Chapter 96: First Jonin Kill!
Xia Li sensed his own condition and couldn't help feeling a surge of excitement.
What surprised him wasn't just the power of the ninja sword—but the fact that after defeating so many Kirigakure shinobi, he still had more than half of his chakra left.
From start to finish, Xia Li had barely wasted any time. At most, he casually eliminated a number of desperate criminals who were chasing civilians along the way.
In the past, if Xia Li wanted to end a fight quickly, it wouldn't have been a problem if he were dealing with genin. But if chunin wanted to finish battles that fast, they usually had to rely on the Rasengan.
As for the Rasengan's consumption—by rough estimation, Xia Li's chakra would have been completely drained, forcing him to rely on soldier pills to recover.
Yet now, even without using them, he still had reserves left. That surprised him even more. And this was despite the fact that he had wasted quite a bit of chakra due to his lack of familiarity with ninja swords.
In short—ninja swords consumed far less chakra than the Rasengan, and in most cases, their power was more than sufficient.
If that was the case…
Then the Rasengan would remain his trump card.
After all, he didn't think he'd ever be able to use it as casually as Naruto did.
Xia Li quietly chewed a soldier pill to recover chakra—not out of wastefulness, but because he was about to head straight for Tianzang's battlefield.
That was a jonin-level battlefield. He had to arrive in peak condition.
Tianzang stared at the Kirigakure jonin in front of him and felt a headache coming on.
This man's ability to preserve his own life was truly exceptional.
Still, Tianzang wasn't in a hurry. He steadily used Earth Release to compress the enemy's movement space, carefully avoiding unnecessary risks. He held an absolute advantage in this fight. If things continued like this, he was confident the Kirigakure jonin would never leave alive.
With Wood Release, defeating a jonin wasn't difficult.
But killing one was another matter entirely.
Today, however, Tianzang had that opportunity.
He couldn't help but sigh at how important a powerful teammate was. Without Xia Li's presence, Tianzang would've used far more aggressive methods—faster, yes, but also much more likely to let the enemy escape.
With Xia Li here, Tianzang didn't need to rush. He could advance steadily and completely seal off the enemy's retreat.
Otherwise, how could an ordinary jonin—especially one skilled at survival—have dragged out a fight against a Wood Release user for this long?
Just then, Tianzang noticed a familiar figure appear in his peripheral vision. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
After spending so much time with Xia Li, he knew exactly what that arrival meant.
Everyone else had already been dealt with.
From that perspective, he was the one slowing the mission down.
Taking a deep breath, Tianzang formed seals. In the next moment, even fiercer wooden constructs surged from all directions, attacking the Kirigakure jonin.
"What the hell is wrong with this guy? Did he take the wrong medicine?!"
The jonin cursed inwardly as he barely dodged. This mission was supposed to be about a massive meteorite—so why had they run into Konoha ninja?
And worse—why him?
Even without a forehead protector… that mask…
Wasn't that the infamous emotionless executioner?!
Did that mask only exist in Konoha?!
The jonin felt like he'd used up eight lifetimes' worth of bad luck. From the moment the battle started, he'd known he couldn't win. All he could do was defend and look for an escape.
But his opponent was terrifyingly steady, leaving him no breathing room at all.
Like a cat toying with a mouse.
Yet now—
Was there a gap?
Among the violent wooden barriers blocking his path, he spotted a fleeting opening.
Hope flickered in his eyes.
At the same time, Xia Li stood on high ground, watching the battle below. Seeing Tianzang's overwhelming Wood Release, he was momentarily speechless.
If he were caught in that, escaping would probably require Flying Thunder God.
And since Tianzang knew that technique, any marked kunai would be blocked long before reaching him.
Xia Li sighed.
Tianzang really was strong—more than qualified to be a seventh-year instructor, even capable of temporarily replacing Kakashi.
Then Xia Li's gaze sharpened.
He noticed the jonin had spotted the opening.
A faint smile curved beneath his mask.
A jonin's perception was sharp indeed.
Unfortunately…
He didn't know Xia Li was here.
Which meant—
It was a trap.
Lightning surged along Xia Li's arm and kunai, crackling violently. Though he hadn't perfected a Lightning Release kunai yet, the research hadn't been pointless.
The next instant, he threw the Flying Thunder God kunai with all his strength.
Thunder roared—but couldn't keep up with the kunai's speed.
Just as Xia Li expected: if you're fast enough, most problems—including sound—cease to matter.
Still, this was a jonin.
Despite constantly evading Wood Release attacks, his nerves were taut. He sensed the kunai immediately.
Terrified by its speed and power, he dodged—twisting his body while instinctively glancing toward the kunai's origin.
But there was nothing there.
At that speed, the attacker should still be nearby…
So why couldn't he see him?
Then—
A bone-chilling sensation crawled up his spine.
When did he get behind me?!
The jonin began forming seals instinctively while turning—
Too late.
