"Qingming, it's getting late. Shouldn't we be heading back?"
Just as Qingming was pondering his next physical breakthrough and how his Chakra recovery speed might improve with increased "constitution," Uchiha Tetsuhuo's voice suddenly interrupted.
Snapping back to the present, Qingming looked up to see the sun nearly sinking beneath the horizon. Without hesitation, he stood up and replied, "Let's go!"
As he spoke, he closed his proficiency panel.
"Alright," responded Tetsuhuo.
The two then walked along the water's edge, making their way back to the forward base.
On the way, Tetsuhuo continued discussing the details of their earlier spar, asking Qingming for advice on specific techniques.
His eager attitude alone made Qingming willing to provide him guidance.
Of course, this was mutually beneficial. For Qingming to swiftly improve his "Illusion Sword Art" and "Instant Sword Art," accumulating experience was crucial, and there was no better way to do this than through sparring.
While Tetsuhuo's skills were average, his Sharingan made him a decent sparring partner for Qingming.
This was why Qingming never tired of helping Tetsuhuo with his training. Otherwise, even if he were a fellow Uchiha, Qingming would not waste his time.
"Qingming, in our third match, when you made a feint from the side, I saw through it with my Sharingan. But then it turned into a real strike—how did that happen?"
"That's because…"
"…."
Over the sound of the sea breeze, fragments of their conversation drifted through the air.
Thus, with questions and answers exchanged along the way, the two soon arrived back at the forward base.
After bidding each other goodnight, Qingming returned to his quarters—a simple, small courtyard.
As soon as he entered, Qingming, as was his habit, activated his Sharingan and scanned the entire courtyard and room to ensure no one had trespassed before relaxing.
It wasn't paranoia—caution was key.
His reputation was growing. The bounty on his head in the black market had already risen to 32 million ryo, just 3 million short of Asuma's.
Whether it was due to the black market discovering that the Grass-Cutting Sword of the chief of the Artisan Ninja Village had fallen into his hands, realizing he had intercepted the prize, or if it was a bounty from Kirigakure, the outcome was the same.
His bounty was high, and many were eager to claim it, so he needed to stay alert.
Inside the room, after freshening up and eating a simple meal, Qingming immediately got to work on his daily "Healing Palm Jutsu" routine to strengthen his body.
During the day, he would practice this technique as well, but the body-strengthening effect of the "Healing Palm Jutsu" required time, and the daily target of 240 repetitions couldn't be achieved during the day alone.
Hence, every night, he had to work overtime.
Any sessions of "Mind Reflection Jutsu" he had missed during the day were also performed at night, so each evening, he trained until late.
Tonight was no different.
Time ticked by, and soon it was past midnight.
Completing the last round of "Mind Reflection Jutsu," Qingming took a long breath, then without hesitation lay down and quickly drifted into a deep sleep.
However, just as he was lost in slumber, a sudden knocking sound broke the silence.
Knock, knock, knock…
Qingming's eyes snapped open. Though there were still traces of fatigue on his face, his gaze was sharp and alert.
He glanced outside the window to see the night sky still dotted with stars—it had barely been long since he fell asleep.
Knock, knock, knock…
The knocking sounded again, slightly more urgent this time.
Judging by the rhythm of the knocks, Qingming deduced that whoever was outside was likely in a hurry.
With this thought flashing in his mind, Qingming quickly grabbed his nearby clothes, dressed swiftly, and took up the Grass-Cutting Sword from the table before stepping into the courtyard.
Before the person outside could knock a third time, he opened the courtyard gate.
Creak…
The wood creaked as Qingming swung the door open, revealing a Leaf Ninja standing outside, his face showing faint signs of anxiety.
Recognizing the figure, Qingming saw that it was a Chunin messenger from the forward base, one of the subordinates of the Uchiha Jonin who commanded the base.
"Qingming Jonin!"
The Leaf Chunin greeted Qingming upon seeing him.
"Mm," Qingming nodded, skipping any small talk. He asked directly, "Something happened, didn't it?"
The Leaf Chunin didn't seem surprised that Qingming had guessed the reason for his late-night visit. After all, coming at this hour, there was little reason besides an emergency.
After taking a moment to catch his breath, he quickly replied, "Yes, just recently, we received word from the border command that Kirigakure launched an attack on the northern defensive line an hour ago. The fighting is intense."
"The northern defensive line again?"
Hearing this, Qingming murmured to himself.
If he remembered correctly, a month ago, the Kirigakure squad that ambushed them also broke through from the northern defensive line.
That incident had likely been due to Danzo's Root operatives stationed at the northern front providing secret assistance.
So what about this time?
Was it another of Danzo's schemes, or did Kirigakure exploit the gap intentionally left after the previous attack?
For a moment, Qingming couldn't unravel the hidden motives.
But there was one thing he had to understand: why Kirigakure dared to make such a move.
After all, the forward base was established specifically to prevent Kirigakure from advancing the war into the Land of Fire.
As long as this forward base held firm, any attack by Kirigakure on any of the three defensive lines would ultimately risk a pincer assault from the Leaf Shinobi stationed here.
Qingming found it hard to believe that Kirigakure couldn't see this, yet they still went ahead, seemingly in earnest.
Moreover, patrols over the past period had uncovered no unusual Kirigakure movements, meaning the enemy likely took a long detour to launch this attack.
Combined, it was clear that they came well-prepared.
The situation grew even more puzzling for Qingming.
"Qingming Jonin?"
As Qingming's thoughts deepened, the Leaf Chunin called to him.
"Oh," Qingming returned to the present. "Go on."
The Leaf Chunin shook his head and said, "That's all I know. The commander asked me to bring you to the meeting. You can ask him for details."
"I see," Qingming nodded. "Alright, let's go!"
After locking his courtyard gate, he hurried with the Chunin toward the meeting room.
Meanwhile, other Jonin, roused from their sleep like Qingming, learned the general situation and quickly made their way to the meeting.
By the time Qingming arrived, a good number of people had already gathered.
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