Mission Complete! (Bonus Chapter for 3000 Flowers!)

BOOM!

The Great Fireball Technique engulfed the Third Hokage, followed by a series of explosive cracks. Li watched from a distance and slowly exhaled. His chakra was nearly exhausted; for a genin, casting the Great Fireball Technique twice in succession, followed by using chakra threads to manipulate a Kunai for a surprise attack, had drained his reserves to the bottom.

During his second assault, Li had driven two Kunai into the ground, their ends tied with chakra threads. He then used the Great Fireball Technique to obscure the Third Hokage's vision while launching three additional Kunai connected to the ones on the ground. Once Li tightened the threads, the three Kunai—which had pierced the wooden log the Third Hokage used as a substitute—were yanked back to strike again. This chain of maneuvers was what made the surprise attack possible.

However, such petty tricks could only cause the Third Hokage a minor inconvenience; dreaming of even scratching his skin was pure fantasy.

Sure enough, as the flames dissipated, the Third Hokage appeared before Li completely unscathed, not even a speck of dust on his clothes. He looked at Li with a smile.

"Li, your talent for combat is exceptional. Not bad, come again!" the Third Hokage said, shifting into a slight stance.

Li frowned at these words and secretly calculated the time. Three minutes had passed; he had two minutes left to complete his five-minute mission, but his chakra was already bottoming out.

If I rely on that genjutsu, I might be able to hold out for another five minutes! Li thought, narrowing his eyes. He stared at the Third Hokage, kicked off the ground, and charged forward. Since his chakra was depleted, he would compensate with taijutsu.

Slap! Slap!

This time, the Third Hokage was slightly more serious. After only a few exchanges, Li's hands were pinned by the Third Hokage, leaving him unable to move. Li tilted his head slightly, his scarlet Sharingan locking onto the Third Hokage. Upon meeting those eyes, the Third Hokage felt his mind momentarily daze. Realizing Li was casting a genjutsu and marveling at the power of the Sharingan, he immediately averted his gaze.

"Li, let's end the sparring here for now. I have a rough idea of your strength. Next..."

Before the Third Hokage could finish, the Li whose hands he held suddenly blurred and transformed into a flock of black crows that scattered.

Caw! Caw! Caw!

The crows cawed, creating an eerie atmosphere. Dozens of them converged in mid-air, reforming into Li's shape. His scarlet Sharingan stared coldly at the Third Hokage as countless crow feathers fluttered in the wind.

"Is this a genjutsu?" The Third Hokage was startled, but he quickly dismissed the thought. Although he had made eye contact with Li's Sharingan, he had broken free of its control in an instant; there were no signs that he had actually fallen under a genjutsu.

Whoosh!

The water continued to flow, the breeze continued to blow; everything felt far too real to be the work of a mere genjutsu. Yet, Li's transformation into crows was something no human should be capable of—at the very least, the Third Hokage had never heard of anyone who could turn into crows.

"Release!"

The Third Hokage performed a few hand seals, disrupting the flow of chakra within his body. Suddenly, a strange sensation washed over him. It wasn't painful, but it was uncomfortable. Once his chakra was disrupted, the scenery before the Third Hokage shifted violently. There were no crows; Li had been standing to the side the entire time, never having moved. The Third Hokage was deeply shaken. To be able to cast a genjutsu without requiring eye contact—if this were a teenage genius ninja, he might not be so shocked, but the one using this technique was just a small child. Furthermore, the Third Hokage was known as the Professor; he had studied countless Ninjutsu and genjutsu, yet he had never seen this technique before.

Is it unique to the Uchiha Clan, or is it an innate ability of the Sharingan? The Third Hokage shook his head, telling himself he was overthinking it.

"Alright, Li, that's enough for today. After you rest, I will arrange your training!" The Third Hokage did not ask about the genjutsu. Every ninja had their secrets, and even between master and student, it was improper to pry. Besides, Li was a member of the Uchiha Clan; if he asked, and the Uchiha Clan found out, there was no telling what people might say.

[System Notification: Congratulations to the host for successfully holding out against the Third Hokage for five minutes and ten seconds. Mission complete. Reward: 1,000 points. Please check your balance.]

Hearing the system prompt, Li breathed a sigh of relief. The mission was finally complete. As he relaxed, his legs nearly gave out. This battle had required every ounce of his strength to drag out for five minutes. Between the two Great Fireball Technique casts and the Crow Clone Technique, it had been a massive challenge for his current chakra levels.

"Haha, sit down and rest for a while. I'll tell you a few things about the principles of Ninjutsu!"

Seeing Li's state, the Third Hokage smiled with genuine admiration. He had rarely seen anyone at the age of six capable of such feats. Perhaps only Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju in their youth could have possessed such ability.

Li sat cross-legged on the ground, recovering his chakra while listening to the Third Hokage explain the principles of Ninjutsu. Whenever he encountered something confusing, Li would ask a few questions, and time slipped away in their exchange.

"Hiruzen, it's time for lunch. Tell little Li to come in and eat with us!"

Before they knew it, it was noon. The Third Hokage's wife came to call them for lunch, and the two stopped their discussion. Li stood up; after so long, his chakra had fully recovered and even improved slightly. Brushing the dust off his clothes, Li looked at the Third Hokage's wife. She was a beautiful, virtuous-looking woman with a noticeably rounded belly, clearly pregnant. If nothing went wrong, the child should be that brat Asuma.

"Li, this is your master's wife!" The Third Hokage looked at his wife with a smile, his face full of happiness; he was about to become a father.

"Greetings, Master's wife." Li bowed respectfully. Despite his small stature, he carried himself with the maturity of an adult.

"No need for such formalities. You are Hiruzen's disciple, so you are family. Come in and eat with us!"

The Third Hokage's wife was a gentle woman in a white kimono. Her voice was soft, and she gave the impression of a perfect wife and mother. The Third Hokage was truly a winner in life—not only was he the Hokage of the village, but he also had such a blissful family.

Li was not one to be coy. Since the Third Hokage and his wife had invited him to stay for a meal, he did not refuse. He nodded silently and followed them into the hall, where the servants were already preparing the bowls and chopsticks.