Ambushed and Fleeing

"Teacher, these people from the Hidden Rain Village are quite bold. Aren't they afraid of Konoha flying into a rage?" Li Yi asked.

Uchiha Kagami shook his head and smiled. "Dead men tell no tales. Even if they were captured, they could simply claim to be defectors. As long as Hanzo doesn't show his face, it isn't the Hidden Rain Village officially entering the war."

In truth, such occurrences were common among smaller nations. Konoha had engaged in similar coercion before; no one was truly more noble than the other.

Li Yi nodded. That was true. Perhaps this was simply the tragedy of being a small nation.

"Hm? Something's wrong!" As they walked, Uchiha Kagami suddenly activated his Sharingan and commanded, "Run, quickly!"

Li Yi didn't waste a single word. He turned and bolted. He did not want to become a burden to Uchiha Kagami—this was something Kagami had warned him about long ago: if he was told to run, he must run without looking back, otherwise, he would likely drag him down.

Therefore, the moment Uchiha Kagami gave the order, Li Yi fled without a second thought.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Several sounds of air being pierced rang out. Clearly, ninjas were already in pursuit of Li Yi. At that moment, the area was blanketed by a thick, heavy mist.

Li Yi had already cleared the perimeter of the mist. He glanced back and realized this was the Hidden Mist Technique; it seemed the Hidden Mist ninjas had launched their attack.

Despite looking back, Li Yi did not slow his pace in the slightest, continuing to sprint toward the distance.

Soon, he sensed ninjas closing in behind him, and their presence felt far from weak.

Whoosh! A projectile whistled through the air. Li Yi dodged to the side just in time to see a kunai embed itself in the ground not far ahead. An Explosive Tag was attached to the back of the kunai, and it detonated instantly. Li Yi was forced to pause, lest he be caught in the blast radius.

By now, two Hidden Mist ninjas had blocked Li Yi's path ahead, while three more appeared behind him. A total of five Hidden Mist ninjas were hunting him.

"Konoha ninja, prepare to die!" The man finished speaking, formed hand seals, and suddenly opened his mouth, spewing a massive torrent of water toward Li Yi.

It was the Water Style: Great Waterfall Jutsu.

Generally, only ninjas at the Jonin level could execute this technique, as it consumed a significant amount of chakra.

Watching the deluge rush toward him, Li Yi leaped into the air to avoid the brunt of the attack, then landed on the water's surface. Suddenly, a figure emerged from beneath the water, reaching out to grab Li Yi's ankle.

Li Yi vaulted again, drawing his Ryujin Jakka with a backhand motion. Channeling the power of the Mera Mera no Mi, he coated the blade in roaring flames and slashed downward.

As the blade of fire touched the figure, it dissolved into a puddle of water. Clearly, it was a Water Clone.

At that moment, water dragons emerged from all directions, lunging toward Li Yi.

In that brief window, the ninjas had already formed seals to execute the Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu.

Facing the four water dragons, Li Yi remained completely composed. With a flick of his long blade, he shattered one of the dragons.

Simultaneously, a blue sphere of light ignited in his other hand. He slammed it into a second water dragon; the Rasengan completely shredded the creature.

By now, the remaining two water dragons were upon him. Li Yi quickly dodged to the left. With two dragons already destroyed, the blockade was broken, allowing him to easily evade the attacks of the final two.

"Lightning Style: Earth Flash!"

A Hidden Mist ninja had already unleashed a Lightning Style technique, intending to combine it with the water to create a composite jutsu to strike Li Yi.

Li Yi had been guarding against this move. Before the Earth Flash could reach him, he formed hand seals, took a deep breath, and unleashed a massive fireball toward the ground.

Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique.

Though the Great Fireball Technique was only a C-rank jutsu, it was highly effective. Li Yi had infused it with the power of the Mera Mera no Mi, making the fireball's destructive force even greater.

Under the intensity of the flames, the water beneath Li Yi's feet turned to steam and vanished entirely.

The lightning technique was forced to dissipate long before it reached him. Li Yi quickly retreated, and once he had put some distance between them, he flung several kunai, each rigged with an Explosive Tag.

Seeing Li Yi throwing kunai haphazardly, the Hidden Mist ninjas were about to mock him when they realized the kunai were colliding in mid-air and veering toward them. They were struck with terror. One ninja quickly pressed his hands to the water, raising walls of water to block the projectiles.

However, the explosions from the tags quickly tore through the water walls.

At that moment, Li Yi charged forward, wielding his flaming blade. He leaped high into the air, his figure splitting into three in mid-flight.

Konoha Style Kenjutsu: Dance of the Crescent Moon.

"Hmph, cheap tricks!" one Hidden Mist ninja sneered. His hands moved in a blur of seals, and a massive dragon head erupted from the water, snapping toward Li Yi in the air. The dragon's maw was so wide that it could have swallowed five Li Yis, let alone three.

The dragon's jaws clamped shut, but Li Yi had already transformed into a puff of smoke.

The Li Yi who had charged in was not the original, but a Shadow Clone. The real Li Yi had already fled. After all, he was facing five ninjas who were likely Jonin of the Hidden Mist. To have held his own to this extent was already impressive; he certainly wouldn't stay behind to fight to the death.

"Damn it, a Shadow Clone! After him!" one of the Hidden Mist ninjas growled, and they gave chase.

Elsewhere, within the Hidden Mist Technique, Uchiha Kagami's Sharingan spun wildly as he scanned his surroundings. Suddenly, the sound of air being pierced rang out. Kagami dodged just as a massive blade swept past him. He caught a clear glimpse of it: the Kubikiribocho.

The attacker vanished after a single strike, but Kagami knew the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had arrived.

Whoosh! Though the sound was faint, it did not escape Kagami's ears. He dodged again, watching as a silver light streaked past. His heart sank. His suspicions were confirmed: it was the longsword, Nuibari!

The Hidden Mist Technique was becoming a nuisance. Kagami quickly formed hand seals, took a deep breath, and exhaled, sending a powerful gust of wind sweeping through the area to disperse the mist.

It was the Wind Style: Great Breakthrough.

Uchiha Kagami was a three-attribute ninja: Fire, Wind, and Lightning. To be honest, these were attributes Li Yi envied, as he only possessed the Fire attribute from consuming the Mera Mera no Mi.

How Li Yi wished he had the Wind attribute; if he could combine Wind and Fire, the power of his jutsu would skyrocket.

As the wind subsided, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were revealed—all five of them.