Water Ghost

Night fell.

Inside the wooden cabin by the lake, a pale yellow candlelight flickered at the window.

Li Tong had just returned. After parting ways with Tsunade, he had gone to the general market to buy many supplies. He also visited the labor market and made arrangements with several carpenters and masons to come over tomorrow to build him a bathroom.

Having money is truly wonderful. For the current Li Tong, any problem that can be solved with money is not a problem at all.

Under the candlelight in the room, Li Tong sat cross-legged on the wooden cot, closed his eyes, focused his mind, and began to convert his chakra with all his might.

He was cultivating, forced into it... Today, he had been assassinated first by Amegakure ninja and then by the Hyuga Clan, which made him sense a crisis! Because he had not inherited the memories of the original owner of this body, he did not know what level his strength was actually at, so he had to regain his grasp of it through cultivation.

This was the body of an Amegakure Genin!

In terms of physical fitness, Amegakure Genin surpass the Genin of other hidden villages!

This stemmed from the brutal environment of Amegakure. Therefore, although Li Tong's body looked thin, it was actually very sturdy and powerful.

Judging solely by physical fitness, Li Tong felt that the body of an Amegakure Genin was at least equivalent to a Chunin from other hidden villages.

However, physical fitness and strength were not the primary factors affecting a ninja's combat power. What truly mattered were the techniques mastered and the amount of chakra. Techniques represented the upper limit of a ninja's offensive or defensive output, while chakra volume represented endurance.

At this stage, Li Tong was not lacking in ninjutsu!

After coming to this world, by consuming cards, he had successively acquired three C-rank techniques: Wind Style: Great Breakthrough, Sealing Technique: Binding Thorn Curse Seal, and Taijutsu: Dual Blade Double Strike; one D-rank technique: Water Style: Hidden Mist Technique; and even one B-rank ninjutsu: Lightning Style: False Darkness!

Beyond these, Li Tong also possessed a Kekkei Genkai.

That was one of the rewards from the Awakening Starter Pack.

In the world of Naruto, those who could skillfully use C-rank techniques were Chunin, and those who could skillfully use B-rank techniques were Jonin!

Yet, Li Tong was only a Genin.

Therefore, for him, the amount of chakra was critical! If he didn't have enough chakra, even if he mastered an S-rank forbidden technique, it would be useless; he simply wouldn't be able to perform it.

The wooden cabin was silent.

Li Tong's breathing was very steady. In truth, he had been a bit unaccustomed to it at the start, but he gradually found his rhythm. Because he was in a state of high concentration, he had ignored the passage of time, and when he finally regained his senses, it was already late at night.

Li Tong felt no sleepiness at all; after his first cultivation session, he felt surprisingly spirited. He glanced at the full moon hanging high in the sky outside the window, then climbed off the wooden cot to stretch his limbs before pushing the door open and walking out.

On the grassy bank by the lake, a gentle breeze blew, and the soft moonlight draped the lush green grass in a crystalline glow.

Li Tong walked to the lakeside, turned his head to look at the surrounding woods, but discovered nothing. He called out loudly, "Lord Chen He, are you there?"

"Lord Chen He!"

"Are you there?"

After calling out several times, Chen He did not appear. Li Tong frowned slightly. This wasn't right; Chen He should have been nearby, protecting him in the shadows!

"Chen He has gone to rest." A hoarse voice suddenly sounded from behind Li Tong.

Li Tong was startled. Turning around, he saw a tall Anbu ninja wearing a mask. He didn't know when the man had quietly appeared, but Li Tong could see his identity information.

--

Name: Du Hu (Senju Li)

Identity: Ninja of the Konohagakure Anbu Assassination and Tactical Special Force.

Reputation: 5589.

Relationship: Neutral.

--

An Anbu Jonin... It seemed Chen He had gone to sleep. Anbu ninjas were human too, and it was impossible for them not to rest. With Du Hu appearing, he must have been there to take over Chen He's shift.

"May I ask how to address you?"

"Du Hu!"

"Oh, Lord Du Hu."

"Hmm."

After a few simple exchanges, Li Tong felt that Du Hu was a very cold person, not just in the tone of his voice, but also in the look in his eyes when he spoke. He wondered how many ninjas in the Konoha Anbu were like this.

"Um... Lord Du Hu, could I trouble you with one thing?" Li Tong said, weighing his words.

"What is it?"

"Could you demonstrate to me how to perform the hand seals for those E-rank basic ninjutsu? You should know that I have amnesia. I need to recover my strength, but I can't remember them..."

"Watch!" Du Hu interrupted Li Tong, raised his hands, and brought them together. "This is the Clone Technique!"

"This is the Transformation Technique!"

"This is the Substitution Technique!"

"This is the Rope Escape Technique!"

"This is the Transformation Technique!"

"This is the Escape Technique!"

