"Master, you're back."
"Master, Master, we heard you killed over a thousand Cloud ninja all by yourself, is it true or false?"
"Master, Master, we heard the Third Raikage issued a special pardon for you, that Cloud ninja can abandon a mission if they encounter you, and it won't be considered a failure."
"Does that mean we won't have to fight if we encounter Cloud ninja on missions in the future?"
"You idiot, Sagawa. The one who doesn't have to fight is Master, not us."
The three little ones surrounded Li Anshi, chattering nonstop.
It was impossible for the three of them not to be excited.
To think that before, they were just invisible members of their class.
Even after becoming Genin and entering the battlefield, they were the ones left over after the other Chunin squad leaders had made their choices.
At that time, there was a measure of resentment in their hearts.
But now, they were incomparably grateful to have been abandoned by the other Chunin squad leaders.
If they had been chosen by another Chunin squad leader, how would they ever have met Master Li Anshi?
Before this, they were fringe characters nobody cared about.
But after Master Li Anshi became a Jonin, and was even appointed commander of this battlefield by the Third Hokage, their other classmates started greeting them with smiles.
Two days ago, a battle report came from the Cloud Village side. Their master, with his power alone, had defeated an encirclement of over three thousand Cloud ninja, inflicting more than a thousand casualties, and ultimately forced the Cloud's Third Raikage to sign a truce agreement.
Furthermore, the Third Raikage had even issued a "special pardon," pushing Master Li's reputation to its peak.
With this, the three of them had practically become the core of everyone's discussions.
Of course, while they thoroughly enjoyed such treatment, they also worried that their own strength did not match up to Master Li Anshi's, and so they had been training desperately these past few days, not wanting to bring shame to Master Li Anshi's name.
"Hahaha…"
Li Anshi smiled, "Barring any surprises, until one of you is promoted to Chunin, you will all go on missions with me."
"So, if you encounter Cloud ninja on a mission, there is indeed a high probability you won't have to fight."
"However, once you are promoted to Chunin, you will have to complete missions independently."
"At that time, if you encounter Cloud ninja again, I'm afraid a fight will be unavoidable."
"Ah? How can that be?"
Yui Sagawa's face fell: "I thought we could always stay by your side, Master."
"How is that possible?"
Kondo Kazuya shook his head: "Sagawa, your thinking is too idealistic."
"Master Li is a Jonin, how could he possibly have so much time to play children's games with us?"
"That's right, Sagawa."
Sakamoto Toshio nodded, speaking seriously to Sagawa Yui: "If you want to continue staying by Master Li's side in the future, you must train hard."
"If we all become Jonin in the future, then we will naturally have the chance to cooperate with Master Li on missions again."
"I know that!"
"You two are so naggy."
Hearing the three little ones' conversation, Li Anshi nodded in his heart with gratification.
Although, as commoner ninjas, it was nearly impossible for the three of them to reach the rank of Jonin.
But if they were exceptionally outstanding in one area, it wasn't impossible to reach the level of "Special Jonin."
The so-called "Special Jonin" was, in reality, still a Chunin.
It was just that they had reached or even surpassed a regular Jonin in certain aspects, and were thus granted such a title.
If a Special Jonin could make up for their shortcomings, it wasn't necessarily impossible to reach the Jonin realm.
Of course, this had nothing to do with the three of them.
As commoner ninjas, their physical constitution determined that their chakra amount could not reach the level required to release large-scale ninjutsu.
Unless they received some kind of powerful modification in the future, successfully integrating the First Hokage's cells, or developed a destiny-defying ninjutsu like the "Chimera Technique."
Otherwise, Special Jonin was the limit for the three of them.
"Alright, everyone."
Li Anshi clapped his hands, drawing the three's attention.
"Sakamoto is right. If you all want to execute missions with me in the future, then train to become Jonin as quickly as possible."
"When the time comes, if I need to go on a mission and see your names among the Jonin, I will definitely choose you as my teammates."
"Now, let me fulfill my responsibility as a teacher."
"Huh?"
Sagawa's eyes lit up.
"Master, by saying that, do you mean you're going to teach us a powerful ninjutsu?"
Hearing this, Kazuya Kondo and Toshio Sakamoto also looked at Li Anshi with expectant eyes.
During this period, because there were no battles, some of the Chunin squad leaders had already begun teaching their subordinates to practice ninjutsu.
It was impossible for the three of them not to feel envious.
But Master Li Anshi had told them before that with their chakra levels, even if he taught them a powerful ninjutsu, they would not be able to successfully release it.
Even more dangerous, if they insisted on training in a powerful ninjutsu, desperately refining chakra, they might die from chakra exhaustion the moment they released the jutsu.
