Borderline

An Anbu Ninja appeared at the door just then and said bluntly, "Li Yi, Lord Hokage wants to see you!"

Li Yi froze. He hadn't expected Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi to summon him. He'd only just become a Chunin—was the Hokage going to congratulate him?

Whatever the reason, Li Yi quickly followed the Anbu Ninja toward the Hokage Building.

With the Anbu Ninja leading the way, Li Yi passed through without a hitch and soon reached the office. He knocked, and only after hearing a voice from inside say, "Come in," did he open the door and enter.

As he stepped into the Hokage's office, Li Yi saw that Konoha's F4 were all there. He immediately bowed. "Greetings, Lord Hokage, Lord Advisor, and the two esteemed elders."

Indeed, Shimura Danzō was now the Hokage Advisor, while Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu were both Konoha elders. The four of them had Konoha's power firmly in their grasp.

As for his teacher, Kagami Uchiha—well, although he also held the title of elder, he had little real power. Then there was Akimichi Kufū, who did have considerable authority. But he knew his own limits and only managed the Ino-Shika-Cho clans, never overstepping his bounds.

"Ah, Li Yi, you're here? Excellent—you've become a Chunin!" Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a genial smile.

To Li Yi's surprise, Shimura Danzō gave a rare nod, seeming to agree with Sarutobi. That was unexpected. The old schemer didn't seem to have anything against him.

Well, it wasn't as if the people who came after him were known for behaving like decent human beings.

"Thank you for your praise, Lord Hokage!" Li Yi replied quickly.

Sarutobi Hiruzen tossed him a scroll. "I called you here because Kagami sent us a scroll from the front lines, asking us to notify you to join him. This will count as a long-term mission, and we'll classify it as S-rank."

Li Yi caught the scroll and opened it to take a look. "Then I'll get ready to leave."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, then offered a word of advice. "Go prepare. Remember, the battlefield is unlike anywhere else. Watch and learn, and don't act rashly!"

Li Yi acknowledged him and left the Hokage's office. He hadn't expected his teacher to send for him at the front. It seemed Kagami wanted to help him adjust to the battlefield. If so, the war would probably continue for some time.

Back at Kosuke's place, Li Yi briefly explained his mission and told him he'd be away for a long while. Kosuke nodded without comment. There was nothing more he could teach Li Yi now; he would have to learn for himself on the battlefield.

Li Yi changed clothes and checked through his ninja gear pouch. He packed all one hundred Explosive Tags Kagami Uchiha had given him, then inspected his other equipment. Finding everything in order, he slung Ryujin Jakka over his back and set off.

At the village gate, Li Yi completed the necessary handover and was allowed to leave. As he stepped beyond Konoha's gates, he took a deep breath and headed for the border.

After two days on the road, Li Yi reached Konoha Base Camp at the border. He presented his mission scroll and was soon allowed inside, where he met his teacher, Kagami Uchiha.

"I called you here so you could get used to the environment while the border is still safe," Kagami explained.

Li Yi understood his teacher's good intentions and nodded with a smile. Kagami arranged a tent for him. After Li Yi had rested for a day, Kagami took him to patrol the border.

As they walked, Kagami began explaining what to watch out for on the battlefield, such as enemy ninja corpses and various traps. In short, he told Li Yi to avoid touching anything.

Li Yi carefully memorized every word Kagami said. Any one of those lessons could save his life.

"What do you see up ahead?" Kagami suddenly asked.

Li Yi looked in the direction Kagami was pointing, but saw nothing. Kagami said, "Watch the ground. Look at that soil. Has it been disturbed?"

Li Yi blinked and studied it carefully. After examining it closely, he could just make out a slight difference. But damn, who would notice something like that?

Kagami casually picked up a stone and tossed it over. The ground collapsed, and an explosion sounded from within. Li Yi was at a loss for words. So this was the battlefield?

He'd used to think that Nawaki, the Senju Clan's young heir, had died a little too carelessly—blown up by an Explosive Tag. But damn, he'd probably have ended up dead too. Traps like this were everywhere on the battlefield.

"On the battlefield, even the smallest mistake can be fatal," Kagami said.

Li Yi nodded, reminding himself to be careful, then more careful, and then even more careful. Damn this battlefield—it was too dangerous.

At the same time, Li Yi was grateful to have a teacher like Kagami Uchiha. Without him, Li Yi would have had to learn everything the hard way.

Damn this Mera Mera no Mi. How was he supposed to develop its abilities? If he could turn his whole body into flames, he wouldn't have to fear physical attacks.

At that thought, Li Yi suddenly asked, "Teacher, if someone has some kind of Kekkei Genkai, how should they develop it?"

After all, Kagami Uchiha had the Sharingan, so he was bound to have experience developing it. Perhaps Li Yi could learn something from him.

Kagami Uchiha looked at Li Yi in surprise and smiled. "You have a Kekkei Genkai?"

Li Yi smiled sheepishly. "Teacher, I'm not sure, but I feel like my Fire Style is stronger than other people's. At the same level, my Fire Style is much more powerful. Do you think that might be a Kekkei Genkai?"

Kagami Uchiha had never paid attention to it before. He considered the question, then said, "Show me a Great Fireball Technique."

As he spoke, Kagami Uchiha activated his Sharingan and fixed his gaze on Li Yi.

Li Yi didn't hesitate. Although they were at the border, he was safe with Kagami Uchiha watching over him.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!" Li Yi spewed a great ball of fire from his mouth, sending it toward an empty patch of ground.

The Tomoe in Kagami Uchiha's eyes spun rapidly before finally coming to a stop. Li Yi looked at him expectantly. After a moment's hesitation, Kagami Uchiha said, "It is considerably stronger. It seems your constitution is somewhat unusual. Perhaps someone in your family line really did possess a Kekkei Genkai. Still, I've never heard of a fire-based Kekkei Genkai. I only know of Scorch Release, which combines fire and wind, and Lava Style, which combines fire and earth. But yours is purely fire-based. The Shinobi World is vast, and all sorts of things are possible."

Li Yi smiled. He'd eaten the Mera Mera no Mi, so it definitely counted as some kind of Kekkei Genkai. The problem was that figuring out how to develop it was a real headache.