Seeing the Light of Day Again

"Heal him!" White Fang said without wasting words, stepping back and jerking his head toward the rear.

The medical ninja Qingsuo flickered into existence beside Li Tong, his hands merging into a rapid series of seals.

Li Tong had many wounds, though none were critical. Green light glowed from Qingsuo's hands, sweeping over Li Tong's body repeatedly. Soon, the lacerations were healed. Qingsuo then turned his attention to Li Tong's eyes, but quickly encountered a problem.

"Huh, strange." Qingsuo pulled his hands away and looked back. "Was he born with dual-colored eyes?"

"No!" Chen He replied. "When we first captured him, his eyes were identical. During interrogation, we struck him in the eye; he feigned death, and when he woke up, he had amnesia."

"Struck him?" Qingsuo looked puzzled, leaning in to examine Li Tong's eyes more closely.

Li Tong stood rigid, every hair on his body standing on end. He hated being this close to strangers.

"It's not bruising... his iris is naturally red. Strange, to have it change just from a punch..." Qingsuo muttered to himself.

"What—what happened to my eyes?" Li Tong couldn't help but ask. Qingsuo was examining his left eye, the one that could see ninja data.

"Red. It's turned red," Qingsuo replied, pulling a mirror from his robes and waving it in front of Li Tong's face.

In the mirror, a young face appeared—eleven or twelve years old, looking like nothing more than a child. His cheeks were dirty, and dried blood stained the corner of his mouth.

Of course, that wasn't the point.

The point was his left eye: it was red.

Externally, a human eye is divided into three parts: the sclera, the cornea, and the pupil. Li Tong's normal right eye had a dark brown iris beneath a transparent cornea, with a black pupil.

But now, in his left eye, the corneal region appeared blood-red.

It bore a resemblance to the Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan, but unlike the Sharingan, there were no tomoe—only a solid, blood-red expanse.

Li Tong understood why his eye had changed. It was the system. The system had been implanted into his left eye, causing a mutation, or perhaps the True Sight Eye was simply meant to be red. There was no other explanation.

"Is that important?" White Fang asked indifferently.

"Oh, uh..." Qingsuo jerked his head up, turning to look at White Fang, looking strangely nervous. "It's not."

"Then stop looking and unlock him," White Fang said, turning to walk away.

Qingsuo unlocked Li Tong's restraints, but Chen He stepped forward, pulling a black cloth from his robes to blindfold Li Tong. Then, the two led Li Tong out, following in White Fang's footsteps.

Exiting the cell, they entered a long, dim corridor.

Li Tong couldn't see, but he knew why. This was likely the most mysterious base of the Konoha Anbu. Although he had joined Konoha, he was not an Anbu ninja, so he could not be allowed to know the layout of this place.

"Remember my words: be careful in everything. The village won't send you on missions in the short term, but Rain Assassins will definitely infiltrate Konoha to kill you!" White Fang's voice came from ahead.

"Um... actually, I have some questions," Li Tong said.

"What?"

"What is my name?"

"You don't even remember your own name?"

"No."

"We don't know either. As far as I know, ninjas like you in Amegakure are raised from childhood without names, only code names. But those are in the past. Since you've joined Konoha, start over. You can give yourself a new name."

"Then... let's call me... Li Tong!" Li Tong said, feigning hesitation.

"Li Tong? The surname Li?"

"Yes. Doesn't Konoha have people with the surname Li?"

"It does... why did you think of that name so quickly?"

"It feels familiar. Maybe I knew someone named Li Tong before," Li Tong bluffed.

"Hmm." White Fang grunted, not pressing further. It was just a name; it didn't matter.

"Wait!" Li Tong spoke up again. "I have another question. What happened before? I was brought here, but before that... I don't remember anything."

"You were an assassin sent by Amegakure," Chen He, standing beside him, answered. "Two days ago, in the northern forest outside Konoha, you and five other child ninjas between nine and twelve years old tried to break through the patrol line to reach the village. The Hyuga Clan was responsible for the perimeter. By the time we noticed you, you had already killed three Hyuga chunin... The other five children are dead. You are the only one captured alive. Your motive and objective for this operation remain unknown."

"I see..." Li Tong nodded.

"Amegakure in the Land of Rain possesses the most elite assassination techniques in the ninja world. Even as a genin, you managed to kill chunin silently during a sneak attack. Your talent is undeniable," White Fang's voice drifted back. "However, because of your amnesia, you've forgotten those skills. You have chakra, but you don't know how to use it... I hope you resume your training as soon as possible. It would be best if you could recall your ninjutsu and secret arts to regain your strength. Only then will you have a better chance of surviving!"

White Fang kept implying that his chances of dying were high, which struck Li Tong as odd.

How incompetent could Konoha be if they couldn't even protect one person?

If that were true, wouldn't the Konoha ninjas who held high positions through administration and strategy have been wiped out long ago?

"White... Lord White Fang... is there something you aren't telling me?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, who exactly is it that wants me dead?"

The four of them walked through the dim corridor, White Fang in the lead, Chen He and Qingsuo behind, with the blindfolded Li Tong in the middle. White Fang didn't answer immediately, remaining silent for a long time. He knew things—as the captain of the Konoha Anbu, he held all the village's secrets—but he couldn't tell Li Tong everything.

"You will find out," White Fang replied after passing a junction, and said nothing more.

Li Tong stopped asking. He vaguely understood: the danger didn't just come from outside Konoha, but from within. After all, he had been an enemy of Konoha. He had killed their ninjas—the Hyuga Clan, for instance.

Ten minutes later.

Li Tong had no idea where he had walked to, when he suddenly felt his shoulder tighten.

Chen He gripped Li Tong's shoulder firmly, his figure flickering... Li Tong felt that sensation of flying again, though it was extremely brief; it seemed that after only a split second, Li Tong felt he had arrived in a new environment. The contrast was immense; the previous setting had been quiet and stifling, while this new environment was filled with wind, birdsong, fresh air, and the rustling of leaves.

It seemed they had arrived in a forest!

"Are we out already?" Li Tong asked.

"Mm." Chen He replied with a nasal hum, directly tearing the black blindfold from Li Tong's eyes.

Light, blindingly bright!

Li Tong was somewhat unaccustomed to it and immediately closed his eyes again, waiting a moment to adjust before slowly opening them once more.

It was a clear, bright morning with the sun shining perfectly. In the middle of an endless, vast forest, Li Tong stood beneath a towering giant tree dozens of meters high, appearing exceptionally tiny. The wind was blowing, carrying the fragrance of flowers, and the lush green grass, still clinging to dewdrops, swayed and bowed to one side with the breeze. Birds with vibrant plumage darted out from the canopy, flapping their wings as they circled...

Everything was so beautiful!

He had seen the light of day once again!