Kill

Li was now as strong as a Genin, and among his peers, he was one of the best. The other ninja was also a Genin, but three years older than Li. If they really fought, it was hard to say who would win. After all, Li was an Uchiha, with trump cards and advantages the other Genin didn't have.

The children of this era were different from those of several decades later. Even at only nine years old, they were still formidable fighters. The Genin spun his Kunai a few times in his hand, then charged at Li.

"Sharingan!" Li's eyes turned crimson. A single Tomoe spun in each pupil as he fixed his gaze on the Genin's attack.

The One-Tomoe Sharingan couldn't increase his combat strength by much in a fight. But against a ninja of the same rank, it was different. Even with only one Tomoe, it could quickly analyze the ninja's movements.

Clang!

As the Genin closed in, Li thrust his Kunai against the side of the other ninja's Kunai. According to the Sharingan's analysis, that spot was his blind angle. Li used only half his strength, yet the blow knocked the Genin's Kunai aside, sending it to the left. Seizing the opening, Li drove his knee into the Genin's stomach. The other ninja immediately doubled over, clutching his stomach, his face contorted with pain.

Li had struck just below the lungs, near the airway. It was one of the weakest and most vulnerable parts of the human body. A blow from a knee there could knock someone unconscious.

"Yeah!"

Seeing Li land a hit right at the start of the fight, Kushina jumped up in excitement. The other three kids stared at Li in disbelief. They couldn't understand how a student like him could beat a ninja.

"I'll kill you!" The Genin caught his breath, then heard Kushina cheering. His face flushed dark red. He felt she was looking down on him, and her cheers sounded like mockery. Before he even got back to his feet, he hurled three Kunai at Kushina.

"You bastard! You're asking for it!"

Li had been willing to let it go. They were just a bunch of kids, after all, and he had no reason to take them seriously. But when he turned around, he saw the Genin shamelessly ambushing Kushina. The attack had come so suddenly that Kushina stood frozen, unable to react.

Watch the weak points of the Kunai. I have to see them clearly! Li fixed his Sharingan on the three Kunai, but the One-Tomoe Sharingan couldn't fully read their trajectories. The only way to save Kushina was to knock them aside with his own Kunai. But they were both Genin, and Li had no advantage in strength. To deflect all three, he had to spot their weak points and throw his Kunai faster, so he could knock all three away in one go.

But how could a One-Tomoe Sharingan predict the trajectories of three Kunai? Li broke into a sweat. Watching the Kunai fly closer and closer to Kushina, his pupils suddenly contracted, then rapidly widened. His previously still One-Tomoe Sharingan began to spin.

"I see them!" For an instant, the Kunai seemed to slow down. He saw their weak points and, without a moment's hesitation, pulled out three Kunai and hurled them.

Clang!

Li's three Kunai struck the ones about to hit Kushina. Though there were three separate blows, they rang out as one; all six Kunai collided almost simultaneously, then skimmed past Kushina's right cheek.

Seeing that he had successfully deflected the three Kunai, Li let out a breath of relief. But his eyes quickly turned cold as he looked at the Genin, who had just gotten back to his feet. He stared at him with his scarlet Sharingan. Two black Tomoe spun slowly in each of Li's pupils. In that moment of desperation, his One-Tomoe Sharingan had evolved into a Two-Tomoe Sharingan.

The Two-Tomoe Sharingan came with a Genjutsu effect. The moment the Genin's eyes met Li's, his face went blank. His pupils quickly dulled, losing all light. Reflected in them was a pair of crimson eyes, their two Tomoe looking especially eerie.

"Cruelty toward your enemies is cruelty toward yourself. I won't make that mistake again. So now, you can die." Li drew a Kunai and slowly walked toward the Genin.

What had just happened reminded Li of the kind of world this was. It also brought back the words spoken by that woman before he died in his previous life, along with her heartless face. Mercy only encouraged enemies to push their luck. It only brought grief to those who cared for you and joy to those who hated you.

"All the unfairness in the world comes from a lack of strength. Your death is your own fault, and making me a murderer is your fault too. Take that mistake with you to hell." Standing before the Genin, Li pressed the Kunai to his neck.

Shhk!

Blood sprayed from the artery in the Genin's neck, splattering across the snow in stark contrast to its whiteness. The pain of his severed artery broke the ninja free of the Genjutsu. Clutching his bleeding neck, he pointed at Li and stammered a few words before falling onto the snow, eyes wide with terror. In his final moments, he realized just how close death was to a human being.

Ding! Congratulations, host. You have successfully completed your first battle mission. Reward: 1,000 points. In addition, you have completed your first kill and earned an extra reward: one opportunity to upgrade your Kekkei Genkai. Would you like to upgrade now?

The three children had been terrified into silence. They stood trembling where they were, not knowing what to do. Then Li suddenly looked at them, the bloodied Kunai still in his hand.

"Murder... He killed someone!"

The three children panicked and scrambled away, wailing and shouting that someone had been killed.

Li paid no attention to the fleeing children. Instead, he looked at Kushina, who was just as stunned and could only stare at him, speechless.

"Are you afraid of me?" Li wiped the blood from his Kunai, put it away in his tool pouch, then walked toward Kushina and asked calmly. His eyes were still crimson.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Just then, two ninjas appeared beside Li. They glanced at the dead Genin and, without a word, restrained him. They wore the uniform of the Military Police Force and were members of the Uchiha Clan, both Chunin. Li had no chance to fight back before they subdued him.

"Li Uchiha, although we belong to the same Uchiha Clan, you'll have to come with us for now," one of the young ninjas, who looked to be in his twenties, said coolly.