"Buzz~, Qingming, prepare to intercept, it's over there."
Ryosuke's voice came through the earpiece.
Qingming pressed the earpiece and replied, "OK, I see it."
On a tree branch.
Qingming watched the giant boar charging towards him and threw a kunai.
The kunai sliced through the air like a bullet, swiftly and accurately hitting the boar's left eye.
Blood dripped down the kunai, causing the boar to let out a painful roar.
Roar—
It has to be said, these animals in the ninja world are truly outrageous; not only are they huge, but their vitality is also extremely tenacious.
Just like now, even with its eye pierced and its brain damaged, the boar below is still lively and energetic.
"However, that's enough."
Muttering to himself, Qingming raised his right hand and ignited the explosive tag attached to the kunai.
Boom—
A violent explosion rang out.
A ball of crimson flames flashed, engulfing the entire boar.
The searing pain from the flames caused the wild boar to howl incessantly, frantically ramming into the surrounding trees, even knocking down the large tree where Qingming was hiding.
Forced to move, Qingming had to find a new hiding spot.
A few breaths later, the flames gradually subsided, and the wild boar, no longer frenzied, lay motionless on the ground.
Looking at the charred boar, Qingming didn't approach. Instead, he pulled out another kunai and hurled it with lightning speed, striking the boar in its other eye.
*Thud*
—the sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh rang out.
The wild boar sprang to its feet, howling as it crashed into several large trees before collapsing to the ground again.
Watching the boar's chest and abdomen gradually calm down, Qingming coldly sneered, "Hmph! A beast is a beast, no matter how cunning, it's nothing more than this."
Although the beast knew how to feign death, its previously heaving chest easily exposed its trickery.
Qingming naturally wouldn't fall for such a trap.
However, now
it was certain the beast was dead.
*Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Two figures appeared—Ryosuke and Mizutani Shizuko.
"Qingming, you're being too wasteful."
Ryosuke looked at the boar's head, charred black by the explosive tags, and said, "Don't you know the Great Fireball Technique? Why did you use explosive tags?"
Indeed, using an explosive tag to kill a boar like this was inefficient; even with the mission reward, it would still result in a loss in the final tally.
But this saved chakra.
Although using Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique would increase his proficiency, that wasn't his current focus, so saving a little was always beneficial.
For Qingming, if spending a little money allowed him to use more chakra where it was needed, then it wasn't a loss.
At this point, a week had passed since his encounter with Kakashi and the others.
During this week, aside from eating, sleeping, and doing missions, he had spent the rest of his time training.
Such diligence naturally yielded good results.
First, he had mastered all three body techniques to perfection, level 3.
Now, whether it was the simplest 'Transformation Technique' or the most difficult 'Substitution Technique,' he could complete them in a second.
What did that mean?
Many Chunin were not as proficient as him in using these three ninjutsu.
Of course, that was all.
They were basic ninjutsu, with a learning difficulty of only E-rank; a Chunin could master them to perfection with a little effort.
Secondly, his 'Basic Taijutsu' had also improved from level 2 to level 3.
He had hoped that, like the level 1 to 2 upgrade, it would further improve his physique, allowing him to increase his
chakra limit .
But he was disappointed.
While the 'Basic Taijutsu' had reached perfection, like the Three Body Techniques, it didn't change his physique attributes.
However, thinking about it, it made sense. If physique attributes were so easy to improve, there wouldn't be so many ninjas in the ninja world spending their entire lives as Genin.
Every bit of improvement in physique was a transformation for a ninja.
If he undergoes one or two transformations during the genin stage, while not guaranteed to become a chunin, he'll at least have enough chakra.
Therefore, it's normal that his physical attributes didn't increase when he upgraded his 'Basic Taijutsu' from level 2 to 3; he'd need at least some advanced taijutsu to have a chance.
Finally, there's the 'Mind Reflection Technique'.
In seven days, its proficiency increased by 125 points, and its level went from 2 (260/500) to 385/500.
Thanks to this, his Sharingan awakening progress increased from 85/100 to 87/100.
Unsurprisingly, the speed didn't decrease further.
Now he's just waiting for the 'Mind Reflection Technique' to reach level 3. If the effect is good, he might be able to awaken his Sharingan before the Chunin Exams end.
Otherwise, he'll have to go into battle without his Sharingan .
Yes, Qingming has already received news that this year's graduates will return to the battlefield with the newly promoted chunin.
That's why he values every single bit of chakra so much.
Even his plan to learn the Body Flicker Technique was temporarily shelved.
He planned to use all his remaining chakra, except for necessary expenditures, to practice the 'Mind Reflection Technique.'
Without the Sharingan as a trump card, he felt extremely insecure.
A flurry of thoughts flashed through his mind.
Qingming looked at Ryosuke and Shizuko Mizutani and said, "There are many wild beasts in this forest. Our mission is heavy; wasting a few explosive tags is nothing."
Their mission was to drive away all wild beasts within a ten-kilometer radius, requiring the killing of at least one-third of the total.
Driving or killing so many beasts using conventional methods would consume a lot of chakra and prolong the mission.
Qingming didn't want to waste time and energy here, so he preferred to spend more money to complete the mission as quickly as possible.
Without giving Ryosuke a chance to speak again, Qingming pulled his kunai from the boar, wiped it, and said, "I'm going to area two. You two hurry up and drive the beasts over."
Without waiting for their reaction, he leaped away.
Watching his departing figure, Ryosuke turned back to Shizuko Mizutani and said, "Shizuko, have you noticed that Aomine has been a bit impatient lately?"
"Yes."
Shizuko Mizutani nodded.
Actually, she had already noticed this, but hadn't said anything.
"Do you know why?"
Ryosuke asked curiously.
"It's probably because of the Chunin Exams!"
Shizuko Mizutani replied.
"The Chunin Exams?"
Ryosuke looked puzzled. "What does that have to do with us? We're not participating."
Hearing this, Shizuko Mizutani hesitated for a moment, carefully glancing around to make sure no one was there, before revealing the information she had received from her Jonin father.
"I heard the village plans to send our group to the battlefield with the newly promoted Chunin after the Chunin Exams."
"What?"
Upon hearing this news, Ryosuke exclaimed in surprise.
Although he hated carrying out D-rank missions that required no skill, he knew the dangers of the battlefield and naturally didn't want to go there so soon.
"Shh!"
Shizuko Mizutani raised her right index finger, gesturing for silence. "Keep your voice down. My dad told me not to tell anyone about this, so don't spread it around."
"Okay."
Ryosuke, realizing what she meant, nodded and said, "Don't worry, I won't say anything."
Actually, they were overthinking it; even if it got out, it wouldn't matter.
The matter was already a done deal.
Although the news was currently only circulating among the Jonin and various clans, it wouldn't be long before everyone knew, so there was no need to keep it a secret.
"Alright, Ryosuke, let's go." After a moment
of silence, Shizuko Mizutani spoke.
"Okay."
Hearing this, Ryosuke snapped out of his reverie, responded, and said, "Let's go."
Then, the two headed towards Area Three together.
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