The Chakra Power of the Ninja Sect

It wasn't that Li Ke wanted to keep up the misunderstanding. It was just that there were many things you couldn't say in public.

Besides, words alone couldn't convince anyone.

And most importantly, Asuma's conflict with him came down to their differing opinions of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Asuma thought Hiruzen Sarutobi was a bastard—a cold-blooded piece of shit—but Li Ke could see how helpless he was.

After all, his abilities really were inadequate.

But to Asuma, and to Li Ke, who was a staunch supporter of the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi had treated him very well.

Li Ke couldn't possibly resent the Third Hokage too much, because he was one of the beneficiaries of Hiruzen Sarutobi's system.

As for Asuma...

He simply didn't understand the reasons behind many of his father's decisions yet.

Even so, Li Ke decided to try to talk Asuma around.

So, after asking the Second Hokage for a favor, Li Ke waited until they reached the camp, had some time to rest, and finished setting up their tents. Then he caught Asuma, who had been trying to avoid him.

"Asuma, we have to clear up this misunderstanding between us."

Li Ke put a hand on Asuma's shoulder, but Asuma didn't want anything to do with him and tried to break free.

However, Li Ke's strength was so great that Asuma couldn't move.

While Asuma stared at him in astonishment, Li Ke quickly spoke up.

"Asuma, if I do nothing and simply enjoy the privileges you gave me by breaking the rules, what will everyone else think of us? What will they think of you and your father? And when that happens, how will we face the shinobi who, like me, haven't received this kind of medical treatment?"

Asuma felt a surge of anger, but just as he was about to speak, Li Ke pressed a finger against his lips.

"Just hear me out first, Asuma. It's not that I don't value you or our friendship. As a Konoha Ninja, I have to consider what my comrades think. I'm grateful for everything you've done for me, but we live in Konoha, so we have to abide by Konoha's rules, no matter how unreasonable they might be. We're among those protected by the rules, so we have to follow them. And if we break them, we have to be ready to face the consequences—and have the ability to bear them."

Li Ke took a deep breath and continued.

"So I wasn't blaming you for saving me. I'm incredibly grateful for what you did, Asuma. But it was still a breach of the rules, and we still have to pay a price for breaking them—or prove that we're capable of living up to the privilege. That's why I'm working so hard to grow stronger: so that when I have to break the rules to save a comrade, I'll be able to pay the price."

Li Ke agreed with some of the Ninja Code. After all, this was a military organization. But he disagreed with most of it.

He believed in following the rules, and he strongly agreed that breaking them meant you had to pay the price.

"You..."

Asuma, who had wanted to never speak to Li Ke again, found himself unable to curse him out. He understood that breaking the rules came with consequences, but he still couldn't get over his father doing it.

"But you just got out of the hospital..."

Asuma gritted his teeth. He still couldn't accept what his father had done.

"That's why I need you to protect me, Asuma. Isn't that what comrades are for? And all my hard work killing enemies is so everyone knows that the shinobi you, Asuma, saved by breaking the rules is a Konoha genius and pillar of strength—someone you, Asuma, recognized for his potential! Only then can I live up to everything you've done for me!"

Li Ke grabbed Asuma's hand and squeezed it tightly. There seemed to be tears in Asuma's eyes, which made Li Ke feel a little awkward, but he thought he'd said something pretty inspiring.

And he thought he could feel what Asuma was feeling.

Conflicted, moved, and relieved?

Li Ke found it strange. The feeling was coming through their chakra, and it was a lot like the Sage of Six Paths' ability to connect people's hearts through chakra, the one he remembered.

Was this another talent brought out by his combined abilities?

Li Ke was confused, but his top priority was still making things clear to Asuma. Asuma, however, was already moved.

"Yeah! Then I'll protect you this time, too, Qingtan!"

Asuma squeezed Li Ke's arm tightly. For some reason, he could feel how sincere Li Ke was and how much he valued him as a friend.

He couldn't help wanting to hug Li Ke, and it was only then that Li Ke realized something was off.

The mood was getting weird!

So he quickly held Asuma, whose eyes were brimming with tears, by the shoulders to keep him from hugging him, and turned his head away.

