Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 148 Mirror Flowers and Moon in the Water
It was noon, at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers.

Four figures leaped through the trees in the jungle, creating an eerie atmosphere amidst the deathly silence.

Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui followed behind the two, and when they looked at each other, they could see the deep meaning in each other's eyes.

They had confirmed the authenticity of the transfer order in Hinata Kumokawa's possession, and they also knew that Hinata Kumokawa's mission was the same as their own: to assassinate the spy traitor, Hinata Mukai.

But why was it the Third Hokage's order?

Temporary placement? Or surveillance?
Or perhaps, for some deeper purpose, or even as a power struggle among the village's higher-ups?

"Senior Wujie."

Hinata Kumokawa suddenly broke the eerie silence between the four of them, asking with a smile, "May I ask how your son is doing?"

Upon hearing this, Itachi Uchiha and Shisui subconsciously frowned.

Hinata Kumokawa's words clearly revealed that he had investigated Hinata Mukai's background, which could easily alert him.

"It surprised me that."

Kohinata Mukai laughed nonchalantly, "The hottest war hero, the famous 'Takemikazuchi,' actually cares about the well-being of his distant relative like me."

"'Takemikazuchi'..." Hinata Kumokawa's smile vanished. "Uncle, could you please not mention that title in front of me?"

"Hahaha, you're really unlike those old fogies of the Hyuga clan!"

Kohinata Mukai laughed heartily and said, "Isn't this a cool title? I've been a Jonin for so many years, and I'm not as famous as you."

After the battle between the Land of the Moon and the Hidden Cloud Village, the title of Hyuga Kumokawa spread throughout the ninja world.

Having witnessed Hinata Kumokawa holding up lightning in the thunderclouds, everyone gave him the title of "Takemikazuchi no Otoko" (Man of Takemikazuchi).

This means that even among the few Jonin, Hyuga Kumokawa is an extremely rare exception.

Not just anyone's title can be recognized by the ninja world.

"I feel unworthy of the fame that many of my comrades sacrificed for."

Hinata Kumokawa raised his previously injured arm and laughed, "Besides, that ninjutsu kept me in the hospital for almost half a year, and it was during that time that I saw you visiting your wife and children."

"Oh, I see. I thought you were investigating me. That was terrifying."

Kohinata Mukai jokingly said something that sent a chill down the spines of Itachi and Shisui behind him, before shrugging and saying, "To be honest, my son isn't doing too well."

As he spoke, he suddenly stopped, and under the wary gazes of Shisui and Itachi, he reached into his pocket, took out a cigarette, and lit it.

"call……"

He watched as the purple smoke he exhaled drifted away with the wind, while Hinata Kumokawa watched this scene quietly with a smile on his face.

"I was a little worried about them, so I asked the Third Generation Lord for a month's leave."

Kohinata Mukai smiled expectantly: "They keep complaining that I'm never home. I need to finish the mission as soon as possible and go back to spend more time with them."

"It seems that Senior Wujie is a father and husband who values ​​family very much," Hinata Yunchuan said softly.

“Yes.” Wujie did not deny it, and said with emotion, “It’s not an exaggeration to say that I live for them… Oh right, besides them, there are also cigarettes and fine wine.”

After saying that, he took out a silver bottle from the ninja tool pouch at the back of his pants and brought the bottle opening to his mouth.

A sweet aroma wafted over on the breeze, letting Shisui and Itachi know that Mukai was drinking sake.

"Senior Wujie, have you forgotten the Three Forbidden Rules of Ninjas?" Uchiha Itachi asked, looking at Wujie's retreating figure.

Kohinata Mukai ignored him, gulped down the whole bottle, and finally let out a comfortable groan.

"Ha, as a senior, let me teach you something."

Only then did he turn to look at Itachi and Shisui, and said with a smile, "Ninjas must learn to hide their killing intent. Our 'Takemikazuchi' has done this very well."

The moment the words left his mouth, a cold glint flashed.

Click!

