Half an hour later.
As Qingming's sword pierced the heart of the Iwagakure jōnin in front of him, he had already dispatched five Iwagakure jōnin and special jōnin.
At this point, the only remaining high-level combatants on the Iwa side were the commander, Hekawa Ichirō, and the sensory special jōnin who had previously delivered a message to him.
They were now besieged by several Konoha jōnin.
Given the current situation, defeat was only a matter of time.
Thus, Qingming chose not to join that fray.
He figured it was reasonable to leave some scraps for others after he had feasted on the main course, right?
However, not participating in the battle didn't mean he was idle.
Although the morale of the Konoha ninjas had surged due to his continuous eliminations of enemy jōnin, they still lacked numerical superiority.
Therefore, despite keeping the Iwa ninjas on the defensive, they had not achieved a decisive victory.
In fact, some of them were starting to show signs of fatigue from exerting themselves too much.
If this energy dissipated, the tide of battle could very well turn.
Qingming wouldn't allow that to happen, so he decided to deal with the 'troublemakers' among the Iwagakure chūnin and lower ninjas.
As for battlefield rules…
Sorry, but the Iwa ninjas were no longer in a position to retaliate equally.
With that thought, Qingming leaped onto the top of a nearby building.
He activated his Sharingan and scanned the area, taking in the battlefield scenes unfolding around him.
Some Iwa ninjas were caught off guard and had their throats cut by Konoha ninjas.
Others from Konoha fell victim to Iwa ninjas and were killed on the spot.
There were also ninjas engaged in combat, suddenly ambushed by kunai or shuriken shot from the shadows, only to be slain by their immediate opponents.
In short, every moment saw someone getting injured or killed.
The battlefield surrounding Kogane Village resembled a meat grinder, harvesting lives one after another.
And this was just one small battleground.
At this very moment, there were countless similar battlefields throughout the ninja world, with many more lives being lost.
Qingming raised his head and gazed into the distance, as if his sight pierced through mountains and rivers, ignoring the night, allowing him to see battles across the ninja world.
Among them were ninjas from the five great villages, as well as those from smaller villages struggling to survive, and even wandering ninjas and bounty hunters seeking profit.
In short, everyone was involved in this great war in their own way—some passively, some actively—without anyone able to escape.
"Sigh~"
After a long moment, Qingming sighed and retracted his gaze.
"Without transcendence, one is ultimately just an ant; under the grand tide, one can only drift along."
With this reflection, Qingming gathered his thoughts, and his expression suddenly turned sharp.
He didn't want to waste any more time.
'It's time to end this meaningless battle.'
With that thought in mind, Qingming scanned the area and quickly locked onto several prominent Iwagakure chūnin.
He then flickered, appearing behind one of them.
Whoosh~
The short sword in his hand thrust forward.
A sense of danger surged in his heart, and Chiba Kohhei, who was pressing two Konoha chūnin, changed his expression drastically. He swiftly dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding a lethal strike to his back.
Pfft!
The short sword plunged into Chiba Kohhei's back, piercing his lung.
A wave of suffocation hit him, and he gritted his teeth, pulling his body away from the blade before rapidly forming hand seals to cast Body Flicker Technique.
However, just as he was about to take a few steps, another short sword stabbed toward him, blocking his path.
In a moment of crisis, Chiba Kohhei hit the brakes, managing to evade this attack just in time.
However, this was only the beginning.
Seeing his first attack miss, Qingming immediately thrust out a second and then a third sword…
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~
Chiba Kohhei felt engulfed by the shadow of death, with every moment bringing him closer to the threat of demise.
He couldn't see the angles or positions from which Qingming struck; he could only rely on instinct to evade.
After a dozen strikes, he was still alive.
This was his innate talent—an incredibly strong combat instinct he had possessed since becoming a ninja.
It was precisely because of this talent that his practical combat ability far exceeded that of ordinary people.
It was also why he could hold his own against two Konoha chūnin earlier.
Simultaneously, it was this talent that allowed him to evade over ten strikes from Qingming.
But that was where it ended; Qingming had merely been testing him out, intrigued by the hunt.
Now…
Qingming's expression hardened, and his movements suddenly accelerated.
In an instant, Chiba Kohhei was unable to keep up.
Without even needing to employ any other techniques, a single light strike pierced through his back, taking his life.
Chūnin were still chūnin; their limits were apparent. Perhaps only after advancing to jōnin could they possibly use this talent to counteract Qingming's visual tactics.
But now, he was still too inexperienced.
Unfortunately, he would never get that chance.
Pfft!
Qingming pulled out the short sword and let Chiba Kohhei's corpse fall to the ground.
At that moment, two Konoha chūnin approached and spoke, "Thank you, Captain, for your assistance!"
Although Qingming was shorter than both of them, their demeanor was extremely respectful.
There was even a hint of awe in their expressions.
This was not merely because Qingming had killed Chiba Kohhei, relieving them of danger; it was due to his earlier feats of dispatching five Iwagakure jōnin, showcasing his extraordinary strength.
It was this strength that commanded their respect.
Hearing someone speak, Qingming turned to glance at the two. Recognizing them as personnel sent by the Daiguren clan, he nodded and said, "You two should go help others."
"Yes, Captain!"
The two responded and quickly joined other battles, while Qingming raced toward another prominent Iwa ninja.
This particular Iwagakure chūnin was quite intelligent. He had been keeping an eye on Qingming ever since he had targeted Chiba Kohhei.
Now, seeing Qingming approach, he immediately gathered a few nearby Iwa ninjas to confront him.
Unfortunately, their strength was nowhere near that of a jōnin; no matter how many came, it would be of no use.
In less than half a minute, Qingming had slain one of them, severely wounded another, and disrupted their collaboration.
After another two minutes, he eliminated all of them.
And this was still due to a few of them fleeing in fear, requiring him to chase them down; otherwise, the time taken would have been even shorter.
After dispatching these ninjas, Qingming continued on without pause, heading toward another battlefield.
Thus, he traversed several battlefields, specifically targeting Iwa ninjas who stood out, and in no time, he had crushed the morale of the entire Iwagakure team.
In turn, with his involvement, the morale of the Konoha ninjas soared, effectively pressuring the Iwa ninjas to the brink of suffocation.
As time ticked by, it became evident that the Iwa ninjas were nearing their breaking point.
Finally, Hekawa Ichirō issued the retreat order.
The sharp whistle echoed across the battlefield, and the Iwa ninjas appeared to have heard a heavenly sound, revealing expressions of relief from impending doom.
They immediately disregarded everything and began rushing toward the outskirts of the battlefield.
Without the organization of the jōnin, their formation was extremely scattered, each focused on their own escape, lacking any cooperation.
Such a golden opportunity did not go unnoticed by the Konoha chūnin and lower ninjas present.
Without needing Qingming or other jōnin to give the word, they had already begun their pursuit.
Qingming chose not to follow; he glanced at Hekawa Ichirō and saw that the special jōnin skilled in sensory abilities who had accompanied him had already perished.
Moreover, Ichirō himself was missing an arm and was fleeing in a disheveled state.
Thus, the Iwagakure raid could be deemed a complete failure.
Now, he would have some peaceful time to focus on his training.
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