Return to the Village

Besides, after leaving him here, the old man had run off immediately, so Li Yi hadn't even had a chance to speak.

Glancing at the stack of money on the table, Li Yi had no idea what things cost here. But Kosuke had said it would be enough to cover his living expenses, so it was probably fine.

Li Yi picked up the scroll on the table and began to read. Kosuke had given it to him, and it seemed to describe the method Kosuke used to cultivate and refine chakra.

Li Yi wanted to see if he could refine chakra himself.

He opened the scroll and read through it. It explained how to combine spiritual energy with physical energy to produce chakra, and included quite a few illustrations.

Following the movements shown in the illustrations, Li Yi began refining chakra.

Gradually, Li Yi entered a state of complete absorption. He had no idea how much time had passed, but at last he managed to refine a trace of chakra. It was only a tiny amount, but it was a start. Now that he had the initial spark, refining more chakra would be much faster.

However, Li Yi's stomach chose that moment to growl. He didn't know how long he had been at it, but it was time to take care of his hunger. Taking Kosuke's money with him, Li Yi headed out.

By now, the sky had begun to darken, showing just how long he'd been training. Before long, Li Yi found a stall selling rice balls. When he asked the price, he was secretly astonished by how much money Kosuke had left him.

A rice ball cost only seven ryō, and Kosuke had left him twenty thousand. Li Yi did the math to himself: twenty thousand ryō was like twenty thousand yuan, while a rice ball cost seven yuan. That was more than enough to keep him fed.

Twenty thousand yuan would be enough for Li Yi to live in Konoha for more than two years.

Li Yi bought a few extra rice balls and took them home, planning to continue training. Now that he had chakra, he naturally wanted to practice the Dance of the Crescent Moon that the Second Hokage had given him. It was a technique that could help him gain combat strength more quickly.

As for the Multi Shadow Clone Technique—ha! With so little chakra, practicing it would be asking for trouble.

He wasn't about to neglect developing the Mera Mera no Mi's abilities, either. If he mastered them, they could save his life.

Then there was Ryujin Jakka on his back. That sword required spiritual power. Li Yi had tried saying its release command, but Ryujin Jakka hadn't responded at all.

So Li Yi suspected that unless his spiritual power grew strong enough to truly hear Ryujin Jakka's call, it would remain nothing more than a fairly sharp sword.

Over the next few days, Li Yi either refined chakra or practiced the Dance of the Crescent Moon. Of course, he also secretly practiced the Mera Mera no Mi's abilities. He was far stronger than he'd been the first time. If his first attempt had produced a lighter's flame, this time it was like a gas stove.

And so Li Yi settled into life in Konoha, undisturbed by anyone. After a month, he felt he had quite a bit of chakra, though that was only his own impression. No one had explained exactly how much he had.

He simply kept his head down and trained: refining chakra at night, practicing the Dance of the Crescent Moon in the morning, and developing the Mera Mera no Mi whenever he had time.

One day, the sun shone brightly and the weather was lovely, but for Li Yi, it was a somber day. He saw Kosuke being carried back in a pitiful state. He had lost a leg, and his body was covered in wounds. From then on, aside from training, Li Yi devoted all his energy to caring for Kosuke.

As time passed, Kosuke's injuries gradually improved. He began teaching Li Yi some key points of a ninja's training and explaining how to use chakra properly. Through their conversations, Li Yi gained a clearer understanding of his own abilities. After testing him, Kosuke found that Li Yi's chakra had reached the level of an ordinary Genin. However, despite having a decent amount of chakra, Li Yi's actual combat ability left much to be desired. He lacked systematic ninja training and knew nothing about basic skills such as the Three Body Technique. According to Kosuke, if Li Yi ran into an enemy, he would likely suffer a crushing defeat.

Faced with this reality, Li Yi wasn't discouraged. Instead, he became even more determined to improve his strength.

He'd reached his current level in just two months. What was there to be dissatisfied about?

Seeing how well Li Yi took the news, Kosuke began teaching him some basic ninja skills, especially how to use the Three Body Technique and how to throw shuriken and kunai.

These were all essential basic skills for a ninja.

Li Yi finally learned about the legendary Three Body Technique.

In just a few days, Li Yi had already mastered the Three Body Technique. Kosuke was astonished, and declared that Li Yi was a genius who would surely surpass him someday. After all, it had taken Kosuke quite a while to master the technique himself.

This left Li Yi feeling a little embarrassed. He hadn't expected to be a genius when it came to ninjutsu.

"Li Yi, this is Chakra Testing Paper. You can use it to find out your nature, then focus on learning techniques that suit it!" Seeing that Li Yi had more or less mastered the basics, Kosuke handed him a sheet of paper.

Li Yi pinched the Chakra Paper between his fingers and fed his chakra into it. The paper quickly burst into flames. He wasn't surprised. He'd eaten the Mera Mera no Mi, so it made sense that he had a fire nature. It was just a shame he didn't have any other natures besides fire. Li Yi couldn't help feeling a little helpless. He'd have to focus on Fire Style from now on.

"Your nature's fire. What a shame—I only know Water Release, so I can't teach you!" Kosuke shook his head. Ninjutsu that matched a person's nature could bring out its full power. Otherwise, it would be all form and no substance, with underwhelming results.

Li Yi felt a little disappointed, too. Kosuke's ninjutsu had been taught to him by the Second Hokage, and Li Yi had seen how powerful those techniques were.

Just then, an Anbu Ninja suddenly appeared in front of them. Li Yi jumped in surprise, but Kosuke remained calm. He had probably noticed the ninja; Li Yi was the only one who hadn't.

"Lord Hokage wishes to see you. Li Yi, please come with me!" the Anbu said, already heading for the door. Li Yi hurried after him. When they arrived at Konoha Hospital, Li Yi was puzzled. Was the Hokage in the hospital?

He followed the Anbu into a hospital room. Sarutobi Hiruzen, along with several other disciples of the Second Hokage, was there, as were some clan elders. It seemed the Second Hokage had just announced something.

When Li Yi entered, Second Hokage Tobirama Senju said, "All right. Sarutobi Hiruzen will be the Third Hokage from now on. I'm entrusting the village to you."