At that moment, Li Yi couldn't help marveling at Kagami Uchiha's generosity. Family secrets like this weren't passed down lightly; even members of the family weren't guaranteed to be taught them. Yet Li Yi was only Kagami Uchiha's student, and Kagami had freely given him the jutsu.
Though it was a B-rank ninjutsu, its true potential depended on who used it. Its ceiling was extremely high, while its floor was B-rank. It had been classified as B-rank because some ninjas were so weak that they could only bring out the power of a B-rank jutsu.
Just look at Uchiha Madara's Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation. It took a whole bunch of Water Release ninjas to hold it back. That showed just how powerful the jutsu was.
As the saying went, there were no weak jutsu, only weak ninjas.
With the scroll in hand, Li Yi returned to Kosuke's home. By then, Kosuke had already gotten a prosthetic limb and started taking on D- and C-rank missions in the village. Li Yi, however, wasn't a ninja yet and couldn't accept missions. To become one, he still had to wait for the next Genin exam.
Of course, there was another way: a high-ranking Jonin could recommend him. Kagami Uchiha qualified, but he'd gone on a mission. By the time Kagami recommended him, Li Yi would be able to take the exam on his own.
Kosuke wasn't home either, so Li Yi practiced his swordsmanship in the yard. He focused on Dance of the Crescent Moon and Konoha Style: Willow. He didn't know any other techniques, just ordinary moves like slashing and chopping.
Of course, Li Yi hadn't spent the past few months without trying to summon Ryujin Jakka. But it still hadn't reacted in the slightest. He figured he was probably still too weak to sense the Zanpakuto's call. Soul Society's oldest Zanpakuto could only serve as a sharp blade for now.
As for the Mera Mera no Mi, Li Yi didn't even know what to say anymore. Maybe it was defective, maybe he wasn't in the One Piece World, or maybe he just didn't know how to develop its powers. Either way, all it did was boost the power of his Fire Style a little. And the elemental transformation he'd been dreaming of? Not even a hint of it.
In the One Piece World, both Ace and Sabo had been able to transform their bodies into fire as soon as they ate the fruit. They could even clench their fists and have flames burst from them.
But when Li Yi clenched his fist, all he got was a tiny flame—barely enough to light a cigarette.
At least the Mera Mera no Mi could boost his ninjutsu's power. Otherwise, Li Yi would have been crying his eyes out in despair.
The situation was getting worse by the day. The Second Hokage had finally succumbed to his injuries and passed away. The whole village held a funeral, and Sarutobi Hiruzen formally donned the Hokage Cloak, becoming Konoha's Third.
Fortunately, Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't yet become the power-hungry man he'd be later. Konoha was in a precarious position. Though the First Shinobi World War was technically over, the major nations hadn't stopped fighting. If the Second Hokage and the Second Raikage had been able to sign a peace treaty, the war might have ended.
Unfortunately, Kinkaku and Ginkaku had ambushed them and inflicted grave injuries, creating a huge mess in the aftermath. The nations hadn't openly gone to war, but skirmishes kept breaking out. The slightest misstep could spark another war.
So Konoha's ninjas had mostly been sent out to accept and carry out missions, defend the borders, and so on. Given the circumstances, the Third still managed to develop Konoha extensively. One had to admit, at this point in time, the Third was still a wise and capable leader.
Even Root, which Konoha had established around this time, played an important role. It was only later that things went wrong.
None of this had much to do with Li Yi. He wasn't qualified to get involved in any of it yet.
"Big Brother Kosuke, since you're back, I'm heading out to train!" Li Yi said.
Kosuke acknowledged him, and Li Yi picked up his things and headed out. He wanted to find a place to train his Taijutsu and ninjutsu. He knew all too well that without strength, he shouldn't go looking for trouble.
Li Yi wasn't in a hurry to become a ninja, either. He could keep his head down for a while longer.
In the small woods where he often trained, Li Yi created a Shadow Clone. One of them practiced Dance of the Crescent Moon, while the other held a ball and kept gathering chakra into it.
That was right—Li Yi had started developing the Rasengan. He knew how to train in this hand-seal-free jutsu, after all. It was the only jutsu in the original story whose training method had been explained.
Unfortunately, it was really hard to learn. The ball in Li Yi's hand kept spinning, but showed no sign of bursting. That meant he still had a long way to go before completing this stage.
Naruto had managed it in a month, while Li Yi had been at it for a month and was still stuck at the third stage. The difference was obvious.
In fact, this didn't mean Li Yi was worse than Naruto. His chakra reserves were nowhere near Naruto's. Naruto had an absurd amount of chakra, while Li Yi's were merely ordinary. How could they compare? Naruto had so much chakra that he could train nonstop, while Li Yi could only practice for a while before having to stop and rest.
Of course, this was the one-handed Rasengan, not the version where he made a Shadow Clone to form it.
So it was considerably harder than it had been for Naruto.
Just then, several Kunai shot toward Li Yi. Though he was practicing ninjutsu, he hadn't let his guard down completely. Hearing the air whistle, he immediately rolled aside in a clumsy tumble and dodged them.
Several Kunai had already embedded themselves in the spot where Li Yi had been standing.
"Who's there?" Li Yi exclaimed in shock, warily looking into the distance. This was Konoha—how could anyone attack him here?
Could it be a spy from outside the village? Surely he wasn't that unlucky. The Second Hokage had said he was destined for great things.
At that moment, a ninja slowly stepped out from behind a tree, several Shuriken tucked in his hand. As soon as he emerged, he flung them.
Seeing the Shuriken flying toward him like darts, Li Yi dispelled his Shadow Clone, then quickly pulled several Kunai from his weapon pouch and knocked the incoming Shuriken aside. At the same time, he formed Hand Seals and shouted, "Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Jutsu!"
Several small fireballs burst from Li Yi's mouth and flew toward the unfamiliar ninja.
The ninja quickly formed Hand Seals and said, "Water Release: Great Waterfall Jutsu!"
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