"Yes," the master craftsman replied perfunctorily. He was more willing to trust Xia Li now. After all, he had clearly heard the commotion outside, yet the carriage had not moved an inch. That alone proved that Xia Li's strength far exceeded his expectations.
"Once the proof is complete, we'll head back—" Xia Li frowned before he could finish, because the Mist Shadow Technique had completely dissipated.
At that moment, everyone present could clearly see dozens of corpses lying on the ground around the carriage.
The female ninja, who had been seething with anger just moments ago, now stared blankly at the scene before her. She wasn't foolish—she could easily guess who was responsible. Fear filled her eyes as she looked toward Xia Li.
Recalling her earlier impulsiveness, her entire body began to tremble. Thankfully, her teammates had stopped her. Otherwise… would the other side really have killed her?
The master craftsman also stared at Xia Li in shock. He had never imagined that this seemingly aloof child could be so cold and ruthless. And the most terrifying part was that he hadn't even moved. It turned out that everyone who approached had already been killed…
At the same time, the master craftsman felt a trace of gratitude. Konoha had actually dispatched such a powerful ninja to protect him. The artisan ironworker beside him had also witnessed everything. Fear and awe mixed together in his heart.
If the timing were different, Ingenuity Company would have already targeted me, forcing me to deal with my own younger brother…
"Let's go back," Xia Li said.
"Yes… thank you, young one," the master craftsman replied, pulling Artisan Torula back into the carriage.
Xia Li scanned the surroundings. Many carriages lay overturned, several engulfed in roaring flames—especially those transporting supplies, which were almost completely destroyed.
Those carriages were far away, as if they had fled a great distance after the attack. In contrast, Xia Li's carriage was completely different. The horses hadn't even had time to panic…
At that moment, Xia Li put on the mask symbolizing the ANBU, because he noticed many people had seen what happened and were gathering nearby.
Now… this was getting troublesome.
"Don't let them get close," Xia Li instructed the three genin.
"But how are we supposed to stop this?" the genin asked anxiously. They knew they shouldn't let anyone approach, but there were simply too many people.
"How do we stop them? Persuasion? Kill a few as a warning? If that doesn't work, kill a few anyway," Xia Li said lightly, her voice echoing through the air. "Your captain already told you—your real mission is to protect the master craftsman. So for your sake, we act."
A chill ran through everyone present. They wanted to argue, but when they looked at that colorless mask, none of them dared to speak.
The three genin exchanged glances and nodded. They would do their best to handle the situation.
Seeing them move, Xia Li shifted her gaze toward the distance—the very heart of the battlefield. Wood Release techniques were flying everywhere, proof of how intense the battle was.
To fight Tianzang like that… could the opponent be a Kirigakure jonin?
"Moying."
With the mist gone, Hyena and Fox finally approached.
"You were slow," Xia Li said.
"Haha, no helping it," Hyena replied. "We were ambushing the ninjas heading this way. Once the mist dispersed, we couldn't stay hidden anymore." He patted Gray Fang, the ambush specialist, on the shoulder.
"King!"
Mist and shadows were their natural advantage. As creatures that hunted by scent, they were even used to deploying smoke bombs during combat to block their enemies' vision.
"Stay here and keep watch. I'm going to help the captain," Xia Li said after confirming there were no other nearby ninjas.
"Alright." Hyena and Fox exchanged looks and didn't object—they both understood Xia Li's strength.
"These are the remaining soldier rations. Take them," Fox said, tossing a bottle to Xia Li.
Xia Li accepted it without ceremony, then vanished from the top of the carriage, sprinting toward the battlefield.
Inside the carriage, the master craftsman had overheard everything and sighed softly. There were more people protecting him now… yet somehow, he felt even less safe.
Xia Li didn't head straight to Tianzang. That battlefield was too chaotic—it would be hard to intervene effectively. Supporting the remaining ninjas was the better choice.
As long as an enemy entered his sensory range, Xia Li could pinpoint their location with perfect clarity. Soon, the first Kirigakure ninja appeared within his perception.
However, that ninja wasn't heading toward the master craftsman at all. Instead, he ran straight for the supply wagons.
So their objective was supplies as well?
Xia Li quickly realized why no one had come after the craftsman for so long. It wasn't just because Hyena and Fox were blocking the route.
But that didn't matter.
Once they finished collecting materials, they would inevitably come for the craftsman. Which meant they were enemies.
