Lin Qing was in terrible condition after teleporting over with the Heavenly Transfer Technique.
No one had expected Toneri to randomly land in a town and use murder to challenge Lin Qing.
Because something like this... was utterly meaningless.
From a purely rational perspective, Lin Qing could have gathered his people and flown over at a leisurely pace.
A truly cunning opponent would have chosen to descend upon the Research Institute or Kirigakure. That way, regardless of the war's outcome, Lin Qing's side would suffer tremendous losses in personnel and property.
The only possible explanation seemed to be:
Toneri knew Lin Qing extremely well and understood that he would never stand by and watch civilians die, so he would surely use the Heavenly Transfer Technique to come alone.
But...
Was that really the case?
Of course not.
Toneri had not even paid half as much attention to Lin Qing as he had to Naruto.
He simply thought this was more convenient.
Lin Qing?
He was nothing more than a mortal.
Especially after Toneri saw Lin Qing's condition, he became even more certain of his earlier judgment—
The Heavenly Transfer Technique was a ninjutsu that transported objects at speeds close to the speed of light, placing an enormous burden on the body.
Lin Qing's wounds, which had only recently healed, tore open again under that extreme velocity.
Strands of purple light representing the Dragon Vein drifted out, gathering around him. Mixed with the golden glow of Ripple, they looked as though he had donned flowing purple-and-gold ribbons.
It looked dazzling, but in the eyes of a true powerhouse, it was simply a sign of unstable control over his own energy.
Lin Qing panted slightly. In order to save the two children earlier, he had used up a Time Stop.
Yet neither