With a swift motion, a figure appeared in front of the Hidden Mist jōnin who had nearly been slain by Qingming. Clad in dark blue clothing, one-eyed, with two sealing symbols hanging from his earlobe, it was none other than Qing, who had previously engaged in battle with Qingming.
However, the shuriken that had just been thrown did not come from him, but rather from another person.
Qingming turned his gaze to the right.
There, Terumi Mei had just retracted her hands.
Clearly, the attack had originated from her.
As for the sudden appearance of these two, Qingming could think of no other purpose than to obstruct him.
Not only were there these two, but Qingming also shifted his focus to the left.
There, he spotted another individual.
This person was tall, with long limbs and a mop of spiky yellow hair. He wore a black and white mask unique to the Hidden Mist's Anbu and had dozens of bandages wrapped around his neck.
This appearance immediately reminded Qingming of someone—Kiri Sōmaru, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
Qingming looked at his hands and saw that he was holding a long needle-like ninja tool in his right hand, with a steel wire attached to its end, which he was supporting with his left hand.
With such a distinctive ninja tool, Qingming could be sure that this was indeed one of the Seven Ninja Swords of the Hidden Mist—the long sword known as the "Sewing Needle."
This further confirmed Kiri Sōmaru's identity.
"One from the Seven Ninja Swords, a user of a double bloodline limit, and a Byakugan killer. Heh, you really think highly of me!" Qingming mused internally, though he showed no outward signs of concern.
Instead, it was Kiri Sōmaru who looked at him first and spoke, "So you're the little brat who killed Pi Pa Juzō and Kuro Tō Rei-ya?"
Kiri Sōmaru sized up Qingming a few times, feigning disdain as he remarked, "You don't seem particularly special."
However, Qingming was completely unfazed by the provocation. Now that he had identified his enemies, there was no need for idle chatter.
With this thought, he rapidly formed hand seals, preparing to execute a jutsu—Fire Style: Grand Fireball Technique!
However, at that moment, a faint chakra fluctuation suddenly emanated from beneath his feet, and an instinctive sense of crisis surged within him.
"Is there someone else!?"
Qingming was startled, quickly halting the jutsu he was about to cast. He pushed off the ground with his feet and leaped into the air, distancing himself from the ground.
Just as his feet left the ground, a short sword shot up from below, nearly grazing his body as it missed.
Seeing this, Kiri Sōmaru felt a twinge of disappointment but quickly composed himself, using his right hand to throw the "Sewing Needle."
Swish—
A faint sound of slicing air echoed.
Qingming's Sharingan scanned the incoming needle, and with a swift motion, he slashed his long knife, easily deflecting it.
However, Kiri Sōmaru showed no sign of anger.
With a strong pull of his left hand, the steel wire instantly tightened.
Then, with a flick of his right hand, he redirected the needle mid-air, launching it at Qingming again, this time from behind, making it even harder to defend against.
Yet, Qingming's perception was remarkably sharp, and he immediately sensed the anomaly.
Thus, he flexed his waist and abdomen, bending his body in mid-air almost to a right angle, narrowly avoiding the attack.
"Hahaha~"
Seeing Qingming's performance, Kiri Sōmaru chuckled lightly, praising him, "Ghost Sword Qingming, you have some skill!"
In that brief moment, the shadow that had just tried to ambush Qingming emerged from underground.
It was another Hidden Mist jōnin.
No, more accurately, it was a special jōnin.
However, this was a special jōnin skilled in stealth and assassination.
He wore a mask similar to Kiri Sōmaru's, indicating he was also a member of the Anbu.
Clearly, Qingming had underestimated the situation; the Hidden Mist had sent not only Terumi Mei, Qing, and Kiri Sōmaru to deal with him, but also an elite Anbu member lying in wait.
Adding to that the earlier jōnin who had almost been killed by him, that made five.
Yet, even faced with the prospect of a five-person assault, Qingming felt little fear.
At this moment, he thought, "If I can hold off these five, then my mission should be considered accomplished!"
After all, this was not just the Hidden Mist reducing its main force by five jōnin; it was Konoha simultaneously releasing comparable strength.
In this way, if he could not hold his ground, there would be little he could do.
As for using the Mangekyō Sharingan to completely turn the tide of battle?
He would not say he had never considered it; even if he had planned to do so, seeing Kiri Sōmaru and the Anbu member who had just attempted to ambush him made him reconsider.
There was a significant portion of the Hidden Mist's Anbu currently under the covert control of Uchiha Obito, preparing to set the stage for Uchiha Madara.
Theoretically, there shouldn't be anyone on his side.
But a million things could go wrong.
If one of the two before him was truly a pawn of Uchiha Madara, then the moment he dared to use the Mangekyō Sharingan, he would undoubtedly be discovered.
Others might not notice, but Uchiha Madara, who also had experience using the Mangekyō Sharingan, would definitely recognize it.
At that point, it would be trouble.
Qingming didn't want to get entangled with a dying man right now.
Moreover, beside Uchiha Madara was the ever-present Black Zetsu; he didn't want to attract their attention too early.
Once two years had passed and his Mangekyō Sharingan evolved into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, resolving the risk of blindness, then he could toy with them without hesitation.
As for the current situation, he preferred to engage in a battle of wits with Uchiha Madara!
Thoughts raced through his mind in an instant, and Qingming immediately gathered his focus, ready to face the assault from the five Hidden Mist ninjas.
The five did not keep him waiting long. Almost as soon as his feet hit the ground, Terumi Mei took the lead in launching her attack.
With swift hand seals, a water dragon surged forth, roaring as it charged at him.
The others were equally unyielding, quickly following suit—casting ninjutsu, throwing kunai, or setting traps.
In short, everyone was attacking him.
However, their coordination was clearly lacking, especially Kiri Sōmaru, who was a cold-blooded killer and cared little for the lives of others.
This provided Qingming with an opportunity.
Utilizing the powerful insight of his Sharingan, he deliberately stepped onto the traps set by Kiri Sōmaru, engaging in defense and counterattack, causing considerable distress to the other three.
The key was that the others couldn't complain, they could only be extra cautious.
Time passed, and the battle among them grew increasingly intense.
Soon, the first casualty appeared.
It was none other than the Hidden Mist jōnin who had already been severely injured by him earlier.
However, he did not die at Qingming's hands but rather fell victim to a trap laid by Kiri Sōmaru using the "Sewing Needle."
Of course, this was not without the influence of Qingming's genjutsu.
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