That's Right, I'm Messing With You!

"Hey! Do we know each other?" Li Tong asked, shooting Jiraiya a sidelong glance. "Let go of me. We're not close."

"My name's Jiraiya. You've probably heard of me!" Jiraiya walked forward with an arm around Li Tong's neck, acting like they were old friends. "Come on, let's go sit down at that tavern and talk. Ghost—oh, no... Li Tong, right? Hahahaha! Li Tong, I think we're destined to get along! Hahahaha..."

Another shameless guy!

Tsunade had already disappeared, and now Jiraiya was clinging to Li Tong and pretending they were close.

"Military Police! Military Police! Someone's dead here!" A ninja stuck his head through a hole in the wall on the fifth floor of the inn, about twenty meters away, and shouted.

Dozens of Uchiha Clan ninjas had already arrived on the street. At the commotion, those nearby sprang into action and rushed over.

Mikoto Uchiha reacted as well and sprinted toward the inn.

Her position in the Military Police was not high, but she held great standing within the Uchiha Clan. Since the Military Police had been established by the clan, she could disregard rank and direct the Uchiha ninjas at the scene.

Li Tong couldn't help glancing toward the inn.

Jiraiya immediately turned his head back and patted him on the shoulder, laughing. "Hahahaha! So, Li Tong, how about it? Give me the wager you're about to win for two hundred thousand ryo. Trust me, you won't lose out. Tsunade is famous for skipping out on her debts. She'll keep avoiding you, so you might as well, heh..."

Li Tong was being dragged along with Jiraiya's arm around him. He had no choice.

He wanted to resist, but it was useless. Jiraiya was definitely no weaker than Tsunade; in fact, his overall combat strength was greater.

His reputation, though, wasn't quite as great as Tsunade's. That was mainly because her reputation as a fighter also included her abilities as a medical ninja.

"We're not close!" Li Tong refused.

The name Pervy Sage was famous to Li Tong. Jiraiya was only twenty-two now, decades younger than the Pervy Sage in the original story, but Li Tong knew he had improper designs on Tsunade.

If Li Tong really handed the wager he was about to win over to Jiraiya, there was no telling what Jiraiya might do.

"I know we're not close yet, but we can be." Jiraiya steered Li Tong westward, grinning from ear to ear. "Let's find a tavern and chat. Hahaha, we've got to have a good, long talk!"

Orochimaru, his face pale and his presence cold as ink, followed behind them with his arms folded. He had no real reason to be here, but apparently he'd taken an interest. His gaze never left Li Tong's back.

Li Tong felt as if thorns were pricking him.

Being watched by Orochimaru was deeply uncomfortable.

"Stop!" A dashing figure leaped down from above and glared at Li Tong. "Ghost, you can't leave! Come back to the Military Police with me!"

It was Mikoto Uchiha!

Six or seven Uchiha ninjas leaped down behind her. Two of them were carrying a bloodied corpse; they had just come down from the inn's fifth floor.

"Great! Arrest me already, hurry!" Li Tong immediately held out his hands. He'd much rather take a tour of the Military Police than keep getting pestered by Jiraiya.

Jiraiya yanked Li Tong back, stopping him from stepping forward. Then he lifted his head toward Mikoto Uchiha and grinned. "Young lady, I'll cover whatever damages there are today."

"Lord Jiraiya." Mikoto Uchiha bowed respectfully at once and spoke quickly. "I'm afraid this is no longer just a matter of covering the damages. We've found a dead person, so we have to take him in."

"It's just one death. Is that really worth making such a fuss over?" a cold voice said. A figure flashed into view in front of Jiraiya and Li Tong.

He was treating a life with such contempt.

"You—" Mikoto Uchiha jerked her head up, ready to retort, but her expression changed. She took a frightened step back.

"L-Lord Orochimaru!" Mikoto Uchiha greeted him respectfully, then bowed her head again.

The atmosphere around them turned icy.

Among the Third Hiruzen Sarutobi's three prized disciples, Tsunade was cold on the outside but warm-hearted beneath. As long as no one offended her, she was reasonable enough. Jiraiya was famously easygoing, laughing and joking with everyone. Orochimaru, on the other hand, was... cold. Incredibly cold. His methods were ruthless, and he was merciless—someone to fear.

Whoosh!

An Uchiha elite Jonin nearby saw that something was wrong and flashed in front of Mikoto Uchiha. He knew she was young and inexperienced, and not equipped to handle this sort of situation.

