Chapter 81: The Final Showdown
A moment later, Seimei withdrew his gaze, suppressed his inner agitation, and began to quietly wait for the end of the first round of matches.
A few minutes later, the fourteenth match of the first round ended.
The fourteen winners were randomly assigned again and began the second round of matches.
Whether it was luck or Hiruzen Sarutobi intentionally saving the most exciting battles for last,
In short, in this second round of matches, Seimei and Uchiha Shisui still didn't face each other.
And without any surprises, they easily defeated their opponents.
At this point, anyone with a discerning eye could see that Seimei and Uchiha Shisui's strength was a cut above the others.
The final winner would only be decided between the two of them.
It was also fortunate that the promotion to Chunin was based on the overall performance of the three exams, not just the ranking in this match.
Otherwise, the other examinees would probably be competing passively now.
...
Time passed by.
An hour and a half later.
The second round of the third match ended.
The seven winners were grouped again, but because it was an odd number, one person would get a bye.
Seimei didn't have any hope for his luck, but unexpectedly, he got the bye this time.
However, after learning this news, he was only stunned for a moment before returning to normal.
The reason why he appeared so calm was naturally because he had enough confidence in his own strength.
Seimei believed that whether he got a bye or not this time, it wouldn't affect his promotion.
Therefore, he didn't care much about this result.
However, the other few people looked at Seimei with a hint of envy in their eyes.
Unfortunately, no matter what they thought, the exam had to continue.
By the third round, the remaining examinees were all quite capable, so the duration of each battle was slightly longer.
It took nearly an hour for all three battles to end.
Without giving them any time to rest, the draw for the fourth round began.
Without any surprises, he and Uchiha Shisui still didn't face each other, but each faced another examinee.
His opponent was a thirteen-year-old boy named Amano Kai, who had excellent close combat skills and knew some Lightning Release ninjutsu. His overall combat power was not weak.
But he was just not weak.
Against others, it was fine, but against Seimei, it was a bit underwhelming.
Moreover, back in the observation area, Seimei had already seen through the opponent's abilities.
Now, as soon as they clashed, it was like an open-book exam, simply too easy.
His decent close combat skills were nothing in front of his lv4 'Konoha-Style Kenjutsu'.
As for Lightning Release...
He didn't even have a chance to use it.
Finally, Seimei deliberately exposed a flaw while the opponent was flustered, luring Amano Kai to counterattack.
The opponent果然 fell for it, and Seimei immediately seized the opportunity, using 'Genjutsu: Sharingan' to end the battle directly.
When Amano Kai came to his senses, the examiner was already standing in front of him, blocking the incoming kunai for him, and announcing that Seimei had won.
After finishing this battle that could barely be considered a warm-up, Seimei returned to the second-floor corridor, leaned against the railing, and quietly waited for the final showdown.
He didn't have to wait long. Just a few minutes later, Uchiha Shisui finished his battle with another examinee.
At this time, the examiner's voice came: "The final match, Uchiha Seimei versus Uchiha Shisui!"
Hearing this, the eliminated examinees on the second-floor corridor all showed excitement.
Now everyone knew that Uchiha Seimei and Uchiha Shisui were the strongest in this Chunin Exam, so who would win when the two faced each other?
The examinees wanted to know the answer, and so did the Jonin.
Therefore, not only were the examinees very excited, but the Jonin also showed interest.
As for Uchiha Haruto, he was even more excited and couldn't hide his joy.
The top spot in the Chunin Exams would be decided between two Uchiha ninjas. Didn't this prove the strength of the Uchiha?
Influenced by the surrounding atmosphere, Seimei simply didn't take the stairs anymore. He put his right hand on the railing, flipped over it, and landed.
After landing, he bent his knees, dissipating the impact of the fall from the height, and stood steadily in front of Uchiha Shisui.
The examiner looked at the two of them and asked, "Are you ready?"
Hearing this, Seimei didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked at Uchiha Shisui and asked indifferently, "Do you need to rest for a bit?"
Hearing this, Uchiha Shisui was a little surprised, as if he was surprised that Seimei would say such a thing.
According to his observations of Seimei these days, the other party shouldn't be someone who liked to waste words.
This wasn't because Seimei was arrogant and was giving the other party a chance to rest, but because this match wasn't a life-or-death battle after all, and there was no need to take advantage of someone's weakness.
That's why he asked this question.
Otherwise, if it were a life-or-death struggle, he would want to strike immediately.
Rest?
That was a dream!
However, Uchiha Shisui didn't continue along with Seimei's words. Instead, he shook his head directly and said, "No need."
Hearing the conversation between the two, the examiner didn't waste any time. He immediately waved his right hand down, his figure retreated explosively, and at the same time, he shouted, "Begin!"
The next moment, a "clang" sound came.
It turned out that the moment the examiner's voice fell, Seimei and Uchiha Shisui both drew their short swords at the same time, then lunged forward, their short swords clashing fiercely.
Seimei gripped the hilt with both hands, continuously exerting force. Uchiha Shisui also held the sword with both hands, trying his best to resist.
But Seimei was two years older after all, and coupled with the several increases in his 'Physique' attribute, he was slightly stronger than Uchiha Shisui in terms of strength.
Therefore, after a stalemate for a moment, Uchiha Shisui chose to retreat.
And with this retreat, he lost the initiative.
Seimei seized the opportunity and used the 'Konoha-Style Kenjutsu' with all his might. The attacks came one after another, and Uchiha Shisui could only passively defend.
For a time, the sound of the two swords clashing was endless in the field.
Sparks splashed from the point where the blades met, showing the intensity of the battle.
Uchiha Shisui only felt the pressure increasing. He tried to counterattack several times to gain the initiative, but each time he was interrupted by Seimei.
The other party seemed to be very familiar with his sword moves and could accurately interrupt him every time he made a move, which made him very uncomfortable.
After thinking for a while, Uchiha Shisui suddenly realized - the other party was also an Uchiha ninja.
And being able to practice the 'Konoha-Style Kenjutsu' to this level was enough to show his high talent in kenjutsu.
In addition, he had already awakened the Sharingan, so there was no reason for him not to learn the 'Uchiha-Style Kenjutsu' that was very compatible with the Sharingan.
Maybe the other party's proficiency in 'Uchiha-Style Kenjutsu' was even higher than his.
Only in this way could it be explained why the other party could accurately interrupt his moves repeatedly.
'That's right, it must be like this!'
The more Uchiha Shisui thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
At the same time, he also realized that in close combat, he was most likely not Seimei's opponent.
'I need to change my strategy...'
Uchiha Shisui thought to himself while continuously blocking Seimei's attacks.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 82: Fierce Battle (Seeking First Subscription!)
Clang~
Clang clang clang~
After a few more exchanges,
Seimei suddenly discovered that Uchiha Shisui was no longer counterattacking, but only focusing on defense.
And once he switched to defense, even if his swordsmanship level was one level lower, with the convenience of the Sharingan, there was no risk of defeat for a while.
The opponent's choice made Seimei feel a little puzzled.
But soon, he figured out the cause and effect.
It was probably because he had been too obvious before, causing the opponent to suspect that he had mastered the 'Uchiha-Style Kenjutsu', so he chose to play it safe.