"Uh... I'm not really comfortable getting too close to guys..."

Asuma's face stiffened. He could also sense that Li Ke disliked his beard—and had some other strange thoughts. A moment later, his face flushed bright red.

"Murata Qingtan, you bastard!! I like women!!"

Asuma angrily punched Li Ke, then stormed off to sulk in his tent. Li Ke rubbed his left shoulder, which Asuma had just beaten up, and sighed.

"The Hokage's son, Asuma, beats up a one-armed shinobi... I'll remember this grudge."

Li Ke muttered as he rolled his arm, then looked at Yuhi Kurenai, who was trying not to laugh.

"Come on, Kurenai, you're laughing at me too."

Kurenai gave a soft laugh, hurried over to Li Ke, and began massaging his left arm. Then she spoke in a gentle voice.

"You two are so close, after all... But it's amazing how easily you managed to talk Asuma around."

Kurenai found it amusing, too. Asuma was famous for being stubborn and proud. If Li Ke hadn't outclassed him in every way, it would've been difficult for him to get along with Li Ke.

She even hoped that her and Li Ke's younger son would be as lively as Asuma.

But their eldest had to be as steady as Li Ke, someone who could take good care of his younger brother, just like his father.

Li Ke smiled, too. He thought it might have been the effect of that strange new ability to sense chakra. So he tried to take Kurenai's hand, but suddenly remembered he'd used his right hand to cover Asuma's mouth. He wiped it on his clothes first, then took Kurenai's hand.

Kurenai shyly lowered her head. Asuma, watching from the side, clutched his clothes, his face twisting horribly.

But Li Ke's expression grew more and more serious.

Because...

He really could feel Kurenai's emotions and thoughts changing!

She felt shy, but also expectant. And, faintly, Li Ke sensed that at that very moment, Yuhi Kurenai was imagining their life together after they got married.

Their eldest son would be like him. Their younger son would look like him, too, but be as mischievous as Asuma. Their daughter would be as beautiful and gentle as Kurenai, while their youngest daughter would be as fond of food as Anko.

Li Ke pressed his lips together. Kurenai's daydream was lovely, but it had one flaw.

All those children still wore Forehead Protectors.

Remembering the despair he'd once felt, and the helpless life he'd lived, Li Ke instinctively frowned. But he quickly pushed the gloom from his mind and turned his thoughts to his own power.

"Has my talent really reached this level?"

Li Ke was very concerned about it, because this talent was no small thing. It was what the Ninja Sect had advocated from the beginning: using one's chakra to connect with another person's heart and reach mutual understanding.

Honestly, Li Ke thought that so-called mutual understanding was bullshit, but back then, it really had been the Ninja Sect's main practice. And even in that relatively simple era, few people could do it. Those who could were either outstanding figures or descendants of the Sage of Six Paths.

In this era, when chakra users had begun shutting their hearts off from others, if he could sense every shinobi's feelings...

Wouldn't that mean his chakra talent had reached an unimaginable level?

Li Ke had good reason to wonder. The surprises his shared talents had brought him were simply too great.

"Interesting... If that's the case..."

Li Ke narrowed his eyes. He'd thought of something strange about Senju Tobirama. Based on what Senju Tobirama had said earlier, he should be eager to return by now.

"Could it really be what I thought...? No, impossible. If he wanted to use my body to summon Hashirama Senju, he could've contacted the Third Hokage while I was in the hospital. With the abilities of the Third Hokage and Danzo, they'd never have let me leave the village. So there's a good chance he's interested in some other ability of mine..."

If it wasn't anything to do with Impure World Reincarnation, what ability of his could Senju Tobirama be so fixated on?

Li Ke let go of Kurenai, chatted with her for a little longer, and then pretended to go talk to Chojuro Akimichi as he made his way to the center of the camp, where the meeting room was.

Even with reinforcements having arrived, they still had to wait for Minato Namikaze, their commander, to decide what to do next.

Yes, Minato Namikaze was leading the battle against Kirigakure. He was currently discussing matters with Chojuro Akimichi, Fugaku Uchiha, and members of the Nara Clan.

