"Faster! Even faster!"
Despite her injuries and the depletion of her chakra, Rain Flower exerted all her strength to perform the Body Flicker Technique, running frantically through the forest.
Along the way, she constantly glanced back, seemingly fearing that Qingming would catch up to her.
However, her fear came true. Just a few dozen seconds later, she saw a ghostly figure—who else could it be but Qingming? At first, he was far off, but with another blink, he had already closed in by more than ten meters.
At this rate, she wouldn't be able to outrun him for long.
Her mental state had already collapsed. She didn't dare face Qingming directly, so with a resolute expression, she used the Shadow Clone Technique, splitting herself into three and fleeing in three different directions.
Qingming frowned slightly upon seeing this.
Normally, using the Shadow Clone Technique wasn't much of a concern. Even though her skill with it wasn't as high as his, the chakra cost would only be about one-tenth at most.
But now, in this high-intensity chase and the subsequent battle likely to unfold, the chakra consumed by the clones would rise exponentially.
At that point, the chakra loss wouldn't be limited to just one-tenth.
This was one of the reasons why the Shadow Clone Technique was typically used for reconnaissance rather than combat.
In general, no ninja would use Shadow Clones in battle unless absolutely necessary. It was mostly a waste of chakra, and at best, it could only delay the inevitable for a short while.
In this case, it was clear that Rain Flower's chances of winning had already dropped by at least thirty percent—though she hadn't had much of a chance to begin with.
Qingming didn't focus on how foolish her decision was; instead, he lamented the chakra she was wasting.
The more chakra she used now, the less he could absorb once he caught her. That fact made him uncomfortable.
Without hesitation, Qingming accelerated and pursued one of her clones.
It didn't take long before he caught up with it.
Without giving the clone a chance to react, Qingming threw a shuriken that scattered like petals in the air, colliding with each other before all converging on Rain Flower.
Seeing the barrage of shuriken, Rain Flower had no way to dodge, so she turned around and swung her kunai to block.
Cling, clang~
A series of metallic sounds rang out, sparks flying as one shuriken after another was deflected, scattering in all directions.
With all the attacks blocked, Rain Flower prepared to continue fleeing.
But at that moment, a sharp, ear-piercing sound filled the air.
Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she saw Qingming shooting another kunai from his hand at blinding speed—she had no time to react.
This was a kunai fired with Wind Style: Gale Palm to accelerate its speed.
Feeling a strong sense of danger, Rain Flower instinctively twisted her body.
Whoosh~
The kunai grazed her body but didn't injure her.
However, in the next instant, Qingming, glowing faintly with a bluish light, appeared in front of her, following the kunai like a shadow.
Whoosh~
His long blade swung.
Rain Flower attempted to block it.
Qingming seized the opportunity and used Illusory Sword Technique, causing her to block thin air.
In the next moment, his long blade struck her body.
Boom~
A burst of chakra smoke dissipated.
Rain Flower's figure vanished.
It was clear now that this was merely one of her Shadow Clones.
Qingming sighed internally: "As expected, my luck isn't great."
Fortunately, his series of actions hadn't taken too long. At this point, the other two clones were still within his Byakugan's range of sight.
Locking onto their positions, Qingming wasted no time and immediately pursued them.
As for why he didn't use the Shadow Clone Technique himself to split up and pursue, it wasn't because he lacked clones.
Currently, his Shadow Clone Technique had reached level 6, allowing him to create up to thirty clones. Though many were currently scouting different battlefields, gathering and transmitting intelligence, he could easily spare a few.
The reason he didn't choose to do so was simple: there was no need.
The three were too close together. He could easily eliminate them one by one.
With some luck, he might find the real body of the last clone within just three attempts, and even if his luck was worse, it wouldn't take long.
Secondly, he didn't want to waste time.
As previously mentioned, Rain Flower's use of the Shadow Clone Technique was very chakra-consuming. Though his skill in the technique was higher than hers, it still consumed chakra during intense movement.
Considering that his potential gains might be reduced this time around, Qingming wasn't willing to waste more chakra on such an inefficient approach.
So, he opted for the most straightforward approach: eliminate them one by one.
Time continued to pass.
Soon, Qingming caught up with the second clone.
However, today seemed to be his unlucky day. After a brief exchange, the clone was dispersed, revealing it was another shadow clone.
With a grim expression, Qingming immediately pursued the third and final clone.
About three minutes later...
With a flash, Qingming appeared in front of Rain Flower.
At this point, Rain Flower was still looking back, completely unaware that Qingming had blocked her path ahead, trapping her.
A shock filled her heart. Without hesitation, she raised her hands, preparing to use the Shadow Clone Technique to escape again.
Although, given her current chakra state, she knew she wouldn't have much time before being caught, she still focused solely on fleeing as quickly as possible.
However, while she wanted to run, Qingming no longer wished to play this game of cat and mouse. He didn't want to see her waste more chakra.
So, with a forceful push against the ground, his chakra erupted, and faint electrical currents crackled around him as the effect of Lightning Style: Lightning Body activated.
Though his mastery of it was only at level 1, the speed boost was still significant.
In an instant, his speed skyrocketed, and he reached Rain Flower in front of her. Qingming could clearly see the fear in her face.
But he didn't hold back. Without hesitation, he pointed a finger directly at her chest.
In the next instant, a solid burst of chakra shot from his fingertip, precisely striking the largest chakra node on her chest, a crucial acupoint.
Instantly, her chakra flow was blocked. Her Shadow Clone Technique failed, and her face paled as she almost vomited blood.
But that wasn't the end.
Qingming's steps were as swift as the wind, and with uncanny agility, he circled her, landing a series of precise strikes to her acupoints, sealing them one by one. Only then did he stop.
Intense, piercing pain radiated through her body. When she tried to channel chakra, it felt like trying to move a cart with a small horse—terribly difficult.
In that moment, she finally realized that escaping was no longer possible.
This was when she regained some of her composure as a seasoned jonin.
Steeling herself, she stopped trying to manipulate her chakra and instead fixed her gaze on Qingming's eyes.
After confirming that they were the Sharingan, she asked with a mix of confusion and curiosity, "What you just did—was that acupoint sealing? Isn't that a technique from the Hyuga clan? Can the Sharingan also see the acupoints?"
Indeed, what Qingming had just used was a technique that involved sealing acupoints, which was typically from the Hyuga clan. However, he had not used the Byakugan to execute it; instead, he had used the Byakugan located in his forehead.
However, Qingming had no intention of explaining. Though Rain Flower had regained some composure, he still couldn't help but feel pity for the chakra she had wasted.
So, he decided to let her stay ignorant.
With this thought, Qingming raised his hand to form a seal, activating the Chakra Absorption Technique. He grabbed her by the neck.
In the next moment, streams of chakra began to converge from all parts of her body, flowing into Qingming like a rushing river.
However, after only two or three seconds, her chakra was completely drained.
Noticing this, Qingming inwardly thought, "I did waste quite a bit."
But he didn't release his grip. Instead, he intensified his chakra absorption.
Gradually, her mental energy and physical energy began to drain as well, merging into Qingming's chakra and becoming his own.
A few seconds later, her mental and physical energy was entirely depleted, and she fell lifeless, becoming a corpse.
Thud~
Qingming released his grip, letting her body fall to the ground.
He then formed a seal and activated Fire Style: Cremation Technique.
A ball of flame appeared, quickly consuming her body.
Afterward, Qingming began to inspect the gains from this encounter.
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