He'd Caused Trouble

Li Tong could see the warrior's identity information.

--

Name: Kuro-Maru

?1?? Identity: Rogue samurai from the Land of Iron, wandering samurai, outlaw.

Reputation: 185

Relationship: Hostile

"Sprite, is a samurai's reputation calculated the same way as a ninja's?" Li Tong quickly asked in his mind.

"Yes!" the Card Emperor Sprite replied at once.

Li Tong felt reassured. This brawny samurai named Kuro-Maru had a reputation of only a little over a thousand. His strength was about equal to that of an ordinary Taijutsu Chunin. But since samurai all used swords, their offensive power was greater, while their defenses were somewhat weaker.

This was the first time he had encountered a samurai who was truly hostile.

Li Tong knew that there were extremely powerful samurai in this world, most of them in the Land of Iron. Take Mifune, the general of the Land of Iron in the original story: he could fight Hanzo, the demigod, so he had at least Kage Level strength. Samurai like him could also use chakra. Setting aside their samurai traditions, there really wasn't much difference between them and Taijutsu ninja skilled in swordsmanship.

Li Tong's thoughts raced. In the blink of an eye, Kuro-Maru charged right up to him.

Li Tong had little to worry about from a samurai of this strength.

He flicked his hand and hurled a kunai!

Three kunai flew toward Kuro-Maru in a triangular formation. They were too close for him to dodge easily. His blade flashed, knocking all three kunai away. Li Tong took the opportunity to spring backward and form Hand Seals.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

"Stop!!!" a Konoha Military Police Force ninja shouted as he rushed closer, but it was already too late.

Li Tong spewed a gale from his mouth. The violent air currents blasted toward Kuro-Maru and spread across the surrounding street.

Kuro-Maru darted backward and lowered his body, reducing the wind's impact on him. He took no direct damage, but was forced farther away from Li Tong.

The stone slabs on the street were swept up by the wind. The stalls on both sides of the road were blown to pieces, and the wooden doors and windows of the shops were torn apart. Dust and sand filled the air...

As the shops collapsed, screams rang out along the street.

The approaching Konoha Military Police Force ninja was caught in the blast of Wind Release: Great Breakthrough as well and retreated to dodge it.

"That kid's a Chunin?" Kuro-Maru thought in disbelief. Ninja who could quickly form Hand Seals and skillfully use high-level ninjutsu were basically all Chunin!

Li Tong looked only eleven or twelve. A Chunin that young was extremely rare; almost every one of them could be called a genius. Most children that age hadn't even graduated from the Ninja Academy yet.

Kuro-Maru's eyes flickered, and excitement spread across his face.

"If I take him hostage, maybe I can..."

Konoha would never give in to a threat if an ordinary Chunin were taken hostage. But things would be very different if the hostage were a genius ninja.

The gale weakened slightly.

Kuro-Maru, still bent at the waist, suddenly sprang up and leaped more than ten meters into the air, landing on the third floor of a shop beside the street. He planted his foot against the outer wall to push off, held his body parallel to the ground, and sprinted sideways before launching himself forward. He charged at Li Tong with even greater speed.

His attack was fierce!

Kuro-Maru was faster than before, and he was approaching from an extremely tricky angle.

Li Tong narrowed his eyes slightly and formed Hand Seals again.

"Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique!"

When Kuro-Maru was five meters from Li Tong, thick mist suddenly rose. Li Tong had already weakened the effect of the Hidden Mist Technique and reduced his chakra output, but even so, within a single breath the mist covered half the block.

Kuro-Maru sensed danger but didn't retreat. He curled his body low and skimmed toward Li Tong, almost hugging the ground.

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

In truth, this wasn't all that dangerous for him. Samurai excelled at close combat, and Kuro-Maru had extremely sharp instincts and reflexes in a fight. When their overall strength was equal, a samurai had more than a ninety percent chance of winning in close combat against a non-Taijutsu ninja. On the other hand, if a ninja could keep a samurai at a distance, they could use ninjutsu to overwhelm the samurai at the same level.

So Kuro-Maru's risky advance wasn't a bad strategy.

Only close combat could secure a quick victory!

However, the opponent he'd encountered wasn't an ordinary Chunin. He was Li Tong!

A kunai shot through the air! Its whistle pierced the mist!

Kuro-Maru, skimming low toward Li Tong, sensed the incoming kunai. He spun and sprang up, dodging it as he closed to within a meter of Li Tong. He swung his blade!

At the same moment, Li Tong raised his right hand. A deep blue glow swelled in his palm in an instant!

Rasengan!

Boom—

The katana was smashed to pieces. The Rasengan exploded with the force of the collision, and its terrifying impact sent Kuro-Maru flying! He shot upward along an arcing trajectory for dozens of meters, smashed through the outer wall of the fifth floor of a hotel across the street, and set off another deafening crash.

The battle was over!

