This Was Reckless

Chen He's right hand was shoved aside, and his left hand instinctively went to the hilt at his waist before stopping. It was just professional instinct; Anbu Ninja were always on guard against any close-range provocation. WWWCOM

Li Tong walked past Chen He.

"Stop!"

"Don't move!"

Several Uchiha Ninja nearby rushed over and blocked Li Tong's path. Li Tong was now a "suspect." Not only had Chen He of the Anbu announced his arrest, but the Konoha Military Police Force had done the same.

"I was just..." Li Tong raised a hand, trying to explain.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Six whirlwinds rose around Li Tong. Six Uchiha Clan Ninja appeared in puffs of smoke, followed at once by an angry, shrill rebuke: "How could you use a large-scale attack jutsu in a crowded district, you bastard?!"

The newcomers were the Uchiha Clan's young clan leader, Fugaku Uchiha, Mikoto Uchiha, and four Uchiha Clan Jonin!

The one scolding Li Tong was Mikoto Uchiha!

Li Tong had once made the unreasonable demand that she marry him if she wanted to join the Uchiha Clan. Ever since then, Mikoto Uchiha had been fed up with him. They had come after receiving a report and knew that Li Tong had used a large-scale attack jutsu in a busy commercial district to stop a fugitive.

What Li Tong had done could be treated as a serious offense or a minor one. It all depended on whether anyone had died.

But Mikoto Uchiha was heavily biased against Li Tong now, and she had no intention of being nice to him.

"Did you do it on purpose, you bastard? I'm telling you, you're under arrest. You're coming with us to assist with the investigation, and I have serious doubts about why you used a jutsu in the middle of the street!" Normally gentle, Mikoto Uchiha was now acting fierce. She strode toward him, drawing her sword halfway to threaten him.

Li Tong narrowed his eyes instinctively. He had suddenly noticed a change in Mikoto Uchiha's relationship status.

It hadn't gone from neutral to hostile!

It had changed to—disdain!

What the hell was disdain supposed to mean?!

"What? Are you going to resist? I'm warning you, if you dare resist, don't blame us..." Mikoto Uchiha kept advancing, threatening and provoking him.

What did he ever do to her?!

Fugaku Uchiha stood there impassively. He hadn't moved or said a word since arriving.

"Shut up, you brat!" Li Tong said impatiently. "Keep yapping and that man's going to die!"

"What did you call me? You dare call me a brat?!" Mikoto Uchiha's voice shot up an octave. The other Uchiha Clan Ninja nearby all twitched at the eyes. This brat was way too arrogant.

"Brat!" Li Tong repeated, then leaned back slightly and turned to Chen He behind him. "Lord Chen He, give me a chance?"

Li Tong raised a hand to adjust the sunglasses on his nose. A glint flashed across the round lenses.

Chen He fell silent for a moment, then looked up at Fugaku Uchiha and said in a low voice, "Let him through."

Fugaku Uchiha glanced at Chen He, then raised a hand. "Move aside, Mikoto. Come here."

In terms of status, Chen He was nowhere near Fugaku Uchiha's level. In fact, the gap between them was considerable. Chen He was merely a Jonin, while Fugaku Uchiha was the young clan leader of one of Konoha's top families and was certain to become an important figure in Konoha.

But when it came to official business, every Anbu Ninja had the right to enforce the law first!

If the Police Force wanted to arrest someone and the Anbu wouldn't let them, then they couldn't arrest him!

Mikoto Uchiha still looked fierce and refused to move.

Li Tong couldn't be bothered arguing with her. He simply walked around her.

The Uchiha Clan Ninja watched Li Tong walk toward the ruins of the shop, all looking puzzled. Fugaku Uchiha glanced at Chen He again but didn't ask anything.

Mikoto Uchiha walked over to Fugaku Uchiha, still looking unhappy. Suddenly, she tilted her head and whispered, "Young master? What does 'yapping' mean?"

Fugaku Uchiha furrowed his brow slightly, thought about it, then shook his head.

"The bleeding won't stop! His heartbeat is weakening."

"Quick! Is there a Medical Jonin?"

"Someone's already gone to notify them. They'll be here any moment, any moment."

"He's about to go into shock! Hurry, save him! Save him!"

In front of the shop's ruins, five or six Ninja surrounded a middle-aged man who was critically wounded and near death. Two Medical Ninja were treating him. Both were Chunin, and although the others knew a little about medical care, the man's injuries were too severe. They didn't even dare pull out the table leg that had pierced his body. The two Medical Chunin could only use basic Medical Ninjutsu to ease his pain.

