Shikai 1

Li Yi still had no idea that the Third Raikage had already decided to kill him and was planning to personally hunt him down.

At that moment, Li Yi and Kato Taka were ambushing a squad of Kumogakure ninja. The squad consisted of only three Chunin and six Genin, with not a single Jonin among them, but Li Yi still wasn't going to let them go. Since they'd run into each other, he couldn't leave any survivors.

Li Yi took care of all three Chunin. He left the remaining Genin to Kato Taka.

Kato Taka naturally didn't use any kind of formation against the Genin. Relying on his Immortal Body, he took them all down through sheer grit, trading wounds for their lives.

Kato Taka was covered in blood from head to toe. Li Yi sighed. If not for his Immortal Body, he had no idea how many times Kato would have been killed by now.

"Kato, forget about ninjutsu and the like. You don't have much chakra, but you can specialize in Taijutsu. If you get good enough at it, even Kage Level fighters will have a high chance of getting caught out by you!" Li Yi suggested.

After spending all this time with Kato Taka, Li Yi had given up on teaching him to master ninjutsu. How to put it? He had the kind of physique Rock Lee would have in the future.

So Li Yi thought he should specialize in Taijutsu instead. With this kind of fighting style, trading wounds for an opponent's life, most ninja would fall for it. If Kato got strong enough at Taijutsu, he might even get his hands on the blood of a Kage Level fighter—and then that fighter would basically be as good as dead.

At the same time, Li Yi had an idea. If Kato Taka trained in the Eight Inner Gates, could he become unstoppable?

He couldn't help it. Kato had an Immortal Body, after all. The side effects of the Eight Inner Gates seemed like they wouldn't affect him much—or maybe they would. In any case, Li Yi hadn't tried it, and he didn't have the training method for the Eight Inner Gates right now. All he could do was help Kato improve his Taijutsu.

That night, Li Yi leaned against a tree branch while Kato Taka lay on the ground, fast asleep, without a thought for keeping watch.

Suddenly, Li Yi felt himself enter a strange world. It was filled with flames; even the ground was burning. As soon as he stepped onto it, he could faintly hear a voice.

Li Yi froze, then was overjoyed. Was this his inner world?

No, more precisely, was this the world of his Zanpakuto?

Li Yi sat cross-legged and listened intently. Gradually, he finally made out the voice.

"My name is Ryujin Jakka!"

Li Yi opened his eyes. A vast energy gathered inside him, then merged into his chakra. His chakra surged to nearly twice its previous amount.

Looking at the long blade in his hand, a flash of delight crossed Li Yi's eyes. Ryujin Jakka—could he finally wield it?

He had been looking forward to wielding Ryujin Jakka ever since he'd crossed over. He had called out to it countless times, but it had never done a damn thing.

Now, at last, he had suddenly entered the world of his Zanpakuto and heard its name.

Li Yi figured his Zanpakuto had absorbed the Two-Tails' spiritual energy and returned some of it to him, strengthening his soul over time. That was why he had finally heard his Zanpakuto's call.

That was exactly what had happened. Every time Li Yi killed an enemy, or went to a place where someone had recently died with his Zanpakuto, the blade could absorb the spiritual energy left behind by the soul.

Of course, it only absorbed a trace, not all of it. The stronger someone was, the stronger their soul, and the more spiritual energy it could give back. Tailed Beasts, for instance, returned a great deal. After accumulating this energy over the past few days, Li Yi's soul had grown strong enough for him to finally hear his Zanpakuto's voice.

At that moment, Li Yi suddenly felt an urge to release his Zanpakuto. He wanted to see how powerful it was.

After all, once a Zanpakuto was released, its abilities could be used, and Ryujin Jakka's Shikai had quite a few techniques.

There was Jokaku Enjo, where flames burst from the blade like a giant palm and engulfed the enemy. If they tried to force their way out from within, they would be pursued by flames burning at six thousand degrees!

It was, without a doubt, a perfect technique for trapping an enemy.

Then there were Taimatsu and Ennetsu Jigoku!

Never mind Ennetsu Jigoku, a technique capable of destroying everything across dozens of kilometers. That was a village-destroying technique.

Even Taimatsu alone was already powerful. The instant the blade was drawn, a tornado-shaped wall of flames would envelop the enemy and spin around them, burning until they turned to ash. Only then would the flames dissipate.

It was a sustained attack. Without powerful defenses, there was no way to withstand it.