In total, there were six E-rank basic ninjutsu. Du Hu demonstrated them to Li Tong one after another, deliberately slowing down the speed of the hand seals so that Li Tong could see them clearly. After demonstrating them all, he said hoarsely, "Did you memorize them?"

"Understood, I've recalled some memory fragments!" Li Tong nodded.

He truly had remembered!

He formed hand seals!

"Transformation Jutsu!"

Li Tong's body shuddered as white smoke billowed; he transformed into the appearance of Du Hu. Although his chakra signature was unstable, succeeding on the first try indicated that his foundation remained. As long as he practiced a few more times, he would quickly regain full mastery.

"Keep practicing," Du Hu said, then vanished in a flash.

He disappeared directly without forming any hand seals, seemingly having mastered some kind of secret Body Flicker technique that required none.

By the lake.

Under the moonlight.

Li Tong formed hand seals again and again, continuously practicing the six basic ninjutsu. After about half an hour, he had nearly mastered all six. His hand seal speed was extremely fast; this wasn't due to high talent, but simply because he had rediscovered the muscle memory of this body.

He did not stop, continuing to practice repeatedly.

He intended to stop only when his chakra was bottomed out, after which a recovery process would follow, allowing him to gain a clear understanding of his total chakra capacity.

On the opposite shore, in the silent forest, Hyuga Anan crouched in waist-high grass, gazing at the figure training in front of the cabin across the lake. His Byakugan remained active, allowing him to see not only Li Tong but also the four Anbu ninjas protecting him from the shadows.

In the world of the Byakugan, everything was rendered in shades of gray and white, as if composed of lines, with everything transparent and ethereal.

Hyuga Anan scanned back and forth, his gaze finally settling on Li Tong. After watching for a long time, a strange smile gradually curled at the corners of his mouth.

This guy really did lose his memory! He even has to re-learn E-rank ninjutsu.

Hyuga Anan knew that Li Tong had killed a Rain ninja assassin on the street at noon. That man was a Chunin, and Li Tong had killed him using an Explosive Tag. That didn't count for much; it only meant the Chunin was unlucky. If that Chunin had chosen to dodge instead of turning back to swing his blade, he certainly wouldn't have been blown up!

Truth be told, Hyuga Anan had never looked down on Li Tong. Even if he hadn't lost his memory, he was just a Genin. A Genin is a Genin; even with brutal training, one-on-one, they are no match for a Chunin, let alone now that he was an amnesiac.

And Hyuga Anan was no ordinary Chunin.

He was an elite Chunin!

However, Hyuga Anan was under significant pressure. The pressure came from within the Hyuga clan; the branch family's young master, Hizashi Hyuga, had only given him three days. He had to complete the assassination within those three days and, as Hizashi Hyuga had ordered, hang the corpse on a flagpole. If he failed, the consequences would be miserable.

As an assassination ninja under Hizashi Hyuga who specialized in "dirty work," Hyuga Anan was well-versed in such tasks, but time was tight because this damned brat wasn't alone; there were always Anbu ninjas protecting him.

This was the reason Hyuga Anan was still watching Li Tong late at night.

He didn't want to miss any opportunity. There would always be a chance; Anbu ninjas weren't gods. Protecting someone is always harder than killing someone. There are many ways to kill: using poison, setting traps, or creating a distraction to lure those Anbu away before appearing and swiftly finishing the target!

Hyuga Anan was very patient; he was waiting for an opening.

For example, later tonight, the Anbu would change shifts. When that happened, there might be an opportunity to exploit.

Hyuga Anan didn't need much time. To kill a brat like this, half a minute was enough!

In front of the cabin, Li Tong finally stopped, sitting cross-legged on the grassy bank to recover.

Time had slipped into the late night.

Li Tong opened his eyes, feeling as energetic as ever. He knew he should go to sleep, but after a moment of thought, he stood up, stripped off his clothes by the lake, and leaped into the water.

A bath!

There was no bathroom yet, so he had to wash here.

After entering the water, Li Tong swam to the center of the lake and began to dive. He enjoyed doing this, and since he had found a blade in a lake in the forest behind Konoha last time, he wanted to see if there was anything in this lake as well.

Hyuga Anan stared at the surface, seeing Li Tong frequently diving underwater, each time for a long duration. His gaze gradually hardened!

An opportunity!

Kill him underwater!

Take advantage of the night to kill silently and remove the corpse silently.

Hyuga Anan moved, crawling slowly through the grass. It took him a full half-minute to reach a suitable position. He didn't even take off his clothes, sliding slowly into the water. As the water submerged his head, he plunged toward the lakebed, his feet kicking off the bottom with a violent thrust, propelling him forward like an arrow released from a bow.

He was like a legendary water ghost, closing in on Li Tong rapidly beneath the surface.

When he could vaguely make out Li Tong's body, he reached toward his lower back and slowly drew a short blade.