Maruboshi Kosuke

The young ninja carrying Li Yi was also keeping his guard up against him. After traveling for a while without seeing Li Yi make a move, he began to relax a little. And with the special marking on the scroll, there shouldn't have been any doubt.

Suddenly, the young ninja leaped aside. Several shuriken appeared where he had just been running. Li Yi's eyes narrowed slightly as he cursed inwardly. These ninjas really did love attacking people from the shadows. He'd actually thought he could make it to the Konoha camp. Yeah, right. He'd already been ambushed twice on the way here.

The young ninja cautiously turned to look in one direction. Two ninjas slowly emerged from that way. Their skin was dark, but their bodies seemed full of explosive power. Their golden hair was distinctive, too.

"Heh, a Konoha ninja, and he's even carrying an ordinary person. Looks like this ordinary person is quite valuable!" one of them said with a low laugh. He wore a Kumogakure Forehead Protector.

It was as if Li Yi and the young ninja were already in their hands.

"I recognize him. I think he's a Konoha Genin, Maruboshi Kosuke. Be careful. The Second Hokage once taught him ninjutsu, so he's probably no pushover." The other Kumogakure ninja suddenly drew his sword.

"Oh, him. We just got word that he's killed quite a few of our comrades!" The ninja's expression turned serious, and he gripped several Kunai, ready to throw them at any moment.

Li Yi heard them too, and looked at the young ninja carrying him in surprise. He was actually Maruboshi Kosuke, that perpetually ranked Genin who was nevertheless incredibly powerful.

Maruboshi Kosuke looked very young at this point. Li Yi had no idea if he was as strong as he would be later.

Maruboshi Kosuke said nothing, continuing to stare coldly at the two Kumogakure ninjas.

"Whoosh, whoosh!" The Kumogakure ninja attacked. He flung the Kunai in his hand, and several shuriken suddenly appeared in midair, striking them. The Kunai immediately changed course, but their targets remained the same: Maruboshi Kosuke and Li Yi on his back.

This level of shuriken-throwing technique was used in every village. It wasn't exclusive to the Uchiha.

Maruboshi Kosuke knew he could dodge the attack, but Li Yi might not make it. Having someone on his back hampered his movements, but if he put Li Yi down, Li Yi would be done for.

With no other choice, Maruboshi Kosuke formed Hand Seals. His hands moved quickly, and just as the Kunai closed in, a swirling wall of water rose around him and Li Yi. The Kunai struck it and fell away, swept up into the air by the waterspout.

Maruboshi Kosuke continued forming Hand Seals and called out, "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"

The water that had formed the waterspout instantly became a water dragon, roaring as it charged toward the two Kumogakure ninjas.

Watching the ninjutsu from so close, Li Yi couldn't help but marvel. So this was ninjutsu? It was awesome, and it looked incredibly powerful—nothing like it did in the anime. Seeing a solid water dragon surge right in front of him was an imposing sight.

And this was only a B-rank technique. Even if it was a little stronger than an ordinary B-rank technique because the Second Hokage had improved it, it couldn't be all that much stronger. Just thinking about those S-rank techniques made Li Yi's heart race. Could he become a ninja himself?

"Heh, the Second Hokage's Water Formation Wall and Water Dragon Bullet are impressive. Unfortunately, they're not enough to take us down!" the Kumogakure ninja sneered. The two of them had already leaped backward, dodging the Water Dragon Bullet.

But Maruboshi Kosuke hadn't stopped forming Hand Seals. It was obvious that the Water Dragon Bullet wasn't over yet.

Sure enough, after striking the ground, the water dragon seemed to turn into countless streams of water. The two Kumogakure ninjas laughed. One of them quickly charged toward Li Yi and the others, while the other began forming Hand Seals where he stood.

But just then, a huge dragon's head suddenly rose from the streams on the ground and snapped down on the charging ninja. Blood sprayed everywhere. Maruboshi Kosuke relaxed a little, and his expression improved.

The Kumogakure ninja forming Hand Seals looked stricken, but his hands kept moving without pause. In an instant, a bolt of lightning raced along the ground toward them.

"Lightning Release: Earth Flash!"

Having absorbed a good amount of the other ninja's chakra, Maruboshi Kosuke had recovered quite a bit of his own. He leaped straight onto a nearby tree, dodging the Lightning Release technique.

Li Yi couldn't help cheering inwardly. This perpetually ranked Genin, Maruboshi Kosuke, was really strong. One of the Kumogakure ninjas had already been taken out, and the other would probably be next.

But Li Yi was clearly celebrating too soon. A dull thud sounded beside him. Maruboshi Kosuke had already turned around and raised his long sword to block the enemy's blade. That was where the sound had come from.

Li Yi hadn't even seen how the other ninja had suddenly appeared beside them.

But none of that mattered now. Maruboshi Kosuke blocked the blow, but the force sent him flying backward. He quickly slammed into a tree, and since Li Yi was on his back, he got knocked around badly too.

If Maruboshi Kosuke hadn't held back and remembered that Li Yi was behind him, that single impact would have been enough to make Li Yi spit blood.

"Are you all right?" Maruboshi Kosuke asked.

Li Yi hugged Maruboshi Kosuke tightly and shook his head. "Focus on the fight. I'm fine."

Li Yi really didn't want Maruboshi Kosuke to get distracted. If he did, Li Yi would be the one to suffer.

He, Li Yi, had only just transmigrated into the world of Naruto. He didn't want to get killed off so soon.

Especially since the Second Hokage had promised to take him to Konoha.

As long as he made it through this and reached the Konoha camp, he could hand over the scroll. Konoha at this point probably wouldn't resort to murdering him to keep things quiet. They would surely arrange for an ordinary person like him to return to Konoha, giving him plenty of time to develop.

After all, he'd never heard of Konoha being destroyed when Pain came to Konoha to bring rice.

With the power he'd gained from eating the Mera Mera no Mi, Li Yi should at least be able to protect himself in the future. Besides, he still had his trump card: Ryujin Jakka.

Maruboshi Kosuke nodded. He could have left Li Yi behind and taken the scroll back to the Konoha camp, but this was the Second Hokage's promise. He wouldn't abandon Li Yi to die.

In fact, Li Yi should consider himself lucky to have met Maruboshi Kosuke. If he'd run into another Konoha ninja, they might well have just taken the scroll and left. A kind-hearted one might have brought him along, but if they were attacked, they'd most likely prioritize escorting the scroll back. As for whether Li Yi lived or died—yeah, right.