Swish, swish, swish!
A dozen shurikens flew toward him. Qingming paused his steps as the three tomoe in his eyes spun swiftly, instantly locking onto every trajectory of the incoming shurikens. With a mix of dodges and blocks, he avoided all attacks perfectly. But before he could catch his breath, a barrage of kunai followed, each attached to explosive tags. Without hesitation, Qingming dashed sideways, creating some distance.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of intense explosions resounded, each blast erupting into a fiery sphere that compressed the surrounding air, sending waves of pressure rippling toward Qingming, his hair flaring in the wind. Just as he waited for the shockwaves to subside, a series of sharp, uneven whistles echoed across the field. Instantly, the Iwa-nin on the battlefield seemed to receive a signal, quickly retreating to create a gap between themselves and the Konoha shinobi.
Qingming was in the thick of it.
It had been two weeks since he activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, and twelve days since he began training. But as early as the second day of his training, the Iwa-nin had prepared for their renewed assault on Xiaogu Village. This time, aware of Qingming's presence, Iwagakure had assigned specialists to handle him directly. To maintain his cover, Qingming refrained from revealing his full power, which ultimately kept him tied down. Consequently, that battle was hard-fought; Konoha's outpost in Xiaogu Village lost nearly a third of its forces just to repel the attack.
Over the next ten days, the Iwa-nin launched multiple successive assaults. By today, despite two waves of reinforcements from Fengliu Town, Xiaogu Village was down to fewer than 150 Konoha shinobi, with every survivor exhausted. The outpost was on the verge of falling; one mistake could mean a total collapse.
A similar fate awaited the other Konoha outposts near Fengliu Town, each hanging on the brink of collapse.
In a sense, Omura Tadato's strategy had been partially successful; it had split up the strongest Konoha jonin like Qingming, compensating somewhat for their lack of manpower. Their presence did indeed slow the Iwa-nin's advance, holding them at the outskirts and sparing Fengliu Town from immediate danger. Unfortunately, this stalemate was far from ideal for the remaining Konoha shinobi. Qingming's efforts had made the battles brutally intense for those beneath him, resulting in heavy casualties among mid- and low-tier fighters. While the Iwa-nin also took losses, they could bear the cost of attrition far more easily due to their larger numbers.
Thus, Qingming concluded that Omura Tadato's strategy was only partially effective. Based on the latest information, they might be able to hold these outposts for a short time. But eventually, with the current momentum, they would fall. When that happened, the Fengliu Town outpost would also face imminent defeat.
"What are Omura Tadato and HQ thinking?" Qingming wondered, turning to head back to the Xiaogu Village outpost.
Gazing at the injured scattered across the ground, he donned the role of a medical-nin, tending to their wounds. Thankfully, most injuries were external and caused by ninja tools. With his Level 7 Mystical Palm Technique and Level 4 Chakra Scalpel, treating them was manageable.
After an hour of work, Qingming and several other medical-nin finished their rounds. He instructed the squad leaders to stay vigilant, then returned to his quarters.
Perhaps due to the power surge from his Mangekyō Sharingan, or maybe because he already knew the outcome of this war and could easily deduce how the Fengliu Town campaign would end, Qingming found himself uninterested in the Iwa-nin attacks. Detached, he carried out his role in the predetermined storyline, performing what was expected of his character. The deaths of his subordinates and the direction of the war meant little to him.
Whether this made him cold-hearted, he didn't know. But ever since unlocking the Mangekyō Sharingan and gaining a greater sense of security, he had maintained this indifferent mindset. Qingming neither judged this change nor cared to overthink it. Right now, his only goal was to train, to keep increasing his power, and then to follow his own desires.
Perhaps, that was its own form of purity.
The next day arrived swiftly.
After a night of rest, the Iwa-nin resumed their assault with renewed vigor. This time, it seemed they were determined to overwhelm and capture the outpost in one decisive push. Standing atop a rooftop, Qingming observed the scene: about 300 spirited Iwa-nin on one side, while fewer than 150 Konoha shinobi, each visibly exhausted, stood on the other. At this rate, Qingming realized that if he didn't intervene soon, the outpost would likely fall.
As he debated exposing some of his true strength, four Iwa-nin jonin dashed out from their ranks, heading straight for him.
Seeing them, Qingming's expression darkened. He had been harassed by this persistent strategy repeatedly over the past ten days. Though he had killed a few, it didn't change the situation—Iwagakure's high command seemed dead set on keeping him occupied. For every one he defeated, another took their place, ensuring he couldn't disrupt the broader battle.
Qingming swept a glance at the determined Konoha shinobi beside him and then at the approaching wave of Iwa-nin, a resigned thought crossing his mind. "Fine, I'll help them hold on this time."
Resolute, Qingming applied force to his feet, activating the Body Flicker Technique. In an instant, he vanished from the rooftop, only to reappear directly in front of the four Iwa-nin jonin.
The four reacted quickly, preparing to strike.
In that moment, Qingming's eyes whirled, absorbing every movement and predicting their follow-up maneuvers. He twisted his body to narrowly dodge two attacks, then drew his short sword from his side with a swift motion.
Clang! Clang!
The crisp clash of metal rang out as he deflected the kunai of the remaining two attackers with precision.
In that moment, time seemed to freeze, every detail in Qingming's vision slowed down to a crawl. Within that instant, he raised his left hand and formed hand seals at unprecedented speed, unleashing a jutsu—Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.
He inhaled deeply, his chest swelling, before releasing a powerful gust from his mouth.
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