On this day, Hui remained in Uzushio, overseeing his plans and awaiting reports. Meanwhile, Hatake Sakumo continued leading his squad in relentless assaults.
Every ninja from other villages, particularly those from Anbu, that Sakumo’s sensor-nin detected were swiftly and mercilessly eliminated. The reputation of "Konoha’s White Fang" was spreading further.
That same day, numerous ninjas from various hidden villages landed on the shores of the Land of Whirlpools, preparing to execute their long-planned schemes.
Uzushio, however, remained as peaceful and lively as ever.
Despite Uzumaki Suihei’s knowledge that foreign Anbu were infiltrating the country, he seemed unconcerned, as though he had unwavering confidence in himself and the Uzumaki clan's strength.
While Suihei remained calm, Hui spent the next few days refining his plans. When not strategizing, he sparred with Uzumaki Mina, extracting every possible bit of knowledge about sealing techniques from her.
In exchange, he shared various ninjutsu training methods with her, although none of it was too crucial.
"Your talent is truly astonishing, Hui-kun. You seem like you were born to master sealing techniques. If only you were part of the Uzumaki clan!" Mina sighed, both impressed and envious as she watched Hui deftly execute the Binding Seal, a technique she had secretly exchanged with him.
The trade felt uneven to Mina. She had taught Hui the C-rank Binding Seal, while in return, he had given her a B-rank Wind Release technique, Vacuum Sphere. Though she was grateful, she couldn’t help but feel guilty, believing Hui had given more than he received.
But Hui didn’t mind at all, smiling as if it were nothing.
After just a single day, Hui had fully mastered the Binding Seal, which had taken Mina much longer to learn. He not only performed the technique with incredible precision but also executed it faster and more efficiently than she ever could.
It felt as though Hui was the seasoned expert, and she the beginner—a realization that left Mina slightly demoralized.
"Haha, really? I found the seal quite simple," Hui remarked with a chuckle, sensing Mina’s feelings.
"Simple? You have no idea how long it took me to learn that technique. Hui-kun, do you have some kind of special training method?" Mina asked, her eyes lighting up as she considered the possibility that Hui had a secret approach to mastering techniques so quickly.
Hui paused, then, after a moment of thought, gave her a puzzled look. "Isn’t it just a matter of having hands?" he replied, his tone teasing.
Mina froze, her face stiffening. "Having… hands?" she repeated in disbelief. Was he implying she lacked hands?
Noticing her expression, Hui realized he might have taken the joke too far. "Oh, wait!" he added quickly, trying to smooth things over. "It’s not just about having hands..."
Mina’s expression softened a little, but then Hui delivered the punchline: "You also need a brain."
Mina was left completely speechless, her face turning to stone as she processed his words.
Was he saying she lacked both hands and a brain? She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, while Hui simply grinned, clearly amused by his little prank.
At that moment, an Anbu appeared beside Hui. "Vice-Captain, this is the latest report from White Fang," the ninja said, handing Hui a folded note.
Hui’s eyes brightened as he took the note, quickly scanning its contents. After reading it, he paused for a moment, then gave his orders. "Tell White Fang his mission is complete. Also, recall all operatives currently deployed."
"Understood!" The Anbu disappeared immediately after receiving the orders.
"Hui-kun, what did you find?" Mina asked curiously, noticing his serious demeanor.
"We’ve identified the origin of the mysterious ninjas," Hui replied. He didn’t bother hiding the truth. "They’re from several villages—Kirigakure, Sunagakure, Iwagakure, Kumogakure, Takigakure, Kusagakure… a lot of them."
Mina’s eyes widened in shock. "So many of the hidden villages? I need to tell Father!" she exclaimed, grabbing Hui’s hand and rushing him toward Uzumaki Suihei’s office.
When Suihei heard the news, his expression darkened. "So many Anbu from different villages infiltrating the Land of Whirlpools? What are they planning? Are they trying to destroy us?" he muttered, his calm demeanor slipping as worry crept in.
"Why wouldn’t they?" Hui said seriously. He met Suihei’s gaze and continued, "If these Anbu are all here at the same time, I can’t think of any reason other than to wipe out the Land of Whirlpools."
Suihei’s breath caught in his throat, and he frowned deeply. "But with just these Anbu, they wouldn’t be able to destroy our country. The Uzumaki clan is strong," he argued.
"True, if it were only the Anbu, it wouldn’t be enough. But what if each of these villages sent elite squads, with just thirty ninjas per squad? With that kind of force, they could destroy Uzushio," Hui explained calmly.
"But there’s no way a force like that could slip past Konoha without being noticed, right?" Mina chimed in, still clinging to the hope that their alliance with Konoha would protect them.
"Normally, you’d be right," Hui acknowledged. "But what if all these villages were working together?"
Mina’s face went pale at the thought. While the hidden villages were often at odds, if they had united for a common purpose…
"Father, we need to contact the Second Hokage and ask for help right away!" Suihei agreed, his voice urgent.
Hui’s words had shaken him, and he now realized that the situation was far more dangerous than he had initially thought.
If they didn’t act quickly, the Land of Whirlpools could indeed face destruction.
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