Ambushed and Forced to Flee

"Teacher, these people from Amegakure are pretty gutsy. Aren't they afraid Konoha will go after them?" Li Yi asked.

Kagami Uchiha shook his head and smiled. "There'll be no evidence once they're dead. Even if we catch them, they can just claim they've gone rogue. Hanzo never showed up, so Amegakure wasn't involved in the battle."

In truth, this sort of thing was common in small countries. Konoha had done its share of the same kind of bullying, too. No one could claim to be any more virtuous than anyone else.

Li Yi nodded. That was true. Maybe this was the tragedy of small countries.

"Hm? Something's wrong!" As they walked, Kagami Uchiha suddenly activated his Sharingan. "Get out of here!"

Li Yi didn't waste a second. He turned and ran. He didn't want to hold Kagami Uchiha back. Kagami Uchiha had told him long ago that if he ever told Li Yi to leave, he had to go without hesitation and never look back. Otherwise, he might end up being a burden.

So as soon as Kagami Uchiha said the words, Li Yi ran without a second thought.

"Whoosh, whoosh!" Several sounds cut through the air. Clearly, ninjas were already chasing after Li Yi. Just then, a thick fog covered the area.

Li Yi had already run out of the fog. He glanced back and recognized the Hidden Mist Technique. It looked like the Mist ninja had launched their attack.

Although Li Yi looked back, his pace didn't slow in the slightest. He kept sprinting into the distance.

Soon, he sensed ninjas chasing him from behind. They seemed pretty strong.

"Whoosh!" Hearing something cut through the air, Li Yi hurriedly dodged to the side. A Kunai had landed not far in front of him, with an Explosive Tag tied to it. The tag promptly exploded, forcing Li Yi to stop; otherwise, he risked getting caught in the blast.

By then, two Mist ninja had blocked his path, and three more appeared behind him. There were five Mist ninja chasing him in all.

"Leaf ninja, prepare to die!" As soon as he finished speaking, the man formed Hand Seals, opened his mouth, and spat out a huge torrent of water that surged toward Li Yi.

It was the Water Style: Great Waterfall Jutsu.

Usually, only a ninja of at least jonin rank could use this jutsu, since it consumed a great deal of chakra.

As the flood rushed toward him, Li Yi leaped into the air to avoid its force, then landed on the water. But at that moment, someone appeared beneath the surface and reached for his ankle.

Li Yi leaped again and drew Ryujin Jakka with his free hand. He unleashed the power of the Mera Mera no Mi, and blazing flames enveloped the blade as he brought it down.

When the flaming blade struck the man, he dispersed into a puddle of water. It was clearly a water clone.

Just then, water dragons appeared from every direction and lunged at Li Yi.

While Li Yi had been occupied, the ninjas had formed Hand Seals and used Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu.

Faced with four water dragons, Li Yi didn't panic at all. With a swing of his long blade, he had already cut one of them apart.

At the same time, a blue orb of light appeared in his other hand. He pressed it against another water dragon. The Rasengan completely tore it apart.

The remaining two water dragons attacked. Li Yi quickly dodged to the left. With two dragons already destroyed, their encirclement had been broken, so he easily evaded the two that remained.

"Lightning Release: Earth Flash!"

A Mist ninja used Lightning Release, hoping to channel it through the water and attack Li Yi with a combined jutsu.

Li Yi had been ready for that move. Before the Earth Flash could reach him, he had already formed Hand Seals and taken a deep breath. He aimed a Fireball at the ground beneath his feet.

Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique.

The Great Fireball Technique might have only been a C-rank jutsu, but it was highly effective. Li Yi had also added the Mera Mera no Mi's power, making the fireball even stronger.

Under the force of the massive fireball, the water beneath Li Yi's feet turned to steam and vanished completely.

The Lightning Release was forced to stop long before it reached Li Yi. He quickly retreated, putting some distance between himself and the enemy, then flung out a number of Kunai, each with an Explosive Tag attached.

Seeing Li Yi toss the Kunai so carelessly, the Mist ninja were about to laugh at him when they saw the Kunai collide in midair and come flying toward them. They were instantly alarmed. One ninja hurriedly pressed his hand against the water, raising one wall of water after another to block Li Yi's Kunai.

But the Explosive Tags soon blasted through the water walls.

By then, Li Yi had already charged forward, holding his flaming blade aloft. He leaped high, and his figure split into three in midair.

Leaf Style Swordsmanship: Dance of the Crescent Moon.

"Ha! Pathetic trick!" one Mist ninja scoffed, quickly forming Hand Seals. A huge dragon's head emerged from the water and lunged at Li Yi in the air. Its enormous jaws opened wide—big enough to swallow not just three Li Yis, but five.

The dragon's jaws snapped shut, but Li Yi had already turned into a cloud of smoke.

The Li Yi who had charged in wasn't the real one at all, but a Shadow Clone. The real Li Yi had already run off. There were five enemy ninjas, and they might all be jonin from Kirigakure. He'd done well enough to fight them this long, so he certainly wasn't about to stay and battle them to the death.

"Damn it, a Shadow Clone! After him!" one of the Mist ninja snorted and took off in pursuit.

Elsewhere, inside the Hidden Mist Technique, Kagami Uchiha's Sharingan spun rapidly as he scanned his surroundings. Suddenly, something cut through the air. Kagami Uchiha hurriedly dodged as a massive sword swept past him. He recognized it at once: Kubikiribōchō.

After that single attack, the assailant vanished. But Kagami Uchiha already knew the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had arrived.

"Whoosh!" The sound was faint, but Kagami Uchiha's ears caught it. He quickly dodged, and a flash of silver shot past. His heart sank. His guess had been right. It was Nuibari, the long blade!

The Hidden Mist Technique was a nuisance, too. Kagami Uchiha immediately formed Hand Seals, took a deep breath, and exhaled. A powerful gust swept through, dispersing the fog.

It was Wind Style: Great Breakthrough.

Kagami Uchiha had three chakra natures: Fire, Wind, and Lightning. To be honest, Li Yi envied him for that. Since Li Yi had eaten the Mera Mera no Mi, Fire was the only nature he had.

Li Yi wished he had Wind Release. Then he could combine Wind and Fire and make his jutsu's power soar.

After the wind jutsu, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist came into view. There they were: all five of them.