Caused Trouble

Li Tong could see the identity information of this samurai.

Name: Kuro-Maru

Identity: Rogue samurai from the Land of Iron, wandering samurai, desperado.

Reputation: 185

Relationship: Hostile

"Sprite, is the calculation rule for samurai reputation the same as it is for ninjas?" Li Tong asked quickly in his mind.

"Yes!" the Card Emperor Sprite replied promptly.

Li Tong felt at ease. This burly samurai named Kuro-Maru only had a reputation of a little over a thousand, and his strength was equivalent to an average chunin specializing in taijutsu. However, because all samurai used blades, their offensive capabilities were stronger, though their defensive capabilities were weaker.

This was his first time encountering a truly hostile samurai.

Li Tong knew that there were extremely powerful samurai in this world, mostly located in the Land of Iron. For instance, the Great General Mifune from the original story could trade blows with the demigod Hanzo and possessed at least Kage-level strength. Such samurai could also utilize chakra; setting aside their samurai heritage, there really wasn't much difference between them and taijutsu ninjas who had mastered swordsmanship.

Li Tong's thoughts moved at lightning speed, and in the blink of an eye, Kuro-Maru charged right in front of him.

Li Tong had nothing to worry about when facing a samurai of this caliber.

He flicked his hand and threw kunai!

Three kunai flew toward Kuro-Maru in a triangular formation. The distance was too close for Kuro-Maru to dodge directly, so he flashed his blade and knocked the three kunai away. Li Tong took the opportunity to spring backward while simultaneously forming hand seals.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

"Stop!!!" the ninjas of the Konoha Military Police Force approaching from the distance shouted, but it was already too late.

Li Tong spat out a gale, the violent air currents striking toward Kuro-Maru and spreading out into the surrounding street.

Kuro-Maru dodged backward and lowered his body to reduce the surface area exposed to the wind. He didn't suffer direct damage, but he was forced away from Li Tong.

The stone slabs on the street were ripped up by the wind, the stalls on both sides of the road were destroyed, and the wooden doors and windows of the shops were all torn apart as dust and sand filled the air...

Accompanied by the sound of collapsing shops, screams erupted on the street.

The approaching ninjas of the Konoha Military Police Force were also caught in the wake of the Wind Style: Great Breakthrough and had to retreat to dodge.

This brat is actually a chunin? Kuro-Maru found it unbelievable. Ninjas who could quickly complete hand seals and flexibly utilize C-rank ninjutsu were basically all chunin!

Li Tong looked to be only eleven or twelve years old. A chunin of this age was extremely rare; almost every one of them could be called a genius. Generally, children of eleven or twelve couldn't even graduate from the Ninja Academy yet.

Kuro-Maru's eyes flashed, and a look of excitement appeared on his face.

If I take him hostage, could I...

If it were an ordinary chunin, Konoha would never accept being coerced, but if the hostage was a genius ninja, the situation would be vastly different.

The gale weakened slightly.

Kuro-Maru, who had been hunched over, suddenly sprang up, leaping over ten meters high. He landed on the third floor of a shop on the side of the street, kicked off the outer wall to gain momentum, and ran horizontally parallel to the ground. Then, he launched himself toward Li Tong with even more ferocious intensity.

The attack was fierce!

Kuro-Maru's speed was faster than before, and his angle of approach was extremely tricky.

Li Tong narrowed his eyes slightly and formed hand seals again.

"Water Style: Hidden Mist Technique!"

When Kuro-Maru was still five meters away from Li Tong, thick fog suddenly rose. Li Tong had already controlled and weakened the effect of the Hidden Mist Technique to reduce chakra output, but even so, within a single breath, the area covered by the thick fog spanned half a city block.

Kuro-Maru realized something was wrong, but he didn't retreat. He hunched his body and flew toward Li Tong, staying almost flush against the ground.

Although he couldn't see Li Tong's exact position, he could sense the direction of Li Tong's aura.

In truth, what he was doing wasn't particularly dangerous. Samurai were naturally adept at close-quarters combat, and his reaction instincts in melee were very strong. Under equal comprehensive strength, a samurai's win rate against a non-taijutsu ninja in close combat was over ninety percent. Conversely, if a ninja could avoid being approached by a samurai, they could crush the samurai with ninjutsu at the same rating.

Therefore, Kuro-Maru taking the risk to close the distance was not a wrong strategy.

Only close combat could lead to a quick victory!

However, he wasn't facing an ordinary chunin—he was facing Li Tong!

Kunai blasted through the air! The sound of them piercing the wind was ear-piercing!

Kuro-Maru, who was rushing toward Li Tong along the ground, sensed the incoming kunai. He spun his body and sprang up, dodging the attack while closing to within a meter of Li Tong. He drew his blade!

At that same moment, Li Tong raised his right hand, and a deep blue color instantly expanded in his palm!

Rasengan!

BOOM--

The swinging katana was shattered instantly. The power of the Rasengan exploded upon impact, and the terrifying shockwave blasted Kuro-Maru away! Like a cannonball, he flew diagonally upward in an arc for dozens of meters, crashing through the outer wall of the fifth floor of the hotel across the way, causing another roar of impact.

The battle was over!

