Three Years

Only after Li Yi had left did Sarutobi Hiruzen say, "Kagami, you've done a good job teaching Li Yi. I think he's a devoted inheritor of the Will of Fire."

Kagami Uchiha smiled. "That's right. The boy has a lot of potential."

"Mm. Then keep taking him under your wing. The border situation has been getting more tense lately, and Kirigakure has joined in. I'm worried that before long, we'll be seeing another wave of wars!" Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed.

Kagami Uchiha's expression turned serious. "Would you like me to go scout things out?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen thought it over. "Forget it. I'll send Danzo. You focus on taking Li Yi out for some experience."

Actually, Sarutobi Hiruzen had originally intended to send Kagami Uchiha to gather intelligence. But Li Yi's appearance had given him some other ideas, so he decided to put some of Kagami's assignments on hold. Danzo could handle them just as well.

Kagami Uchiha didn't say anything. After that, the two discussed some matters concerning the Uchiha Clan. The Uchiha of this era were nothing like the Uchiha of the Night of the Nine-Tails. These days, the Uchiha held great power and were in charge of the Military Police Force, which made them somewhat arrogant. So the Third Hokage hoped Kagami could persuade his clansmen not to let their personal feelings affect how they enforced the law.

Kagami Uchiha agreed.

By then, Li Yi had already left the Hokage Building and unrolled the scroll. He was curious to see what genjutsu the Third Hokage had given him. But the moment he saw the name, he froze. What the hell? What was the Third Hokage thinking? Why would he give him this genjutsu? Was he trying to stir up trouble?

The genjutsu was called the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, a visual-deprivation genjutsu developed by Senju Tobirama to counter the Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan.

And yet the Third Hokage had given it to him. Li Yi was Kagami Uchiha's student, after all. Whether he liked it or not, he'd already been marked as one of the Uchiha.

What would people think if they found out he was learning this jutsu?

Damn, Li Yi felt a headache coming on. He put the scroll away and waited outside, trying to put his mind at ease. No matter what, this genjutsu was powerful. At worst, he could just avoid using it in the village.

There was no helping it. There were too many lunatics in the Uchiha Clan. Who knew if they'd think he was betraying them and come after him?

If an outsider learned this genjutsu, they wouldn't say anything. But Li Yi was Kagami's student, and he was learning this jutsu too? What was he up to? Some of the crazier Uchiha would definitely get the wrong idea and come looking for trouble. Li Yi didn't want to be caught up in that mess. For now, all he could do was keep his head down.

Once he'd fully developed the powers of the Mera Mera no Mi and released Ryujin Jakka's Shikai, then he wouldn't have to give a damn about them. Anyone who wasn't convinced could see what it meant for all creation to return to ash!

After waiting for a while, Kagami Uchiha finally came out. When he saw Li Yi, he said, "Come on. I'll train your Taijutsu later."

Li Yi nodded and followed Kagami Uchiha. They went to a barbecue restaurant for a meal, then Kagami took him to the training ground.

With Kagami Uchiha, a member of the Uchiha Clan, looking after him, Li Yi's meals had improved a lot. He and Kosuke usually couldn't afford barbecue, but with Kagami, they could eat as much as they wanted. The Uchiha Clan had money—they were loaded.

Clearly, Kagami Uchiha didn't care about spending a little.

Li Yi didn't get home until after a full day of training. After washing up, he took out the scroll and began studying it. He still had to learn the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique.

Li Yi was actually very talented at genjutsu because he had a great deal of spiritual energy. He was excellent both at resisting and using genjutsu. According to Kagami Uchiha, Li Yi could make a career as a genjutsu ninja.

But Li Yi didn't want to be a one-dimensional ninja. He wanted to develop in every area and leave himself without any weaknesses.

And so time passed, and Li Yi's growth went smoothly. The war hadn't officially begun, but the border had already descended into chaos. There were shinobi from more than just the hidden villages—Sand Village and Iwagakure were involved too. Everyone was fighting everyone else. They'd attack first and ask questions later.

Only Kumogakure was keeping relatively quiet. Their Second Raikage had been ambushed by Kinkaku and Ginkaku and gravely wounded. He was now close to death, and the village was choosing a Third Raikage. They had no time to get involved in all this.

Three years passed, and Li Yi had grown into a handsome young man. Kagami Uchiha had spent those years teaching him with all his effort. He'd even taken Li Yi along on two A-rank missions, giving him plenty of experience.

According to Kagami Uchiha, Li Yi was already more than capable of becoming a Special Jōnin. But Konoha had a complete evaluation system, and first, he had to become a Chunin.

Today was the day of Li Yi's Chunin exam. Kagami Uchiha had received a last-minute assignment and gone to the front line. Before leaving, he'd made a point of cheering Li Yi on and had even prepared a gift in advance to celebrate his promotion to Chunin.

It was nothing fancy, just a bundle of Explosive Tags. Li Yi was delighted. They were essential supplies for any ninja, and he didn't have much money. Explosive Tags were a luxury he could only mooch off Kagami Uchiha.

The thing was, Kagami Uchiha was seriously loaded. He'd given Li Yi a whole bundle of Explosive Tags—one hundred in all. That was plenty for him.

After all, not everyone was a female billionaire like Konan.

Konoha held its Chunin exams on its own, without inviting shinobi from other countries. It was wartime, and no country would send its Genin to take an exam in another nation.

The Chunin exam was simple. There was a written test, but Li Yi spotted a few tricks to it. It was mainly about gathering intelligence. He used a genjutsu to control one of the proctors, who let him see another candidate's answers and pass them along.

The second round was even easier: they had to obtain intelligence by collecting the Heaven and Earth Scrolls in the Forest of Death. Li Yi and two other Genin were temporarily grouped into a team. He didn't recognize either of their names, so they were probably just future extras who'd die during the war.

So Li Yi didn't bother getting to know his teammates. He gave them his name, then led them quickly through the forest. His actions left the other two baffled. Weren't they supposed to look for the Heaven Scroll? After all, the three of them had been given an Earth Scroll.

But Li Yi headed straight for the tower in the center of the Forest of Death, without even looking for another scroll.