Xia Li had never expected the kunai itself to kill a jonin. The moment the enemy dodged, he activated Flying Thunder God and appeared behind him.
And with him—
"Rasengan!!"
Xia Li slammed the spinning chakra sphere into the jonin's unguarded back.
To save time, he used the most basic Rasengan—no Wind Release added.
"AAAGH!!"
The scream was agonizing.
Before the jonin could finish forming seals, his arms fell limp. The Rasengan's internal rotation shattered his body from the inside.
He never even finished turning around.
"Boom!!"
The jonin was blasted into the ground, organs crushed beyond recovery.
Only then did Xia Li finally exhale.
He was panting heavily.
In just a few seconds, his chakra was completely exhausted.
But it was worth it.
Even with Tianzang's support, even with the enemy weakened—
That was still a real jonin.
And—
This was his first jonin kill.
Who could deny that he'd killed him with his own hands?
Xia Li laughed softly as the tension drained away.
He had taken his first jonin head.
Chapter 97: Mission Complete and Departure
"Good attack, Moying," Tianzang said as he withdrew his jutsu. Many forcibly grown branches retreated into the ground, while others remained behind—contributing to the ninja world and environmental greening.
"I was just making up for the captain's shortcomings," Xia Li replied calmly.
"That's not necessarily true," Tianzang said with a sigh. "Even without me, you'd have had a chance."
If Tianzang had faced Xia Li for the first time with no prior intel, he doubted he'd even have time to react.
Initially, they'd assumed it was a unique teleportation technique. But later, Tianzang had checked the ANBU archives using his clearance—and found records disturbingly similar to Xia Li's jutsu.
A legendary technique.
If Xia Li truly possessed it, his background was far from simple.
That legendary ninja had also used a spherical chakra technique…
The connection felt obvious—though the hair color didn't quite match.
In the end, Tianzang chose not to tell Hyena and Fox. Treating Xia Li as a descendant of a great clan was safer.
"No. I still have a long way to go," Xia Li said honestly. "If that jonin were at full strength, my Rasengan might not have killed him."
After all, Lightning kunai, Flying Thunder God, and Rasengan had nearly drained him dry.
Tianzang was momentarily stunned.
Xia Li was strong—but far too serious for his age.
"Let's head back. I'll lead," Xia Li said, taking another soldier pill from Fox's bottle and chewing it after lifting his mask slightly. This tastes awful… Can't medical-nin improve the flavor?
"Captain, Fox's brand. Want some?" Xia Li tossed the bottle over.
"Fox brand? I'll bill him later," Tianzang replied.
Xia Li stiffened.
…Did that mean he'd have to pay?
Seeing his expression, Tianzang laughed. "Relax. Killing a jonin earns massive merit points."
"It wasn't my achievement alone," Xia Li shook his head.
"I don't need that much credit," Tianzang said softly. "Besides… you'll be leaving soon, won't you?"
Xia Li fell silent.
That silence confirmed Tianzang's guess.
After a brief pause, Tianzang smiled. "Then consider it my final gift as your captain."
"And," he added, "don't forget—you were once part of Team Tianzang."
Xia Li nodded, emotion stirring in his chest.
"I won't forget. One day, Captain, you'll be bragging to other ANBU that I was on your team."
Tianzang blinked—then laughed.
"I'll be waiting."
They soon returned to the master craftsman's location.
Order had already been restored.
Xia Li was surprised—those three genin were quite capable.
Then he noticed their captain was the one directing them.
No wonder.
When the genin saw Xia Li, they froze—and made no attempt to stop him or Tianzang.
"Captain Moying!" Fox and Hyena shouted excitedly.
Even trusting their strength, uncertainty always bred worry.
"You all did well," Tianzang said.
"So… is everything settled?" Hyena asked.
"Yes. Moying killed them all—including the jonin," Tianzang said plainly.
Fox and Hyena inhaled sharply.
They stared at Xia Li like he was a monster.
He was only twelve or thirteen!
At that age, weren't they still chasing cats and dogs?!
"Don't listen to the captain," Xia Li said. "He beat the guy half to death. I just finished him."
"Even finishing him takes guts," Hyena said. "We wouldn't dare!"
Nearby, the lead chunin overheard everything.
Looking at Xia Li—someone his own subordinates' age—he felt dizzy.
A jonin… killed?
Impossible.
"How can I help?" Tianzang asked the chunin.
The chunin explained: the transport leader had fled, leaving only civilians behind. Should they continue escorting them to the Land of Iron—or abandon the mission?
Xia Li spoke up, relaying what he'd overheard earlier—about the meteorite.
"Meteorite?" the master craftsman muttered, his face darkening. "But… they said it would be delivered later…"
Realization struck.
After checking the map, Tianzang saw the Land of Iron wasn't far.
In the end, he chose to proceed.
Turning back now wasn't safe either.
And he couldn't just abandon these people here.
The mission would continue.
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