But it was no use. The man's vital signs were rapidly declining.

"Save him! Please, save him! Boo-hoo..." A middle-aged woman in a long Japanese-style dress, her face and clothes smeared with dust, wailed nearby. A boy of seven or eight was sprawled in her arms, bawling. Two young men dressed like shop assistants were holding them back.

Li Tong walked over and glanced at the scene.

The badly wounded man was the owner of the collapsed shop, a man named Ichiro Nagasaki. The crying woman and child were his wife and son.

"Move aside. I'll handle this!" Li Tong stepped forward and patted the young Medical Chunin on the shoulder.

The Medical Chunin, Tiansong, was drenched in sweat. Hearing someone tell him to move, he assumed a Medical Jonin had arrived. He sprang to his feet and said excitedly, "Sir, please—"

Tiansong's voice abruptly cut off. Only then did he see the Ninja who had told him to move aside. He was just eleven or twelve; there were no Medical Jonin that young in the Medical Department!

"Brat! Don't cause trouble! Get lost!" Tiansong roared and shoved Li Tong, but couldn't budge him.

He was truly desperate. A doctor's heart was compassionate; Medical Ninja were there to save lives. They might have seen plenty of death, but that hadn't made them cold or numb. They would do everything they could to save anyone who didn't need to die.

"I can save him. He's about to go into shock," Li Tong explained. Then he grabbed Tiansong by the collar and tossed him aside.

Tiansong was flung away and nearly fell. The other Ninja who had been helping all sprang to their feet in fury, ready to attack Li Tong.

"Let him try!" Chen He's voice came from behind. He had come over.

The Ninja saw that he was an Anbu Ninja. They still thought this was completely reckless, but they didn't dare challenge the authority of the Anbu.

Chen He was cold and detached. He knew this was reckless, too, but as a veteran Anbu Ninja, he had long since developed a heart of steel. He didn't care much whether an ordinary shopkeeper lived or died, and the man was already beyond saving. He was more interested in what Li Tong had learned from Tsunade.

Could it really be that he had learned the Mystical Palm Technique after just one lesson? Had he already mastered it?

Impossible!

But Tsunade might have taught him other Medical Ninjutsu. Tsunade's abilities were beyond question. The Medical Ninja who usually sought her advice were all Elite Jonin. And Li Tong had received Tsunade's instruction. Maybe he really did know a thing or two about saving lives.

Fugaku Uchiha, Mikoto Uchiha, and the others gathered around as well. They had all heard Li Tong say he was going to save the man.

"This brat really is crazy! How can you let him mess around? He caused all this, and if he interferes and delays treatment, that'll just make his crime worse!" Mikoto Uchiha said angrily, worried and frustrated.

"Enough," Fugaku Uchiha said, glancing at Mikoto.

He knew Mikoto was worried Li Tong would get the man killed, and that her intentions were good. But she shouldn't say that in this situation... Konoha's unspoken rule was that you never questioned the Anbu's authority in public!

Li Tong crouched down and patted Ichiro Nagasaki's face with a decidedly unprofessional touch. He couldn't wake the man; he was unconscious.

Li Tong grabbed the chair leg lodged in Ichiro Nagasaki's abdomen and yanked it out!

Squelch!

Blood spurted from the arm-thick wound, shooting a full two meters into the air. Ichiro Nagasaki woke at that moment, made a muffled sound in his throat, and convulsed violently twice before closing his eyes and going still.

Many people around them stared wide-eyed. The Medical Chunin Tiansong clutched his head, looking as if he were about to collapse.

He had never seen anyone try to save a life like that!

So simple and brutal!

Ichiro Nagasaki had only been in an ordinary faint before. But Li Tong had yanked the chair leg out too quickly, causing massive blood loss and a sudden drop in blood pressure... Now he was in shock!

He was one step from death.

This was completely reckless!

At the same time, at the western end of the street, Tsunade and the other two appeared on top of a tower. They stood shoulder to shoulder, looked toward the chaotic scene, then vanished again in a flash.

Tsunade and the other two appeared on the chaotic street. Many people noticed them right away.

"Lady Tsunade is here! That's wonderful!"

"Lady Tsunade, over there! There's a critically wounded man! He needs emergency treatment."

A Ninja pointed the way for Tsunade.