With this in mind, Seimei simply stopped hiding and immediately used the 'Uchiha-Style Kenjutsu', combined with the 'Konoha-Style Kenjutsu', making his attacks even more fierce.
'Sure enough, the opponent also knows the 'Uchiha-Style Kenjutsu'.'
Seeing Seimei's moves, Uchiha Shisui confirmed his guess, but it didn't matter. He still had to endure the pressure he had to endure.
With Seimei's continuous attacks, the pressure on Uchiha Shisui became greater and greater. Even with the Sharingan's assistance, he could hardly hold on.
Finally, after blocking Seimei's attack head-on once again, Uchiha Shisui stopped resisting. Instead, he tapped his feet on the ground and used the reaction force from the sword blade to quickly retreat.
But with this retreat, he once again gave the initiative to Seimei.
Seimei had just taken two steps forward when he saw Uchiha Shisui suddenly take something black from his ninja tool bag and sprinkle it on the path ahead of him.
The tomoe in his Sharingan spun rapidly, and with his powerful insight, Seimei saw what it was - caltrops.
A special ninja tool shaped like a sea urchin, covered with sharp spikes.
If he stepped on it, his mobility would be reduced by at least half.
Suppressing the chills in his heart, Seimei quickly stopped his pursuit.
Looking at Uchiha Shisui who was still retreating, Seimei suddenly put away his short sword, then raised his hands and quickly completed the hand seals.
Then, he took a deep breath, gathered the Fire Release chakra in his throat, and then spat it out forcefully.
Then, a fist-sized fireball condensed and formed, rapidly spinning and growing larger as it flew towards Uchiha Shisui.
The scorching heat it emitted could be clearly felt even from the second-floor corridor, far away from the battlefield.
This was not any other ninjutsu, but the C-rank ninjutsu known for its powerful single-target attack - Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.
Seeing the huge fireball smashing straight at him, Uchiha Shisui knew that it was too late to dodge now.
Even if he tried his best to avoid a direct hit, he would still be injured when the fireball exploded.
'Since things have come to this, I can only fight head-on.'
Various thoughts flashed through his mind, and Uchiha Shisui instantly made up his mind.
Then, as he was retreating, he suddenly raised his hands and completed the hand seals at an even faster speed than Seimei had just now.
The next moment, he opened his mouth and also spat out a fireball, which rapidly grew larger as it flew out.
This identical scene indicated that what he had just used was also the 'Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique'.
However, judging from the speed of his hand seals, his proficiency was obviously higher than Seimei's.
Therefore, even though he formed the seals later, he still successfully performed the ninjutsu before Seimei's fireball reached him.
The two fireballs, one large and one small, collided between them. After a brief stalemate, they exploded with a boom.
The next moment, a powerful gust of wind carrying rolling heat waves spread in all directions, causing everyone to squint their eyes.
Just then, a crisp sound of metal clashing rang out in the field, followed by a second, a third...
In an instant, the clashing sounds became continuous.
On the second-floor corridor.
Everyone focused their eyes.
They saw Seimei and Uchiha Shisui continuously throwing shurikens and kunais.
The clanging sounds in the field were caused by them colliding with each other in the air.
Such rapid and precise ninja tool throwing dazzled everyone.
Rip~
Suddenly, the sound of clothes being torn rang out.
Although this sound was small, it was particularly harsh amidst the clanging of ninja tools.
Everyone looked towards the sound and saw that the clothes on Uchiha Shisui's left shoulder were torn, with blood faintly oozing out.
Looking behind him, there was a shuriken stained with a bit of scarlet blood.
In this situation, needless to say, everyone knew what had happened.
Obviously, Seimei had gained the upper hand in this round of confrontation.
However, Seimei wasn't happy at all.
Although he had known for a long time that he wasn't a genius and that he had achieved what he had today entirely through the proficiency panel and his own efforts,
But when he truly realized the gap between himself and a genius, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
He had practiced 'Ninja Tool Throwing' for so long, and when facing Uchiha Shisui, a genius two years younger than him, he could only barely gain the upper hand.
Such a gap inevitably made people feel discouraged.
Fortunately, Seimei adjusted quickly.
So what if he was a genius? Geniuses also had their limits, and he had no limits!
Being one step ahead wasn't anything. The one who could laugh until the end was the true winner.
Seimei had the confidence to be the one who laughed last.
What's more...
It wasn't Uchiha Shisui who was one step ahead of him now, but he was one step ahead of Uchiha Shisui.
Therefore, there was absolutely no need for him to be discouraged.
On the other side, Uchiha Shisui looked at Seimei, whose emotions had fluctuated for a while, and didn't understand what had happened, but this didn't stop him from seizing this rare opportunity to counterattack.
So he was seen dodging the shurikens thrown by Seimei with a few flashes, then quickly completing the hand seals and using the 'Genjutsu: Sharingan'.
Seeing this scene, Seimei inwardly cried out "Not good" and quickly mobilized his chakra, fully activating his Sharingan, preparing to resist this mental attack.
Instantly, both of them stood still in the field, motionless. Only the fluctuating mental energy emitted from time to time could prove how fierce their confrontation was.
A moment later, both of them opened their eyes at the same time. A bit of scarlet blood slipped from the corner of Seimei's mouth, showing that he had fallen into a disadvantage in this genjutsu confrontation.
Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Seimei looked at Uchiha Shisui not far away, who was only slightly weakened in aura.
He couldn't help but sigh in his heart, "As expected of a genius who can awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan in the future, his mental power has already surpassed mine."
That's right, in terms of mental power alone, Uchiha Shisui had already surpassed him.
Coupled with the fact that he had taken the initiative to use genjutsu, this was why his mind had suffered some trauma.
Fortunately, this injury didn't affect his combat ability.
With this in mind, Seimei once again charged forward with his sword.
Since he had a huge advantage in close combat, there was no need to abandon the near and seek the far. He could just use his advantage to defeat the enemy directly.
However, he wanted to utilize his advantage, but Uchiha Shisui didn't want to fall into the previous passive situation.
Therefore, without any noticeable movement, he had already used the 'Body Flicker Technique' and quickly distanced himself from Seimei.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 83: Victory (Seeking First Subscription!)
Whoosh whoosh whoosh~
Several shurikens were thrown by Uchiha Shisui, aiming directly at Seimei's vital points.
The two tomoe in his pupils spun rapidly, and Seimei instantly locked onto all the incoming shurikens, predicting their flight paths.
Then, his figure flickered, avoiding most of the attacks. The remaining two were also deflected by him with his sword, one by one.
Then, his footsteps didn't stop, and he approached Uchiha Shisui again.
Seeing this, Uchiha Shisui did the same, throwing kunais while using the 'Body Flicker Technique' to create distance.
Just like that, the two sides kept pulling and pushing. When Uchiha Shisui ran out of ninja tools, he used ninjutsu to attack.
Although Seimei had the Sharingan and could avoid damage, he still couldn't get close to Uchiha Shisui, which made his idea of close combat come to nothing.
'In that case, let's see whose ninjutsu is more powerful!'
With this in mind, Seimei suddenly stopped, flicked his wrist, and sheathed his short sword.
Then, he raised his hands, quickly formed the six hand seals of 'Zi-Yin-Xu-Chou-Mao-Yin', opened his mouth, and spat out dozens or even hundreds of fireballs.
