Will Our Little Cabbage Be Snatched Away?

Crackle! But by then, it was too late for them to run. Uchiha Yi had already begun the hunt.

Before they could get more than a few steps away, 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.

Uchiha Yi did not pursue the remaining two. Instead, he left them to Kushina Uzumaki and Hyuga Rinka. Tsunade had brought them on this mission so they could get blood on their hands.

If Kushina Uzumaki and Hyuga Rinka did not kill anyone, would they not have endured this mission for nothing?

Fighting alone was not much different from their usual combat training. They had to grow, and there were some things they could not always rely on others to do.

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

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

Seeing that Uchiha Yi had no intention of taking every kill, Tsunade nodded in approval. 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."

"What did you feel the first time you killed someone?" Uchiha Yi looked at Tsunade with some curiosity. Truthfully, he really did not feel much.

The man had been a living person, yes, but everything Uchiha Yi had been taught since childhood told him the man was an invader. He had brought his death on himself.

And if he wanted to feel particularly softhearted, he could simply tell himself the man was Japanese. Problem solved.

What? Uchiha Yi was one too? How did that count? His heart belonged to China! Besides, this was the Shinobi World, not the real Japan.

Then how did he explain being close to Uchiha Mikoto and Kushina Uzumaki?

Was that not bringing glory to his country?

In the end, a little hypocrisy was part of being human. With that way of thinking, Uchiha Yi felt little about what had happened. His emotions seemed quite stable—hardly what one would expect of an Uchiha.

Of course, Uchiha Yi had no intention of sharing his reasoning. Even if he told someone, they would not be able to think the same way.

"Me? I didn't feel much." Tsunade thought back to her first time. Jiraiya had thrown up on the spot. She had not felt great either, but at least she had kept her stomach down. Orochimaru, on the other hand, had barely reacted.

"As shinobi, once we go out to kill, we have to be prepared to be killed ourselves. If that happens, the people who care about us are the ones who suffer." Uchiha Yi's voice grew quiet. "So we need to become as strong as we can, stay alive, and kill our enemies."

Tsunade fell silent. She had not expected Uchiha 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, Uchiha Yi wanted to protect the people he cared about. He would grieve for his friends and those close to 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, rested a hand on Uchiha Yi's head, and said gently, "Then you'd better take care of yourself, so no one has to grieve for you."

Tsunade was not too worried about Kushina Uzumaki or Hyuga Rinka. The two of them 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 could happen, what was the point of Konoha existing at all?

At this point in her life, Tsunade still had complete faith in Konoha.

"Mm!" Uchiha Yi smiled confidently. He was not particularly worried about himself. Nawaki and Uchiha Mikoto were the ones on his mind.

Mostly Uchiha Mikoto. 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.

But now Uchiha Mikoto was Orochimaru's student and, more importantly, Nawaki's teammate. At this point in time, being close to Nawaki was dangerous.

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

In the end, Kushina Uzumaki and Hyuga Rinka did not disappoint Uchiha Yi or Tsunade. The two Rain Ninja gave them some trouble, but they brought both of them down.

After killing their opponents, neither Kushina Uzumaki nor Hyuga Rinka looked well. Rinka in particular had gone deathly pale.

"Are you all right?" Uchiha Yi walked over and asked them with concern.

"I'm fine. I've seen worse." At the mention of it, Kushina Uzumaki's eyes dimmed.

She was clearly remembering the fall of Uzushio Village.

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

"All right, we've dealt with 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 declared with a sweep of her hand.

"Does that mean we can bathe?" Kushina Uzumaki instantly perked up. "I want a feast! And I want to soak in a hot spring!"

Tsunade gave Kushina Uzumaki a speechless look. How was this girl even more extravagant than she was? Tsunade must have been a bad influence on her.

"Fine, I'll take you out for a feast. As for a hot spring, we'll have to see whether the town has a bathhouse." Thinking of the purpose of this trip, Tsunade agreed.

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

Hyuga Rinka watched Tsunade thoughtfully for a long moment. Remembering their discussion about the Anbu yesterday, she seemed to understand Tsunade's intentions, but said nothing.

Uchiha Yi flicked the blood from the Thunder God Sword and sheathed it. A glimmer of anticipation crossed his eyes.

Those Rain Ninja had only been an appetizer, not the main course. He was looking forward to the battles ahead.

Little did he know that his strength had already caught the attention of Hatake Sakumo and the Root shinobi in the distance. His opponent might have been a weak one, but he had still been a Jonin—and Uchiha Yi had won. He had killed him!

Just how strong was that boy, really?