Chapter 133
<span style="font-weight:400">“So, what do you think, Jiraiya? Not bad, right?” Hui asked calmly, as if he’d just tossed an ordinary shuriken rather than a powerful sage technique.
<span style="font-weight:400">Jiraiya snapped out of his shock, though he remained tense, unable to find the words to respond.
<span style="font-weight:400">Finally, he forced augh and stammered, “Uh, actually, I just remembered—Sarutobi-sensei was looking for me. I’ve got to run!”
<span style="font-weight:400">With that, he turned and darted away as fast as he could, as if a mythical beast were chasing him. Hui couldn’t help but smile as he watched Jiraiya flee.
<span style="font-weight:400">When it came to showing off, Hui was unbeatable.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Alright, so sage jutsu ising along nicely. Now, what should I focus on next?” he wondered aloud, briefly at a loss. “Right—sealing jutsu!”
<span style="font-weight:400">His eyes lit up as he remembered the next thing he needed to work on.
<span style="font-weight:400">Until recently, Konoha had possessed only a limited number of sealing techniques, and none were particrly powerful.
<span style="font-weight:400">But after the recent alliance with the Uzumaki n following the Uzushiogakure incident, Konoha’s Sealing Scroll had gained some impressive new additions.
<span style="font-weight:400">These sealing jutsu served as part of the Uzumaki’s contribution to Konoha, a show ofmitment as they sought to integrate into the vige.
<span style="font-weight:400">With his goal in mind, Hui headed directly to the Hokage’s office.
<span style="font-weight:400">After exining his request to Tobirama, it took only a few minutes before Hui had one of Konoha’s most treasured possessions in his hands: the Scroll of Seals.
<span style="font-weight:400">Opening it, he couldn’t help but notice that Tobirama himself had authored most of the jutsu inside. It was no wonder he was called the Master of Forbidden Jutsu.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Got it!”
<span style="font-weight:400">Hui’s eyes brightened as he found the section contributed by the Uzumaki n. “Four Symbols Seal, Five Elements Seal, Eight Trigrams Seal… Ah, these all sound familiar.”
<span style="font-weight:400">He pushed down a momentary feeling of nostalgia, then settled in to study the new techniques.
<span style="font-weight:400">Sealing jutsu was unquestionably powerful in the shinobi world. However, their learning curve was steep, and those without strongprehension could hardly hope to master them.
<span style="font-weight:400">While Hui’s aptitude was exceptional, even he couldn’t grasp sealing jutsu at a nce.
<span style="font-weight:400">Hours passed as he pored over the scroll, and only when the sky turned a dusky yellow with the setting sun did he close the scroll, rubbing his temples.
<span style="font-weight:400">“No wonder people call sealing techniques profound and limitless. Just learning these jutsu is challenging enough, let alone modifying them. It’ll take a lot of time and effort... But that’s fine. Time is something I have plenty of.”
<span style="font-weight:400">He packed up the Scroll of Seals and headed home, intending to seek out Mito Uzumaki for guidance.
<span style="font-weight:400">After all, she was the Uzumaki princess and the most knowledgeable person in sealing jutsu in the shinobi world. Learning from her would surely be more effective than relying solely on his own study.
<span style="font-weight:400">Unbeknownst to Hui, shortly after he left his training spot, a dark figure emerged, looking thoughtfully in the direction he had gone.
<span style="font-weight:400">“A truly remarkable young shinobi,” it murmured. “Not a reincarnation of Indra or Asura, yet capable of reaching such heights. I’ll have to n carefully…”
<span style="font-weight:400">Back in the Senjupound, Hui returned just in time to spot his “little brother-inw” Nawakiing home as well.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Brother-inw!” Nawaki’s face lit up, and he ran over. He idolized Hui.
<span style="font-weight:400">“How’s the academy going, Nawaki?” Hui asked, ruffling his hair affectionately.
<span style="font-weight:400">He enjoyed Nawaki’s energy and enthusiasm, which reminded him of Naruto’s spirit from the future.
<span style="font-weight:400">“The stuff they teach at the academy? I already know it all! I’m going to graduate early, just like you did!” Nawaki dered proudly, admiration shining in his eyes.
<span style="font-weight:400">Hui’s reputation had spread across the entire shinobi world, and in Konoha, his story was well-known.
<span style="font-weight:400">Many young shinobi aspired to follow in his footsteps, and early graduation had even be something of a trend among Konoha’s ninja academy students.
<span style="font-weight:400">However, in these peaceful times, there was no pressing need to rush genin to the battlefield. Only exceptionally gifted students, or those close to the graduation age, were allowed to finish early.
<span style="font-weight:400">Hui didn’t truly want Nawaki to graduate early, though. He believed children should have a full and carefree childhood.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Haha, alright! I’ll look forward to hearing good news, then,” he replied with a smile, holding Nawaki’s hand as they walked together into the Senjupound.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Don’t worry, Brother-inw! I’ll be the ‘Tree Emperor’ one day and sweep across the shinobi world, defeating all enemies!” Nawaki dered confidently.
<span style="font-weight:400">Hui’s smile faltered slightly. He knew he probably shouldn’t have shared certain heroic stories with Nawaki, as it had given him grandiose dreams of bing the “Tree Emperor” and crushing all opponents.
<span style="font-weight:400">His influence had sent Nawaki’s ambitions soaring in a somewhat… unusual direction.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Alright, future Tree Emperor,” Hui said, stifling a chuckle. “Go get ready for dinner.”
<span style="font-weight:400">After Nawaki left, Hui made his way to Mito Uzumaki’s quarters.
<span style="font-weight:400">Meanwhile, the Nine-Tails within Mito stirred in silent contemtion.
<span style="font-weight:400">If it had once thought Hui seemed inhuman, now the Nine-Tails was certain: this boy was no ordinary human.
<span style="font-weight:400">“It’s only been sixteen years, yet this kid has grown this much. Before long, he might reach the level of Madara Uchiha or Hashirama Senju…”
<span style="font-weight:400">The Nine-Tails brooded darkly. “But if that happens, what will be of me? Am I really doomed to spend eternity bound inside a human?”
<span style="font-weight:400">It thought back to those men—the ones who had so easily controlled it, who could hold it down with a single hand and yet deem it “too strong.”
<span style="font-weight:400">A wave of despair washed over it. Its fate seemed sealed, its future eternally shadowed, much like the dark, damp cell it now inhabited.
<span style="font-weight:400">Just then, Hui entered Mito’s room, finding her lost in thought as she gazed at an old photograph. The picture was of a man with long, wild hair—Hashirama Senju.
<span style="font-weight:400">She seemed so absorbed in her memories, stroking the photo with her wrinkled hand, a gentle smile on her face, recalling moments of happiness. Seeing this, Hui’s expression grew serious.
<span style="font-weight:400">Since gaining his life-manipting eye ability, Hui had be sensitive to life force and could now see that Mito’s life was fading, like a candle guttering in the wind. At most, she had three years left to live.
<span style="font-weight:400">Hui knew he could use his eyes to extend her life a little, but he had no ns to do so. In this world, souls were real, and for Mito, death would mean reuniting with Hashirama.
<span style="font-weight:400">Hui sensed that Mito had already epted the idea of death and was simply lingering to watch over her loved ones and the vige a little longer.
<span style="font-weight:400">Understanding this, Hui decided he would not interfere.
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