"Oh, he actually looks pretty handsome. Must've put on a good bit of makeup. If he weren't wearing a mask, he'd definitely be a good-looking guy."Hyena whistled as Xia Li walked out.
"How do you feel? Still getting used to it?" Tenzo asked.
"Mm, it's fine." After putting on the human-skin mask, Xia Li only felt a slight chill on his face, nothing particularly uncomfortable.
"Good. Then let's move out," Tenzo said decisively.
"Yes!"
The next moment, the four members of Tenzo's squad swiftly left ANBU headquarters and arrived at the mission site. The convoy was already there, though the operation hadn't begun yet.
Xia Li glanced over the group. There were many armed warriors among them—clearly an escort force, most likely from the Land of Iron.
Of course, there were also ordinary civilians returning to the Land of Iron. Unfortunately, they had no idea that this convoy wasn't entirely safe. Then again, even for ordinary people, traveling in this world was never truly safe. Absolute safety simply didn't exist.
"Captain, I'll go ahead," Xia Li said.
"Alright. Be careful," Tenzo replied.
"This is good."
Xia Li nodded and looked toward the largest passenger carriage—that was where his target would be. In the next instant, his figure vanished, silently slipping into the carriage.
The interior was fairly simple, but there were plenty of hiding spots clearly prepared in advance, suitable for children. The master craftsman and his grandson hadn't entered yet, so the carriage was empty.
Listening to the noise outside, Xia Li quietly closed his eyes and sank into a state of emptiness and darkness. Over the next few days, he would likely spend most of his time inside the carriage, but he couldn't completely neglect basic physical activity—he had to at least maintain his physique.
After all, who knew when the enemy might strike?
Before long, Xia Li heard movement outside and slowly opened his eyes. An elderly man with graying hair but a vigorous spirit stepped inside, holding the hand of a boy about twelve or thirteen years old.
"So you're the ninja Konoha sent to protect us?" the boy asked curiously. "You're so young. I'm not even sure you could beat me—how are you supposed to protect us?"
The words were blunt, but there was no malice in his tone—just pure curiosity.
Xia Li wasn't offended. In the next instant, he appeared in front of Tōya Tetsuya, rubbed the boy's hair, and said calmly,"Since Konoha sent me, you're required to trust my strength."
Tōya felt a hand touch his head and suddenly realized Xia Li had appeared right in front of him. His mouth fell open, his eyes filled with intense curiosity.
The craftsman beside him smiled at the scene.
"I'm sorry—this child lacks manners. I'll be relying on you for the rest of the journey."
Xia Li nodded silently and said nothing.
Chapter 91: The Past of the White Fang
Seeing Xia Li's reaction, the master craftsman wasn't upset. His gentle expression actually made Xia Li feel a little strange.
Still, it wasn't a bad thing, so Xia Li didn't comment.
"Tōya, remember this—never underestimate any ninja from Konoha," the master craftsman said with a smile. He had seen much in his lifetime, including some truly terrifying ninja.
"Huh? Grandpa, have you met ninja before?" Tōya asked.
"Yes. When I was about your age, I met a very young ninja…" The old man's face took on a nostalgic look, then he paused.
"Grandpa! Hurry up—don't stop there!"Tōya's eyes lit up, but when no continuation followed, he grew dissatisfied.
"Alright, alright, I'll tell you."The craftsman came back to himself, smiled again, and glanced at Xia Li."That ninja also carried a short sword on his back, and he had silver hair…"
Xia Li suddenly stopped walking.
This description was—
"He was incredibly strong. At first, I doubted him too, just like you do now. But he quickly proved his strength," the craftsman sighed.
It was the first time Tōya had heard his grandfather speak this way. He immediately grew excited."Who was that ninja? Is he still in Konoha?"
"I don't know his real name," the craftsman said. "But I do know the title he later became famous for—Konoha's White Fang."
"Wow, that's awesome!"
Xia Li wasn't surprised. He'd already guessed it from the description.
"Unfortunately, the White Fang of Konoha seems to have lost his life for some reason…"The craftsman sighed again, sadness flickering in his eyes.
"Grandpa… can you tell me more about him?"Tōya asked softly, his sympathy perhaps a little too strong, a little too innocent. It was clear he'd been well protected.
Xia Li fell into thought. The Land of Iron didn't stand out much in the original story, though the Five Kage Summit was held there. As a neutral nation, its environment was probably better than that of the ninja lands… maybe.
The craftsman continued reminiscing about the past, especially about the White Fang, which filled Tōya with admiration.
…
"Young man, what's your name?" the craftsman finally asked."We'll be spending time together, so I should at least know what to call you."
"Call me Mo Ying," Xia Li replied, opening his eyes. His voice was distant and cold, the tone he used while in his void-like state.
"Very well. Then you may call me Master. As for my grandson, call him Tōya," the craftsman said with a nod.
"Mo Ying, are you as strong as Lord White Fang?" Tōya asked eagerly.
"I can't compare myself to the White Fang at his peak," Xia Li said plainly."But if you mean the White Fang of that era, I might have been stronger."
"Whoa—that's amazing!"
The craftsman glanced at Xia Li and shook his head. He couldn't tell whether it was true, but if it were, then at least they'd be safe.
"Tōya, someone's coming. Hide," Xia Li said suddenly.
"Huh?" Tōya instinctively looked at his grandfather.