These fireballs, like balsam seeds, flew towards Uchiha Shisui.
"So fast!"
Uchiha Shisui was startled and hurriedly dodged.
But he truly underestimated the proficiency of Seimei's 'Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique' and was caught off guard on the spot.
It was no wonder that Uchiha Shisui was careless. It was because when Seimei used the 'Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique' before, the level he displayed was just so-so.
With preconceived notions, it was natural to think that his ninjutsu level was average.
Unexpectedly, his 'Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique' was far more proficient than the 'Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique'.
In this way, it was normal to suffer a setback.
But Seimei wouldn't let go of this opportunity. Looking at Uchiha Shisui, who had just dodged a round of attacks in a panic, Seimei didn't pause at all and immediately launched a second wave of attacks.
It was still the 'Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique', but at the moment the fireballs were released, Seimei threw several shurikens.
If it were an ordinary person, facing this sudden mixed attack, they would very likely be hit.
But Uchiha Shisui was different. His gaze never left Seimei.
Therefore, the moment Seimei made his move, he realized that this attack was different.
So, his dodging movements were even more cautious.
Even so, he was still startled by the crimson shurikens flying out from the fireballs.
Feeling the burning sensation from them, Uchiha Shisui couldn't imagine how painful it would be if they landed on him.
Fortunately, such an attack didn't pose much of a threat to him with the Sharingan.
Uchiha Shisui dodged this wave of attacks with a few flashes.
Seeing this, Seimei said "Too bad" inwardly, and then launched another attack.
It was still the 'Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique'. Anyway, with his current chakra reserves, using it fifty or sixty times was not a problem.
Since the opponent didn't want to engage in close combat with him, he would force him to do so.
As the saying goes, there is no defense that cannot be broken.
He could launch such attacks again and again.
Uchiha Shisui could dodge once, twice, three or four times, or even ten or eight times.
But as long as the opponent made one mistake, that would be his chance.
Moreover, as time went by, Seimei gradually had a clearer understanding of Uchiha Shisui's behavioral habits.
In this way, coupled with the Sharingan's insight, it was not so difficult to predict the opponent's movements.
Thus, the pressure on Uchiha Shisui would inevitably increase.
At that time, he would either fight him head-on or reveal a flaw while dodging and be forced to engage him.
In any case, there was no loss for him, so Seimei was not in a hurry.
Now, he just needed to keep a close eye on the opponent's movements and pay attention to any possible counterattacks.
Time passed by.
On the second-floor corridor, the examinees who had already been eliminated were already dumbfounded.
They watched the battle below and felt that it was not on the same level as them.
With the strength displayed by the two people below, if they were to go up, they would probably have died eight times over.
"Are they really just Genin?"
Someone in the field voiced the thoughts of these examinees.
But no one answered his question. Everyone was nervously staring at the battle below.
Finally, after narrowly avoiding the bombardment of the fireballs once again, Uchiha Shisui launched a counterattack.
Perhaps he also knew that delaying wouldn't do him any good, so he simply went all out and directly launched a counterattack.
However, counterattacks also required strategy.
First of all, close combat should be avoided if possible.
Secondly, ninjutsu attacks could only serve as support.
He had just awakened his eyes not long ago and hadn't learned many ninjutsu. The one he was most skilled at was the 'Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique'.
But from the previous battle, it was clear that such an attack couldn't hurt Seimei at all.
Therefore, he could only rely on genjutsu.
And only in the previous genjutsu duel had he gained a certain advantage.
Since that was the case, he naturally had to amplify this advantage again.
However, what he could think of, Seimei could naturally think of too.
Therefore, when the opponent tried to use the 'Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique' to interfere with his judgment, he didn't waver at all.
After using the 'Body Flicker Technique' to actively dodge the attack of the big fireball, he immediately seized the opportunity and used the 'Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique' first.
The reason why the opponent could hurt him in the genjutsu duel before, besides having higher mental power than him, was mainly because he had used genjutsu first.
Otherwise, even if Seimei was no match, he wouldn't have been injured.
After all, the opponent's Sharingan wasn't Mangekyo yet, and with double tomoe, the difference wasn't that big.
Therefore, after taking the initiative this time, Seimei didn't fall into a disadvantage at all.
Moreover, because the attack was too sudden, Uchiha Shisui wasn't mentally prepared at all. The severe pain brought by the 'Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique' immediately made him cry out.
After all, he was just a nine-year-old child. Although he was mature, he still couldn't bear it when he suddenly encountered such torture.
However, Seimei didn't care whether the opponent could bear it or not.
Seeing that he was controlled by the genjutsu, without any hesitation, his hands that hadn't been put down yet quickly formed the four seals of 'Si-Chen-Mao-Yin', opened his mouth, and spat out a flame, which was the 'Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique'.
This technique had no other characteristics, just one word - fast!
Especially in straight-line attacks, it was faster than most Fire Release ninjutsu.
As for ninja tools...
Sorry, he had already used them all up!
Seeing the menacing flames, Uchiha Shisui's pupils shrank violently, and endless fear suddenly arose in his heart.
But a genius was a genius. Even in such an emergency, he still forcibly stabilized his mind.
Finally, at the critical moment, with the double tomoe Sharingan and strong mental power, he broke free from the control of the 'Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique' and dodged to the side.
This made the examiner, who was about to step forward, stop.
The flames bombarded the floor, causing a huge explosion, only slightly affecting Uchiha Shisui.
This was also the drawback of the 'Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique' - it could only attack in a straight line and couldn't turn.
But this was enough.
Before Uchiha Shisui could stand up, Seimei had already arrived beside him using the 'Body Flicker Technique'.
Feeling the coldness on his neck, Uchiha Shisui hesitated for a moment, and finally gave up resisting, whispering, "I lost."
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 84: Malice (Seeking First Subscription!)
"I lost!"
Hearing Uchiha Shisui's slightly unwilling words, Seimei withdrew the short sword that was against his neck.
Honestly, he didn't feel very good about winning this battle.
First of all, in terms of head-on combat, he didn't achieve complete suppression, which led him to have to frequently use ninjutsu to force the opponent to reveal flaws.
However, this was not only inefficient and consumed a lot of chakra, but it also relied heavily on the enemy's performance.
If his opponent this time wasn't Uchiha Shisui, but another experienced Uchiha ninja, his method might not have worked.
Even if they fought again, Uchiha Shisui wouldn't reveal flaws so easily.
In that case, the battle would inevitably drag on.
As the saying goes, delays lead to changes.
If every battle he fought in the future dragged on for so long, there was no guarantee that he wouldn't overturn.
Therefore, it was best to choose a quick victory.
But the premise of a quick victory was that his own combat power was far superior to the opponent's.
Seimei wasn't worried about the future. With the proficiency panel, his strength would sooner or later be far ahead of others.
But now, and for a long time to come, he couldn't be invincible.
Therefore, encountering evenly matched opponents was a high probability event.
In that case, he couldn't count on quick victories.
At that time, if he wanted to win, he would probably have to face a similar situation to today.
Then, if he didn't want to be as passive as today, he had to make up for his shortcomings.
That's right, his shortcomings.
Through today's battle, Seimei discovered that he seemed to lack large-scale attack methods.
Whether it was the 'Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique' or the 'Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique', they both focused on single-target attacks.
