Chapter 243: Chapter 243
"Everyone, calm down. That person has appeared in so many places across the shinobi world without causing any disasters. He's clearly not traveling for war this time."
After a few moments of silence, it was an older shinobi who finally spoke up.
The others let out a collective sigh of relief.
Although none of them had ever faced Hui directly, they had all heard countless tales of his exploits.
Moreover, their Second Mizukage had been killed by Hui on the battlefield near Kirigakure. For many, even mentioning his name was enough to make their hearts tremble.
"Drink up! Whether that person comes to Kirigakure or not isn't something we lowly shinobi can control. And even if he does, it's up to the village's higher-ups and elite shinobi to deal with him."
The group laughed nervously and continued drinking.
As the sake flowed, one of them, seemingly emboldened, leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "Have you heard? There's a genius from the Hozuki Clan who's said to have the potential to rival that person!"
"Huh?!"
"Really?"
"Why haven't I heard of this?!"
Their curiosity was instantly piqued, and even Hui found himself interested in the conversation.
Logically, any genius capable of rivaling him shouldn't be an obscure figure. He should have heard of such a person.
But no matter how much he searched his memory, he couldn't think of anyone who matched the description.
In the original story, the only notable members of the Hozuki Clan were the already-deceased Second Mizukage, Hozuki Gengetsu, and the future Hozuki Mangetsu and Suigetsu.
Deciding it was worth investigating, Hui decided to check out this so-called genius.
It was also a timely reminder. He had long been Interested in Hozuki Clan's Hydrification Technique.
This was the perfect opportunity to study it.
With that thought, he paid his bill and headed in the direction indicated by his senses.
…
The Hozuki Clan was one of Kirigakure's most powerful clans, holding significant status within the village. The Second Mizukage, Hozuki Gengetsu, was a member of this clan, and during his era, the Hozuki Clan was arguably the most dominant in Kirigakure.
However, after Hozuki Gengetsu died in the last war, the clan's influence waned somewhat.
Nevertheless, the Hozuki Clan remained a powerful family with many elite shinobi. Their compound was heavily guarded, making infiltration nearly impossible for ordinary ninja.
Even approaching the area unnoticed was a challenge for even the skilled.
But Hui was no ordinary ninja. He absorbed all the chakra in his body, converting it into light energy.
Using light refraction, he rendered himself invisible, casually strolling into the Hozuki Clan's territory.
Using natural energy to heighten his senses, Hui quickly located the so-called genius of the Hozuki Clan.
He silently approached the courtyard where the young talent was training.
The genius in question was a boy of about seven or eight, with bright, intelligent eyes. At that moment, he was sparring with an older shinobi.
Watching them, Hui nodded in approval.
The boy was indeed a prodigy.
Despite his young age, he already had the foundational strength of a high-level chunin.
Coupled with his mastery of the Hydrification Technique and the Hozuki Clan's water-style ninjutsu, his combat prowess easily reached the level of a tokubetsu jonin.
For someone his age to achieve this level of skill made him more talented than even Kakashi in the original series.
As to why this genius never became a prominent figure in the shinobi world, the most likely explanation was an early death.
Otherwise, someone with this level of talent shouldn't have faded into obscurity.
After observing for a while, Hui quietly left.
While the boy was undeniably a genius, Hui didn't believe he could ever reach his own level.
At this stage, mere talent and effort weren't enough to achieve what he had.
Consider the shinobi world's history, those who could dominate the entire shinobi world were hardly ordinary.
Indra and Ashura, the children of the Sage of Six Paths.
Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, the reincarnations of Ashura and Indra.
Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, their reincarnations in the next era.
Outside these exceptional figures, the only other ninja to reach this level was Obito Uchiha.
Even Might Guy, with his Eighth Gate, fell short of this standard.
While devastatingly powerful for a short time, he couldn't sustain it long enough to dominate the shinobi world alone.
Ultimately, Obito Uchiha was the only "ordinary" ninja to reach such heights—and even he had Madara's guidance and manipulation behind him.
The Hozuki boy clearly didn't have access to such 'Cheats'.
....
Hui began wandering around the Hozuki Clan's compound, taking the opportunity to search for the Hydrification Technique.
As expected, such a vital secret was heavily protected, likely hidden in a secure vault.
For an ordinary person, locating this technique would be a difficult, if not impossible, task.
But Hui was different. His powerful sensory abilities and unique techniques gave him a distinct edge.
After a thorough search, however, he came up empty-handed.
"Why must you make this so difficult for me? You're really forcing me to act like a villain," he muttered, gazing at a sleeping member of the Hozuki Clan.
This individual was one of the clan's most prominent members, with the purest bloodline, and a candidate for the next clan head.
Hui silently put the man to sleep and infiltrated his mental world, extracting the information he needed.
To the Hozuki shinobi, it would seem like nothing more than a fleeting dream that would soon be forgotten upon waking.
…
Spirit Transformation Technique truly is useful, Hui thought to himself, Although I can't fully transform into a spirit, it allows me to directly invade another's mental world.
He couldn't help but lament. The Spirit Transformation Technique was one of his regrets, like the Eight Gates, its effects were less than ideal when he used it.
Originally, he had hoped to use the technique to explore the secrets of the Pure Land. Unfortunately, it hadn't worked as he'd envisioned.
"The Hydrification Technique is indeed fascinating, but it's potential is where it's worth lay!"
After briefly reviewing the knowledge he had imprinted into his memory, Hui's eyes lit up.
His thoughts immediately raced toward new possibilities. such as Light Transformation.
The primary weakness of the Hydrification Technique was its susceptibility to lightning. But what if it were light instead?
If he could transform his body into light itself…
The mere thought filled Hui with excitement.
He knew, however, that such an idea would be exceptionally difficult to realize.
If it were easy, the Hozuki Clan's secret technique wouldn't be just water-based, it could have been wind, lightning, or even fire (though the thought of a "Fire Transformation Technique" sounded unsettling).
Clearly, the limitations lay in what was achievable.
But just because others couldn't achieve it didn't mean Hui couldn't.
Although he longed to start researching immediately, he forced himself to set the idea aside for now.
He had far too many techniques to study already. If he researched each one the moment he acquired it, he'd spend his entire life buried in experiments.
Even with eternal life, the number of possible techniques that there is in the cosmos was infinite.
"Now that I have the Hydrification Technique, I'll take a quick look around before heading for Shikkotsu Forest. Maybe I'll visit the Land of Iron as well."
Satisfied, Hui quietly left the Hozuki Clan's compound.
After all, he had already copied all the Hozuki Clan's techniques stored in the mind of the man he'd infiltrated.
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