White Cold Light, Renowned Across the Ninja World

On a certain island.

Ye Liangnai and the others fled here in one breath. Only after confirming that no pursuers were following did they stop to rest.

"Th-this really was... like taking a trip to the gates of hell..."

Ye Liangnai leaned directly against a tree, gulping down air as though he were about to cough up his lungs.

He felt as if his throat were on fire and his chest was about to explode!

"Hehe, but... I have to say... that was really exciting..."

Ye Liangnai was the only one still in the mood to talk.

Under normal circumstances, Ye Liangnai would definitely have been reprimanded for acting like this.

But today, he deserved half the credit for the mission's success.

He was a great contributor, and everyone felt nothing but gratitude toward him, completely overlooking his inappropriate behavior.

Eagle and White Wolf looked at Ye Liangnai with utmost determination in their eyes.

They would not keep falling behind forever. Absolutely not!

They might have been inferior to Ye Liangnai this time, but next time, they definitely would not be!

A day later, the group returned to Kirigakure looking like refugees.

They brought back those medical documents, which held great significance for Kirigakure.

Naturally, news of Ye Liangnai's outstanding performance and astonishing achievements also spread throughout Kirigakure.

Everyone was stunned!

He had escaped twice from the Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake, and fought the Uchiha Clan's genius to a draw.

On top of that, he had killed two enemies at the Special Jonin level and several at the Chunin level.

That alone would have been enough, considering how monstrously unbelievable it already was.

Even the village's Jonin might not have possessed such terrifying accomplishments.

Yet he had even bought the necessary time for the mission's success, ensuring that it was completed smoothly!

Was this really something a twelve-year-old boy could do?

It was so incredible that it was hard to believe.

But two days later, news from Konoha made everyone believe it completely.

"If you encounter Kirigakure's White Cold Light, be sure to eliminate him!"

"This person poses an immense threat. Under no circumstances can he be allowed to grow!"

Konoha's personal acknowledgment was more convincing than anything else.

And that was not all. A bounty for Ye Liangnai's head appeared on the black market list at the same time, worth thirty million ryo.

This time, Ye Liangnai truly became famous, renowned across the ninja world.

"White Cold Light, huh? Hehehe, I wonder who would be stronger between him and the Yellow Flash of old!"

"Kirigakure has been closed off for so many years, yet it quietly produced such a monster. It truly cannot be underestimated!"

"Could there be a second White Cold Light? It seems we need to strengthen surveillance of Kirigakure!"

The Five Great Ninja Villages, and indeed the entire ninja world, immediately changed their strategies toward Kirigakure.

What had once been neglect and observation became active surveillance.

Intelligence had always been an extremely important strategic resource, indispensable in every respect.

Konoha!

"Just where did this White Cold Light come from? How could Kirigakure suddenly produce such a monster!"

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stared sharply out the window and muttered.

He felt uneasy!

"His strength is clearly only close to Jonin level, yet he managed to withstand Kakashi's assassination attempts twice! His speed and agility are simply far too high!"

"And there's that Mist Concealment Technique that even Itachi Uchiha found troublesome, that genjutsu even the Sharingan could not reflect."

"As well as the Water Wall Technique that blocked Kakashi's Lightning Blade. How exactly did he do it!"

If someone at his level had accomplished all this, he naturally would not have found it strange.

But the key was that Ye Liangnai was only in his teens, and his strength was merely close to Jonin level.

It was as miraculous as if he had cheats enabled. His mastery of ninjutsu was simply too high!

Using low-level ninjutsu to contend against high-level ninjutsu was practically unheard of!

"Even Itachi Uchiha may not be as monstrous as he is!" the Third Hokage sighed.

For the first time, he had seen Itachi Uchiha suffer at the hands of someone his own age.

That had once been completely unimaginable.

He still remembered the undisguised astonishment in Kakashi and Itachi Uchiha's eyes when they gave their report.

There were not many things that could leave those two geniuses so shocked.

Yet Ye Liangnai had done it!

Not only had he shocked and humbled those two geniuses, but he had also successfully allowed the Mist Ninja to reclaim those medical documents.

That string of terrifying achievements was enough to make others despair as they looked up at him.

Ordinary people might never experience anything so remarkable in their entire lives, yet this had merely been one mission for Ye Liangnai.

Kirigakure!

"You truly keep exceeding my expectations, Ye Liangnai!"

"In that case, I'll leave this mission to you!"

Inside the Mizukage's Office, Yagura's eyes gleamed as he spoke.

Before him lay an unfurled scroll, bearing the words: Plan for Infiltrating Kumogakure!

If Ye Liangnai knew that Yagura intended to send him to infiltrate Kumogakure, he would probably curse his mother out!

You can actually do something like this? Have you no shame!

I just made such a huge contribution, and now you want me to brave fire and water again, walking along a blade's edge. Doesn't your face turn red!

Unfortunately, he did not know!

He looked at the three people before him, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "What are you three trying to do?"

Before him, Ringo Ameyuri, Hozuki Suigetsu, and Shima Isshin were staring at him with sharp gazes.

"Ye Liangnai, spar with us. Let us see just how large the gap between us really is!"

Ringo Ameyuri said. Her tone was no longer as sharp as it had been last time; instead, it sounded somewhat urgent.

Ringo Ameyuri and the other two had never expected this.

They had thought Ye Liangnai killing the A-rank rogue ninja Youkou Mitsuda was already unbelievably defiant of the heavens, enough to spur them to chase after him with all their strength.

But before they could catch up, Ye Liangnai had already become capable of fighting Jonin.

Moreover, he had influenced the course of a mission and become renowned across the ninja world.

This sudden, enormous gap was pressing down on them so heavily that they could barely breathe. They could no longer see much hope of catching up.

Therefore, Ringo Ameyuri only wanted to determine exactly how strong Ye Liangnai was, so they could make their next plan.

"Are you sure? I don't know how to hold back. If I hurt you when the time comes, don't blame me!"

Ye Liangnai said leisurely. He had only just returned and gotten into a bath before Ringo Ameyuri and the others dragged him out. Was that easy for him?

"It's fine. Just use your full strength. What I want is the most genuine measure of the gap!"

Ringo Ameyuri answered without the slightest hesitation. Hozuki Suigetsu and Shima Isshin wore the same expressions.

"In that case, let's go!"

Since things had come to this, what else was there for Ye Liangnai to say? They would settle it with their fists.

"Did you hear? Ringo Ameyuri is challenging Ye Liangnai. Want to go watch?"

"What? There's something this good? Of course! Hurry up, we can't miss something like this!"

The idle Mist Ninja immediately gathered in groups and rushed over to watch the excitement upon hearing the news.

"Ye Liangnai versus Ringo Ameyuri? Interesting. I'll go take a look and pass the time!" Juzo Biwa grinned and said softly.

Naturally, Raiga Kurosuki and Zabuza would not miss such a scene either.