Even the so-called group attack 'Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique' could only exert its group attack effect when facing people whose strength was much lower than his own.
When facing a ninja whose strength was not much different from his, like Uchiha Shisui, even if all the attacks were concentrated on one point, it might not be able to injure the opponent, let alone a group attack.
As for his other skills...
They had even less group damage effect.
Therefore, strictly speaking, he didn't have any large-scale attack methods.
Undoubtedly, this was his shortcoming.
If he had a large-scale attack Fire Release ninjutsu today, even if Uchiha Shisui wanted to avoid close combat, he probably wouldn't be able to.
Why would he need to frequently release ninjutsu, hoping for the opponent to reveal a flaw?
Thinking back to the battle scenes between Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, two top experts, which of their moves wasn't aimed at changing the world?
In such a situation, any strategy, combat wisdom, ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu were just fleeting clouds.
Vaguely, Seimei had some enlightenment. Perhaps this was the path he should take.
"The final match, Uchiha Seimei, wins!"
At this moment, the examiner's voice came from the side, interrupting Seimei's thoughts.
Immediately, there was a burst of cheers in the field.
It was still the latter half of the Third Ninja World War, and Konoha hadn't yet experienced the Nine-Tails' attack. The high-level officials, led by Danzo, hadn't yet started the unfavorable public opinion guidance against the Uchiha clan.
Therefore, most Konoha ninjas didn't have much hostility towards the Uchiha clan.
So, after Seimei won, they didn't hesitate to applaud.
Especially those examinees, after witnessing the power of the Sharingan, couldn't help but cast envious glances.
However, amidst these envious gazes, Seimei suddenly sensed an undisguised malice.
Seimei frowned slightly and looked in the direction of the feeling. Then, in a corner of the second-floor corridor, he saw a 'familiar' figure.
He had a thin build but very strong muscles, wearing a grayish-black kimono, with brown hair and two crossed scars on his chin. His right eye was wrapped in bandages, and his only remaining left eye was narrow and long, giving people an extremely sinister feeling.
Who else could it be but Danzo Shimura?
'When did this troublemaker come?'
Seimei was puzzled, but he didn't look at the other party too much.
Although the other party showed malice at their first meeting, making Seimei very unhappy,
But he knew his own limitations. With his current strength, he couldn't challenge the other party's authority.
In this situation, it was natural to stay as far away as possible.
He wasn't some fool who would act recklessly when his strength was insufficient.
That would only bring temporary satisfaction and no other benefit.
It might even bring about his own demise.
The correct approach was to improve his strength and then crush the opponent with one palm.
Seeing Seimei look away, Danzo Shimura looked at the Root ninja beside him and said, "Before tonight, I want all the information on these two people."
"Yes, Lord Danzo!"
After responding, the Root ninja disappeared.
At the same time, Hiruzen Sarutobi walked to the front of the stage, encouraged everyone a few words, and then announced the end of this Chunin Exam.
As for the results...
They would have to wait two more days for them to be announced.
Afterwards, the examinees present followed their respective teachers or the messenger Chunin and left the central tower one after another.
Before Seimei could move, two figures came in front of him.
It was Uchiha Haruto and Uchiha Shisui.
"Let's go together!"
Uchiha Haruto said.
Hearing this, Seimei agreed almost without any hesitation.
The appearance of Danzo had already made him more vigilant.
Now that he could stay by the side of Uchiha Haruto, a Jonin, he naturally couldn't ask for more.
...
More than half an hour later.
Seimei said goodbye to Uchiha Haruto and Uchiha Shisui and returned home.
The first thing he did when he got home was to sense everything around him. After confirming that there was nothing unusual, he finally let out a long sigh of relief.
It was no wonder he was so cautious. The malice emanating from Danzo was too obvious.
With the memories of his past life, he knew very well that Danzo was a person who would do anything to achieve his goals.
Expecting such a person to abide by the village's unspoken rules was undoubtedly wishful thinking.
Therefore, he had to be careful.
Anyway, he wouldn't stay in the village for long. It was always right to be careful now.
Once he returned to the battlefield, it wouldn't be so easy for Danzo to have any ulterior motives.
Putting his thoughts aside, Seimei began to think about the previous issue of making up for his shortcomings.
As for large-scale attack Fire Release ninjutsu, Seimei could only think of the various Fire Release ninjutsu used by Jiraiya and the 'Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation' and 'Fire Release: Great Fire Destruction' used by Madara Uchiha.
The former needed to be obtained from Jiraiya. Although Jiraiya was easy to talk to, they weren't related, and it was impossible for him to teach him his trump card.
And the latter...
'Perhaps I can find it in the Uchiha clan's collection.'
If he really couldn't find it, he could also look for similar ninjutsu after he developed other chakra natures.
"There's always a way."
Mumbling to himself, Seimei stopped thinking about it and turned to start today's training.
Although the Chunin Exams had just passed, he couldn't relax his training for even a moment.
Only in this way could he ensure that he wouldn't regret it when danger came.
... No more...
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 85: Choices
Three days later.
Seimei received the notification of his promotion to Chunin.
After going to the Hokage Building to complete the registration and receiving two sets of standard Konoha Chunin vests,
From then on, he was officially a Chunin.
Walking out of the Hokage Building, Seimei paused for a moment and suddenly said to himself, "Since I'm already out, I might as well go to the clan's library!"
"I wonder if my application has been approved?"
He thought to himself as he walked.
As the saying goes, there are no rules without a circle.
In the Uchiha clan,
Whether it was a ninja rank promotion, awakening the Sharingan, or the second or third evolution of the Sharingan, one could get a free opportunity to enter the clan's library.
During this time, one could read any books and scrolls inside, but if they chose to take them away, they could only take one.
Seimei had just been promoted to Chunin, awakened the Sharingan, and not long ago, it had even evolved to double tomoe.
So, theoretically, he could take three books or scrolls from the library.
Therefore, there shouldn't be any problems with his application.
Sure enough, when Seimei went to the library to inquire, he was immediately informed that his application had been approved.
So, Seimei didn't waste any time and immediately requested to enter.
The Uchiha ninja guarding the library didn't refuse. After carefully checking him, he let him in.
Coming to this massive library, Seimei finally understood what it meant to have a profound foundation.
Except for some secret inheritances, almost all the books and scrolls collected by the Uchiha clan over the past millennium were stored here.
If Seimei had been a little worried about not being able to find the ninjutsu he wanted before, now he wasn't worried at all.
With this collection, wouldn't it be easy to find a few ninjutsu that could absorb chakra or had a large attack range?
However, facts proved that this was really not a simple matter.
Although there were many books here, they were not arranged in any particular order.
Therefore, it was not easy to find ninjutsu with specific functions.
Fortunately, Seimei had a clear goal, and with the Sharingan's assistance, he finally found what he wanted before the reading time ended.
First was a chakra absorption ninjutsu - Chakra Absorption Technique.
That's right, it was the strange ninjutsu that the Sound ninja spy, Akado Yoroi, used against Sasuke during the Chunin Exams more than ten years later in Naruto's generation.
Seimei originally thought it was a unique ninjutsu created by Orochimaru.
Unexpectedly, he actually saw it here.
In that case, this so-called 'Chakra Absorption Technique' couldn't have been created by Orochimaru.
