The Impending Death of a Transmigrator

Listening to the rain outside the hideout, the silent youth—or rather, the child—sighed softly.

He looked at the boy who insisted on staying behind to cover their retreat, then touched his right eye, which had been gouged out after being pierced by an enemy jonin, feeling a sense of helplessness.

He had originally thought that being assigned to the same squad as Asuma would ensure his survival through the Ninja World War.

However, when he discovered that Yuhi Kurenai was not in their squad and that they were instead fighting alongside another classmate, he realized how naive he had been.

People dying, comrades dying, teachers dying; in just one year, he and Asuma had gone through three teammates and two jonin instructors. When Yuhi Kurenai finally joined their team, he had even dared to hope the war was nearing its end.

But unfortunately, it was not.

The Rock ninja had suddenly struck at Mount Kikyo, effectively reaching the doorstep of Konoha. Their squad's original mission was forced to a halt, and they were hunted down by an enemy kill squad.

Their teacher had sacrificed himself to secure a safe haven for them. Now, all that was needed was for one person to step forward and stall for half a minute, allowing the others to escape through the secret passage on the opposite side.

Although the jonin instructor had used a Shadow Clone to leave behind a concealment barrier at this hidden location, making it unlikely to be discovered, the enemy ninjas were not fools. They were already closing in on their position.

Therefore, someone had to be the sacrifice.

As for the candidates...

Yuhi Kurenai had exhausted most of her chakra saving him and would be useless as a decoy.

Asuma's arm was practically crippled, rendering him equally incapable of serving as bait.

Although Li Ke was certain that the boy before him was truly willing to sacrifice himself to save him and Yuhi Kurenai—after all, they had saved each other countless times—there was no doubt about one thing:

It was impossible.

"Sometimes, a person's fate is beyond their control, Asuma. Just as your life is, in any case, more important to Konoha than mine... Besides, with your injured arm, how could you possibly manage to stall for time?"

Li Ke, or rather the youth known as Murata Qingtan, stood up from the ground, picked up his Ninja Sword, and made his decision.

There had never been a choice from the beginning. Asuma was the son of the Hokage; if he died and Li Ke returned alive, he would inevitably be reviled. Hiruzen Sarutobi might not do anything to him, but when Orochimaru needed test subjects, or when Danzo needed cannon fodder, who would they choose?

Don't be fooled by the fact that they could assassinate the Hokage or stand by and watch Hiruzen Sarutobi die; just because they could move against Hiruzen didn't mean others could do the same to them.

Moreover, in a military organization, who—other than a true saint—wouldn't care if the leader's son died while his subordinates stood by?

So, picking up the Ninja Sword left behind by his teacher, Li Ke stood up. Taking one last look at Yuhi Kurenai, who had fainted while trying to treat his wounds, the last shred of his attachment to life vanished.

Under these circumstances, if he left behind the name of a hero, his younger brother would never be sent to the dangerous battlefield again, thanks to that connection.

"Don't hesitate! Asuma, don't let the teacher's efforts and mine go to waste!"

Asuma, who had been preparing for his own death, was too slow to block Li Ke's path. In the same breath, Li Ke activated his ninjutsu and struck Asuma in the face with his elbow, sending him crashing to the ground.

Then, he rushed out without a moment's hesitation.

The moment he broke through the barrier set by his teacher, Li Ke heard a mocking voice.

"You actually ran out, little mouse. Where are your companions?!"

As Li Ke dashed out, a black figure lunged forward, delivering a fierce kick from his right side.

Li Ke heard the rush of wind, but it was too late to block. The loss of depth perception from his missing right eye caught him off guard, and he was kicked flying, crashing into the bushes.

His small body tumbled through the air, but even then, Li Ke managed to assess the pursuers.

Three chunin, one jonin with an abdominal wound and a severed right arm, and another jonin who had only sustained minor injuries. This was the extent of what his teacher had managed to achieve.

Yet, as he was sent flying, Li Ke began to think rapidly.

