Is This an Illusion?

Bang!

Kushina was bound and tossed directly onto the ground. Having reached this point, the two ninjas decided to attack together. They were worried that Li might report this incident to the village, so to avoid future trouble, they intended to finish him off as quickly as possible. Once they were outside Konoha, they wouldn't have to worry too much even if Konoha ninjas came in pursuit.

Both ninjas were elite genin level. One-on-one, Li could easily win by relying on his Sharingan, but two-on-one was a bit of a stretch. Ultimately, Li's age was his limitation; although they were all elite genin, these two ninjas were at least fifteen years old and possessed more chakra than Li.

The two Sand Ninja were clearly accustomed to working together, their movement patterns almost identical. Holding Kunai, they charged at Li from the left and right, launching a pincer attack as they closed the distance.

"Sharingan!"

After activating the Sharingan, the speed of the two Sand Ninja gradually slowed in Li's vision. Sidestepping a horizontal kick from the right, he used both hands to block the attack from the left. Fighting two elite genin, he would likely have been defeated by now if not for the Sharingan.

The two Sand Ninja coordinated their attacks well. When one kicked at his upper body, the other would sweep at his legs. After only a dozen exchanges, Li began to feel the strain.

Bang!

After blocking a sweep, Li retreated a few steps. Before he could catch his breath, a whistling sound came from behind him—clearly another horizontal kick. Without a second thought, Li hurriedly bent down to dodge the sweep, then pushed off the ground with both hands. His body spun violently, and his Sharingan instantly locked onto an opening in one of the Sand Ninja, landing a kick squarely in the man's stomach.

"This brat actually has some tricks up his sleeve!" The other Sand Ninja was shocked. He had never seen such a formidable kid before and immediately cast aside his contempt. But at that moment, a pair of scarlet eyes suddenly appeared before him.

"This is? The Uchiha Clan's Sharingan?" The Sand Ninja was startled. Recalling that the Sharingan was famous for genjutsu, he instinctively closed his eyes. Li would not let this opportunity slip; the Kunai in his hand thrust directly toward the Sand Ninja's throat.

"Go to hell, you bastard!" The Sand Ninja who had just been kicked away by Li rushed up, throwing three Kunai at him. He hoped to use this "besiege Wei to rescue Zhao" tactic to save his companion.

Zzz! Zzz! Zzz!

The three Kunai pierced into Li's back without incident, splashing blood everywhere. However, before the Sand Ninja could rejoice, the Li who had been struck suddenly transformed into dozens of black crows that scattered. The sound of cawing crows filled his ears, and in the blink of an eye, the dozens of crows converged behind him, reforming into Li's shape.

"What is this?" The Sand Ninja was terrified, unable to react in time.

"Why must you fight?" Li stood in mid-air, his scarlet Sharingan staring coldly at the Sand Ninja as he spoke indifferently. Once the words fell, he didn't give the Sand Ninja time to answer. Li transformed into crows again and vanished. Countless crow feathers drifted down from the sky, and the cawing continued. The surroundings fell into absolute silence; besides the sound of the crows, there was no other noise.

"Is this a genjutsu? But, when did it happen!" The Sand Ninja had just realized he was caught in a genjutsu when a sharp pain suddenly surged through his body. Instantly, all the imagery vanished—no crows, no cawing. The Sand Ninja's pupils dilated; in front of his chest, a pitch-black Kunai had pierced his heart, extinguishing his life.

"When... exactly!"

After these words, the Sand Ninja breathed his last. With a thud, he collapsed to the ground, his eyes wide open in death, his life extinguished.

System: Congratulations to the host for killing an enemy elite genin. Reward: 1,000 points. Please check your account!

Just as he was about to finish off the second Sand Ninja, Li heard the system notification and was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected that even killing would yield rewards, and a generous one at that—1,000 points. However, Li quickly pushed the matter to the back of his mind; there was still one enemy left.

"Longcun!"

Seeing his companion die, the surviving Sand Ninja let out a cry of grief, then glared at Li with bloodshot eyes. He hadn't expected that in just a few short rounds of combat, his companion would be slaughtered by the opponent.

That's right, the time Li spent fighting them was less than thirty seconds. After blocking their first wave of attacks, Li had activated the Crow Clone Technique. The subsequent battle never existed; the two Sand Ninja had simply been trapped in a genjutsu, frantically attacking the air.

"Brat, give me your life!" Although he didn't know when Li had activated the genjutsu, it didn't matter anymore. At this point, even if he abandoned the mission, he couldn't escape, so he might as well fight to the death.

"Are you sure what you're seeing now is real?" Facing the aggressive Sand Ninja, Li didn't move, instead watching calmly. His scarlet Sharingan was like a pool of cold water, without a ripple.

Hearing Li's words, the Sand Ninja was startled. He hurriedly stopped in his tracks, looking at Li with uncertainty as he tried to discern the truth of the statement.

"If I were you, I would have committed suicide long ago. Haven't you heard how others describe the Uchiha?" Watching the Sand Ninja, the tomoe in his Sharingan began to rotate slowly. Li didn't attack, continuing, "One-on-one, turn and run—this is the precious experience left behind by the predecessors who made enemies of the Uchiha Clan. Did your village not teach you this?"

"Don't panic, don't panic. If this is a genjutsu, I just need to disrupt the flow of chakra in my body!" The Sand Ninja muttered to himself, then began to weave hand signs, attempting to disrupt his own chakra. But at that moment, Li suddenly lunged forward like a beast. Halfway there, he flicked three Kunai toward the Sand Ninja.

"Bastard, you dare lie to me!" Seeing Li launch a surprise attack, the Sand Ninja's expression changed. Just as he intended to use his Kunai to deflect the three projectiles, they suddenly changed direction, flying past him.

"Missed?" Just as this thought crossed the Sand Ninja's mind, he felt his body tighten. Then, he was sent flying uncontrollably, slamming into a large tree behind him. The massive impact nearly knocked him unconscious.

"Are these chakra threads?" The Sand Ninja regained his senses and saw the silver glint of the threads caught in the moonlight around his waist. He realized the three Kunai hadn't missed; the opponent had intended for them to do exactly that.