This point could also be seen from the ninjutsu itself.
First of all, the flaws of this ninjutsu were too great.
Among them, the biggest problem was that the speed of absorbing chakra was too slow.
Take the battle between Akado Yoroi and Sasuke as an example.
At that time, Sasuke had already been tortured half to death by the Cursed Seal and had also experienced a rather fierce battle.
But even in this situation, Akado Yoroi still couldn't drain the opponent's chakra in a short time, and was even killed in the end.
This was simply too weak.
Coupled with the prerequisite of needing physical contact to activate it, this technique completely became useless.
Except for bullying weaker opponents, it had no practical value at all.
If I could touch you and control you for a while, why would I need to absorb chakra? Wouldn't it be better to just kill you with one strike?
With Orochimaru's pursuit of perfection, how could he create a ninjutsu with such a big flaw?
Even if he did create it, he would probably try his best to improve it instead of just leaving it like that.
Seimei guessed that he probably only obtained this technique by chance, studied it a bit, and then casually threw it to Akado Yoroi, who then treated it as a treasure.
But it had to be said that this technique could indeed be considered a treasure in his hands.
No other reason than that this technique had a complete framework and a very high concept.
And this meant that he could continuously raise the upper limit of this technique by increasing its proficiency, thus achieving effects that even the creator couldn't imagine.
Just like the 'Mind Reflection Technique'...
The original intention of creating this technique was just to help the Uchiha clan's ninjas awaken the Sharingan.
But as he continuously upgraded it, now it could play a considerable role in the evolution of the Sharingan, which was probably something that those creators hadn't thought of.
Therefore, it didn't matter that the 'Chakra Absorption Technique' had flaws. As long as he continuously improved its level, those flaws would eventually disappear.
At that time, maybe he could use this technique to forcibly plunder the tailed beasts' chakra, thus realizing the creator's dream.
That's right, the original intention of creating this technique was to convert the tailed beasts' chakra for one's own use.
That was why Seimei said that the concept of this technique was very high.
Unfortunately, the effect of the ninjutsu was far from the expectation, and it eventually became useless.
Pulling his thoughts back, Seimei looked at the second book.
What was recorded on it was not some ninjutsu, but some insights on developing a second chakra nature.
Yes, Seimei planned to start developing a second chakra nature after he had cultivated the 'Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique' to perfection.
And he had already set his goal, which was Wind Release.
For this, he also reserved his third choice for a Wind Release ninjutsu called 'Wind Release: Great Breakthrough'.
Although this was only a C-rank ninjutsu, its power was strongly correlated with the amount of chakra input.
As long as the caster's ability was strong enough, its coverage could completely reach several hundred or even a thousand square meters, and its power was not to be underestimated.
In this way, it could make up for his shortcomings in large-scale attack methods.
That's right, Seimei didn't find the 'Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation' and 'Fire Release: Great Fire Destruction' that he had expected in the library.
He didn't know if they were hidden in some corner or taken away by Madara Uchiha.
In any case, he didn't see them.
And this was also one of the reasons why he was preparing to develop Wind Release as his second nature.
Putting away the three books, Seimei didn't stay any longer. After some inspection, he left the library and then went straight back home.
Sitting in the training room, Seimei recalled the village's arrangements.
According to the notice, he would have about a month to rest.
A month later, he would return to the Rain Country battlefield.
Obviously, the village deliberately left some time for them, these newly promoted Chunin, to improve their strength.
From this point of view, the situation on the front line shouldn't have reached the most critical moment yet.
Otherwise, let alone leaving them time to improve their strength, it would be considered good if they weren't pushed to their limits.
However, no matter what, it was always a good thing to have a month of rest.
It just so happened that he also had several skills that were about to be upgraded. This month was enough for him to improve his strength further.
With this in mind, Seimei stopped thinking about it and turned to start his training.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 86: A Month Later, Embarking Again!
Time flies like an arrow, and in the blink of an eye, a month has passed.
One evening.
Uchiha Clan grounds.
In a training field.
Seimei rapidly completed a series of hand seals, opened his mouth, and exhaled a large burst of flames.
These flames divided and condensed in mid-air, ultimately forming hundreds of small fireballs resembling balsam seeds.
The Sharingan in Seimei's pupils spun, and these fireballs, following his will, scattered and smashed into the surrounding dozen or so large trees.
Boom, boom, boom~
A series of subtle explosions rang out.
The fireballs hit the trees, leaving fist-sized charred holes.
Looking at these holes, Seimei nodded in satisfaction, thinking to himself, "As expected, after 'Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique' was upgraded to lv4, both its plasticity and power have increased significantly."
Previously, at lv3, when he used 'Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique', he had to spit out the fireballs one by one. Although the speed wasn't slow, there were still some gaps.
And this gave the enemy room to dodge.
Now, with 'Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique' upgraded to lv4, he began to touch upon the shape and nature transformations of fire-attribute chakra.
The former allowed him to exhale the fire-style chakra in one go, then divide and condense it, ultimately controlling all the fireballs to attack simultaneously.
As long as he shortened the time for the flames to condense and take shape, the enemy's chances of dodging would become smaller and smaller.
And this could be achieved simply by continuing to practice the proficiency of 'Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique'.
The latter made the fireballs he divided more aggressive.
In the past, although the fireballs caused a larger area of damage when they hit the trees, in terms of power, they were not as strong as they are now.
Now, although these fireballs could only create fist-sized holes, the high temperature and explosive effects contained within them posed a far greater threat to people than before.
It could be said that this single skill alone had significantly increased his strength.
Not to mention that in the past month, his other skills had also improved considerably.
"Panel!"
With a thought, Seimei opened the proficiency panel.
The next moment, the familiar light blue screen appeared.
[Name: Uchiha Seimei
Age: 11 years old
Physique: 9
Spirit: 11
Chakra: 5610 (6109→10621)
Bloodline: Sharingan - Two Tomoe (1/5000) → (354/5000)
Skills: Chakra Refinement Technique: lv4 (510/2000) → lv4 (792/2000)
Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique: lv2 (65/500)
Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique: lv3 (710/1000) → lv4 (75/2000)
Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique: lv2 (35/500)
Body Flicker Technique: lv3 (511/1000) → lv3 (870/1000)
Shadow Clone Technique: lv0 (5/100)
* Chakra Absorption Technique: lv1 (1/200)
Healing Technique: lv1 (65/200) → lv2 (10/500)
Genjutsu: Binding Snake Glare Technique: lv3 (2/1000) → lv3 (355/1000)
Genjutsu: Sharingan: lv2 (65/500) → lv2 (420/500)
Heart Reflection Technique: Lv5 (446/5000) → Lv5 (1181/5000)
Konoha-Style Kenjutsu: lv4 (520/2000) → lv4 (1460/2000)
Uchiha-Style Kenjutsu: lv4 (1/2000) → lv4 (1205/2000)
Shurikenjutsu: lv4 (350/2000) → lv4 (1620/2000)
Chakra Control: lv3 (220/1000) → lv3 (405/1000)
Three Basic Techniques: lv3 (0/0)]
It could be seen that in the past month, besides 'Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique' leveling up, 'Healing Technique' had also been upgraded from lv1 to lv2, with improved healing effects.