Was this location exposed long ago? They didn't strike immediately because they wanted to capture us alive... And were they unaware that Asuma and the others were hiding with me, or were they intentionally baiting them? I have to gamble on this...

Coughing up blood in mid-air, Li Ke rolled to his feet the moment he landed, dodging a follow-up thrust from a long sword. Years of disciplined taijutsu training allowed him to kick out at the chunin in front of him, sending him flying. In the same motion, he pulled his last smoke bomb from his robes, smashed it against the ground, and simultaneously activated his Earth Release.

Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu!

The moment he activated it, Li Ke grabbed the ankles of the chunin who had been lunging at him with a sword and dragged him into the earth. However, he had no time for a follow-up attack, as the enemy jonin struck.

A long sword precisely pierced the spot where he was submerged. Li Ke couldn't see the attack from within the earth, but his keen chakra perception allowed him to react the instant the enemy moved. He burst out of the ground, narrowly dodging what the jonin thought was a killing blow. As he surged out of the smoke, dodging a kunai thrown by the remaining chunin, he quickly formed hand seals.

His chakra was running low; these were the last two ninjutsu he could release.

So—

Water Release: Water Bullet Jutsu!

Chakra transformed into a stream of water, which he spat from his mouth toward the charging jonin. Faced with the sudden torrent and seeing no hand seals, both the jonin and the pursuing chunin quickly dodged the violent spray, though one chunin was caught off guard and sent flying by the impact.

However, the power of this technique was barely enough to extinguish a fire, so Li Ke never expected it to kill anyone. He had released it only to prepare for his next move!

Water Release: Sprint!

Quickly forming four seals, the water he had spat out gathered around him, surging toward his sides and forming three streams that rushed off in different directions.

This was a technique he had developed that could be considered a failure. Its original purpose was to gather enough water beneath his feet to move rapidly across the water's surface—a very practical technique for a Water Release user like him. Unfortunately, he hadn't had enough time to refine it, and neither its duration nor its speed were ideal.

Furthermore, for the first three seconds of activation, the high-speed water flow generated by the sprint would injure the user, and after three seconds, the speed would only last for half a minute. It was his first truly failed technique.

But—

"Split up and run! Asuma! Kurenai!"

Li Ke grabbed the two massive Fuma Shuriken from his back and, to the astonishment of the pursuing jonin, roared as he hurled them toward the water streams moving in different directions.

Then, the two Fuma Shuriken rapidly transformed in mid-air into the likenesses of Asuma and Kurenai, quickly landing upon the flowing water that no longer harmed its user.

"Do you think you can escape, brat!"

The Stone Village jonin roared, swiftly hurling his own shuriken at the two fleeing figures while weaving several hand signs.

Li Ke quickly shifted direction, steering the water beneath his feet to intercept and knock away the shuriken flying toward Asuma and Kurenai, but in doing so, he was forced to face the enemy jonin head-on.

The enemy's movements were swift; the one-armed jonin charged toward Asuma with an injured chunin in tow, while the other two chunin pursued Kurenai.

Although the chunin and jonin of the Stone Village could not be compared to the ninja of Konoha, Li Ke, his chakra reserves completely exhausted, knew that his time had come as he stared at the jonin before him.

Had they not been caught in a surprise ambush, these Stone Village ninja would never have been able to handle them.

He was a Water Release ninja proficient in taijutsu; while his chakra was not as monstrous as Naruto's, it was still substantial.

Asuma was a master of Ninja Taijutsu, and with Kurenai's expertise in genjutsu, this squad was a rare elite team by configuration alone.

At the very least, had he been in peak condition, he could have taken down those three chunin by himself.

But unfortunately, there are no "ifs" on the battlefield.

"Huff... huff..."

Feeling his Shadow Clone running further and further away, the panting Li Ke wore a smile; even if these men turned back now, it would be enough for Asuma to lead Kurenai away through the secret passage.

Even if there were reinforcements he didn't know about, without a jonin present, one or two chunin would never be a match for Asuma.

My mission is complete.