Just then, Li Yi suddenly leaped down from the tree, scooped up Kato Taka, who was still fast asleep, and vanished.

The moment they disappeared, Shuriken and Kunai appeared in the spot where they had been.

"What happened?" Kato Taka asked, jolting awake a moment later.

Li Yi looked ahead and saw a tall figure appear with several ninja.

Li Yi frowned slightly. The Third Raikage. Damn, he'd arrived fast.

Beside the Third Raikage was the Raikage Guard. Only six had come, but every one of them was an elite Jonin. It was clear that this time the Third Raikage really intended to kill Li Yi.

"Li Yi, you've got some nerve. You killed so many of our Cloud ninja, and you still dare to bring a kid along with you?" Third Raikage A said coolly.

Li Yi shot into the sky without a word, taking Kato Taka with him as he vanished.

The Third Raikage was dumbfounded. For the sake of the Raikage's dignity, he hadn't tried to ambush Li Yi. Instead, he'd greeted him with Shuriken—never imagining the man could fly.

He actually flew away just like that? In that moment, the Third Raikage felt like an idiot. If only he'd forgotten about keeping up appearances and just used Lightning Release: Four-Finger Nukite to kill Li Yi on the spot.

He'd finally found the man, only to let him get away just like that.

"Lord Raikage, should we pursue him?" one of the Raikage Guard members asked.

The Third Raikage glanced at the guard. Wasn't that obvious? What else had they come here for—to say that one line?

After all, the Third Raikage had brought sensory ninja with him this time.

Unless Li Yi fled back to the Land of Fire, he was going to die this time.

After flying for a while, Li Yi finally stopped. "I didn't expect the Third Raikage to come out in person, and to bring the Raikage Guard with him. If you stay with me, you're done for."

Kato Taka had an Immortal Body, but those elite Jonin wouldn't be easy to fool. They might get caught off guard and killed, but the rest would surely figure out Kato's weakness. After that, there was every chance they'd capture him and take him back to be studied.

"That was the Third Raikage?" Kato Taka asked in shock.

Li Yi nodded, then frowned. "They're coming after us. They have sensory ninja."

"You run first. I'll catch up with you later!" Li Yi said, then flew back toward the direction they'd come from.

If he was lucky enough to get his hands on the Third Raikage's blood this time, he might be able to kill him, but the odds weren't good. After all, the man's Lightning Style: Chakra Mode was far too powerful.

It was known as the Strongest Shield. Breaking through the Raikage's defense was no easy task.

Li Yi stood in the air. The Raikage and his men soon arrived. Seeing Li Yi above them, the Third Raikage furrowed his brows. This was going to be difficult. If Li Yi refused to come down, he'd be a real nuisance.

"Lord Raikage, there's a kid too. He ran that way!" one of the sensory ninja whispered.

The Third Raikage nodded, not paying it much attention. It was just some kid. Right now, the most important thing was killing Li Yi.

"Li Yi, are you planning to stay up in the sky forever? You won't be able to kill me that way! Don't you want to avenge your teacher?" The Third Raikage had no choice but to provoke him.

If Li Yi came down a little, he'd be confident he could kill him with a single strike.

"I'll take your head. Your Cloud ninja will live in fear of me forever!" Li Yi said coolly.

The Third Raikage scoffed. "Kid, you don't even dare face me in a head-on fight, yet you claim they'll live in fear of you? How ridiculous."

"Blaze Release: Fire Style: Great Fire Destruction!" Li Yi didn't waste any words. He formed Hand Seals, took a deep breath, and spat out a gigantic fireball. It was Great Fire Destruction, one of the strongest Fire Style techniques Li Yi knew.

"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!" Two members of the Raikage Guard stepped forward at once, formed Hand Seals, and spat out streams of water to shield the group.

As for the Third Raikage, he simply folded his arms and didn't move. A Fire Style technique couldn't do anything to him.

But Li Yi's was Blaze Release, especially with the added Chakra Nature Transformation and the power of the Mera Mera no Mi. Ordinary Water Release couldn't stop these flames.

Sure enough, although the Water Release used by the two Jonin was powerful, it was no match for Great Fire Destruction. And unlike Great Fireball, Great Fire Destruction was a fire technique that could spread out.

In an instant, the black-and-red flames burst outward, engulfing everyone. The water had all been evaporated into steam, and a vast cloud of white mist rose around them, blocking everyone's view.

Now the Third Raikage was taken aback. He had thought it was just a somewhat powerful Fire Style technique, but he had never expected it to be this strong.