"Do as Mo Ying says," the craftsman said seriously.
"Okay!"Tōya immediately hid—clearly used to such situations.
Soon, there was a knock at the door.
"Who is it?" the craftsman asked, slightly startled. He glanced at Xia Li. Xia Li's clothing closely resembled his grandson's, which put him a little more at ease. That alone increased his confidence in Xia Li's abilities.
"Sir, the captain asked me to bring you some fruit," a familiar voice said from outside.
"Leave it by the carriage, please. Thank you," the craftsman replied.
"Understood."
After a while, the craftsman looked at Xia Li. Xia Li nodded."They've gone far enough."
The craftsman sighed in relief. Xia Li opened the door, brought the fruit inside, and said,"It's best not to eat these."
"I think it's fine. I recognize that voice," the craftsman said. He was about to comment on Xia Li being overly cautious, but when he noticed Xia Li was about the same age as his grandson, he paused.This… is really a ninja?
"I don't have a completely reliable way to test for poison yet," Xia Li replied.
"How did you know someone was coming?" Tōya asked, stepping out and looking at Xia Li with admiration.
"Instinct," Mo Ying answered, saying no more and moving aside.
The fruit was probably fine. He had checked it himself, but he wasn't confident enough in his medical skills to be certain.
"Grandpa… should we eat it?" Tōya asked hesitantly, eyeing the fresh fruit.
"Go ahead. It should be fine," the craftsman laughed."Even questioning a dead old man wouldn't help."
Xia Li stood nearby, his gaze flickering slightly, as if… that were indeed the case.
After that, Tōya wanted to ask Xia Li many questions, but the craftsman stopped him. He could tell Xia Li didn't like being disturbed.
Comparing his grandson to Xia Li, the craftsman found his own grandson far more endearing. Xia Li… and the White Fang—so fierce at such a young age.Are all ninja this ruthless?
At this moment, Xia Li was also observing the convoy. Most of the people were ordinary civilians, so chakra sensing was largely ineffective in his void state. Still, he could perceive their movements.
Judging intent through motion alone required experience—and mistakes were possible.
Additionally, there were four distinct chakra signatures spread in a cross pattern around the convoy, guarding it. They were likely the Konoha ninja assigned to the surface detail. Their chakra was strong yet restrained—making it hard to tell when they might act.
There appeared to be one chūnin and three genin. After joining ANBU, Xia Li realized his earlier assumptions had been flawed—most graduates were trained by instructors who weren't even special jōnin.
With that in mind, Xia Li opened his eyes and looked out the window at the samurai, observing the long blades in their hands. He touched his own sword.
Though samurai and ninja fought very differently, there might still be something to learn from their swordsmanship.
After all, constantly using Flying Thunder God combined with a Rasengan was inefficient—and often unnecessary. If his sword were strong enough, he wouldn't need the Rasengan at all.
Moreover, swordsmanship wasn't just about technique. One had to master the basics before integrating chakra.
Maybe I should try, Xia Li decided.
And he had an advantage—couldn't he just act a little clever? If he truly wanted to learn, there would surely be masters willing to teach him. He could build connections with skilled craftsmen and warriors alike.
Chapter 92: Swordsmanship and Enemy Traces
However, Xia Li's idea quickly faded—not because he gave up on swordsmanship, but because he realized he couldn't find a suitable teacher.
During rest stops, he carefully observed the warriors in the convoy.
Eventually, he found them rather disappointing. Most were physically weak but loud-mouthed.
Further observation revealed that their attention was focused on the four Konoha ninja traveling openly, which made Xia Li frown. In short, these warriors didn't meet his standards at all.
Rather than learning swordsmanship from such "samurai," he'd be better off returning to Konoha and exchanging the merit he'd earned through ANBU missions for proper sword techniques.
Still, reflecting on them, Xia Li thought perhaps the issue wasn't with warriors as a whole—every profession had its bad apples.
His memory of Konoha's sword arts was vague. Few people seemed to specialize in them. There was something like a fleeting legend… Crescent Moon Dance?
But it was nothing like the image in his memory of someone standing on a staircase above a tower.
There was also Hatake swordsmanship, but unfortunately, that was something Xia Li likely couldn't obtain right now.
So for the time being, giving up pure swordsmanship and focusing on combining ninjutsu with blade techniques wasn't a bad idea. With some reluctance, Xia Li accepted this. Still, he felt that learning proper swordsmanship first would be ideal.
With no one to teach him, Xia Li drew his blade and gripped the hilt.
This startled the master craftsman."Mo Ying, are enemies coming?"
"No. I need to practice—stay ready," Xia Li replied briefly.
"Oh, but this space—" the craftsman hesitated. Even though this was the largest carriage, there still wasn't much room to swing a sword.
"Don't worry. I measured it," Xia Li answered.
"Alright. I won't disturb my young friend's training," the craftsman said, finally relaxing.
The sharp-eyed Tōya looked curiously at Xia Li's sword, quickly lost interest, and said,"It's just an ordinary blade. I thought ninja weapons would be special. Mine is much better."
Xia Li paused, but said nothing. He was actually very satisfied with the sword—it had been specially selected for him by the Third Hokage. Still, as a craftsman, Tōya had the right to say that.
One couldn't help but wonder what the Third Hokage would think if he heard such an evaluation.Would he feel… a little short-sighted?
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