Hokage Summoned! (Seeking Flowers, Rewards!)

"Fire Release, Great Fireball Technique!"

As the words fell, a massive fireball rolled forward like a carriage wheel toward the Sand Ninja. The Sand Ninja was bound firmly to a tree trunk by chakra threads, unable to even twitch, and could only watch helplessly as the fireball collided with him.

Ah!

A shrill scream rang out, followed by a violent explosion from the fireball. The screaming ceased into silence; the entire tree was scorched black, and the Sand Ninja tied to the trunk was left unrecognizable.

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

Receiving the system prompt, Li finally felt at ease. He exhaled slightly, relaxing his tense nerves. Don't let the ease of killing two elite genin fool you; in reality, it was anything but. Every step of the battle had been calculated by Li. From the moment the two Sand Ninja decided to team up against him, Li began a series of calculations. First, he initiated a round of taijutsu, a common habit in ninja combat. Li seized this opportunity, using his Two-Tomoe Sharingan to maximize the power of his Crow Clone Technique while simultaneously pulling both Sand Ninja into a genjutsu, then killing one of them with extreme speed.

As for the second Sand Ninja, his death was somewhat unjust. Having suffered from the genjutsu earlier, he was terrified of Li's illusions. Coupled with Li constantly using words to break down his mental defenses, the moment his spirit wavered, Li used a Kunai tied with chakra threads to bind him, finally finishing him off with a lethal blow.

"Wuu! Wuu! Wuu!"

At this moment, Kushina Uzumaki, who had been left to the side by the Sand Ninja, let out a series of whimpers. Hearing the sound, Li snapped back to reality. After rubbing his throbbing head, he walked over to Kushina, untied her, and removed the cloth from her mouth.

"Li, I knew you would come to save me!" Once freed, Kushina immediately threw herself into Li's arms and began to cry. Kushina was terrified; it was her first time encountering such a thing. No matter how thick-skinned she was, she was still just a six-year-old child, and naturally, she was scared to death by the kidnapping.

"Alright, stop crying. Isn't everything fine now?" Li smiled weakly. He was nearing his limit; pulling two elite genin into a genjutsu simultaneously had consumed a massive amount of mental energy. Even with the support of his Two-Tomoe Sharingan, it was almost too much to bear. Fortunately, there were only two; if one more had come, Li would surely have bled out here today.

"Hmph, who's crying!" Hearing Li's words, Kushina snapped out of it and pulled away from his embrace. However, she quickly lowered her head and asked softly, "Li, how did you know I was kidnapped, and how did you find me?"

"Haha, didn't I tell you to be careful when I left? I felt uneasy on my way back, so I decided to return to your place, thinking of it as a walk. Then I found you were gone. As for how I found you!" At this point, Li took several strands of red hair from his pocket—Kushina's unique red hair. After placing the strands in her palm, Li continued, "On this ground full of withered branches, your red hair was far too conspicuous for me to miss!"

"Y-you... what are you saying? Do you also think my hair is ugly?" Kushina pouted, thinking Li was mocking her hair for being ugly and therefore conspicuous, and glared at him angrily.

Li was stunned for a moment, then realized what she meant. Ignoring her flustered state, he gently lifted a lock of her hair and said softly, "Whatever others might think, to me, these red strands are the most beautiful. It is precisely because of that that I was able to recognize them at a glance on this path full of withered branches!"

"R-really?" Hearing this, although very shy, Kushina looked at Li with a blushing face. To her, this answer was very important.

"Of course it's true!" Li nodded firmly, looking into Kushina's eyes. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul; if you look carefully, you can always see what the other person is thinking.

The two stared at each other for a while until Kushina shyly lowered her head, fidgeting and not knowing what to do. At that moment, she realized that leaving her hometown to come to Konoha wasn't entirely a bad thing.

"Let's go!" Li stood up and reached out his left hand toward Kushina.

Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully completing the mission to rescue Kushina Uzumaki. Mission reward: 5,000 points. Please check your account!

The next day, Li didn't wake up until past ten. Rubbing his still-dizzy head, he stepped outside, only to immediately run into a worried-looking Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Fugaku. Li was puzzled; had something happened?

"Mikoto, Fugaku, why are you in such a rush? And you didn't even go to class!" Li greeted them, asking in confusion.

Seeing Li, Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Fugaku stopped. After catching their breath, Uchiha Mikoto said anxiously, "Brother Li, did you do something bad yesterday? Early this morning, Uncle Hao was summoned by the Hokage. It seems to be about you. Judging by the expression of the ninja who delivered the notice, it seems like trouble!"

Li frowned. Could the Sand Ninja have found out about what happened last night? No, that wasn't the point. Even if they knew he killed them, they were a defeated nation that had dared to kidnap Kushina in Konoha. Even if their men were killed, they wouldn't dare make a scene, so how could they dare to bring this to the Third Hokage?

Before he could organize his thoughts, two ninjas appeared in the courtyard. They were ninjas from the Uchiha Clan, wearing the Uchiha crest on their clothes.

"Mirai Uchiha, please come with us to the Hokage Office Building!" one ninja stepped forward and said coldly, his tone filled with intense displeasure.

Hearing this, Li stopped trying to guess. He already had a rough idea; it was nine times out of ten about last night. Seeing the anger on the faces of the two Uchiha Clan ninjas, Li sighed slightly, knowing this matter wouldn't be simple.

Li did not refuse. With his current strength, there was nothing he could do; passive acceptance was the best outcome. After calming Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Fugaku, Li followed the two Uchiha Clan ninjas out the door, heading straight for the Hokage Office Building.