Furthermore, 'Body Flicker Technique', 'Genjutsu: Binding Snake Glare Technique', 'Genjutsu: Sharingan', 'Konoha-Style Kenjutsu', 'Uchiha-Style Kenjutsu', and 'Shurikenjutsu' had all shown significant improvements.
Especially 'Body Flicker Technique' and 'Genjutsu: Sharingan', one's proficiency had reached lv3 (870/1000), and the other's had reached lv2 (420/500), both just one step away from leveling up.
It was a pity that he would be setting off next year to return to the battlefield in the Land of Rain; otherwise, his strength could have been further enhanced.
Shaking his head inwardly, Seimei turned his gaze to the two swordsmanship techniques. After a month of practice, their proficiency had increased considerably.
Unfortunately, they still hadn't broken through.
Thus, even if he wanted to accelerate the evolution of his Sharingan, he couldn't.
Thinking of the Sharingan's evolution, Seimei looked at the bloodline section - Sharingan - Two Tomoe (354/5000)!
At the current rate, it would take at least fifteen more months for his Sharingan to evolve to Three Tomoe.
This was absolutely unacceptable to him.
Fortunately, he had already learned the 'Chakra Absorption Technique'.
Once he returned to the battlefield and found opportunities to extract chakra from some enemies to supplement his own, the amount of chakra he could utilize would increase.
At that time, by devoting all this chakra to practicing the 'Heart Reflection Technique', the evolution speed of his Sharingan would naturally accelerate.
Additionally, there were 'Konoha-Style Kenjutsu' and 'Uchiha-Style Kenjutsu'. Although they hadn't broken through yet, they weren't far from it either.
Once they broke through and triggered an increase in his 'Physique' attribute, further increasing the amount of chakra available daily, the evolution speed of his Sharingan would become even faster.
It was a pity that he couldn't see any hope of his 'Heart Reflection Technique' and 'Chakra Refinement Technique' leveling up in the short term.
Otherwise, the speed would be even quicker.
"Forget it, one shouldn't bite off more than they can chew. Let's take it one step at a time!"
Mumbling to himself, Seimei closed the panel and continued practicing 'Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique', along with several other ninjutsu and genjutsu techniques.
After the sun set, he returned home.
He ate a little something to fill his stomach and then resumed his training.
For the past month, this had basically been his life. Apart from eating, sleeping, and resting, he spent the rest of his time cultivating.
During the day, he practiced ninjutsu, genjutsu, and kenjutsu in the training field, and at night, he worked on advancing his Sharingan's evolution at home while accumulating chakra for the next day's training.
In short, he didn't idle for a moment. Although life was relatively monotonous, it was quite fulfilling.
Several hours passed in the blink of an eye.
It was late at night.
In the training room.
Seimei opened his eyes, yawned, then opened the panel and glanced at the chakra amount displayed on it - 9106 points.
Feeling that his body had reached its limit, Seimei stopped circulating the 'Chakra Refinement Technique', washed his face briefly, and returned to his bedroom.
A few moments later, soft snoring could be heard as Seimei drifted into dreams.
...
The night passed uneventfully.
The next day.
Early morning.
The sky was dimly lit.
After breakfast, Seimei arrived at the square in front of the Hokage Building.
From a distance, he spotted Uchiha Shisui.
Over the past month, he had occasionally seen Shisui in the training field and even sparred with him in kenjutsu a few times. Although they weren't particularly close, they weren't strangers either.
Seimei quite liked Uchiha Shisui's personality.
Although he could be idealistic at times, at least he wouldn't go to extremes like Uchiha Itachi did later on.
Of course, it was also possible that witnessing Uchiha Shisui's death before his eyes was what drove Uchiha Itachi to extremes. But regardless, Seimei didn't approve of his actions in massacring the entire clan.
However, since he had come to this world and inherited the identity of Uchiha Seimei, enjoying the benefits
Chapter 87: Hidden Agenda and Ambush
After waiting for about half an hour, when everyone had arrived, a Konoha Jonin stepped forward.
Seimei recognized this person. It was Tanigawa Maki, the proctor of their second Chunin Exam a month ago.
He was the captain of their current mission, leading them back to the battlefield in the Land of Rain.
Clap, clap, clap~
Tanigawa Maki clapped his hands.
After attracting everyone's attention, he said, "Some of you have come down from the battlefield in the Land of Rain, and some are going there for the first time, but..."
At this point, his gaze swept across the crowd, and his voice suddenly became extremely serious, "But, whether it's the former or the latter, I hope you will absolutely obey my orders in the next few days."
"Do you understand?"
Everyone looked at each other and then responded in unison, "Yes!"
On this trip, apart from Tanigawa Maki, a true Jonin, the only other high-level combat power in the team were three Tokubetsu Jonin. The rest were either Chunin or Genin.
Naturally, no one would object to his request to follow his orders.
Moreover, he was the captain appointed by the village, and they were supposed to obey.
However, Seimei felt something was amiss.
It seemed that something he didn't know had happened behind the scenes, causing Konoha to be somewhat vigilant. Otherwise, Tanigawa Maki wouldn't be so serious.
In fact, this was indeed the case.
In the past half month, several teams departing from Konohagakure to various battlefields had been ambushed and attacked.
Under normal circumstances, when such incidents occurred, the village should either increase the number of personnel or temporarily suspend support until the hidden dangers were eliminated before proceeding.
However, the war had dragged on to this point, and Konoha was also somewhat short-handed. Yet, the front lines couldn't lack people, so they could only brace themselves and continue.
Precisely because of this, Tanigawa Maki was so serious.
Seeing that no one had any objections, Tanigawa Maki nodded and then said, "Alright, let's go!"
With that, he took the lead and ran out of the village.
Seeing this, the others quickly followed.
Soon, the group left the village.
...
At the same time.
Root's headquarters.
In Danzo's office.
A knock on the door suddenly sounded.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
Hearing the sound, Danzo said without raising his head, "Come in!"
Creak~
The door was pushed open, and a Root ninja walked in, kneeling on one knee, "Sir, Uchiha Seimei and Uchiha Shisui have set off."
"Oh~"
Upon hearing this, Danzo finally put down the documents in his hand, raised his head, and asked, "Are there any Uchiha Jonin accompanying them?"
"No, sir!"
The Root ninja below replied affirmatively.
"Is that so..."
Danzo murmured, tapping his index finger on the desk.
A moment later, he decisively ordered, "Immediately notify the 'Crying Rain' squad to take action. Everything must be carried out strictly according to the plan. No mistakes are allowed."
"Yes, Danzo-sama!"
After responding, the Root ninja disappeared.
Looking at the disappearing figure, Danzo snorted coldly and muttered to himself, "Uchiha, hmph..."
...
Realizing that the journey might not be peaceful, Seimei reduced his training time along the way, always maintaining high energy to be ready to respond to any emergencies.
Facts proved that his caution was justified.
After leaving the village, everything was normal for the first few days while they were still within the Land of Fire.
But as soon as they stepped into the Land of Rain and hadn't gone far, they were attacked.
The attackers were none other than a group of Iwa-nin.
Although the whole encounter seemed like a coincidence, Seimei keenly noticed a smug look of "There really are people here" in the eyes of the leading Iwa Jonin.
Looking at their organized advance and retreat, it was clear they were well-prepared and knew someone would pass through here.