"Lord Orochimaru!" the elite Jonin said quickly. "While stopping a fugitive, Li Tong unleashed a large-scale attack ninjutsu in the middle of the street. He caused extensive property damage in the village and injured dozens of people, one of whom died at the scene. We need to take him in for questioning. We'll report this matter to Lord Hokage. Please don't interfere."

"Right, don't interfere. Let go of me!" Li Tong immediately chimed in. Then he shrugged off Jiraiya's arm, leaped away, and landed beside Mikoto Uchiha. Holding out both hands, he said, "Arrest me, hurry!"

The Uchiha ninjas around them looked at Li Tong as if he were crazy.

They'd never seen anyone demand to be arrested after killing someone!

Orochimaru glanced at Li Tong without a word, then turned and left.

"Tsunade was right. The kid really is crazy!" Jiraiya muttered. He followed Orochimaru away, but after a few steps, he turned back and waved at Li Tong. "Li Tong, I'll come find you again!"

There was no point staying. After all, Li Tong was asking to be arrested.

Only after Jiraiya and Orochimaru had disappeared down the street did the Uchiha elite Jonin finally relax.

"Hmph! Ghost, at least you're admitting your guilt. But you're still done for! A life for a life!" Mikoto Uchiha said fiercely. She pulled out a pair of handcuffs and was about to lock Li Tong up.

"Blind little girl!" Li Tong insulted her, practically begging for trouble.

"You! Who are you calling blind?" Mikoto Uchiha exploded, her hair practically standing on end.

"Who else? You! Which of your eyes saw me kill anyone?" Li Tong said, completely unrepentant.

Mikoto Uchiha was about to lose her mind. It was rare to meet someone so shameless; her hands trembled as she pointed at the corpse they had just carried down. "The body is right in front of you, and you still dare deny it? You killed someone! I don't care what your excuse is—you're finished!"

"Oh? You mean him." Li Tong looked as if he'd just realized what she was talking about. He glanced at the bloodied corpse, then exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? Isn't that the fugitive? I stopped and killed a fugitive. What crime did I commit?"

"Huh?" Mikoto Uchiha was stunned.

A fugitive?

This corpse was the fugitive?

Mikoto Uchiha didn't know, and neither did the other Uchiha ninjas around her. Only a few Uchiha ninjas had been chasing the fugitive at the time. Mikoto Uchiha and the others had arrived later, so naturally they didn't know what he'd looked like. Besides, the Rasengan had battered his body beyond recognition.

The Uchiha elite Jonin beside them frowned and called out, "Anyone who was there at the time, come over!"

Uchiha Ri, who was helping maintain order in the distance, heard him and quickly ran over.

"Is this the fugitive?" Mikoto Uchiha asked, pointing at the corpse.

Uchiha Ri crouched down to look. Although the body had been battered beyond recognition, the clothes, shoes, and equipment were unchanged. It was Kuro-Maru. Uchiha Ri looked him over, then stood and said, "Yes, that's him! I thought he'd gotten away. I didn't realize he'd already been killed."

The thick fog had been covering the area when Li Tong knocked Kuro-Maru away, so no one had seen it happen.

Mikoto Uchiha was furious. She glared at Li Tong.

"Wasn't I right?" Li Tong spread his hands.

"You tricked me!" Mikoto Uchiha shrieked. A famously refined lady, she was almost driven out of her mind by Li Tong.

"That's right, I'm messing with you!" Li Tong shrugged and pursed his lips. In truth, he'd only wanted to get away from Jiraiya.

Mikoto Uchiha was so furious she nearly ground her teeth to dust. With no innocent bystanders dead, it really wasn't a serious matter; at worst, Li Tong would have to pay some compensation.

"Here, take this. It should cover the damages." Li Tong pulled a stack of bills from his clothes. It came to about twenty thousand ryo. He stuffed it into Mikoto Uchiha's hands. "If that's all, I'm leaving!"

With that, Li Tong stomped the ground and sprang into the air.

He leaped up to the height of the second floor, kicked off the inn's outer wall twice, and shot up to the fifth floor, slipping through the hole.

The inn's fifth floor was a complete mess.

When Kuro-Maru had been knocked inside, he'd overturned several furnishings, smashed through the wall of a guest room, and rolled into the corridor outside, where he'd died.

Li Tong ran into the corridor and collected five cards from the spot where Kuro-Maru had finally died, then turned and ran back out.

The five cards had naturally dropped when Kuro-Maru died. Normally, cards floated above a corpse, but if the corpse was moved, the cards stayed where they were.

This was the first time he'd obtained cards from a samurai, and a samurai as strong as a Chunin, no less. He had no idea what he'd get.

He'd find out when he got back.