Kohinata Mukai looked at the metal bottle blocking his way, and sighed as he watched the kunai deeply submerged in it: "Ahhh, this sake is expensive, and it's just going to be wasted like this."

At this moment, solemn expressions appeared on the faces of Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi, clearly indicating that it was Uchiha Shisui who had just made the move.

"Has it been discovered?" Shisui said in a deep voice. "Just surrender obediently, Kohinata Mukai. The Third Hokage is very lenient towards criminals who turn themselves in, so he probably won't kill you."

Although he said this, his eyes were already bloodshot, and the six tomoe silently swirled within them.

Meanwhile, Kohinata Mukai had already lowered his head, deliberately avoiding looking into Shisui's eyes, and a mocking smile appeared on his face.

"Your skill in 'Staying Still in the Moment' is quite renowned," he murmured. "But is it because you only walk in the sunlight that your wisdom is limited to this level, or perhaps..."

"Compared to that guy over there, are you just an innocent brat?"

As he spoke, Wujie flicked his thumb, flicking away the ash from his cigarette, and glanced down at Hinata Yunchuan, who was always smiling beside him.

"You should know what I did, right? Since that's the case, you should also know whether I'll be forgiven after I turn myself in, right?"

"I never expected that the people who came to assassinate me were not only two geniuses from the Uchiha clan, but also our war hero. I feel truly honored."

Upon hearing this, Hinata Kumokawa shrugged, mimicking his previous gesture, and said, "Just treat it as rehabilitation training."

"You're quite an interesting fellow," Kohinata Mukai couldn't help but smile. "Normally, I wouldn't mind giving you my sake, but unfortunately..."

As he spoke, his chakra suddenly increased, clearly indicating that he had released and recalled the shadow clone.

As Mukai's chakra increased, Itachi also dispelled the shadow clones at Konoha Hospital, clearly indicating that he had been monitoring Kohinata Mukai all along.

“My son saw that the dad he was talking to was actually a shadow clone. He must be very angry now.”

Kohinata Mukai scratched his head and said, "In that case, I'll have to hurry back and find an excuse to explain things to him properly."

As soon as he finished speaking, he lowered his center of gravity, stretched his left hand forward, and kept his right hand in front of his chest, seemingly assuming a unique stance for soft fists. However, his hand was not clenched into a fist, but rather in a chop-like hand position.

Instead of immediately attacking, Itachi Uchiha voiced his thoughts: "Why would a ninja as skilled as you choose to become a spy?"

"As you get older, there are all sorts of unavoidable reasons," Kohinata Mukai said with a knowing smile. "Besides, you only understand those things when you get old."

"..." After a moment of silence, Itachi Uchiha asked, "What will happen to our sick son after you die?"

"So, I can't die here."

Kohinata Mukai's left pupil disappeared, and countless meridians appeared around his eye. His smile faded, and he said coldly, "Even if I kill you all, I cannot die."

Rolling your eyes?!
Uchiha Shisui and Itachi's expressions changed slightly, and they jumped behind him without hesitation to create distance.

How could that be? The intelligence report didn't mention that Kohinata Mukai possessed the Byakugan. The Kohinata family separated from the Hyuga clan several generations ago, and their bloodline is so diluted that they are simply unable to awaken the Byakugan.

With the Byakugan, Jonin Kohinata Mukai's difficulty level increased by a whole level.

Since genjutsu works by disrupting the enemy's chakra, the Hyuga clan members, who possess the Byakugan, can keenly sense whether their own chakra has been disrupted.

This guy actually fooled everyone, including high-ranking officials like Hiruzen Sarutobi?

“This is a generational inheritance,” Hinata Kumokawa suddenly said. “Even if you find a reason to separate the main family and the branch family, the blood ties in your bones can still not be separated.”

The moment the words left his mouth, a wave of scorching heat swept over him.

"Art fire escape ho fireball!"

In the distance, Uchiha Shisui quickly raised his hand and formed a hand seal, spitting out a fireball large enough to engulf Mukai.

But Kohinata Mukai's expression remained unchanged as he raised his palm in front of his face to face the fireball.