Having played a meme in his heart that no one in this world would ever understand, Li Ke sighed as he watched the jonin guardedly eyeing him.

Still, it's truly frustrating...

Seeing the smile on his face, the Stone Village jonin frowned; he felt as though he had been played, yet he couldn't pinpoint where things had gone wrong. He couldn't help but narrow his eyes, watching the boy who had used his companion to deceive them with a transformation technique before sacrificing himself.

Li Ke was happy to stall for time. He adjusted his posture while gasping for air, only to feel a sharp pain in his ribs; his upper body could barely move. He truly didn't know how he had managed to run just moments ago.

But for now, every moment he could delay was a victory.

"I was just wondering how long you could stay here. Although you've broken through the front lines, you wouldn't dare to advance too far, would you?"

Panting, Li Ke watched his opponent warily. His vision was already blurring, yet he still struggled to maintain a firm expression.

However, the Stone Village jonin had no intention of wasting more breath on Li Ke. The boy's injuries were beginning to take their toll, his movements clearly less agile than before, so the jonin drew his long blade and looked at Li Ke with an unreadable expression.

He had seen Li Ke's strength for himself; while the boy couldn't compare to him yet, he was already formidable. At that age, he himself would likely have been killed by the boy in an instant. Such a Genius had to be eliminated early!

"A truly impressive brat, to have been able to deceive us. But this is where it ends for you... Konoha is a terrifying village indeed, to produce such talent even in a brat like you."

As his voice fell, he charged toward Li Ke, his long blade slashing downward. Li Ke fought to parry, but with neither chakra nor stamina to match his opponent, he couldn't even block two strikes before his sword-wielding arm was severed.

There was no time to scream, no time to hesitate. Seeing the long blade thrust toward him, a look of madness flashed in Li Ke's eyes. Instead of dodging the blade aimed at his heart, he used the momentum of the enemy's charge to embrace the man's body, letting the blade pierce his own heart.

"What—"

The Stone Village jonin felt an immediate sense of dread, and at that very moment, Li Ke smiled once more.

Because in his left hand, there was a lit Explosive Tag!

Terrified, the Stone Village ninja kicked the heart-pierced Li Ke away, frantically trying to tear off the vest to which the Explosive Tag was attached, but it was already too late!

Li Ke had ignited the tag while they were speaking; he had never expected to kill his opponent from the start, so he had naturally prepared for a mutual destruction!

The explosion instantly engulfed the jonin, and Li Ke closed his eyes. The blood gushing from his chest caused his blood pressure to plummet, and his brain grew dim.

Yet, just as he thought he would head to the Pure Land, his consciousness drifted through a fantastical scene, and the next moment, he saw three figures standing in the darkness.

Subconsciously thinking these were his deceased relatives from this world, he nearly shouted "Dad," but fortunately, he saw the figures of the three people in the darkness clearly before he could, and he forcibly swallowed his cry.

Because the three people standing in the darkness, despite their different clothing and appearances, all possessed a similar—or rather, an identical—face.

"..."

For a moment, the boy known in this life as Murata Qingtan truly didn't know what to say.

Memories of his past life assaulted him with frantic intensity, leaving him at a loss for what to even complain about.

The three people in the darkness saw him too, and they all walked over with smiles.

"Yo, new me. Looks like you've figured it out."

Li Ke nodded, looking at the other three people who were just like him, and understood most of it.

It was nothing more than his "golden finger" finally coming online after a twelve-year delay!

He knew this trope from reading novels, and he had even known an unscrupulous author because of it—it was just a pity that the damn author had stopped writing fanfiction and switched genres, which had annoyed him quite a bit.

But now, he just wanted to say he didn't care about the reason, the item, or the damn author, because he was about to die!

"So, does anyone have the ability to regenerate flesh? If not, I'm going to kick the bucket."

He extended his only remaining left hand and pointed at himself.

He was only a step away from death in his current state; if his golden finger couldn't save him, even being infected with the Duke Virus wouldn't help!

However—

All three of them shook their heads.

"We really don't have that."