The Five-Minute Battle!

Seeing Uchiha Mikoto's anxious expression, Li felt deeply moved. This young girl had always cared for him, looking after him just as one would a biological brother. Li had no younger sister in his past life, nor had he ever experienced the feeling of being cared for by one or caring for one in return; he never expected to have such an opportunity in this life.

No one can hurt Mikoto, not even her own kin! Li thought to himself as he looked at her worried face.

Uchiha Fugaku, who stood to the side, had initially been worried about Li's injuries, but seeing Uchiha Mikoto show such concern for him, his expression soured. He stood by with his head bowed, remaining silent, though Li didn't pay him any mind, merely casting a faint glance in his direction.

"It's alright, Mikoto. Didn't I tell you I'm fine? It's just that I won't be able to attend the Ninja Academy starting tomorrow. From now on, you should just go with Fugaku," Li said with a smile, patting Uchiha Mikoto on the head.

"Why? Kushina said that incident wasn't your fault at all. Why are they making you drop out?" Uchiha Mikoto asked, looking up in confusion.

Upon hearing that Li would no longer be attending the academy, Uchiha Fugaku felt a strange, secret joy. He stole a glance at Uchiha Mikoto's back and allowed a faint smile to touch his lips.

"Regardless of the circumstances, killing is killing. Besides, I don't have the power to change the village's decision right now," Li said, shaking his head. Seeing that Uchiha Mikoto wanted to continue, he added, "Enough, let's not talk about this anymore. Even without the Ninja Academy, I can still become an excellent ninja!"

After sending Uchiha Mikoto away, Li spent three quiet days. On the fourth day, he rose early, finished his daily training, and headed to the home of the Third Hokage. Upon arriving at the gate, someone was already waiting—a nanny from the Third Hokage's household.

"Lord Hokage is already waiting for you inside. Please, follow me," the nanny said with a slight bow before leading the way.

The Third Hokage's residence was not overly luxurious, falling slightly short of the Uchiha Clan's estate, yet it was filled with courtyards. The Sarutobi Clan had few members, and as they walked, Li saw very few people, mostly servants. Upon reaching a large courtyard, Li saw the Third Hokage dressed in combat gear. The moment he saw Li approach, the Third Hokage immediately broke into a smile.

"Li, you're here!" The Third Hokage dismissed the nanny and smiled at Li.

"Teacher!" Li bowed.

"Hmm, let's skip the pleasantries. Since I am your teacher, I will naturally arrange your training schedule based on your current level. How about this? I don't know much about you yet, so let's spar first," the Third Hokage said with a nod and a moment of contemplation.

Ding! Main quest issued: Hold your ground against the Third Hokage for five minutes. Reward: 1,000 points. Failure: Deduction of 1,000 points. If the host has insufficient points, material assets of equal value will be deducted!

Hold on for five minutes? That means I can't hold anything back; I have to attack with everything I've got to have a chance! Hearing the system's quest, Li nodded inwardly, knowing he couldn't afford to hide his strength, or he wouldn't last five minutes.

"Are you ready?" The Third Hokage asked with a smile, noticing Li lost in thought.

"Yes!" Li snapped back to reality. He pulled a Kunai from his pouch, crouched slightly, and his black pupils turned blood-red. Two tomoe spun within his eyes as he stared intently at the Third Hokage. As he looked, Li frowned; under the gaze of his Two-Tomoe Sharingan, the Third Hokage had no blind spots. Even though he stood casually, he naturally covered all his vulnerabilities.

Then, I'll just have to create a blind spot myself!

With that thought, Li moved. He threw the Kunai at the still-smiling Third Hokage and followed closely behind it, charging forward.

"Oh? So this is the number one genius of the Uchiha Clan? Opening the Two-Tomoe Sharingan at the age of six—this talent is truly terrifying. Such a talent must not be tainted by the arrogance of the Uchiha Clan!" Facing Li's aggressive assault, the Third Hokage didn't move much, instead nodding to himself as he watched the boy. Just as the Kunai was about to strike, the Third Hokage shifted slightly, letting it graze past him, before raising a hand to block Li's front kick.

"It's not over yet!" Blocked, Li didn't give up. He braced his hands on the ground, spun his body into the air, and aimed a horizontal kick at the Third Hokage's head, while his other hand reached into his pouch to pull out several shuriken.

"Such strong combat instincts!" A flash of brilliance crossed the Third Hokage's eyes. After easily parrying the kick, he stepped back to create distance. At that moment, Li's shuriken were already flying toward his face. Seeing this, the Third Hokage quickly reached out and caught them.

As the attack ended, Li landed and looked at the Third Hokage, only to see his three shuriken spinning on the Third Hokage's three fingers.

As expected, the gap between a Genin and a Kage-level ninja is just too vast. But if I keep this up, I might just be able to last five minutes! Thinking this, Li threw more shuriken at the Third Hokage with his right hand while simultaneously pulling two Kunai with his left and stabbing them into the ground beneath his feet. Without a moment's hesitation, he rushed toward the Third Hokage, his hands weaving signs at high speed.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" Compared to a few days ago, Li's hand speed had increased. By the time the Third Hokage dodged the shuriken, Li had finished his signs, and a scorching fireball rolled toward the Third Hokage. After exhaling the fireball, Li didn't stop, quickly firing off three more Kunai.

However, at that moment, a Kunai was pressed against Li's neck. The Third Hokage, who had been in front of him, was now behind him, and the Third Hokage who had been hit by the fireball and Kunai turned into a severed log.

"Li, you launched a fierce assault to force me to reveal a weakness, but in battle, blind aggression isn't the way to victory!" The Third Hokage smiled, just about to move the Kunai away from Li's neck, when the three Kunai previously stuck in the log suddenly moved, piercing straight toward the Third Hokage's face.

Bang!

The Li held by the Third Hokage's Kunai suddenly vanished with a puff of smoke; it was merely a product of the Transformation Technique.

"Found an opening!" Li, who had been hiding in a tree nearby, jumped down, quickly wove signs, and unleashed another Great Fireball Technique at the Third Hokage.