It was precisely for this reason, to practice powerful ninjutsu, that the three of them had persisted in training their bodies.
Thump!
"Oww—"
Li Anshi reached out and gave Sagawa Yui a rap on the head, rolling his eyes: "What are you thinking…"
"Although the three of you have improved quite a bit, your current chakra is still a long way from using even a C-rank ninjutsu, let alone a powerful one."
"A C-rank ninjutsu, to you now, is a life-threatening 'Forbidden Jutsu'."
"Of course, if you want to practice a 'Forbidden Jutsu,' it's not that I can't teach you."
"No, no, no…"
The moment they heard Li Anshi say this, the three of them shook their heads repeatedly.
They were still young, with a great future ahead of them, and had no desire to die from chakra exhaustion just for practicing a C-rank ninjutsu.
"I suppose you have some self-awareness."
"Then Master, what are you preparing to teach us?"
After Sagawa spoke, Kondo Kazuya and Sakamoto Toshio looked up at Li Anshi.
"Heh, a lot of chakra has its own ultimate moves."
"A little chakra also has its own ultimate techniques."
Li Anshi smiled: "Don't you all forget what your master is famous for."
Hearing Li Anshi's words, the three of them were suddenly startled.
As Li Anshi's students, how could they not know what had earned their master such great fame?
It was just that, even in their dreams, they wouldn't dare imagine that Master Li would pass on his secret flying dagger technique to them.
Gulp…
Yui swallowed a mouthful of saliva, "Master, are you really going to teach us how to practice your secret flying dagger technique?"
"Since you all call me Master, then I naturally have the duty to teach you."
"The war for Konoha is now over, but the ninja world has not yet returned to peace."
"When we return to the village, a large number of missions will surely be posted."
"At that time, you must also possess a certain ability to protect yourselves."
"And with your current situation, I'm afraid only the flying dagger can allow your strength to improve quickly."
"Master…"
"Alright, why is each and every one of you acting so shy?"
Waving his hand, Li Anshi took out three flying daggers from his person, giving one to each of them.
"This is the flying dagger I use. Today, you can first familiarize yourselves with it."
"Tomorrow morning, I will start teaching you how to practice with the flying daggers here."
"Yes, Master!"
After leaving the three little ones, Li Anshi was in a good mood.
If it were before today, Li Anshi had no thought of passing on the Little Li Flying Dagger.
It was just that, after experiencing Tsunade's worry, Li Anshi discovered that his connection to this world seemed to have become a bit more intimate.
And Li Anshi did not reject this feeling.
Not long ago, he had already come to understand his own "ninja way."
Now, he was on the path of practicing his "ninja way."
Freedom was not just physical freedom, but also freedom of the mind.
Previously, Li Anshi in the ninja world was like a kite flying in the air, looking down on the ninja world.
Now, Li Anshi seemed to want to let down a few kite strings into the ninja world. It seemed as though he was giving up a more distant sky, but he himself was no longer like a rootless duckweed.
…
"You three, you didn't go back at all last night?"
The next day, when Li Anshi arrived again at the training spot of Sagawa Yui, Kondo Kazuya, and Sakamoto Toshio, he discovered that all three were yawning, with faint dark circles under their eyes.
With a sweep of his eyes, Li Anshi quickly discovered that the three of them hadn't woken up early, but had simply stayed here all night.
"Haha, Master, we were just too excited."
Sagawa scratched her head, speaking with some embarrassment.
It wasn't just Sagawa; Kondo and Sakamoto were the same.
They were just ordinary commoner ninjas, and among the third-year students at the Ninja Academy, they were even the acknowledged dead-lasts.
If they wanted to play with their classmates, they had to play the role of the "clown" just to fit in.
But after being taken in by Li Anshi as his subordinates, the trajectory of their lives had undergone a huge change.
Now, Master Li was even going to personally teach them his secret flying dagger method. How could they not be excited?
This was the Little Li Flying Dagger!
It killed until the Cloud ninja were terrified. The moment he appeared on this battlefield, he had eliminated nearly a hundred Cloud ninja. The rampaging Two-Tails Jinchuriki was also killed by their master, and he had even heavily wounded the Third Raikage, who had fought the Third Hokage to a standstill for a day.
Did this mean that Master Li's strength had already completely surpassed Lord Third Hokage's?
To be able to practice such a powerful secret technique, what kind of great fortune was this?
They were even worried that they would sleep too soundly tonight and not be able to get up in the morning, so they didn't return to their tents to rest, but stayed here to await their master's arrival.
"I know you are excited."
"However, the most important thing in practicing the Little Li Flying Dagger is to maintain a tranquil mind."