So the question was, they were taking a different and very secluded route this time, how did the enemy know?
'There's a traitor!'
A thought suddenly popped up, and Seimei immediately had a bad feeling.
If there really was a traitor, then the traitor was either among them or had obtained the corresponding information from the village's higher-ups.
But either way, it meant that the enemy knew far more about them than they knew about the enemy.
And this asymmetry of information would inevitably put them at a significant disadvantage.
In fact, this was indeed the case.
After just a few minutes of fighting, their side was already at a disadvantage, with several people injured and some Genin even killed.
Of course, this wasn't solely due to the information asymmetry but also because the enemy had set up an ambush beforehand.
In terms of actual strength, this group of Iwa-nin wasn't necessarily much stronger than them.
After all, although this place wasn't within Konoha's core defense zone, it was still within their territory, and the number of Iwa-nin that could be mobilized was limited.
Therefore, the current situation was mainly due to them being caught off guard; otherwise, they wouldn't be so passive.
Amidst the chaos, Tanigawa Maki shouted at Seimei and Uchiha Shisui, "Seimei, you defend the left flank. Shisui, you watch the right side."
After saying that, without waiting for their response, he shouted loudly, "Everyone, follow me and break through!"
Seimei originally wanted to conserve his energy and observe the situation before acting.
Unexpectedly, he was directly assigned such a difficult task by Tanigawa Maki.
After a brief hesitation, Seimei ultimately chose to obey his orders.
Anyway, he had already observed that although the Iwa-nin present were all quite capable, they were still a notch below him.
This level of opponent didn't pose much of a threat to him.
Therefore, it was fine to contribute a bit.
The only thing to be wary of was the potential traitor, so when he took action later, he would focus on defense and cover.
With this in mind, Seimei instantly disengaged from his current opponent and used the Body Flicker Technique to reach the left flank of the team.
Then, he rapidly formed hand seals and executed the ninjutsu - Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique.
A large burst of flames was exhaled from his mouth, quickly dividing and condensing into countless fireballs.
He controlled these fireballs, scattering and smashing them towards the Iwa-nin.
At the forefront, an Iwa-nin turned his head to dodge the fireball attack. Feeling the intense heat emanating from it, he immediately shouted, "Everyone, be careful!"
Hearing this, the others were startled and quickly dodged the incoming fireballs.
The fireballs, resembling balsam seeds, flew all over the sky, instantly disrupting the Iwa-nin's offensive rhythm.
Seimei's side was like this, and Uchiha Shisui's side was no less impressive.
He wielded a short sword, continuously using the Body Flicker Technique, moving like a ghost, dashing and weaving through the Iwa-nin ranks, throwing their formation into disarray.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Tanigawa Maki, while fending off the attacks of the enemy Jonin, led the team in breaking through the encirclement.
About half an hour later, Seimei's group finally escaped the Iwa-nin's siege. Although they hadn't completely shaken off the pursuit, they were no longer as passive as before.
After a brief rest, Tanigawa Maki assessed the casualties and, determining that they couldn't defeat the enemy, rearranged the entire team.
He had a Tokubetsu Jonin lead the team to continue forward, while he and the other two Tokubetsu Jonin, along with eight Chunin, stayed behind to block the enemy.
Unsurprisingly, Seimei and Uchiha Shisui were among those eight.
Having personally witnessed Seimei and Uchiha Shisui's final battle in the Chunin Exams, Tanigawa Maki had a clear understanding of their strength, knowing their combat abilities far surpassed those of ordinary Chunin. Naturally, he had to keep them behind.
Seimei and Uchiha Shisui had no objections to this.
Seimei also wanted to figure out how the enemy had obtained their route.
For some reason, Seimei had a vague feeling that this matter wasn't as simple as he had initially thought.
If he didn't get to the bottom of this, he wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 88: Chakra Absorption
A light drizzle fell from the sky, pattering on the leaves in the forest, gathering together and dripping to the ground, making a pitter-patter sound.
A group of Iwa-nin were walking briskly.
Suddenly, the person in front stopped, looked down at his feet, and shouted in terror, "Retreat!"
As he spoke, he quickly moved backward.
Seeing this, the others, though confused, immediately retreated as well.
Just then, a series of explosions suddenly rang out.
Ahead, several crimson fireballs rose, the high temperature instantly evaporating the surrounding rainwater and igniting many trees.
"It's an explosive tag!"
An Iwa-nin shouted.
The next moment, a strong gust of wind carrying a wave of heat rushed towards them, making it almost impossible to open their eyes.
At this moment, dozens of kunai flew out from the darkness, aiming directly at the Iwa-nin team.
"Watch out!"
The leading Iwa-nin yelled, drawing his kunai and swinging it continuously to block the incoming kunai.
Seeing this, the other Iwa-nin followed suit, defending against attacks from all directions.
It had to be said that these Iwa-nin had good combat skills. Although they were caught off guard, they quickly stabilized their formation, and no one died as a result.
Even the number of injured was few, and their injuries weren't severe.
The first wave of attacks was ineffective, so Tanigawa Maki decisively abandoned the idea of a direct confrontation and ordered the execution of Plan B.
The so-called Plan B was essentially guerrilla warfare, dragging the Iwa-nin into this forest to allow the other team to quickly distance themselves from the battlefield.
As long as they created some distance, the Iwa-nin wouldn't dare to pursue them. After all, this was still within Konoha's territory, and rashly pursuing them was too risky.
The Iwa-nin wouldn't even dare to stay entangled with them for too long. Once Konoha's reinforcements arrived, they would be surrounded.
Precisely because of this, Tanigawa Maki dared to lead just a few people to intercept a group of Iwa-nin.
Several whistles of varying lengths sounded in the forest. Seimei carefully discerned them for a moment and understood their meaning.
"Plan B..."
After pondering for a moment, Seimei murmured, "Alright!"
Since learning the Chakra Absorption Technique, he hadn't had a chance to practice it in a real situation. Now, with this opportunity, he naturally wanted to test it out.
Thinking this, Seimei left his original position.
...
Meanwhile.
The Iwa-nin, having evaded the first wave of attacks, seemed to fear continuous attacks. The team quickly split into several groups, each rushing towards the direction from which the kunai had been thrown.
Soon, the sounds of intense fighting echoed through the forest.
On Seimei's side, three Iwa Chunin also arrived.
Seimei hid in the branches of a tree, his blood-red Sharingan staring intently at the three people below, like a hunter eyeing its prey.
Below.
An Iwa-nin suddenly shivered.
He turned to his companion and asked, "Ishimatsu, do you have a feeling that something is watching us?"
"What? You feel it too?"
The Iwa-nin named Ishimatsu's expression changed drastically as he exclaimed in surprise.
At this moment, all three Iwa-nin realized something was wrong.
But it was too late.
Seimei leaped down from the branches, suddenly appearing in front of the Iwa-nin who had just spoken.
A flash of cold light appeared as Seimei swung his short sword.
Ishimatsu raised his kunai, trying to block.
But at that moment, a pair of blood-red Sharingan reflected in his pupils, causing him to momentarily lose focus.
The next moment, the short sword sliced across his chest, leaving a deep wound that exposed bone.
In just an instant, this Iwa Chunin lost his combat ability.
"Ishimatsu~"
The Iwa-nin who had asked the question earlier cried out when he saw this.