And enemies… were better off dead.
They were scattered across the area, searching for supplies—perfect.
Xia Li could take them out one by one. And at the same time, he could test the power of his newly chakra-infused ninja sword.
Chapter 95: Xia Li's Ninja Sword
"Damn it—where did they hide the meteorite? Did those idiots take it? No… they couldn't have carried it…"
The Kirigakure ninja cursed as he searched.
Suddenly, he felt something strange. He turned around—but saw nothing.
An illusion?
Frowning, he scanned the area again before resuming his search.
He had no idea that real danger had already arrived.
Xia Li watched silently, recalling the ninja's muttering. As expected—he wasn't here for the master craftsman. The intelligence had been incomplete, but it didn't matter.
Xia Li gripped the hilt of his sword and began forming hand seals. Holding the blade slowed his seal speed slightly, but not enough to matter.
"Burst Movement."
Chakra surged into his feet—similar to his earlier chakra control technique, but this time amplified by the seals. The explosive power was far greater.
At this rate, the technique might soon be usable without hand seals at all.
In the next instant, a footprint remained where Xia Li had stood. He himself had already vanished, charging at blinding speed toward the Kirigakure ninja.
"I've been waiting for you!"
The Kirigakure ninja reacted instantly, turning to throw a kunai—
But…
Why was he so fast?
The ninja's pupils shrank. Even Body Flicker shouldn't be this fast. A speed-type shinobi?
Before the kunai could leave his hand, the enemy was already upon him. Panicking, he raised his kunai to block.
Cold sweat drenched his forehead as the blade descended—but he barely managed to dodge.
Xia Li wasn't surprised. Anyone who had survived the Bloody Mist era wouldn't be ordinary.
Still, Xia Li raised his arm and slashed downward.
"Prosper."
Sword and kunai collided. Only then did Xia Li realize he wasn't physically stronger—age still mattered. Even with a surprise attack, the gap could only be reduced.
Yet a faint smile appeared beneath his mask.
Lightning crackled along the blade, surging through the kunai and into the enemy's body.
The Kirigakure ninja's eyes widened as he tried to retreat—but lightning was far too fast. In an instant, it flooded his body.
Pain and paralysis seized him. He could only stare helplessly at the small masked figure before him. He tried to beg—but couldn't even open his mouth.
The sword flashed.
A head filled with despair fell to the ground.
Xia Li examined his blade afterward. The effect was even better than expected, though his chakra consumption had been too high. He didn't actually need that much.
More practice was required—but opportunities were limited.
Knife in hand, Xia Li silently moved toward the next target.
Along the way, he occasionally helped fleeing civilians escape pursuit. Whether they survived afterward was no longer his concern.
The second ninja fell even faster—this time without lightning. The sheer speed of Xia Li's movement was enough.
The third fought back more effectively, even escaping briefly with Body Flicker. But he wasn't strong enough. Xia Li caught up and finished him.
Xia Li frowned slightly.
Controlling chakra this precisely required far more combat experience than he had.
Still, he pressed on.
The final ninja sensed something was wrong. Not because he was powerful—but because he had been alone too long.
Fear crept in. He was already thinking about fleeing.
After killing nearly ten Kirigakure shinobi, Xia Li's mastery of the lightning ninja sword was still imperfect. Most of the enemies were genin, with a few ordinary chunin.
This last one was likely a chunin—and alert.
Normally, exhausting him from the shadows would be safest.
But Xia Li had somewhere to be.
So he abandoned stealth.
Switching blades, he appeared openly atop a tree, looking down.
The moment the Kirigakure ninja noticed him, Xia Li moved—closing the distance in an instant.
The ninja relaxed slightly. Enemies in the dark were terrifying. Enemies in the open could be fought.
He raised his sword.
It was pointless.
Xia Li's blade fell—carrying invisible, colorless wind.
It was his first time using a Wind Release ninja sword, and he held nothing back.
There was barely any resistance.
Then blood sprayed everywhere.
The Kirigakure ninja stared at his broken blade in disbelief.
His body split in two.
Xia Li stood there, drenched in blood, shaken by the power he had unleashed. He had nearly lost control of his own body.
Like swinging with full force at a wooden board—only for the board to suddenly vanish.
The lack of resistance made control impossible.
Fortunately, he wasn't injured.
Staring at the corpse, Xia Li took a deep breath.
It seemed… his path with the ninja sword was the right one after all.
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