Just Snatch It

"Cough, cough. Shouldn't we go look for the Heaven Scroll first?" one of the teammates asked.

Hearing this, Li Yi paused and said, "No need. We just need to wait at the entrance; whoever shows up, we take theirs. That'll be enough."

These words left the two of them stunned. You make it sound so simple—we know that too, but with our strength, robbing others? Isn't that just delivering ourselves as a gift?

If their strength were truly impressive, they wouldn't have been the ones left over.

Knowing his two teammates were rather lackluster, Li Yi didn't say much, only adding, "Just stay hidden when the time comes. As long as you don't cause me any trouble, I'll carry you to victory."

It wasn't that Li Yi was boasting; with his current strength, he was truly an outlier among genin. Setting aside things like the Rasengan, his genjutsu, Fire Style, and taijutsu were all top-tier. Even if the Konoha 12 showed up later, Li Yi could handle them.

Of course, excluding the cheat-code Uzumaki Naruto. That guy might just explode with the Nine-Tails, and against that, he really couldn't win.

Soon, Li Yi and his group arrived and chose a spot to hide. Not long after, others arrived and similarly chose to hide in the same fashion.

Li Yi curled his lips. It seemed there were quite a few others with the same idea.

However, Li Yi wasn't panicked at all. Although his chakra reserves couldn't compare to those with special constitutions like Uzumaki Naruto, he still possessed more than the average ninja. Li Yi suspected this was due to his excessive mental energy.

Just like that, Li Yi planned to strike whenever a team tried to enter the tower. As for those hiding in the vicinity, he ignored them. Finally, a ninja team charged toward the tower; judging by their disheveled clothes, they had clearly been through a battle earlier.

Naturally, Li Yi jumped out. He didn't wait for others to make a move, nor did he intend to sit back and reap the rewards. He had confidence in himself.

Seeing Li Yi blocking their path, the three genin immediately formed a combat formation. The quality of Konoha genin at this time was still quite high.

They didn't panic; it was clear they had already anticipated someone would intercept them.

The others who were prepared to jump out saw Li Yi move first and held back. After all, who wouldn't want to sit back and reap the rewards?

"The three of you, hand over your scrolls, and you'll still have a chance to go rob someone else," Li Yi said directly.

Obviously, it was impossible to make them hand over the scrolls obediently with just a few words.

"Careful, this guy doesn't look simple. I'll use taijutsu to attack, Xiaomei, use genjutsu to distract him, and Saki, use ninjutsu!" In the blink of an eye, the three genin had already devised a strategy, with the spiky-haired man giving the orders.

"Tsuruta, be careful!" Xiaomei warned before beginning to weave signs to cast a genjutsu.

As for Xiaomei's genjutsu, Li Yi performed a single sign and shattered it instantly. By then, Saki had finished her signs, and an earth spike erupted from the ground, shooting straight toward Li Yi.

Li Yi leaped to the side, simultaneously drawing Ryujin Jakka and sweeping it out. Tsuruta, who had been executing a Konoha Whirlwind, was sent flying.

"What?" Saki exclaimed. One had to know that Tsuruta's taijutsu was considered very strong among genin, yet he had been swatted away by a single Konoha Whirlwind, Xiaomei's genjutsu hadn't had the slightest effect, and her own ninjutsu hadn't even grazed him.

"Genjutsu: Shackles of the Heart Technique!" Li Yi had already woven the signs, and soon, the genjutsu was cast on Xiaomei. Her eyes filled with terror as she seemed to fall into a trance.

Just as Saki wanted to warn her teammate, Li Yi kicked out, executing the very same Konoha Whirlwind that Tsuruta had used earlier.

Helpless, Saki could only raise her arms to block, and she was quickly kicked away by the immense force.

By now, Li Yi had already taken the two scrolls from Xiaomei and leaped backward.

Tsuruta rushed out, but it was too late. Li Yi took the Heaven Scroll, tossed the Earth Scroll down, and ran toward the tower.

Seeing Li Yi snatch their team's scroll, Tsuruta was furious, but he knew the other party's strength far exceeded theirs. At least he had left the Earth Scroll behind, hadn't he?

"Get him!" Two voices rang out. Clearly, there were still teams lurking nearby who had the same idea as Li Yi. Seeing him run off with the scrolls, they naturally moved to intercept him.

Six people jumped out at once. Li Yi didn't stop his pace, and while running, he wove signs with both hands: "Fire Style: Fire Dragon Technique!"

This was a C-rank Fire Style jutsu, instantly spewed from Li Yi's mouth as he charged forward. Seeing the fire dragon, the six had no choice but to dodge to the sides.

At the same time, they instinctively threw kunai and shuriken.

Li Yi also threw several kunai. Upon striking the others' kunai and shuriken, they actually deflected their trajectories, sending them flying back toward their attackers.

"Uchiha Shurikenjutsu?" someone exclaimed. At the academy, they hadn't seen Uchiha clan members throw kunai often, but it was always just as bizarre.

Coupled with the Fire Style Li Yi had used, they assumed he was a member of the Uchiha clan.

Li Yi had no intention of stopping. After breaking through their defensive line, he let out a long whistle—a signal to his two teammates that it was time to retreat.

His two teammates were already dumbfounded. Is this guy really that strong? Three genin teams, and they couldn't do a thing to him?

But soon, surprise replaced their shock. Since Li Yi was this strong, they had passed this stage. Who knows, they might even become chunin in the future.

Upon entering the tower, his two teammates, who hadn't been far away, arrived shortly after. As the first team to enter the tower, Li Yi opened the Heaven and Earth scrolls. A ninja jumped out from within to explain the rules, and Li Yi and his team were considered to have passed the preliminary round.

Gradually, more and more ninjas entered the tower. Of course, those who didn't arrive within the allotted time were eliminated.

Li Yi observed that at least fifteen genin teams had arrived, meaning at least forty-five genin had passed the preliminary round.

The chunin selection wouldn't let all these people pass. Chunin were considered the backbone of a village; as long as the higher-ups weren't brain-dead, they wouldn't act recklessly.