With Hui's rise to shadow-level strength, Konoha had been concealing his growth from the public. Now, they had chosen the perfect moment to reveal him—not just as a demonstration of power, but as a trap. They took advantage of the situation to go fishing... and the bait was Yun Yin.
The first to realize the truth was the tall, slender Cloud ninja. He quickly pieced together the events leading up to their predicament.
The other two elite Jonin from Kumogakure also became aware of the looming danger.
A shadow-level opponent, hidden in the shadows until now—this wasn't a coincidence. They had clearly been led here to be suppressed and eradicated. With Hui revealing himself now, it meant he was confident enough to keep them here.
Unfortunately, it was already too late to retreat.
"Water Release: Storm Surge!"
Of course Hui, a Water Release master, would have developed his own signature jutsu.
The sea surged violently, responding to his chakra as if awakening. Giant waves layered upon one another, crashing and spiraling across the surface. Each wave dwarfed the last, until monstrous torrents—each tens of meters high—converged toward the center of the battlefield.
More terrifying was that Hui wasn't simply creating chaos—he was controlling it.
From all directions, waves slammed down like hammers from nature itself.
Without specific means, ninjas couldn't fly. And here, on this vast open sea, they had no ground to retreat to. Standing on water was one thing—contending with an ocean whipped into madness by Hui was another. As the sea buckled and rose, most of the Cloud ninjas stumbled, their footing undone before they could react. Crashing waves smashed them down, and once submerged in the turbulent sea, they lost the ability to move, caught in a deadly vortex of current and force. Even elite Jonin were helpless.
With a single jutsu, Hui decimated the Cloud Ninja strike force that had chased him for dozens of miles.
At this moment, no one could doubt it—this was shadow-level power.
Curiously, the sea around Hui himself remained unnaturally calm. Perhaps his chakra or skill prevented the disturbance from spreading close to him. The three elite Jonin who were nearest to him managed to keep their footing—the waves in their zone weren't as severe, and their strength allowed them to resist being swept away.
But they weren't calm.
They were furious.
Resentful.
The third Raikage had just fallen because of another one of Konoha's scheming operators—Danzo's manipulations were still fresh in their minds. Now Hui had joined the list of Konoha's hidden monsters. It was becoming too much.
"Why? Why is Konoha full of these old sixths?!"
Their frustration was underpinned by despair.
A true shadow-level was not just one rank above Jonin—it was a gap that felt like an entirely different world. The difference wasn't just numbers—it was transformation. Hui's display made it clear: he had undergone his transition.
It was a trap. From beginning to end.
"You three... It's time to send you on your way."
The Cloud trio immediately took defensive stances.
Though they were outmatched, that didn't mean they couldn't survive. A shadow-level ninja didn't guarantee victory over three elites, especially in unfavorable terrain. Hui had the ocean, his home ground—but that could work against him too. On this battlefield, he had all the advantages—but that also meant he couldn't afford to make a mistake.
Water Release's destructive power often came from sheer force. But in that rawness, there were limits. It wasn't as surgical as Fire or Lightning.
The three Cloud ninjas had seen hundreds of their comrades fall—but in that chaos, some may have survived and escaped under the sea.
And so, instead of escaping or relaying intelligence immediately, they focused on surviving Hui.
Suddenly, Hui vanished—his body flickering away, leaving only a residual image.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Drill!"
A massive torrent formed from Hui's right hand, spiraling into a concentrated water tornado.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
"Lightning Release: Ground Pulse!"
The Cloud Jonin coordinated perfectly. Though some specialized in taijutsu, none were weak in ninjutsu. The gust of wind weakened the dragon drill's spin, diminishing its momentum. A fortified wall of earth rose up to absorb the remaining force, even as the lightning user directed his chakra into the sea.
"Water Release: Purification Technique."
But Hui had anticipated this.
Beneath his feet, a portion of seawater shimmered, instantly purified. It lost its conductivity, breaking the chain before the lightning reached him. Of course, within moments, the purified water was reabsorbed into the ocean—but the timing was all Hui needed. The Lightning Release failed.
"One uses Earth... another Lightning... and the last, Wind."
Their preferred chakra natures were now revealed.
The Wind user's jutsu had been strong enough to disrupt the waterspout's core. The Earth user's wall stood firm. And the Lightning user's jutsu was focused—streamlined to a single line rather than scattered pulses. Efficient.
The trio were well-trained. They supported one another, always within striking distance to protect each other from Hui's speed.
"Turbo Boost."
Hui darted across the water's surface, each movement leaving behind a curious device—streamlined pressurization nodes designed to channel water.
The Cloud ninjas tensed. These weren't random traps.
"These... are devices to amplify Water Release," one of them murmured.
They launched attacks to disable the boosters—but Hui had prepared for this. The sea around him, while calm, remained under his control. Whenever they attacked, he caused targeted ripples, disturbing the water just enough to throw off their aim. Their jutsu missed, their projectiles veered off.
"All done."
Dozens—maybe hundreds—of devices had now formed a perimeter.
"This is a jutsu I created... meant to enhance the Water Breaking Wave."
"Let me show you."
"Water Release: Multi-Water Breaking Wave!"
Hui's hands danced through seals as chakra poured into the sea.
The boosters surged.
Jets of water burst upward in precise arcs—high-pressure water cannons that hissed with deadly intent. Each wave was narrow, like a piercing drill.
The three Cloud Jonin were hit.
Blood sprayed. Deep puncture wounds opened along their limbs and torsos. The wave jets didn't stop—one followed another, striking in a relentless rhythm. Hundreds of boosters fired in sequence. Each one became a needle in a deadly storm of chakra-infused water.
The sea had turned into Hui's killing field.
"Good results," Hui murmured.
His experiment was a success. The Water Breaking Wave, originally a single-target jutsu, had been evolved into a group-target annihilation technique. It was like standing before a hundred automatic rifles—all primed to fire chakra-infused bullets.
These weren't ordinary weapons. Even Jonin couldn't survive.
The three Cloud elites were turned into sieves.
Hui glanced around.
He knew others had survived—those who had managed to slip beneath the waves.
You think I can't sense you? he thought, chuckling.
Between spiritual perception and soul tracking, he knew exactly who was alive, and where they were.
He left them alive on purpose.
One day later...
The survivors returned to the Cloud front lines and delivered the news.
Since the battle had occurred at sea, the explosive force had been hidden beneath the waves. And Hui didn't immediately return to Konoha. Instead, he found a remote place to recover.
This delay meant the world didn't hear of the battle until a full day had passed.
Boom!
Ai, the Fourth Raikage, smashed the report scroll to the floor. His expression twisted in rage.
His father, the Third Raikage, had only just been lost—partly due to the schemes of Danzo, that snake in the grass. Now another of Konoha's monsters had emerged. Hui had led an ambush and wiped out three elite Jonin and hundreds of ninja.
"Konoha!!" Ai roared, teeth grinding. His fury burned—but the situation couldn't be undone. All he could do was prepare better for next time.
Another day passed...
The news of Hui's battle finally reached the ninja world.
And it exploded.
Konoha had produced yet another shadow-level powerhouse—one strong enough to kill three elite Jonin from Kumogakure.
While many mourned for the fallen of Cloud, others grew cautious.
Konoha's strength... was terrifying.
Even with the death of the First Hokage and the Second, the village continued to birth monsters. Their heritage ran deep—too deep.
At this point, no other village had as many shadow-level powerhouses as Konoha.
It wasn't just power... it was legacy.