Return to the Village

Moreover, since the person had simply run off after dropping him here, he hadn't had a chance to speak.

Glancing at the stack of money on the table, Li Yi had no idea what the purchasing power was like here, but since Kosuke said it was enough for his daily needs, he figured it shouldn't be a problem.

Li Yi picked up the scroll on the table and began to read; it was what Kosuke had given him, presumably the method for refining chakra that Kosuke himself practiced.

Li Yi wanted to see if he, too, could refine chakra.

After flipping through it, he found the theory on how to fuse spiritual energy with physical energy to give birth to chakra, accompanied by quite a few illustrations.

Mimicking the poses in the illustrations, Li Yi began to refine his chakra.

Gradually, Li Yi entered a state of self-forgetfulness. He didn't know how much time had passed, but he finally refined a trace of chakra. Although it was only a sliver, it was the spark; with this, future refinements would be much faster.

However, Li Yi's stomach growled at an inopportune moment. Not knowing how long he had been at it, he decided it was time to address his hunger. Taking Kosuke's money, Li Yi headed out.

By now, the sky had grown slightly dim, showing that Li Yi had spent quite a long time training. Soon, he found a stall selling rice balls. After asking the price, he was secretly shocked; he hadn't expected Kosuke to have given him so much money.

One had to know that a single rice ball cost only 7 ryo, and Kosuke had left him 20,000 ryo. Li Yi did a quick mental calculation: these 20,000 ryo were equivalent to 20,000 units of currency, and with a rice ball costing seven, it was more than enough to keep him well-fed.

This money was enough for Li Yi to survive in Konoha for over two years.

Buying a few extra rice balls, Li Yi packed them up and headed home, intending to continue his training. Now that he had chakra, he naturally had to practice the Dance of the Crescent Moon given to him by the Second Hokage; it was a ninjutsu that would allow him to gain combat strength more quickly.

As for the Multi Shadow Clone Technique, heh, with the tiny amount of chakra Li Yi had now, practicing that would be suicide.

He wouldn't give up on developing the power of the Mera Mera no Mi either; after all, if developed well, that thing was a life-saving asset.

Then there was the Ryujin Jakka on his back, but that thing required soul power. It wasn't that Li Yi hadn't tried speaking the release command, but Ryujin Jakka simply ignored him.

Therefore, Li Yi suspected that unless his soul power grew strong enough to truly hear the call of Ryujin Jakka, the blade would remain nothing more than a sharp sword for now.

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 power of the Mera Mera no Mi. It was much stronger than the first time; if the first time was the flame of a lighter, this time it was like a gas stove.

Just like that, Li Yi settled into life in Konoha, and no one bothered him. In a month's time, Li Yi's chakra reserves had grown significantly. Of course, this was just his own feeling; no one had explained to him exactly what level he was at.

Regardless, Li Yi just buried himself in training: refining chakra at night, practicing the Dance of the Crescent Moon in the morning, and squeezing in time to develop the Mera Mera no Mi.

One day, the sun was bright and the breeze was gentle, but for Li Yi, it was a heavy day. He saw Kosuke being carried back in a miserable state, having lost a leg and covered in scars. From that day on, besides his training, Li Yi poured all his energy into taking care of Kosuke.

As time passed, Kosuke's injuries gradually improved. He began to guide Li Yi on the essentials of ninja cultivation and taught him how to properly utilize chakra. Through his exchanges with Kosuke, Li Yi gained a clearer understanding of his own abilities. After testing, he discovered that his current chakra level had reached that of an average genin. However, despite having a certain amount of chakra, Li Yi's actual combat ability was unsatisfactory. Due to a lack of systematic ninja training, he knew nothing of basic skills like the Three Body Technique. According to Kosuke, if he were to encounter an enemy, Li Yi would likely suffer a crushing defeat.

Faced with this reality, Li Yi did not lose heart. On the contrary, he became even more determined to improve his strength.

He had only spent two months reaching this level; what was there to be dissatisfied about?

Seeing that Li Yi was so open-minded, Kosuke began to teach him basic ninja knowledge, especially the application of the Three Body Technique and the throwing of shuriken and kunai.

These were essential basic skills for any ninja.

Li Yi finally learned the legendary Three Body Technique.

In just a few days, Li Yi was already able to use the Three Body Technique proficiently. This shocked even Kosuke, who declared that Li Yi was a genius and would surely surpass him in the future, as it had taken him quite a long time to master the technique himself.

This made Li Yi feel a bit embarrassed; he hadn't expected to be a genius when it came to ninjutsu.

"Li Yi, this is a Chakra Testing Paper. You can check your affinity first so you can specialize in that type of ninjutsu later!" Seeing that Li Yi had mastered the basics, Kosuke handed him a piece of paper.

Li Yi pinched the Chakra Testing Paper and channeled his chakra into it. Soon, the paper ignited. Li Yi wasn't surprised; after all, he had eaten the Mera Mera no Mi, so it was normal for him to belong to the Fire release. It was just a pity that there were no other elements, only fire. Li Yi felt a bit helpless; from now on, he would have to specialize in Fire Style.

"A fire-attribute constitution, what a pity. Everything I know is Water Style, so I can't teach you!" Kosuke shook his head. Only by matching ninjutsu to one's own affinity could one unleash the true power of the techniques; otherwise, they would be mere shells, and their power would be hard to describe.

Li Yi also felt it was a pity, as Kosuke's ninjutsu had been taught by the Second Hokage, and he had witnessed the power of those techniques—they were very strong.

Just then, an Anbu ninja suddenly appeared before them. Li Yi was startled, though Kosuke remained calm, likely having sensed him coming while only Li Yi had failed to notice.

"The Hokage requests your presence, Li Yi. Please, come with me!" The Anbu said before walking away. Li Yi hurriedly followed. When they arrived at the Konoha Hospital, Li Yi felt strange—was the Hokage at the hospital?

Following the Anbu into a ward, he found not only Sarutobi Hiruzen and the other disciples of the Second Hokage, but also several clan elders. It seemed the Second Hokage had just announced something.

Seeing Li Yi enter, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, said, "Very well, from now on, Sarutobi Hiruzen will be the Third Hokage. The village is now in your hands!"