Naruto, But With Li's Peerless Flying Dagger

"Just now, the Third Hokage confirmed the decision to launch a counterattack against the Cloud ninjas to decisively defeat them."

Li Anshi explained to his new squad. "At the latest, we'll face them in a major decisive battle the day after tomorrow. Therefore, I plan to start some special training with you right now, to give you a better chance of survival."

"Special training?"

Hearing Li Anshi's words, Sagawa, Kondo, and Sakamoto's eyes immediately lit up.

Although they were only fourth-year students, their willingness to apply for early graduation indicated that, beyond the patriotic fervor stirred by Hiruzen, they had already mastered everything the Ninja Academy taught at their level.

All that remained was practical application. Now, Li-sensei was offering special training – did this mean he would teach them something new?

Seeing the hopeful glint in the three youngsters' eyes, Li Anshi knew exactly what they were thinking. He flicked his finger and snapped the three out of their daydreams of mastering advanced ninjutsu, dominating the battlefield, achieving fame and glory, and eventually becoming the next Hokage amidst roaring crowds.

"Ouch!"

Sagawa, Kondo, and Sakamoto clutched their foreheads, crying out in pain. "Sensei, why did you hit us?"

"Stop daydreaming for now."

Li Anshi bluntly punctured their fantasies. "You're all just eight-year-old kids. Your chakra reserves are pitifully small. If I'm not mistaken, even the Three Basic Techniques, you can only use them a few times, right?"

"Li-sensei, I can use them three times," Sakamoto Toshio volunteered.

"I can do four," added Kondo Kazuya.

"Um, I can only manage twice..." Sagawa Yui raised her hand slightly, her voice quieter.

Chakra was refined from spiritual and physical energy. If a ninja completely depleted their chakra, unable to extract even a single drop more, it meant they had exhausted either their spiritual or physical energy, rendering them no different from a corpse.

Therefore, refining chakra beyond the body's limits was a life-risking act for a ninja, causing severe damage to both body and spirit. Consequently, ninjas could sense the limits of the chakra they could safely refine.

"The Three Basic Techniques are the lowest level of ninjutsu, consuming the least amount of chakra," Li Anshi continued his explanation. "Other ninjutsu require at least ten times the chakra of the Three Basic Techniques."

"With your current chakra levels, even if I taught you advanced ninjutsu, you wouldn't have enough chakra to actually perform them."

Although Li Anshi himself couldn't perform the Three Basic Techniques, it didn't mean he was ignorant of the chakra required for ninjutsu.

For Ninja Academy students, unless they came from ninja clans with inherited traditions, received precious medicinal supplements from a young age to condition their bodies, or belonged to families with bloodline limits, their spiritual and physical strength wouldn't drastically exceed that of civilian ninjas.

Even so, children from average ninja clans typically needed to reach the fourth or fifth year before possessing enough chakra to safely execute a C-rank ninjutsu.

Ordinary civilian ninjas usually needed to wait until they were at least twelve years old before their refined chakra, a fusion of physical and spiritual strength, was sufficient for C-rank ninjutsu.

They lagged behind children from ninja clans and bloodline families by one or two years. This gap of one or two years could potentially represent a lifelong disparity.

Of course, there were also exceptionally talented geniuses who possessed powerful chakra at a young age, like Tsunade, Kakashi Hatake, or Itachi Uchiha...

"Huh? Really?"

Hearing Li Anshi's words, Sagawa, Kondo, and Sakamoto were taken aback. They had learned how to refine chakra since their first year, but only in their third year did they have enough chakra to perform the Three Basic Techniques, which was when the Academy taught them.

Now, as fourth-year students, they could only manage two or more uses. To reach the level Li-sensei described – enough chakra for offensive ninjutsu – would take at least another two years.

The shattering of their invincible ninja dreams dampened the spirits of Sagawa, Kondo, and Sakamoto significantly.

"Alright, my dear disciples."

Li Anshi clapped his hands, drawing the attention of his three subordinates.

"Regardless of the wonderful visions you have for your future selves, you must first survive this war. For now, consider me your enemy and attack me. Let me see your capabilities."

"This..."

The three Genin exchanged glances, then nodded in unison.

Sakamoto Toshio formed hand seals. Two seconds later, a slightly illusory clone appeared beside him. The real Sakamoto and his clone charged towards Li Anshi from the left and right.

"Kill!"

Li Anshi completely ignored the illusory clone's attack, letting its kunai pass harmlessly through his body. Then, as the real Sakamoto reached him, Li Anshi slapped his hand down on the boy's head.

Powerful chakra flowed through Sakamoto's body, slamming him directly into the ground, leaving only his head exposed. It looked remarkably similar to being dragged underground by the Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu.