I Wonder If Our Little Girl Will Be Snatched Away

Crackle! But it was already too late for them to flee. Uchiha Yi had entered hunting mode.

Before they had taken more than a few steps, he charged into the Rain Ninja amid sparks and lightning. In mere moments, three of them had fallen to the Sword of the Thunder God.

Yi did not pursue the remaining two. He left them to Kushina Uzumaki and Hyuga Rinka instead. After all, Tsunade had brought them on this mission so they could draw blood.

If Kushina and Rinka killed no one, wouldn't all the hardship they had endured on this mission have been for nothing?

Combat alone was not much different from their usual sparring. They had to grow, and there were some things they could not rely on others to do forever.

This was not Honor of Kings or League of Legends. There was no need to steal kills so someone else could get an assist.

Yi did not deny that everyone on the team had a role to play, but some kills were better left to others.

Seeing that Yi had no intention of taking every kill, Tsunade nodded in satisfaction. She used the Body Flicker Technique to appear beside him and asked curiously, "I didn't expect you to be so calm after killing someone."

"How did you feel the first time you killed someone?" Yi asked, looking at her with curiosity. Truthfully, he felt almost nothing.

Yes, his opponent had been a living person. But the lessons Yi had learned since childhood told him that the man was an invader who had brought his death upon himself.

If Yi wanted to indulge his Saintly Heart, he could just tell himself the man was Japanese. Problem solved.

What? Yi was Japanese himself? How did that count? He was Chinese at heart! Besides, this was the Shinobi World, not Japan.

And how was he supposed to explain his close relationships with Uchiha Mikoto, Kushina Uzumaki, and the others?

Wasn't he bringing glory to his country?

In the end, a little hypocrisy was necessary. Thinking that way, Yi felt little about what he had done. His emotions seemed quite stable—hardly like an Uchiha at all.

Of course, Yi would never explain his thought process. Even if he did, no one else could learn to think that way.

"Me? I didn't feel much." Tsunade recalled her first time. Jiraiya had thrown up on the spot, if she remembered correctly. She had not felt great herself, but at least she had kept her stomach down. Orochimaru, meanwhile, had barely reacted.

"As Ninja, if we're prepared to kill, we have to accept that we might be killed too," Yi said quietly. "The ones who suffer afterward are the people who care about us. So we have to become as strong as we can, keep our own people alive, and kill our enemies."

Tsunade fell silent. She had not expected Yi to say something like that, but the more she thought about it, the more sense it made. It even fit the Will of Fire.

After all, Yi wanted to protect the people he cared about. He would grieve for his friends and those around him if they died, and he would fight to keep them safe.

Sometimes death really was a release. The dead felt nothing; it was the living who suffered for them.

Tsunade stepped forward and gently rubbed Yi's head. "Then make sure you protect yourself, so no one has to grieve for you."

Tsunade was not too worried about Kushina or Rinka. They would spend most of their time in Konoha from now on. Surely nothing could happen to them there—surely no one could abduct them from inside the village?

If that happened, what was the point of Konoha existing at all?

At this stage, Tsunade still had complete faith in Konoha.

"Mm!" Yi gave her a confident smile. He was not especially worried about himself. It was Nawaki and Mikoto who concerned him.

Mikoto was his main concern. In the original story, she had not graduated this early. After graduation, she had joined the Konoha Military Police Force and then married Uchiha Fugaku.

Now, though, Mikoto was Orochimaru's student and, more importantly, Nawaki's teammate. At this point in time, anyone close to Nawaki was in danger.

Besides, Mito Uzumaki and Tsunade had treated Yi well, and Nawaki was his friend. He did not want anything to happen to them.

Kushina and Rinka did not disappoint Yi or Tsunade. The two Rain Ninja put up a fight, but the girls eventually brought them down.

After killing their opponents, neither Kushina nor Rinka looked well. Rinka in particular had gone deathly pale, her normally fair complexion drained of color.

"You two all right?" Yi asked as he walked over.

"I'm fine. I've seen worse." Kushina's eyes dimmed as she spoke.

Clearly, she was remembering the fall of Uzushio Village.

Yi nodded slightly, then looked at Rinka. She shook her head, putting on a brave face to show she was fine.

"All right, we've taken care of this outpost. As a reward, we'll head to a nearby town and get some proper rest.

"No feeding the mosquitoes out here tonight. Happy?" Tsunade announced with a wave of her hand.

"We can take a bath?" Kushina immediately perked up and started chattering. "I want a feast! And I want to soak in a hot spring!"

Tsunade gave Kushina an exasperated look. How had this girl become even more extravagant than she was? Tsunade must have been a bad influence on her.

"Fine, I'll treat you to a feast. As for a hot spring, we'll have to see if the town has a bathhouse." Remembering the purpose of this mission, Tsunade agreed.

"Yay! Big Sister Tsunade, you're the best!"

Rinka watched Tsunade thoughtfully for a long while. Recalling their conversation about the Anbu yesterday, she seemed to understand Tsunade's intentions, but said nothing.

Yi flicked the blood from the Thunder God Sword and sheathed it, anticipation flashing in his eyes.

These Rain Ninja had only been the appetizer, not the main course. He looked forward to the battles ahead.

Little did Yi know that his strength had already caught the attention of Hatake Sakumo and the Root Ninja watching from afar. His opponent might have been a weak Jonin, but he was still a Jonin—and Yi had beaten and killed him!

Just how strong was this boy, really?