Most of the other jonin were gathering supplies, getting up to speed, setting up camp, and waiting for the official strategy meeting to begin, when they'd be assigned their missions.

So in about two hours, the reinforcements would be split up and sent to the various fronts.

And then, most likely, they'd launch a counterattack.

That was how shinobi fought: efficiently and brutally.

As Li Ke passed the camp where the newly promoted Genin were setting up their tents, his unusually sharp ears picked up more voices.

"Brother, this is my last letter..."

"If I die, take care of Asaka for me."

"We'll become heroes, right?"

Li Ke left in silence, not wanting to hear any more of it.

He'd suddenly realized that he'd never really thought about his own future. From the moment he'd first become a shinobi, all he'd thought about was how to survive!

He'd never imagined the kind of happy future Kurenai dreamed of!

But then he saw a large number of wounded, along with shinobi who had just rotated off the battlefield.

Many of them could only make it back to camp by supporting one another. All kinds of weapons still jutted from their bodies, but they were the lucky ones—they were still alive.

Yet their faces were full of despair. Even when they saw the reinforcements, all they could manage was the faintest twitch of their lips.

Among them, Li Ke spotted a familiar face. But he'd only seen him on the battlefield at Sunagakure...

Looking at the exhausted shinobi, their eyes lifeless and their bodies covered in wounds, Li Ke couldn't help thinking of Tsunade.

In this very camp, many people would be left disabled in a few days' time, and die in agony.

All because they lacked medical care.

But Tsunade was still working at the hospital in Konoha, and she'd already developed hemophobia. She was no longer able to treat them.

And the death of her boyfriend, Dan Katō—the only jonin who supported her medical ninja program—had left her with nothing to keep her in Konoha.

Li Ke instinctively touched his shoulder. The muscles and blood vessels there had healed, and he could move his arm freely. That was all thanks to a medical ninja whose skills were only rudimentary. If Tsunade could provide support with Medical Ninjutsu...

Then his conflict with Asuma wouldn't have happened, and he could've rested safely in the village instead of going to war. The many shinobi who would otherwise be disabled or die could easily return to the battlefield. At the very least, thirty percent more of them could be saved.

Konoha wouldn't be so desperately short on manpower that it had to bring out the Uchiha Clan.

At that thought, Li Ke remembered Kurenai's daydream, which he'd sensed through chakra.

The 'happy dream' where they had two sons and two daughters, all of them shinobi.

So what would it matter if he retired? Would he just wait for Naruto to save the world?

But Naruto hadn't changed anything, either. If the Otsutsuki Clan hadn't invaded, the Ninja World would inevitably have fallen into war again—and the wars would only grow more horrific and more depraved.

The Ninja System itself was a pile of shit. Even if he could escape it, could his and Kurenai's children?

Keep them from becoming shinobi? That would be even worse, because without power, they could only be swept along by events.

But if they became shinobi in an unchanged Konoha, wouldn't they end up just like him, swimming in a cesspool?

Li Ke closed his eyes. Remembering the Wind Release he'd learned under Senju Tobirama's tutelage, he came up with a bold idea.

"...These aren't choices I should have to make."

So Li Ke spoke to Senju Tobirama, who had been silent ever since they arrived at camp.

"Second Hokage, if I could learn Wood Release from the First and your Flying Raijin Jutsu, could I bring this battle to an end quickly? And could I become Hokage and change everything?"

Senju Tobirama hadn't expected Li Ke to ask such a question. After thinking for a while, he gave his answer.

"You definitely won't become the Fourth Hokage. It's already too late for that."

He paused. By then, Li Ke had guessed something, so Senju Tobirama's tone turned slightly amused.

"But if you really can do it... perhaps."

Li Ke nodded and clenched his fist. He realized he'd gotten a little carried away now that his cheat had come online...

But if he had a cheat and still didn't dare to change the world according to his own will, then he'd be a pretty pathetic transmigrator.

"Then I'll become the Fifth Hokage of Konoha."

Senju Tobirama was happy to hear that, because Li Ke really was a lot like him!

More precisely, he was like his big brother—with Senju Tobirama's brains!