Arriving at the Land of Whirlpools

"Hey, kid, hurry up and hand over everything you've got on you!"

After intercepting Yun Xi, the three rogue ninjas stepped directly in front of him.

They surrounded him in a pincer formation to prevent any chance of escape.

"Get lost!"

Seeing that these three rogue ninjas actually dared to take the initiative to block his path, Yun Xi felt incredibly exasperated. He hadn't expected to run into something like this the moment he left Konoha.

"You're asking for death, brat!"

Seeing Yun Xi act so arrogantly, the three rogue ninjas launched their attacks!

"Clone Technique."

"Shuriken Technique."

"Fire Style, Great Fireball Technique."

In an instant, the three rogue ninjas unleashed their signature moves.

The one using the Clone Technique was responsible for close-quarters combat, while another Genin provided support.

The final rogue ninja, who used the Fire Style, served as the finisher.

This was the most common combat tactic used by these three rogue ninjas.

Based on their past experience, even an ordinary Chunin would be unable to escape this.

Not to mention that the brat in front of them was merely a Genin...

"Go, see if that kid is dead."

As the attacks concluded, the spot where Yun Xi had been standing was covered in smoke left behind by the Fire Style.

The Chunin naturally assumed that Yun Xi had been killed by his Fire Style.

"Yes, boss!"

The other two Genin did not hesitate upon receiving the order.

They hurried toward the target location, but upon reaching the spot where Yun Xi had been, expressions of terror appeared on their faces!

"Boss... he's gone..."

"What?!"

Upon hearing the report from his subordinates, the Chunin's face filled with disbelief.

Although he was only an average Chunin, years of combat had provided him with plenty of experience.

There was no reason his Fire Style shouldn't have killed the brat before him.

"Remember, look before you strike next time..."

Suddenly, a voice laced with killing intent came from behind him.

The Chunin instinctively turned around, only to find no one there.

When he turned back, he saw a sharp shuriken flying toward him...

A mist of blood erupted...

"When did you..."

Until the moment of his death, the Chunin could not understand why he had died in such an inexplicable way.

"If your strength is lacking, don't try to rob people."

After retrieving the shuriken he had thrown, Yun Xi walked slowly toward the remaining two Genin, his face expressionless.

In the world of ninjas, mercy toward an enemy is the greatest form of irresponsibility toward oneself.

Yun Xi would absolutely not let them go just because they were only Genin.

Perhaps a moment of softness now would leave behind a massive hidden danger for himself later.

"My Lord... please spare us..."

Seeing Yun Xi approaching like a killing machine, the two Genin began to break down.

Without even the thought of resistance, they knelt directly on the ground, begging Yun Xi to spare them...

"If I didn't have this level of strength, the one dead would be me!"

Facing the pleading enemies, Yun Xi did not hesitate in the slightest, using his superior speed to strike them both down...

"What a nuisance, wasting my time."

After killing the three of them, Yun Xi looked at the loot in his hand—barely a few thousand yen—with a look of helplessness.

His face was full of disdain; the time he had wasted could never be compensated for by a mere few thousand yen!

Still, even a mosquito's leg is meat. After stowing the money away, Yun Xi continued his journey toward the Land of Whirlpools.

To prevent such an incident from happening again, Yun Xi stopped concealing his strength.

He released his aura completely.

The Land of Whirlpools was located near the Hidden Leaf Village, and under normal circumstances, it could be reached within half a day.

With Yun Xi accelerating at full speed, he finally arrived at the ruins of the former Land of Whirlpools three hours later.

"Is this the Land of Whirlpools?"

Looking at a dilapidated signpost, Yun Xi could not help but feel a sense of regret.

Ten years ago, the Land of Whirlpools had been an extremely prosperous nation.

Although the country had very few ninja, it possessed a powerful heritage of sealing techniques.

Unfortunately, it was feared by other ninja villages and subsequently destroyed...

Only a few ninja had survived, and Karin, whom Yun Xi was searching for this time, was one of them.

"There is a wisp of smoke in the distance; I should go check it out!"

After searching around the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools, Yun Xi discovered some smoke rising from a nearby forest.

His heart stirred with excitement.

Where there was smoke, it meant people were living nearby.

At this moment, Karin was likely around his own age.

If she hadn't been taken away by someone else, she was definitely living not far from the Land of Whirlpools!

With that, Yun Xi headed straight toward the forest. To better locate Karin, he activated his Mangekyo Sharingan.

Bolstered by his enhanced dynamic vision, Yun Xi quickly spotted the silhouette of a child in the forest.

At the same time, he also detected the shadows of a group of adults...

"Who are these adults?"

Yun Xi was not surprised to see the child, as he was certain it was Karin.

However, the group of adults left him feeling puzzled.

Since the Land of Whirlpools had been destroyed, leaving only ruins behind, no outsiders would normally come here of their own volition.

"Could it be the group that took Karin back to the Land of Grass?"

A thought crossed Yun Xi's mind, and he noticed that the group of adults was steadily closing in on the child.

This behavior only confirmed his suspicions regarding the identities of both the newcomers and the child!

"It's a good thing I didn't arrive too late!"

Once he understood the situation, Yun Xi wasted no time and rushed toward the child.

The towering forest might have been an obstacle for an ordinary person, but for Yun Xi, it posed no problem at all.

Since the distance between them was not great, Yun Xi finally reached Karin before the other group could.

"It really is you..."

Seeing that the little girl was indeed Karin, Yun Xi let out a long sigh of relief.

He was grateful that his plans hadn't been delayed by those three idiots from earlier.

Otherwise, he would have been absolutely furious...

"Little girl, do you need some help?"

Seeing Karin fishing alone by a pond in the forest, Yun Xi stepped out from the bushes.

To make Karin trust him more, Yun Xi even canceled his Transformation Technique, reverting to his original appearance.

Wow, he's so handsome! Karin thought to herself upon seeing Yun Xi's sudden appearance.

However, out of caution, she asked warily, "Big brother, who are you?"

As she spoke, she set down her fishing rod and hid her left hand behind her back.

This Karin... Yun Xi was not surprised by her reaction.

After all, several years had passed since the fall of the Land of Whirlpools; if she didn't have at least that much caution, she would have died long ago.

"Do you want to go to a place where there is food, drink, and safety?"

Seeing that Karin was still cautious, Yun Xi did not approach her.

Instead, he stood where he was and began his first attempt at kidnapping a young girl...

Yun Xi: Heaven and earth are my witness, I am definitely not a lolicon! Definitely not!