Flash Step!

"Was this Genjutsu?" The Sand Ninja had barely thought it when he quickly shook his head and dismissed the idea. He hadn't noticed any signs of having fallen under Genjutsu, and his opponent was just a kid. He didn't believe the boy could have drawn him into an illusion without him noticing.

"What the hell is that useless Resha trying to do?"

To everyone else, the Sand Ninja—Resha—had stood motionless ever since Li kicked him. At first, Elder Chiyo and the others had thought Resha was coming up with some clever strategy. But now, it was clear that his eyes had gone dull, as if he'd lost his soul.

Li didn't care what anyone else was thinking. After trapping Resha with the Crow Clone Technique, he pulled out a Kunai and held it between his teeth, then rapidly formed Hand Seals. Once he finished, Li took a deep breath and blew toward the vacant-eyed Resha.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

A one-meter-wide ball of fire barreled toward Resha like the wheel of a war chariot.

"Impossible! That guy Resha has fallen under Genjutsu? When did it happen?" Elder Chiyo exclaimed, her expression changing several times. By now, she could tell that Resha was clearly under Genjutsu. But just like Resha, she couldn't tell when Li had used it. An overwhelming killing intent surged in Elder Chiyo's heart. Li was only six, yet he was already this troublesome. What would happen when he grew up? Would Sunagakure be forced to remain beneath Konoha forever?

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

Just as the Great Fireball was about to hit Resha, he broke free of the Genjutsu's control. Seeing the enormous fireball right in front of him, Resha hurriedly formed Hand Seals and blew out a blast of wind pressure.

Whoosh!

Fire should have grown stronger when met with wind, but instead, the Great Breakthrough extinguished the Great Fireball. Among the five elemental natures, Fire Release countered Wind Release. But Li was only an Elite Genin, while Resha was a Chunin. The gap in their strength was great enough to override that elemental disadvantage, snuffing out the Great Fireball by force.

Sizzle!

Before Resha could catch his breath, a pitch-black Kunai pierced through the sandstorm and stabbed straight into his shoulder. Another spray of sand scattered, and Resha stared in shock, unable to figure out where the Kunai had come from.

"Ah!"

Resha soon had no time to wonder where the Kunai had come from. The moment it pierced his shoulder, it caused a searing pain. He grabbed it, intending to pull it out, but his expression changed as soon as he touched it. The Kunai was as hot as a red-hot pair of tongs. Gritting his teeth, he yanked it free and tossed it aside. By then, he was drenched in sweat. He looked up through clenched teeth at Li, who remained calm.

"Kid, I can't believe you hid a Kunai inside the fireball. That was a dirty trick!" It was ridiculous for a grown man to call a six-year-old child underhanded, but Resha couldn't laugh. He'd experienced Li's cunning firsthand and had already fallen for it twice. If they hadn't been so far apart in strength, he'd probably be dead by now.

Li pursed his lips slightly, unhappy that he hadn't managed to kill Resha in one blow. When he'd used the Great Fireball Technique, Li had worried that Resha might break free of the Genjutsu at a critical moment, so he'd deliberately held a Kunai in his mouth as well. He'd used the Great Fireball to propel it forward at the same time. Scorched by the flames, the Kunai's lethality would increase several times over, allowing it to pierce through a person with ease. But despite planning for everything, he hadn't expected the Wind Release to blow the Kunai off course. It had missed Resha's heart and only hit his shoulder.

Resha had now put aside his contempt. His feet began to move. He regarded Li as an equal opponent now. If he didn't give it his all, he might be killed.

Once Resha started moving, Li's situation became dire. His strength was only at the Elite Genin level, and his chakra was limited. He couldn't keep using Ninjutsu, while Resha had the advantage and launched a fierce assault.

Thud! Thud!

The two exchanged punches and kicks. They hadn't fought for many rounds before a blade of wind flew straight at Li. He dodged by the skin of his teeth, only to face an even fiercer attack.

"Wind Release: Gale Palm!"

Resha swung a palm at Li, sending a violent whirlwind crashing toward him. Li's expression changed. Not daring to meet it head-on, he rolled across the ground to dodge, then quickly got back to his feet and retreated several meters, putting distance between them. He didn't dare attack recklessly.

"With the chakra I have left, I can only manage one more Great Fireball Technique and one Crow Clone Technique at most. The Great Fireball Technique is powerful, but it's also a big target and easy to dodge. As for the Crow Clone Technique, my opponent has already fallen for it once. He won't give me another chance!" The more Li thought about it, the deeper his frown grew. He hadn't expected to reach a point where he had no options left.

"Right, I should check if there's a skill I can redeem in the system!" Li narrowed his eyes slightly, glanced at Resha, then retreated several more meters and formed Hand Seals. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Another Great Fireball barreled toward Resha.

"Haha! Kid, a Ninjutsu like that will never hit me. Give up and let me break your bones one by one!" Resha laughed as the fireball rolled toward him. He slipped aside to avoid it, then looked at Li, who was standing still without reacting, and grinned with Bloodlust.

Inside the System Space, Li quickly browsed through the combat Ninjutsu from Naruto, but found nothing satisfactory. Either it didn't do enough damage, took too long to use, or cost more than he could afford. Li let out a small breath, then opened the Bleach page. One ability immediately caught his eye.

"Flash Step: A high-level movement technique used by Shinigami. Those who master it can move rapidly, as if traversing space. Redemption options are as follows:"

"Flash Step Mastery: Requires 5,000 points! (Note: At the mastery level, Flash Step lets you move quickly, but has the drawback of allowing only three consecutive steps at most.)"

"Flash Step Proficiency: Requires 10,000 points! (Note: This is the highest level. As long as you have enough chakra, you can move rapidly without limit.)"

Li frowned slightly as he looked at the two Flash Step redemption options, then checked his points. He had 8,000 in total: 1,000 for fighting the Third Hokage for five minutes, 5,000 for rescuing Kushina, and 2,000 for killing two Elite Genin from Sunagakure.

"It looks like I can only redeem Flash Step Mastery. I'll have to wait until later for Proficiency." Having made up his mind, Li spent 5,000 points to redeem Flash Step at the mastery level. In an instant, knowledge of how to use the technique and its limitations appeared in his mind. After absorbing it, Li didn't stay any longer. He left the System Space immediately.

(PS: Does this book feel too depressing? Do you really think the protagonist is too weak?)