Chapter 82

Looking at the appointment letter in his hand, Hui could only sigh in resignation. It seemed there was no escaping his fate with the Anbu.

But there was no helping it. Tobirama had been grooming Hui for a purpose, and his previous goal for Hui's time in the Anbu hadn't been fully realized yet. Hui still needed to remain in the Anbu for a while longer.

Only those who had experienced true darkness could fully yearn for the light. The shinobi world was far from pure, and a Hokage needed the courage and ruthlessness to wield the shadows.

Thus, Hui had one more task ahead of him—one that Tobirama had specially prepared.

Upon becoming the division captain, Hui officially stepped down as the squad leader of the Fourth Squad. From now on, he wouldn't be conducting missions with the Fourth Squad. 

It left him feeling a bit melancholic; the Fourth Squad had been one of the most significant parts of his life so far, carrying many of his cherished memories. Now, as the division captain, the Fourth Squad would slowly fade from his day-to-day life.

However, as long as he was alive and the Fourth Squad remained, that bond would never truly break. With that in mind, Hui set aside his wistfulness. It was time to assume his new responsibilities.

But before he officially took up his new post, there was something he needed to do—visit Shuhei Takahara–Hunter.

Hui had only recently learned that Hunter had suffered irreparable damage to his body during the incident two months ago, his injuries inflicted by Iwagakure's Anbu. He would never be able to serve as a shinobi again.

When Hui finally met Hunter, he had expected to find a broken man—downcast and dejected. To his surprise, what he saw was a young man with a wide smile, playing with children nearby.

"Captain?!" Hunter exclaimed, noticing Hui's arrival. He quickly rushed over, his face lighting up with joy. "It's been so long! It's great to see you again!"

He spoke with such excitement and energy, clearly thrilled by the reunion.

"I was right all along, wasn't I? I knew you'd become famous throughout the shinobi world, Captain!" Hunter beamed with pride, as if it was his own accomplishment.

Hui could see the warmth in Hunter's eyes, a zest for life that was unmistakable. 

Any words of comfort Hui had prepared vanished. Instead, he smiled and said, "It's not just me who's famous—it's the Fourth Squad, including you."

Hunter laughed heartily at that. "I'm a hero of the village too! You don't know this, but my little cousin really looks up to me!" Hunter pulled the young boy over proudly.

"Ahhh!!! It's you, Hui—the Light of Konoha!" the boy squealed, his eyes sparkling like stars as he stared at Hui, looking at him as though he were a celebrity.

Hunter: （*＾-＾*）

Hui: (￣▽￣) ?

Guess this runs in the family then? 

It seemed that after his recent battle, Hui had amassed quite a number of fans in Konoha, though most of them were children under the age of twelve…

After calming down his young admirer, Hui turned back to Hunter. "What will you do now, Hunter?"

"Me? I'll be working at the ninja academy, teaching kids about ninjutsu and academic subjects. Those don't require chakra, after all," Hunter said with a casual shrug, clearly having already planned his future.

Hui smiled at his friend's optimism. "Then, I'll leave the village's future in your capable hands."

"Don't worry, Captain! The Anbu has you, and the academy has me!" Hunter declared confidently.

After a while, Hui bid Hunter farewell and left. He felt as though a weight had been lifted from his heart.

As Hunter watched Hui walk away, his eyes sparkled with hope but also a tinge of regret. "I wish I could've remained under your command, Captain," 

He whispered softly, his voice carried away by the wind and drowned out by his cousin's excited chatter.

With his visit to Hunter over, Hui returned home to pack. 

After all, he wasn't just taking up his new position in Konoha—the First Division of the Anbu was currently stationed outside the village.

The Cold War was still ongoing, and the First Division was currently in a small country called the Land of Waves. As the newly appointed division captain, Hui needed to head to the battlefield to assume his duties.

When Tsunade found out that Hui was once again being sent on a mission, she nearly stormed into Tobirama's office in a fit of rage. Thankfully, Hui managed to stop her.

"Don't worry, Tsunade. This time, nothing bad will happen. Don't forget—I'm a kage-level shinobi now, with exceptional strength. And you know how cautious I am. Trust me, okay?" Hui reassured her.

Still, Tsunade wasn't convinced, her expression showing her lingering concern.

After all, Hui had already been carried back to the village in critical condition—twice…

In the end, though, Tsunade reluctantly let him go. After all, it was a mission, and Hui was now an Anbu division captain. 

Still, deep down, something had shifted for Tsunade. She now had a clear vision of her future path. She was determined to become the greatest medical ninja, one who could heal anything!

As for Hui, after saying his farewells to Tsunade, he set off for the Land of Waves. It was a small country situated between the Land of Fire, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Lightning Country, in a buffer zone that bordered the Land of Fire.

Truth be told, the Land of Fire had always treated the Land of Waves fairly well, treating them like a younger sibling. Konoha had even helped Land of Waves withstand attacks from other villages in the past.

However, during the last great shinobi war, the Land of Waves had turned against the The Land of Fire. 

When the four great nations joined forces to invade the Land of Fire, many smaller nations, including the Land of Waves, saw it as an opportunity to carve out some territory for themselves. Once the war began, Land of Waves wasted no time in declaring war on the Land of Fire and launching an attack.

What Land of Waves hadn't expected was for Konoha to emerge victorious against overwhelming odds, defeating all four great nations and their shinobi villages. After the war, Land of Waves lived in constant fear that Konoha would retaliate for their betrayal.

Four years passed, and the Land of Fire had shown no signs of seeking revenge, leading Land of Waves to slowly let down their guard.

But with the current unrest in the shinobi world, and the covert wars being waged by mysterious forces (which everyone knew were really the Anbu of the great villages), old fears of Land of Waves resurfaced. With Hui's name now known throughout the shinobi world, Land of Wave's leaders grew even more anxious.

In response, Waves quickly aligned itself with the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning, hoping the strength of those two great nations would help protect them from Konoha's retribution.

Hui's mission as captain of the First Division? To wipe out the Village of Waves, even under the protection of Iwagakure and Kumogakure's Anbu.

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