because Hui had chosen not to kill him. After all, that sword could have pierced his heart.
<span style="font-weight:400">Hui’s words after ōnoki fell made it clear. If it weren’t for the desire to avoid war, ōnoki would already be dead.
<span style="font-weight:400">This realization left a deep psychological impact on ōnoki, casting a shadow over his mind.
<span style="font-weight:400">While ōnoki was dealing with this mental blow, Hui had already moved on to the Land of Mushrooms, beginning another mission—one filled with even more bloodshed.
<span style="font-weight:400">Though Hui’s heart rejected these kinds of missions, he carried them out with unwaveringmitment. If Konoha were to avoid being stabbed in the back in the next great war, which would inevitably happen, these smaller rebelling viges had to be wiped out.
<span style="font-weight:400">As far as Hui was concerned, every life had value, and all lives were equal. However, in his heart, the lives of Konoha’s people were more important. Therefore, those other lives had to be sacrificed.
<span style="font-weight:400">Perhaps out of a sense of guilt orpassion, Hui always made his kills quick and clean, ending lives in a single strike before they even realized what was happening. It was the only kindness he could offer these innocents.
<span style="font-weight:400">Along the way, Hui also encountered Anbu from Kumogakure, but they were no match for him and were easily wiped out.
<span style="font-weight:400">This was the battlefield of the Anbu. When it came to enemies from other viges, Hui showed no mercy.
<span style="font-weight:400">Of course, he also knew how not to push things too far, avoiding actions that could spark a full-scale war between the viges.
<span style="font-weight:400">Still, Hui’s return to the Anbu battlefield quickly became known throughout the ninja world, reaching the ears of all the major hidden viges.
<span style="font-weight:400">The name "Konoha’s Ghost" resounded once more, as Hui walked in the shadows, continuously iming the lives of Anbu from other viges.
<span style="font-weight:400">As for the battle between Hui and ōnoki, it remainedrgely under wraps. Iwagakure felt too ashamed of the oue and saw no reason to publicize it.
<span style="font-weight:400">Why reveal Hui’s true strength? It was better to let other viges sh with him.
<span style="font-weight:400">On Konoha’s side, Hui wasn’t one to brag. After all, it was just the not-in-his-prime ōnoki—what was there to talk about? If he had defeated the Second Tsuchikage, now, that would be worth bragging about.
<span style="font-weight:400">Time marched on. Hui continued to shine on the Anbu battlefield, cutting down any opposition in his path.
<span style="font-weight:400">The name "Konoha’s Ghost" echoed throughout the ninja world—an unstoppable force in the dark.
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