Even as he died, Kuro-Maru couldn't understand how this kid of a Chunin had used ninjutsu so quickly. How could he dare to do it with his vision obscured—

Everything had seemed complicated, but in reality, it had happened in an incredibly short time.

At Li Tong's command, the thick mist he had created quickly dissipated, and half the block became clear again.

The street was a complete mess.

This was a busy commercial district, with buildings packed closely along both sides of the road. Li Tong had just used the high-level ninjutsu Wind Release: Great Breakthrough. He had used two Wind Release: Great Breakthrough Cards before, so the technique was twice as powerful as normal.

Three old-style shops had been toppled by the blast of Wind Release: Great Breakthrough. The taller buildings had deeper foundations and sturdier frames, so they hadn't collapsed, but their doors and windows were all destroyed.

Many people in the street had been struck on the head. Some had been hit by flying rubble, while others hadn't gotten out of the way in time when 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 used his ninjutsu. Those words weren't directed at Kuro-Maru, who was about to kill him. They were meant for Li Tong!

Clearly, the Konoha Military Police Force ninja had foreseen what would happen if someone used ninjutsu in a busy commercial district.

That was probably why they'd let Kuro-Maru get so far. They simply didn't dare go all out in a busy district.

"Quick, help them!"

"Someone's trapped under there!"

"Come dig them out!"

The street suddenly descended into chaos. Many people rushed toward the collapsed shops. Some were sobbing, others screaming. It was impossible to tell whether anyone had died.

Li Tong was about to move. He wanted to join the rescue effort, but three gusts of wind curled around him at once, and three Konoha Military Police Force ninja appeared, blocking his way. Standing directly in front of him was an elite Chunin named Uchiha Ri.

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

"Don't move!"

"You're under arrest!"

"Keep an eye on him. I'm going to help!" Uchiha Ri said before sprinting toward the ruins.

None of the three ninja gave Li Tong a chance to speak. There was nothing more he needed to say. They had seen what happened. The ordinary-strength Wind Release: Great Breakthrough had caused some damage to the street, but they didn't know whether anyone had died.

If no one had died, everything would be fine. It would be a minor incident, and Konoha might even offer to cover Li Tong's compensation. After all, he had acted to stop an outlaw.

But if anyone had died, things would get very complicated!

Li Tong didn't try to argue. He had caused it, and there was no point denying or explaining anything. Two Uchiha Clan ninja stood guard on either side of him. Li Tong didn't move again, only watching the rescue effort.

More and more people rushed over to help, and many ninja who had heard the commotion arrived at the scene too.

There were a lot of injured people, probably thirty or forty. Many had been hit by objects swept into the air, while others had fallen and hurt themselves, but none of their injuries seemed serious. Even the worst case was only a broken bone, with no danger to life. The real question was whether anyone had been crushed to death beneath the rubble.

"Contact the Medical Department!"

"Over here! Medical ninja, are there any medical ninja?"

Shouts rang out without pause.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Three more figures suddenly appeared on the chaotic street. They wore black robes and masks, and their presence was icy. They were Anbu Ninja, led by Li Tong's acquaintance, Chen He!

Chen He tilted his head and glanced at Li Tong. His instincts told him that Li Tong was directly involved in this sudden incident.

"Go help," Chen He ordered the other two Anbu Ninja. Then he turned and walked over to Li Tong. The two Uchiha Clan ninja guarding Li Tong immediately stepped aside.

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

"Your sixth sense is sharp," Li Tong said with a shrug. "It was an accident."

"You're under arrest," Chen He said at once.

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

"He's still alive! Quick! Careful!" cries suddenly came from the ruins of the shops. They had already dug through a large portion of the rubble and found a gravely injured man underneath.

"Get him out!"

"Careful, be careful!"

"Ah, he's hurt so badly! Medical ninja! Are there any medical ninja?"

They carried a blood-covered middle-aged man to an open space nearby. Everyone around him was frantic. He was badly injured: a table leg had pierced his abdomen, and one of his arms was broken. His body and face were covered in dust and blood.

A young medical Chunin ran to the man's side and tried to treat him, but he didn't know where to start. He didn't even dare pull out the table leg, afraid he wouldn't be able to stop the bleeding fast enough. The hole was as wide as an arm, and if he pulled it out without being able to stop the bleeding, the man would die even faster.

"I can't do this! We need a Jonin, a medical Jonin!" the young medical Chunin said quickly, looking up. Sweat covered his face, and he seemed extremely nervous.

"A medical Jonin!"

"Is there a medical Jonin?!"

No medical Jonin had arrived at the scene yet.

Medical ninja were already scarce, and there were even fewer Jonin. The few medical ninja who had arrived quickly had all been nearby when the incident happened, and none of them were medical Jonin.

"I'll take a look." Li Tong had been watching the situation. He suddenly spoke and stepped forward.

Chen He stretched out an arm to stop him.

"I can save him!" Li Tong said, rudely pushing Chen He's arm aside.