章節 116: Chapter 116

"Main… main body? What does that mean?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked, bewildered.

"It means that this isn't the original—just an avatar. Hmm… you could think of it as a shadow clone," replied another voice from the forest. Everyone turned to see another Mochizuki Hui emerging, this time carrying the unconscious figure of Ay.

It was the true Hui. With a few quick leaps, he landed beside the group, gently placing Ay on the ground. Glancing toward the forest, he said, "It seems we're all here now."

"Indeed, all here," came yet another voice. Hui appeared once more, this time alongside the exhausted figure of Ōnoki as they emerged from the trees.

Seeing this, the assembled shinobi—whether from the Uzumaki clan, the various villages, or even Konoha itself—were left utterly speechless. Some felt as though their minds were playing tricks on them, or worse, that they'd fallen under a genjutsu.

"Weren't you asking how I'd resolve this crisis?" Hui said to Ōnoki, jolting the elder shinobi from his stupor.

Looking around, Ōnoki took in the sight of the unconscious Ay and the Third Kazekage, along with Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, and three versions of Hui himself. Dizzy and disoriented, he struggled to find words.

"You… you…!" he stammered, finally too stunned to say anything coherent.

"What is going on?!" Hiruzen demanded, still in shock.

"Ah, as you can see, it took some effort, but I was able to subdue all three of them," one of Hui's clones said, turning to Hui's original self.

"Now that you're here, we'll be on our way. Everyone, goodbye." With that, both shadow clones disappeared into thin air.

Ōnoki's eyes widened, his breath coming in short, heavy gasps. "I was defeated… by a shadow clone?!" He couldn't accept it, the idea that he, a renowned shinobi, had been outmatched by a mere shadow of Hui's strength.

"Not exactly a shadow clone," Hui replied calmly. "I call it a 'Shadow Manifestation,' an enhanced version of the shadow clone technique." It was just a name, after all, and he didn't mind revealing it.

A surge of humiliation and bitterness washed over Ōnoki. He opened his mouth, but no words came. All he felt was defeat, a bone-deep feeling that weighed him down, making him slump with resignation.

"This… this is absurd!" shouted one of the elite jōnin from the allied villages, his voice filled with disbelief as he looked between the unconscious bodies of Ay and the Third Kazekage and the defeated Ōnoki.

These were no ordinary shinobi but legendary figures in the ninja world, and yet they'd all been defeated by one person. He couldn't fathom it.

"I must be trapped in a genjutsu! Release! Why won't it break?!" he cried, furiously attempting to dispel the illusion. After several failed attempts, he collapsed to his knees, muttering incoherently to himself.

Chiyo watched in stunned silence, sighing deeply.

She looked at Hui—the young shinobi who had singlehandedly defeated three successors to the title of Kage. It was something she'd never thought possible, something that should have been unimaginable.

Her mind drifted to the battle. Four Kage-level shinobi, ten elite jōnin, and more than thirty regular jōnin had marched in, determined to obliterate the Land of Whirlpools and take down Hui in the process.

But it hadn't gone as planned. The Mist Village had been forced to retreat after a single ambush and a few well-chosen words. The remaining forces were dismantled, with half of their soldiers killed or captured. And the three leaders they'd relied on were now lying defeated.

It all felt like a dream—one she couldn't wake from.

Lost in thought, Chiyo's resolve faltered, and she felt an unexpected wave of despondency.

This bewilderment wasn't limited to Chiyo. Shinobi from the allied villages stared in silent disbelief, questioning everything they thought they knew.

Even the Uzumaki clan, who had won the battle, felt uncertain about how to react. It was a decisive victory, one that had preserved Uzushiogakure, but they were too stunned to feel joy.

They couldn't help but stare at Hui, a storm of emotions surging through them.

Uzumaki Suihei was no different, still frozen in astonishment. For a fleeting moment, he felt like he was looking at his brother-in-law, Hashirama Senju—but no, Hui was something else entirely.

"Konoha… has given rise to a truly remarkable shinobi," he murmured quietly.

The Konoha shinobi, meanwhile, had moved past their initial shock, overcome with admiration and pride. This was especially true for the members of the ANBU.

Many of them had joined the organization because of tales about the Konoha's Ghost. Now, standing before them was that very figure—their Deputy Commander, the young shinobi who had defeated three Kage-level enemies alone.

Regardless of the methods he'd used, there, lying before them, were the unconscious bodies of two Kage-level shinobi and a third, humiliated and resigned. This feat was something beyond imagination, something practically unheard of in the ninja world.

And yet, they were witnessing it now, in the flesh. It had been accomplished by none other than their Deputy Commander, Mochizuki Hui.

"As expected of our Deputy Commander," Sakumo Hatake said, his gaze filled with admiration. "From now on, Konoha's light will illuminate the entire ninja world."

"Remarkable, Hui! I never imagined your strength had reached this level!" Hiruzen marveled, unable to contain his admiration. He'd known Hui since he was six, having watched over him for the past nine years as he grew from a promising young shinobi into a powerhouse capable of defeating three Kage-level foes.

The sight filled Hiruzen with a deep sense of pride and satisfaction, a sense of shared achievement.

Even Shimura Danzo, usually reserved, couldn't hide his amazement. Though he hadn't interacted much with Hui, he had long regarded him as an exceptional junior. Over the years, he had been increasingly impressed by Hui's strength and reputation, and when Hui took on the role of Deputy Commander of the ANBU, he'd seen him as a rising talent of the next generation.

Yet, today, Danzo was forced to recognize that Hui had already transcended that label. Hui's strength and intellect were now beyond his own, and perhaps even surpassed Hiruzen's.

A strange feeling of inadequacy and bewilderment welled up inside Danzo.

"Why are you all standing there in a daze? Let's clear the battlefield," Hui said with a small smile as he noticed everyone staring at him. He understood that what he'd accomplished today might seem shocking to them.

The group snapped to attention, responding almost instinctively with a resounding, "Yes!" In that moment, Hui wasn't just their Deputy Commander—he was their leader, Konoha's shadow in every sense of the word.

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