Second Kazekage 1

Li Yi was still wondering why they had suddenly summoned him back. It turned out the battlefield against the Hidden Sand Village needed him.

Thinking about Konoha's situation now, it made sense. The only truly top-tier fighters were Danzo and Sarutobi Hiruzen. Surely they weren't expecting the Hokage himself to go to the front lines?

Without him, Sarutobi Hiruzen would probably have gone himself. But Li Yi had suddenly emerged as a powerful new force, so they'd called him back to deal with Shamon, the Second Kazekage.

As for Shamon, he seemed to be fairly well-known in the history of the Hidden Sand Village. While everyone else was fighting the war, this man had focused on researching the Tailed Beasts. In the end, he'd made quite a few breakthroughs, including the Hidden Sand Village's now-powerful Puppet Technique and Sand Release Ninjutsu.

Of course, Li Yi didn't know that every village had been quietly researching the Tailed Beasts, and they'd all made discoveries. Konoha was the only exception. They kept saying the Tailed Beasts were dangerous, but no one there had actually studied them.

That was because Konoha had the strongest Sealing Jutsu. Even the Nine-Tails was kept firmly trapped inside a seal, with no way to cause trouble.

What about the other ninja villages? They didn't have Konoha's powerful Sealing Jutsu, so the Tailed Beasts forced them to conduct research. In the end, they all made discoveries. Kumogakure in particular had the shoddiest seals. Their Tailed Beasts broke free from time to time, which was why they were even more dedicated to studying them. Eventually, they developed Perfect Jinchuriki.

Otherwise, did you think Kumogakure's Perfect Jinchuriki had just appeared out of nowhere?

The Cloud Ninja had discovered how to do it through the sacrifice of countless lives.

"Good. I'll head out shortly!" Li Yi said without hesitation.

Danzo nodded. Just then, the ninja had an idea and performed the Summoning Jutsu. A small beast appeared, carrying a scroll. After handing it to the ninja, it vanished in a puff of smoke.

The ninja respectfully handed the scroll to Danzo, then withdrew on his own.

Danzo picked it up and glanced over it. After confirming everything was in order, he handed it to Li Yi.

Li Yi took the scroll and looked it over. It contained instructions for training in the Flying Thunder God Slash, along with quite a few notes from the Second Hokage about his own training.

After tucking the scroll away, Li Yi said, "Then, Lord Danzo, I'll head back and get ready. I'll make my own way to the Land of Rivers afterward!"

Danzo nodded. "Sorry for the trouble."

After taking his leave, Li Yi returned to his tent with the scroll. Kato Taka was lying on the bed, looking bored.

When Li Yi came back, he handed Kato Taka a Forehead Protector and said, "You're a Konoha Genin from now on, under my command!"

Kato Taka quickly took the Forehead Protector and tied it around his forehead. Was he really a Konoha Ninja now?

"All right, get some rest. We're heading to the Land of Rivers first thing tomorrow morning!" Li Yi said, then took out the scroll and began studying it closely.

Kato Taka immediately fell asleep. There was nothing he could do about it. When he traveled with Li Yi, he always had to sleep on the ground and rarely got to sleep in a bed.

Li Yi paid him no mind and focused on studying the Flying Thunder God Slash.

He spent the whole night looking it over. All right, he admitted he didn't understand much of it. But that was fine; he could study it gradually later. The Flying Thunder God Slash involved Sealing Jutsu, Summoning Jutsu, and more, and Li Yi wasn't very familiar with any of that. He could only wait until the war was over to study it properly.

After sleeping in the tent, Li Yi got up and headed straight for the Land of Rivers with Kato Taka.

Mitokado Homura and the others had received word that Li Yi had returned to Konoha's camp, and that he was about to reinforce them. They were all delighted. Li Yi had grown far too quickly. He could kill a Two-Tails Jinchuriki and still escape unscathed from the Third Raikage. That alone showed how strong he was.

The only thing they lacked was someone who could hold off the Second Kazekage. If they had someone to keep him occupied, they'd have a chance of winning the war.

Two days later, Li Yi arrived at Konoha's camp in the area. Mitokado Homura greeted him enthusiastically. Li Yi was no longer the young man he'd once been; he had grown stronger than all of them.

"Li Yi, I'll get straight to the point," Mitokado Homura said in the tent.

Li Yi nodded. "Elder Homura, go ahead."

Mitokado Homura then explained the situation on the battlefield. The war against the Hidden Sand Village had been going on for quite some time, but because of the Second Kazekage, they couldn't fight the Sand Ninja effectively. They needed a powerful fighter to keep him occupied.

Naturally, that task fell to Li Yi. Before he arrived, the three of them had been working together to hold off the Second Kazekage, but it hadn't been very effective.

"All right. I'll take responsibility for holding off the Second Kazekage," Li Yi said with a nod. He thought about facing the Second Kazekage and decided it shouldn't be a problem. After all, the ninjutsu Shamon specialized in wasn't much of a threat to him.

Once they'd settled on a plan, Li Yi left the tent and waited for Mitokado Homura and the others to make their arrangements.

"Big Brother Kosuke, I can't believe you're on this battlefield too!" Li Yi exclaimed in delight. He'd lived at Kosuke's house for years after coming to Konoha, but he hadn't seen him once since leaving the village.

He hadn't expected Kosuke to come straight over to him here.

Kosuke patted Li Yi on the shoulder and said warmly, "I've heard all about you. Well done! You've turned out far better than this useless big brother of yours!"

"Come on, you're not useless in my eyes!" Li Yi said with a smile.

The two chatted about what had happened over the years, though mostly Li Yi listened while Kosuke did the talking.

When they'd talked for a while, Kosuke asked, "So, is this your student?"

Li Yi shook his head. "We just hit it off, so I brought him along. He's a Konoha Genin now. Kato Taka, this is my big brother, Maruboshi Kosuke!"

"Greetings, Senior Kosuke!" Kato Taka said at once.

Maruboshi Kosuke smiled. "Good. By the way, are we about to fight? Is this kid coming with me?"

Li Yi smiled. "I'll leave him in your hands, Big Brother. Kato Taka, stick with Big Brother Kosuke for now!"

Kato Taka nodded. Li Yi had told him not to reveal his Immortal Body for the time being, so he was just an ordinary Genin.

Just then, a voice rang out: "All squads, get ready! The Sand Ninja are attacking!"

In an instant, everyone went into battle mode. Li Yi leaped forward and charged ahead. He'd already spotted the man standing on the sand—the Second Kazekage, Shamon!

That man was Li Yi's target.