The Hokage Summons Me!

Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!

As the words fell, a huge fireball rolled toward the Sand Ninja like a wheel. Bound tightly to a tree trunk by Chakra Threads, the Sand Ninja couldn't move at all. He could only watch helplessly as the fireball slammed into him.

"Ah!"

A piercing scream rang out as the fireball erupted in a violent explosion. The scream soon fell silent. The entire tree was charred black, and the Sand Ninja bound to its trunk was burned beyond recognition.

"Ding! Congratulations, host. You have killed one enemy Elite Genin. Reward: 1,000 points. Please check your balance!"

After hearing the system's notification, Li finally felt at ease. He let out a slight breath and relaxed his tense nerves. It might have seemed like he had easily killed two Elite Genin, but in truth, things hadn't been so simple. Every step of the fight had unfolded according to Li's calculations. From the moment the two Sand Ninja had tried to team up against him, he had begun working out a series of moves. First came a round of Taijutsu, a common opening in ninja battles. Li had seized that opportunity to use his Sharingan to amplify the power of the Crow Clone Technique to its fullest, drawing both Sand Ninja into a Genjutsu. Then he had killed one of them at lightning speed.

The second Sand Ninja had died rather unfairly. After suffering from Genjutsu earlier, he had become terrified of Li's illusions. On top of that, Li had kept using his words to break down the man's defenses. Once the Sand Ninja was dazed, Li had used a Kunai fitted with Chakra Threads to tie him up, then finished him off with a killing blow.

"Mm! Mm! Mm!"

Just then, Kushina, whom the Sand Ninja had left off to the side, let out a series of muffled whimpers. Hearing her, Li came back to his senses. He rubbed his aching head, then went over to her, untied her, and removed the cloth from her mouth.

"Li, I knew you'd come save me!" As soon as she was freed, Kushina threw herself into Li's arms and burst into tears. She had been terrified. This was the first time she had ever experienced anything like this. No matter how carefree she was, she was still only six years old, and being kidnapped had naturally frightened her.

"Okay, don't cry. You're all right now, aren't you?" Li managed a smile. He was nearly at the end of his strength. Drawing two Elite Genin into Genjutsu at the same time had consumed a tremendous amount of mental energy. Even with his Two-Tomoe Sharingan bolstering him, he had nearly reached his limit. Fortunately, there had only been two of them. If there had been one more, Li would surely have bled out here today.

"Hmph, who was crying?" At Li's words, Kushina came to her senses and pulled away from his embrace. But soon, she lowered her head and asked softly, "Li, how did you know I'd been kidnapped? And how did you find me?"

"Heh, didn't I tell you to be careful when I left? When I got back, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, so I thought I might as well take a walk and headed back to your place. That's when I found you were gone. As for how I found you..." As he spoke, Li took a few strands of red hair from his pocket. They were Kushina's distinctive red locks. He placed them in her palm, then continued, "On a path covered in dead branches, your red hair stood out to me."

"Y-you... what are you saying? Do you think my hair is ugly, too? Is that why it stands out?" Kushina pouted. Thinking Li was making fun of her hair, she glared at him in a huff.

Li was taken aback, then realized what she meant. Ignoring her startled expression, he gently lifted a strand of her hair and said softly, "I don't care what anyone else thinks. To me, your red hair is the most beautiful. That's exactly why I was able to recognize it at a glance on that path covered in dead branches!"

"R-really?" Kushina blushed as she looked at Li, embarrassed but still wanting to know. His answer mattered a lot to her.

"Of course!" Li nodded firmly and looked into Kushina's eyes. People said the eyes were windows to the soul. If you looked carefully, you could see what someone was thinking.

They gazed at each other for a while. Soon, Kushina blushed and lowered her head, fidgeting uncertainly. In that moment, she realized that leaving her home and coming to Konoha wasn't entirely a bad thing after all.

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

"Ding! Congratulations, host. You have successfully completed the mission to retrieve Kushina Uzumaki. Mission reward: 5,000 points. Please check your balance!"

The next day, Li slept until after ten. He rubbed his still-dizzy head and went outside, only to run into Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Fugaku, both looking anxious. Li was puzzled. Had something happened?

"Mikoto, Fugaku, why did you rush over here? And why aren't you in class?" Li walked up to them and asked in confusion.

When they saw Li, Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Fugaku stopped. After catching their breath, Uchiha Mikoto said anxiously, "Big Brother Li, did you do something bad yesterday? Early this morning, Uncle Hao was summoned by Lord Hokage. It seems to be about you. Judging by the look on the ninja who delivered the message, it sounds like trouble!"

Li frowned at her words. Had the Sand Ninja found out about what happened last night? No, that wasn't the point. Even if they knew he was the one who had killed them, they were a defeated nation, and they had dared to kidnap Kushina in Konoha. Even if their men had been killed, they wouldn't dare make a public issue of it. How could they possibly take it to the Third Hokage?

Before he could sort out his thoughts, two ninjas suddenly appeared in the courtyard. They were members of the Uchiha Clan, their uniforms bearing the Uchiha crest.

"Uchiha Li, come with us to the Hokage Office Building," one of the ninjas said coldly as he stepped forward, his tone full of displeasure.

At his words, Li set aside his guesses. He already had a general idea of what was going on. It was almost certainly about what had happened last night. Seeing anger on the two Uchiha Clan ninjas' faces, Li sighed quietly. He knew this wouldn't be simple.

Li didn't refuse. With his current strength, there was nothing he could do. Accepting what came was the best choice. After reassuring Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Fugaku, he followed the two Uchiha Clan ninjas out and headed straight for the Hokage Office Building.