Is This Genjutsu?

Bang!

Bound Kushina was thrown straight to the ground. In the end, the two ninjas decided to attack together. They were worried that Li would report what had happened to the village, so they planned to deal with him as quickly as possible to eliminate any future trouble. As long as they left Konoha, they wouldn't have to worry too much even if people from Konoha came after them.

Both ninjas were elite Genin. In a one-on-one fight, Li could win easily with his Sharingan, but facing two opponents at once was a bit much. Ultimately, Li's age held him back. Although all three were elite Genin, the two ninjas were at least fifteen years old, and had more chakra than Li.

The two Sand Ninja clearly worked together often; their movements were almost perfectly synchronized. Each held a kunai as they charged at Li from either side. Once they were close, they attacked from both sides at once.

"Sharingan!"

Once his Sharingan was activated, the two Sand Ninja seemed to move more slowly in Li's vision. He leaned aside to dodge a side kick from the right, then raised both arms to block the attack from the left. Against two elite Genin, he would probably have already lost if he didn't have the Sharingan.

The two Sand Ninja coordinated their attacks well. When one kicked high, the other swept at his legs. After only a dozen or so exchanges, Li began to feel the strain.

Bang!

After blocking a sweeping kick, Li retreated several steps. Before he could catch his breath, he heard another whoosh behind him. It was clearly another roundhouse kick. Without thinking, Li quickly bent down to dodge it. Then he planted both hands on the ground and spun sharply. His Sharingan instantly locked onto an opening in one of the Sand Ninja's guard, and he kicked him in the stomach.

"This kid's got some moves!" The other Sand Ninja was shocked. He had never seen a kid this capable, and immediately stopped underestimating him. But just then, a pair of crimson eyes suddenly appeared before him.

"Is that... the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan?" The Sand Ninja was startled. Remembering that the Sharingan was famous for its Genjutsu, he instinctively closed his eyes. Li didn't let the chance slip by; he thrust the kunai in his hand straight toward the Sand Ninja's neck.

"Die, you bastard!" The Sand Ninja Li had just kicked away charged over and hurled three kunai at him, hoping to save his comrade by drawing Li's attention away.

Zing! Zing! Zing!

The three kunai plunged into Li's back, spraying blood everywhere. But before the Sand Ninja could celebrate, Li suddenly turned into dozens of black crows that scattered in every direction. Their cries filled the air around him. In the blink of an eye, the crows gathered behind him and took Li's shape once more.

"What...?" The Sand Ninja was horrified. He still hadn't figured out what was happening.

"Why fight?" Li hovered in midair, his crimson Sharingan coldly fixed on the Sand Ninja as he spoke. Before the man could answer, Li transformed into crows and vanished again. Countless feathers drifted down from the sky as cawing filled the air. Everything around them was silent, save for the crows.

"Is this Genjutsu? But when did it happen?" The Sand Ninja had just realized he was caught in a Genjutsu when a sudden, sharp pain shot through his body. In an instant, everything disappeared: the crows, their cries. The Sand Ninja's eyes went wide. A black kunai had pierced his chest and heart, ending his life.

"When... did it happen?"

As the words left his mouth, the Sand Ninja died. He fell to the ground with a thud, eyes still open in death.

"Ding! Congratulations, Host. You killed an enemy elite Genin. Reward: 1,000 points. Host, please check your rewards!"

Li had been about to deal with the second Sand Ninja when he heard the system's notification and froze. He hadn't expected killing someone to earn a reward, let alone such a generous 1,000 points. But he quickly put it out of his mind. There was still an enemy in front of him.

"Longcun!"

Seeing his comrade die, the surviving Sand Ninja cried out in grief, then glared at Li with bloodshot eyes. He couldn't believe Li had killed one of his comrades in just a few short exchanges.

That's right: Li had fought them for less than thirty seconds. As soon as he blocked their first attack, he used the Crow Clone Technique. The rest of the battle hadn't really happened at all. Both Sand Ninja had been trapped in the Genjutsu, wildly lashing out all around them like madmen.

"Kid, you're dead!" The Sand Ninja didn't know when Li had cast the Genjutsu, but it didn't matter now. At this point, even abandoning the mission wouldn't let him escape. He might as well fight to the death.

"Are you sure what you're seeing right now is real?" Li didn't attack the Sand Ninja as he charged at him. Instead, he simply watched him calmly. His crimson Sharingan was as still as a cold pool, without a ripple.

Li's words startled the Sand Ninja. He quickly stopped and stared at him, uncertain whether to believe him.

"If I were you, I'd have killed myself already. Haven't you heard what people say about the Uchiha?" Looking at the Sand Ninja, Li watched the Tomoe in his Sharingan begin to rotate slowly and continued, "When you're facing an Uchiha one-on-one, turn around and run. That's the valuable advice left by generations of people who fought the Uchiha Clan. Didn't your village teach you that?"

"Don't panic, don't panic. If this is Genjutsu, I just need to disrupt the flow of chakra in my body!" the Sand Ninja muttered to himself. He began forming Hand Seals to disrupt his chakra. But at that moment, Li suddenly sprang forward like a beast. Mid-leap, he casually flung three kunai at the Sand Ninja.

"Bastard, you tricked me!" The Sand Ninja's expression changed when he saw Li launch a sudden attack. He was just about to knock the three kunai away with his own, but they abruptly changed direction and flew past him.

"Did he miss?" The thought had barely crossed the Sand Ninja's mind when he felt a sudden tightness around his body. Then he was flung backward against a large tree. The impact nearly knocked him unconscious.

"Chakra Thread?" The Sand Ninja came to his senses and saw the faint silver glimmers around his waist, revealed by the moonlight. He realized the three kunai hadn't missed; Li had thrown them that way on purpose.