Boom!
A massive explosion echoed through Xiaogu Village.
Qingming abruptly opened his eyes, seized the short sword next to his pillow, and instantly sprang outside.
With a leap, he landed on the rooftop.
This was the highest point in Xiaogu Village, allowing a clear view of the surroundings during the day.
However, it was now deep into the night.
But this did not pose a challenge for Qingming.
With a thought, his pupils suddenly transformed into a deep crimson hue, three tomoe swirling within, indicating that he had activated his Sharingan.
Under the moonlight, Qingming gazed toward the source of the explosion, where he could faintly make out several Rock ninjas approaching at high speed.
He then scanned other directions and found more Rock ninjas closing in.
"Finally here," Qingming murmured, glancing at the villagers who had been startled awake.
Since they had been mentally prepared, no one panicked; they quickly organized into teams and headed to their assigned positions as if they had rehearsed it all beforehand.
At this moment, the support team that Qingming had brought had yet to reveal themselves.
They were simply waiting for the Rock ninjas to launch their attack.
A few seconds later, another explosion sounded, acting as a signal that ignited the full-scale battle.
Instantly, the air filled with the sounds of exploding tags, clashing weapons, and the agonized screams of injured ninjas.
The cacophony was chilling.
Yet, among the ninjas present, whether from the Leaf side or the Rock side, everyone had become accustomed to combat and did not waver.
Despite facing a force nearly twice their size, the contingent of fewer than two hundred stationed ninjas in Xiaogu Village held their ground without showing any signs of weakness.
Witnessing this scene, the commanding Rock Jonin was astonished but did not take it too seriously. This stalemate could not last long.
After all, numbers mattered; even if they could hold out for now, it wouldn't be long before the smaller force began to show cracks.
At that moment, even a minor mistake could trigger a chain reaction that could potentially cause the Leaf defense to collapse in an instant.
When that happened, they would be able to march in unopposed.
"I just hope we don't let too many escape in the end," Black River Ichiro thought as he planned to instruct his subordinates to prepare for post-battle matters.
But just then, a special Jonin from the Rock Hidden Village hurried over, saying, "Captain, something feels off."
Hearing this, Black River Ichiro's heart sank, and an ominous premonition struck him as he quickly asked, "What's going on?"
With a grave expression, the special Jonin from the Rock Hidden Village replied, "I sensed that there are still hidden enemies within Xiaogu Village."
"What?!"
Black River Ichiro was startled and immediately inquired, "How many?"
"About a hundred," the special Jonin responded.
"One hundred? That's still manageable!"
Black River Ichiro quickly calculated that even with this additional hundred people, the number of Leaf ninjas would still not surpass their own, easing his worries slightly.
As for individual strength, while the average strength of Rock ninjas ranked the lowest among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, after over two years of natural selection, those at the bottom had risen to a comparable level with ninjas from other villages.
Moreover, he had brought only elite forces this time.
Therefore, Black River Ichiro wasn't too worried.
However, to be cautious, he decided to let his men ease off the attack for a bit and assess the situation further.
But before he could issue the order, Qingming had already preemptively commanded the support troops to reveal themselves.
The reason he didn't let them join the fight right away was that he was concerned the Rock ninjas might retreat at the first sign of trouble.
As the saying goes, "I'm not afraid of thieves stealing; I'm afraid of thieves keeping an eye on me."
Since the Rock ninjas dared to come, he intended to keep them here.
Otherwise, being monitored by a group of enemies made Qingming uneasy.
As for whether the Rock ninjas would send reinforcements afterward, that was a matter for later. He had no intention of letting the Rock ninjas in front of him escape.
Now was just the right time, as they were already entangled with the original Leaf ninjas stationed at Xiaogu Village, making retreat inconvenient.
Thus, Qingming decisively ordered the support troops to charge into the fray.
As he had anticipated, the Rock ninjas were caught off guard by this sudden change, and the pressure on the Leaf ninjas at Xiaogu Village sharply diminished.
In an instant, the Leaf ninjas began to push back against the Rock ninjas.
However, this situation would not last long unless...
Qingming leaped down from the rooftop, executing a few body flickers until he reached the battlefield.
He spotted a Rock Jonin and, in a flash, appeared behind him, stabbing his sword into the man's left arm, leaving a deep wound down to the bone.
"Ugh!"
A muffled groan escaped the Rock Jonin's lips.
He swung his kunai with all his might to deflect the attacks from the Leaf Jonin in front of him, then jumped back to create some distance.
Only then did he have time to see who had just ambushed him.
If he hadn't reacted quickly just now, evading at the last moment, he would have likely been dead by now. The sword had clearly been aimed to kill.
However, upon seeing the identity of his assailant, his pupils contracted in shock, and he cursed inwardly, immediately preparing to close his eyes.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
In that instant of eye contact, Qingming raised his hand and unleashed the "Genjutsu: Sharingan," instantly pulling the man's consciousness into the illusion.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Three shuriken were hurled.
In an instant, they crossed nearly ten meters and accurately struck the vital points of the Rock Jonin's throat, heart, and abdomen.
This devastating blow forced the Rock Jonin to break free from the illusion, but all he could emit were meaningless groans.
Although Qingming's actions seemed simple, every step was meticulously calculated, from the angle of his sword strike to his standing position.
Even if the initial attack didn't kill, he could still utilize the illusion to deliver a fatal blow while the enemy searched for him.
And indeed, things unfolded just as he had planned.
The opponent had managed to evade his first strike, but due to not recognizing his identity, he recklessly searched for Qingming's whereabouts.
As a result, he fell victim to Qingming's "Genjutsu: Sharingan."
Of course, the smoothness of this process was partly due to the opponent being a special Jonin with less comprehensive abilities and partly because Qingming had perfected his "Genjutsu: Sharingan."
Other Uchiha Jonin wouldn't have been able to cast "Genjutsu: Sharingan" in an instant like he could; given even a little reaction time, the opponent would likely have avoided the attack.
It could only be said that this particular Jonin was unlucky to have encountered him.
All this transpired in the blink of an eye.
Seeing Qingming swiftly dispatch the Rock Jonin, the morale of the Leaf ninjas surged, and their movements became more vigorous.
In contrast, the Rock ninjas' morale began to plummet, with only seventy percent of their strength being utilized.
This was Qingming's strategy.
Even if the Leaf ninjas could momentarily suppress the Rock ninjas in terms of numbers, this advantage could not be maintained for long unless he could eliminate the enemy's high-tier combatants.
By doing so, he could inspire his own side's morale while intimidating the enemy ninjas.
This way, the combination of increased morale for his side and decreased morale for the enemy would enable the Leaf ninjas to maintain their momentum in battle.
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