呲!
Reflected in Shisui and Itachi's slightly constricted pupils, the incoming fireball was cleaved in two before the Boundless Interface, flowing past on either side of his body.

It was impossible to tell what kind of ninjutsu Mujie had used, nor was there any special chakra wrapped around his body. In Itachi's eyes, the fireball in front of Mujie looked as if he had split in two.

"Being able to use Gentle Fist to cut off the enemy's chakra means that one is familiar with the flow of chakra."

Hyuga Kumokawa explained again, "Ninjutsu is also formed by condensing chakra. As long as you can use the Byakugan to judge its flow, it is not difficult to cut a ninjutsu in two."

"Unfortunately, the main family and the branch family have always been trapped in the barriers they have set for themselves, focusing their energy on the so-called secret martial art of Gentle Fist, while neglecting the development of the Byakugan."

As he was explaining, Kohinata Mukai's figure disappeared and appeared beside Uchiha Itachi, engaging him and Shisui in battle.

Hinata Kumokawa stood on the tree, calmly looking down at the scene, seemingly with no intention of making a move.

Until finally, the battle was nearing its end.

"Hoo! Cough cough!"

Kohinata Mukai leaned against a tree trunk, panting heavily. His dark-colored outfit was torn in several places, revealing the rolled-up flesh and seeping blood underneath.

A deep, bone-revealing wound on his left shoulder was gushing blood; it was the work of Uchiha Shisui's short sword.

His right arm was twisted unnaturally, the joint of which had been severely injured by Itachi. His former fierce aura had vanished, leaving only the wretched and struggling state of a severely wounded beast.

However, his bloodshot eyes, filled with pain, were fixed on the two figures standing side by side in front of him.

Itachi's breathing was slightly rapid at this moment, and his Sharingan emitted an eerie red light as he stared intently at Mukai, searching for the final weakness.

Uchiha Shisui, on the other hand, appeared more composed, locking onto the direction Mukai might be fleeing.

“Enough, Senior Wujie.” Zhishui’s voice carried a hint of deep emotion that was barely perceptible. “You have no way out.”

"A way out?" Wujie grinned, revealing a smile mixed with blood and foam. "From the moment I embarked on this path, I never thought about a way out!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he took a deep breath, enduring the excruciating pain, and struggled to form a hand seal with his remaining right hand, as if he were making a final, desperate stand.

Itachi and Shisui's eyes sharpened, and they moved almost simultaneously!

Itachi's kunai pierced Mukai's heart, while Shisui instantly appeared on Mukai's flank, his short sword drawing a deadly arc as it slashed towards Mukai's neck.

However, at this critical moment.

Hyuga Kumokawa, who had been standing quietly to the side as if he were detached from the matter, did not form any hand seals or give any warning. He simply raised the fingers that were holding the sword in front of him.

Flowers in the mirror and moon in the water.

hum!
An invisible yet powerful mental wave spread out instantly, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, disrupting the chakra of Itachi and Shisui in an instant.

Itachi and Shisui froze on the spot, maintaining their attack stance, but their eyes were vacant, as if a pause button had been pressed.

"Cough cough..."

The severely injured Kohinata Mukai was stunned by this sudden turn of events.

He looked at the two Uchiha geniuses who stood motionless like statues, and then, as if sensing something, he suddenly turned his head to look at Hyuga Kumokawa, who was still smiling in the distance.

"What...what did you do to them?"

Kohinata Mukai's voice was hoarse, filled with disbelief and horror.

"nothing."

Hinata Kumokawa slowly stepped forward, walked to the Boundless Gate, and said calmly, as if stating a simple fact: "It's just a simple illusion."

"I don't want anyone to overhear our next conversation."

After saying that, he looked up at the bushes in the distance, where there was only deep darkness, as if the spying he had just witnessed was just an illusion.

Ignoring Obito and his companion who were like rats, Hyuga Kumokawa turned to look at Uchiha Shisui, focusing on the finger that seemed to have twitched slightly.

(End of this chapter)