Kuro-Maru never understood, even until his death, how this bratty chunin was able to use instant ninjutsu. He dared to...

Everything was complicated, but it actually happened in a very short amount of time.

Under the control of Li Tong, the dense fog he had just created dissipated rapidly, and half of the street returned to clarity.

The street was a complete mess.

This was a bustling commercial district with densely packed buildings on both sides of the road, and Li Tong had just unleashed the ninjutsu Wind Release: Great Breakthrough. Having consumed two Wind Release: Great Breakthrough cards, the power was double that of a standard version.

Three old-fashioned shops had been struck by the Wind Release: Great Breakthrough and collapsed, while other high-rise buildings, thanks to deeper foundations and sturdier frame structures, did not collapse but still had all their doors and windows shattered.

Many people on the street had broken heads; some were struck by flying debris, while others had failed to dodge in time when the buildings collapsed.

Damn it, I've caused trouble! Li Tong finally understood why the Konoha Military Police Force ninja running toward him had shouted "Stop" before he released his ninjutsu. Those words weren't directed at Kuro-Maru, who was trying to ambush him, but at Li Tong himself!

Clearly, the police ninja had already anticipated the consequences of unleashing ninjutsu in a bustling commercial district.

This was likely the reason they had let Kuro-Maru run so far; they simply dared not use their full strength in such a crowded area.

"Hurry, save them!"

"Someone is buried underneath!"

"Come and dig!"

The street suddenly descended into chaos. Many people rushed toward the collapsed shops; some were wailing, others were screaming, and it was unclear if anyone had died yet.

Li Tong was about to move to join the rescue effort when three whirlwinds swirled around him. Three Konoha Military Police Force ninjas appeared, blocking his path. Standing directly in front of Li Tong was an elite Chunin named Uchiha Ri.

"Damn it, didn't I tell you to stop?"

"Don't move!"

"You are under arrest!"

"You watch him, I'm going to save people!" Uchiha Ri added before sprinting toward the ruins of the shops.

None of the three ninjas gave Li Tong a chance to speak. There was no need for Li Tong to say anything; they had all witnessed the situation. The high-powered Wind Release: Great Breakthrough had caused a certain amount of destruction to the street, and the only uncertainty was whether anyone had died.

If no one died, everything would be fine—it could be a big or small matter, and Konoha might even proactively provide funds to compensate on Li Tong's behalf, given that he had acted to stop a fugitive.

But if someone had died, things would become very troublesome!

Li Tong didn't intend to argue. He had done it, and there was no need to deny or explain. With two Uchiha Clan ninjas guarding his sides, Li Tong stopped moving and simply watched the rescue efforts.

More and more people arrived to participate in the rescue, and many ninjas who heard the commotion also reached the scene.

There were many injured, likely thirty or forty, most of whom were hit by flying objects or had fallen, but none were critical. The most severe case was merely a fracture; there was no immediate danger to life. The key was whether anyone had been crushed to death under the ruins.

"Notify the Medical Department!"

"Over here! Medical ninja, is there a medical ninja?"

Cries for help echoed incessantly.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

On the noisy, chaotic street, three more figures appeared out of thin air. They were all wearing black robes and masks, exuding a cold aura—they were Anbu ninjas. The leader was an acquaintance of Li Tong: Chen He!

Chen He tilted his head and glanced at Li Tong; his intuition told him that this sudden incident was directly related to him.

"Go help," Chen He ordered the other two Anbu ninjas, then turned and walked a few steps to Li Tong's side. The two Uchiha Clan ninjas guarding Li Tong all voluntarily stepped back a few paces.

"Did you do this?" Chen He asked bluntly.

"Your sixth sense is truly accurate." Li Tong shrugged. "This was an accident."

"You are under arrest," Chen He said immediately.

"They just said the same thing," Li Tong pouted, gesturing toward the nearby Uchiha ninjas.

"He's still alive! Hurry! Careful!" A sudden scream rang out from the ruins of the shops. The debris had been cleared away enough to reveal someone who was severely injured.

"Carry him out!"

"Careful, be careful!"

"Ah, the injury is too severe! Medical ninja! Is there a medical ninja?"

A middle-aged man covered in blood was carried to an open space nearby. Everyone around was anxious because his injuries were critical; a table leg had pierced his abdomen, his arm was fractured, and his body and face were covered in dust and blood.

A young medical Chunin ran to the man's side, wanting to treat him, but he was at a loss. He didn't even dare to pull out the table leg, fearing he wouldn't be able to stop the bleeding quickly. It was a hole as thick as an arm; if he pulled it out and couldn't stop the bleeding, the man would die even faster.

"I can't do it! We need a Jonin, we need a medical Jonin!" The young medical Chunin looked up and said quickly, his face covered in sweat; he looked extremely nervous.

"Medical Jonin!"

"Is there a medical Jonin?!"

No medical Jonin had arrived at the scene yet.

The number of medical ninjas was already scarce, and Jonin were even rarer. The few medical ninjas who had arrived quickly were all nearby when the incident occurred, and none of them were of Jonin rank.

"I'll take a look." Li Tong saw the situation, spoke up suddenly, and walked forward.

Chen He extended his arm to block Li Tong.

"I can save him!" Li Tong pushed Chen He's arm away unceremoniously.