NOVEL NEXT Chapter 33: Turning Back
"You bastards! How dare you insult the ANBU!" Lightning's furious shout echoed through the rain, momentarily startling the eight Chunin surrounding him.
None of them noticed the glimmer of joy in his eyes.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"Argh!"
Screams abruptly filled the air as three Mist Chunin staggered forward, sharp pain erupting from their backs. In the flashes of lightning, they could see kunai lodged in their spines.
It was Hui. He had arrived.
Leaning against the tree, Lightning had seen Hui approaching. His enraged shout was a deliberate distraction, drawing the attention of the Chunin to give Hui the perfect opening.
In the rain-soaked night, the downpour masked the sound of the kunai slicing through the air, and the darkness hid their deadly trajectory.
Lightning’s outburst had ensured the Chunin were too focused to even consider looking behind them.
In mere moments, Hui's kunai had taken out three Chunin, rendering them incapable of continuing the fight.
"Who’s there?!"
The pained cries of their comrades snapped the remaining five Chunin to attention. Instinctively, they spun around, raising their defenses as they peered into the gloom.
Slash!
But the nearest Chunin never stood a chance. As he turned, Hui's blade flashed in the dark, slicing cleanly across his throat.
That made four.
Hui did not pause. With deadly precision, he launched himself at his next target.
Clang!
The Chunin, barely conscious of the attack, managed to block the first strike. But as he prepared for the next, he realized his body had no strength left.
Exhaustion had dulled his reflexes, leaving him helpless as Hui's second strike tore through his leg.
Slice!
Blood splattered as Hui's sword cut deep into the Chunin's abdomen.
Five down.
"You bastard!!" The remaining three Chunin, now in a panic, were overtaken by fury. With a final burst of energy, they charged at Hui, kunai in hand.
Under normal circumstances, facing three Chunin at once would have been a difficult task for Hui, one that might have forced Hui into a desperate struggle.
But these Chunin were already drained, their strength sapped by exhaustion. They were merely shells of their former selves.
Even though their minds screamed at them to defend, their bodies were far too slow. They could only watch as Hui methodically cut down their comrades, one by one, until his blade was coming for them.
Slash!
The sixth Chunin fell.
Thud!
Then the seventh.
Slice!
Finally, the last.
As the last of the Mist Chunin collapsed in a pool of rain and blood, the scouting squad sent to hunt down Hui and Lightning—one Jonin and eight Chunin—was no more.
Hui had turned the tide and achieved the impossible.
But it had come at a terrible cost.
Wind… Bear…
"We did it. We didn’t let Wind and Captain Bear's sacrifice be in vain," Hui said quietly, turning to face Lightning. His voice was steady, but his eyes glistened with unshed tears.
"We did it… We really did it… Wind, Captain, we survived..." Lightning's emotions finally overwhelmed him. The intense mix of relief and grief broke him, and he collapsed to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Lightning, you head back to the village. I need to warn the frontline camp," Hui said after taking a deep breath, trying to calm his own turmoil.
The immediate danger had passed. Hui was confident that the Mist’s other scouting teams wouldn’t be coming their way. They had probably killed Bear and would now focus on continuing their mission.
It was likely they would only send a few people back to report to the main force while the rest pressed forward toward the Konoha frontlines.
After all, whether they caught the ninja fleeing toward Konoha or not, it didn’t matter much anymore. Their real goal was to reach the frontline base without being detected.
What they didn’t expect… was that the team sent to chase Hui and Lightning would be completely wiped out.
So, for now, both of them were relatively safe. But just to be cautious, Hui wanted Lightning to return to Konoha while he set out to warn the troops.
"Light…" Lightning began, wanting to protest, but he quickly held back.
"Don’t worry," Hui said with a reassuring smile. "You know I’m different. Their sensory ninja can’t track me, and as long as I stay careful, they won’t find me."
He was already turning to leave. Every second he delayed put the frontline camp in greater danger. Hui knew he had to move quickly—he had to outrun the Mist scouting teams and beat the main force to the Konoha base.
His task was daunting. He not only had to be faster than the scouting team but also faster than the Mist’s main force, and the distance he had to cover was greater because of his earlier escape route.
"Light! You better make it back alive!" Lightning shouted after him, tears streaming down his face once again.
Hui turned his head slightly, flashing Lightning a confident smile. "Don’t worry. I’m not dying here."
With that, he sped off into the storm.
Boom!
Thunder crashed across the sky, and the rain continued to pour down. Amid the flashes of lightning, a small figure could be seen dashing through the rain and mist, moving with unwavering determination.
A figure that seemed to radiate light, even in the darkest of nights.
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