After collecting his thoughts, Qing Ming no longer lingered on the previous encounter. Instead, he turned his attention to the two Kaguya clan Chūnin who had just been assisting Hikari Yuutarou in attacking him. At this moment, they were still in shock, unable to comprehend the sudden death of Hikari Yuutarou.
Compared to them, Hikari Yuutarou held a much higher status within the clan, boasting greater strength and countless experiences from various battles. Yet, such a formidable figure had suddenly fallen before their eyes, creating a surreal sensation for them.
However, Qing Ming had no interest in their feelings. Fixing his gaze on the two, he immediately activated his Instant Sword Technique and, in the blink of an eye, appeared in front of one of them.
Swish~
A flash of blade light sliced through the air.
The Kaguya Chūnin attempted to resist but fell prey to Qing Ming's instant Genjutsu: Sharingan, which immobilized him. In an instant, Qing Ming's long blade severed the man's throat, ending his life.
Seeing his companion fall, the other Kaguya Chūnin finally reacted and instinctively turned to flee. However, before he could take more than a few steps, a long blade pierced through his body.
Blood dripped as the intense pain surged through him. Lowering his head, he saw the blade's tip protruding from his torso.
"Am I... going to die?" the Kaguya Chūnin murmured.
In the next moment, a powerful suction force erupted from his back. Instantly, his chakra gushed out like a dam bursting, and without the support of his chakra, his life force began to dwindle rapidly.
In just a few seconds, he was completely lifeless.
Qing Ming withdrew his hand, murmuring, "Not bad, I'm replenishing my chakra!"
He had just expended a significant amount of chakra when using Wind Release: Spiraling Shuriken, so he wouldn't miss this opportunity to recover.
With a swift motion, he pulled out his long blade, letting the Kaguya Chūnin's body collapse to the ground. Shaking off the blood on his blade, Qing Ming scanned his surroundings and noticed that the Mist Ninjas had retreated to a safe distance, not daring to approach.
Earlier, they might have been worried about the clash between him and Hikari Yuutarou affecting them, but now, they simply feared his displayed strength.
However, their retreat didn't mean Qing Ming wouldn't seek them out for trouble.
As he searched for his next target, a sudden mental presence invaded his mind, followed by a voice.
'This familiar sensation and process—it's the secret technique of the Yamashiro clan: Telepathy Technique!'
Qing Ming felt that if he experienced this a few more times, he could develop a similar technique himself. This wasn't due to his exceptional talent, but rather because of his strong foundation.
With his current 19 points in Spirit, mastering such a mental technique was incredibly easy for him.
Yet, Qing Ming was not in a rush; he preferred to let things unfold naturally.
As various thoughts flashed through his mind, he quickly focused and listened to the voice.
A relatively youthful voice said, "Qing Ming, the situation on the east side of the defense line is quite urgent. The commander has ordered you to immediately take your team to provide support."
To facilitate deployment and better counter the invasion from the Hidden Mist Village, Konoha had established a forward base in the Land of Waves, located on the southeastern coast.
The base was not large, and the defense line was relatively short. However, it was divided into three sections: the east defense line and south defense line flanking the base, and the southeastern defense line at the front.
The south defense line faced the Land of Water, so it experienced the least pressure. The southeastern defense line, nestled between the east and south lines, also had minimal strain.
In contrast, the east defense line, due to its direct confrontation with the Land of Water, became the first point of attack for the Hidden Mist Village's invasion.
And now, trouble had arisen on that very line.
As Qing Ming pondered, the voice in his mind spoke again.
"Additionally, the Mist Ninjas you previously defeated—Kozuki Mei and Ao—have returned. Their movement suggests they plan to join the battle on the east line, so be cautious!"
"Kozuki Mei and Ao..." Qing Ming murmured, then replied in his mind, "Understood. Is there anything else?"
"Nothing else," came the response from the Yamashiro ninja.
With that, Qing Ming dispelled the mental presence.
He no longer hesitated and immediately gathered around twenty nearby Konoha ninjas to head toward the battlefield on the other side of the base.
Indeed, the direction they were returning to was the furthest from the east line battle—the south line battlefield, which was also the area of the Hidden Mist's feigned attack.
Because of this, their movements had gone unnoticed.
However, this also indicated that the Hidden Mist Village had deployed an exceptionally strong force this time. Otherwise, they wouldn't have stationed someone as powerful as Hikari Yuutarou in such an overlooked direction.
If they were going all out in a feigned attack here, one could only imagine how intense the main assault on the east line would be!
It was likely the reason the east defense line had encountered a crisis.
As for Kozuki Mei and Ao...
To be honest, Qing Ming wasn't particularly concerned.
Ao was not worth mentioning. He had already been gravely injured by Qing Ming, and it would take a long time for him to recover to full strength; he posed no threat.
As for Kozuki Mei, while her Melt Release and Boil Release techniques were indeed formidable, they also had their drawbacks.
Both techniques were more suited for large-scale attacks, especially the latter, which would spread across a wide area.
In the chaos of battle, she wouldn't be able to unleash her full power.
Just like back at the No. 3 lookout tower, even with the vast ocean as a buffer, Kozuki Mei dared not use her techniques recklessly, fearing collateral damage to her allies.
In a more densely packed land battle like this, her effectiveness would be even more constrained.
What threat could such a ninja pose?
However, if other elite ninjas banded together against him, that could indeed become a problem.
Qing Ming didn't want to risk exposing his Mangekyō Sharingan again in that situation.
Therefore, upon reaching the east line, he needed to maintain a low profile and only aim to delay a few elite ninjas.
The east defense line was in crisis due to a lack of high-level combat power. If he could hold off some of the elite ninjas from the Hidden Mist, the current forces Konoha had at the forward base would be sufficient to hold the line.
Thus, once the reinforcements from the rear arrived, the crisis would naturally be resolved.
In fact, they might not even need to arrive; the Mist Ninjas might choose to retreat on their own.
After all, the longer they dragged the fight out, the more they had to worry about being pursued by Konoha.
Indeed, Konoha's warships may not be as advanced as those of the Hidden Mist Village, but they could certainly catch up over short distances.
Naval combat was not like land warfare. If the ships they were aboard were destroyed, they would have no choice but to fight Konoha ninjas to the bitter end.
Given that they were closer to the Land of Fire, Konoha's reinforcements would arrive much sooner. The Mist Ninjas wouldn't dare to engage in a decisive battle here.
Therefore, all he needed to do was delay for time.
With these thoughts in mind, Qing Ming quickened his pace.
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