Oath of Allegiance

Although Li Yi was introduced to Konoha by the Second Hokage and even successfully became Uchiha Kagami's apprentice, the Uchiha clan was not particularly trusted within the village. This stemmed from the Second Hokage's wariness, a sentiment the Third Hokage and Danzo inherited and even exacerbated, eventually leading to the Uchiha clan's annihilation.

Of course, that was all decades away. To these big shots, Li Yi was currently nothing more than a slightly talented genin. Could you really expect a genin to see the Hokage whenever he pleased? Did he think he was Naruto?

In the entire world of Naruto, the only ones who could barge into the Hokage Building as genin were Naruto and the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen's grandson, Sarutobi Konohamaru. Coincidentally, both were the "princes" of Konoha.

Just like that, with Uchiha Kagami leading the way, Li Yi bypassed any questioning and entered the Hokage Building directly.

Outside the Hokage's office, Uchiha Kagami knocked on the door, and Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice drifted from within.

"Come in, Kagami!" Sarutobi Hiruzen had already sensed Uchiha Kagami's chakra, so he spoke immediately.

After Uchiha Kagami pushed the door open and entered, Li Yi quickly followed. Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at Li Yi and smiled, "Kagami, what brings you here with your disciple?"

Uchiha Kagami gave Li Yi a look, signaling for him to speak for himself.

Li Yi hurriedly said, "Lord Hokage, it's like this: I've developed a ninjutsu and would like to contribute it to the village."

Hearing that Li Yi had developed a ninjutsu to contribute to the village, the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen felt gratified. It showed that Li Yi possessed the Will of Fire, and that Kagami hadn't disappointed him by cultivating a successor to that will. However, Li Yi was merely a late-blooming ninja; even if he were a genius, he was still just a genin.

Konoha had no shortage of geniuses, so the Third Hokage didn't take Li Yi's research to heart. A genin developing an A-rank ninjutsu? Impossible.

What a joke. Even geniuses had their limits; not everyone was Senju Tobirama.

"Li Yi, what kind of ninjutsu is it?" the Third Hokage asked with a chuckle.

There was no helping it; he couldn't discourage a child with the Will of Fire, so the Third Hokage planned to just brush him off.

Li Yi immediately extended his hand, and a blue sphere of light appeared on his palm. The appearance of the Rasengan made the Third Hokage's eyes narrow instantly.

It must be known that the current Sarutobi Hiruzen was not the decrepit old man of the future; he was in his prime, his strength firmly suppressing his contemporaries. Calling him a Kage-level powerhouse was no exaggeration, especially since he possessed all five chakra natures and could combine them at will to unleash incredibly powerful composite ninjutsu. It could be said that Sarutobi Hiruzen had no weaknesses at this time.

Otherwise, would the Third Hokage dare to boast about being the strongest among the Kage? Of course, as rumors grew more exaggerated over time, he was still confident enough to go head-to-head with any of the current Kage.

"You developed this ninjutsu?" the Third Hokage asked solemnly. Naturally, his gaze also shifted toward Uchiha Kagami. He couldn't help it; he could see the growth potential and power of this technique. It was a seal-less ninjutsu—calling it A-rank was no exaggeration.

Furthermore, it was the pinnacle of chakra shape transformation. If nature transformation were added... he didn't even dare to imagine it. It would definitely be S-rank.

"Yes, I just had an idea to use chakra for direct attacks, and I managed to figure it out!" Li Yi had already concocted his excuse.

Seeing that Uchiha Kagami remained silent, Sarutobi Hiruzen knew that Li Yi was likely telling the truth. If that were the case, the boy's talent was truly formidable. It was a pity he had apprenticed under an Uchiha.

Even though he held Kagami in high regard, an Uchiha was still an Uchiha.

The only thing that comforted Sarutobi Hiruzen was that Li Yi possessed a strong Will of Fire, which was excellent.

Having processed these key points, Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a smile, "Li Yi, you should know that in my opinion, this ninjutsu reaches the A-rank level, and if nature transformation is added, it could even reach S-rank. Are you truly willing to give it to the village?"

Li Yi inwardly scoffed. I'm already here, aren't I? If I said no now, would you beat me to death?

Knowing this was another test from Sarutobi Hiruzen, Li Yi kept reminding himself that he was a successor to the Will of Fire, and that no one should stop him from firmly executing it.

Thus, Li Yi nodded firmly and said, "Yes. The village took me in, and I only regret that my strength is too low to contribute more. Now that I've had a stroke of inspiration and created this ninjutsu, how could I be stingy if it's useful to the village?"

Looking at Li Yi's determined eyes, Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded with satisfaction. What a good child. It's a pity—why didn't his teacher let this child apprentice under me?

"Very well, let's record it. However, the village isn't stingy either. Li Yi, what ninjutsu do you need? The village can provide it for you!" Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded.

As Li Yi wrote down the training method for the Rasengan, he shook his head at the Third Hokage's words, "Lord Hokage, there is nothing I desire. The ninjutsu provided by the Second Hokage and my teacher is already enough for me to learn!"

Pretty words had to be said. Could he really say he was eyeing the Scroll of Sealing? Of course, a mere A-rank Rasengan probably didn't qualify him to see the Scroll of Sealing; it was better to treat this as a "tribute" to gain favor with the higher-ups.

Naturally, if the village were truly shameless enough to accept it for nothing, Li Yi would have nothing to say.

Clearly, the Third Hokage wouldn't do such a thing, so he said, "How about this: you are a Fire-style ninja. I believe Kagami has already taught you many Fire-style techniques, so I won't say more on that. But for a ninja—ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu—since your teacher has already given you taijutsu, I will give you a genjutsu. This type of genjutsu is something even the Uchiha clan does not possess."

As he spoke, the Third Hokage rummaged through some items and finally took out a scroll, placing it in front of Li Yi.

Li Yi hesitated for a moment before accepting it. After all, he had come this far; refusing now would seem a bit pretentious.

He respectfully placed the written Rasengan technique in front of the Third Hokage, who smiled and said, "Alright, I have many things to attend to, so I won't keep you. Oh, and Kagami, stay for a moment."

Li Yi knew this was his cue to get lost so they could have a private conversation, so he wisely bowed and retreated from the Hokage's office.