At the same time, he threw his kunai, hoping to stop Seimei from finishing him off.
However, Seimei had no intention of doing so.
He flashed aside, dodging the kunai, and charged towards another Iwa-nin.
The distance was too close, and that person could only swing his kunai to block.
For a time, the clanging of metal filled the air.
The Iwa-nin who had thrown the kunai finally reacted, drawing another kunai and joining his teammate in attacking Seimei.
However, how could the strength of these two ordinary Chunin compare to Seimei's?
'Konoha-Style Kenjutsu' + 'Uchiha-Style Kenjutsu', combined with the Two Tomoe Sharingan, in a short time, Seimei gained the absolute upper hand.
Beads of cold sweat mixed with rainwater slid down the faces of the two Iwa-nin.
Finally, after another failed counterattack, one Iwa-nin suddenly created distance, put away his kunai, and started forming hand seals, seemingly preparing to use some ninjutsu.
But Seimei's reaction was incredibly fast. The moment the opponent disengaged, he seized the opportunity, and the Sharingan's hypnotic ability activated.
The Iwa-nin fighting him froze for a moment, and in the next instant, Seimei pierced his right arm with the short sword.
Then, he kicked the Iwa-nin, sending him flying and crashing heavily into a nearby tree trunk.
Pfft~
A mouthful of blood spurted from the Iwa-nin's mouth. Ignoring the pain, he struggled to stand up.
But at that moment, three more kunai were thrown by Seimei, accurately piercing his other arm and both legs.
"Ah!"
Intense pain washed over him, finally rendering this Iwa-nin combat-incapable.
At this time, the Iwa-nin who had disengaged had just completed his hand seals, and the ninjutsu hadn't even been unleashed yet!
While he was momentarily distracted, Seimei had already charged towards him with his sword.
Seeing this, the Iwa-nin quickly regained his composure, slammed his palm on the ground, and executed the ninjutsu - Earth Style: Mud Swamp Technique.
The next moment, the ground beneath Seimei's feet softened, about to turn into a swamp.
But his reaction speed was simply too fast, and with no one to restrain him, he had already left the affected area before the ninjutsu fully took effect.
Slash~
The sound of a blade cutting through flesh rang out.
Seimei, holding his short sword, instantly sliced off a large chunk of flesh from the disengaged Iwa-nin's shoulder.
If the opponent hadn't dodged quickly, this sword strike would have severed his neck.
But one couldn't escape forever.
Originally, these two Iwa-nin together weren't his match, and now only one was left; he was even less of an opponent.
After just a dozen or so moves, Seimei disabled the opponent's other arm.
Then, rapidly forming hand seals, a ball of chakra appeared in his right palm, and Seimei pressed it against the back of the opponent's head.
The next moment, a continuous stream of chakra flowed out from the opponent's body, passing through the chakra acupoint in his right palm and into his own body.
That's right, Seimei was using the Chakra Absorption Technique.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
After about twenty seconds, Seimei released his hand, and the Iwa-nin in front of him collapsed limply to the ground.
Seimei opened his panel and glanced at it. His chakra had increased by almost a thousand points.
Comparing this to the chakra extraction process just now, Seimei roughly understood the effects of the lv1 Chakra Absorption Technique.
It could extract about one hundred chakra points per second from the enemy's body and convert half of it into his own chakra.
Although the loss was a bit significant, even small gains were still gains, and Seimei didn't mind.
Moreover, as the Chakra Absorption Technique leveled up, these shortcomings could all be improved, so it wasn't a big deal.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 89: Exposed
Snapping back to reality, Seimei picked up the short sword beside him and swung it downwards, effortlessly slitting the throat of the Iwa-nin in front of him.
In truth, if he wanted to maximize its use, he shouldn't have killed the opponent directly.
Instead, he could have imprisoned them, forcing them to continuously refine chakra, and then extract it from them at intervals, thus obtaining a steady source of chakra.
However, the current situation obviously didn't allow him to do so.
Moreover, he didn't have any effective means to control the opponent at the moment.
In that case, Seimei could only reluctantly eliminate them.
Looking away, Seimei turned his attention to the Iwa-nin whose limbs he had pierced. Without any hesitation, he walked straight towards him.
Along the way, he formed hand seals again and activated the Chakra Absorption Technique, his right hand once again enveloped in a layer of chakra.
"What are you doing?"
Before Seimei could even get close, the Iwa-nin cried out in fear.
Clearly, he had witnessed what Seimei had just done.
But Seimei didn't care. With a flash, he appeared before the Iwa-nin and grabbed his face.
The next moment, a continuous stream of chakra flowed out from the opponent's body, through his right hand, and into his own.
This person had slightly more chakra remaining, so Seimei absorbed it for nearly thirty seconds before completely draining his chakra.
And he gained over a thousand chakra points.
Without wasting any time, Seimei exerted a slight force with both hands, and then heard a "crack." He had snapped the neck of the Iwa-nin in front of him.
Seimei stood up and walked towards the third person, the one he had first struck down. Due to the chest injury, he had already fallen into a coma.
This saved Seimei a lot of trouble.
Stepping over the pool of blood, Seimei placed his hand on the opponent's back and spent about twenty seconds draining his chakra.
Without chakra to sustain him, this person lost his life within a few breaths.
With this, Seimei had eliminated three enemies. Apart from the consumed chakra, he had gained a net profit of over three thousand chakra points.
This amount of chakra was enough for him to use the Heart Reflection Technique more than eighteen times, which translated to six points in Sharingan evolution progress.
If he accumulated four more points, it would be equivalent to a day's progress.
In other words, it would bring the time for his Sharingan to evolve into Three Tomoe one day closer.
Although it was only one day, don't forget that Seimei had only absorbed the chakra of three ordinary Chunin this time.
If the number of targets were higher or their level was higher, the chakra he absorbed would undoubtedly be more, allowing him to save even more time.
Not only that, but currently, his Chakra Absorption Technique was only at lv1, with a chakra conversion loss of nearly 50%.
If he became more proficient and the loss decreased, the chakra he could obtain would also increase, which would undoubtedly further accelerate the evolution of his Sharingan.
Furthermore, the chakra consumed during the battle wasn't wasted; it was converted into proficiency for other skills.
In this way, when he cultivated again, Seimei could appropriately reduce his investment in these skills and instead allocate more chakra to practicing the Heart Reflection Technique.
This would further accelerate the evolution of his Sharingan.
Thinking of this, Seimei couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief. He finally saw hope.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~
Just then, several kunai suddenly shot from the side.
Catching this in his peripheral vision, the Sharingan in Seimei's pupils spun rapidly. Like a cannonball, he pushed off the ground with both feet and launched himself away.
However, as soon as he landed, several more kunai were shot at him.
The angle of these kunai attacks was very tricky, just at the edge of his field of vision. Even if he swung his sword to block, he couldn't completely deflect them all.
Left with no choice, Seimei could only dodge again.
However, what awaited him was another sneak attack with several kunai.
Seimei had to continue dodging.
After five consecutive dodges, Seimei finally found an opportunity to counterattack.
Thump, thump, thump~
Using a large tree to block some of the kunai, Seimei swung his short sword, knocking down the remaining few.
Then, he stabbed the short sword into the ground, rapidly formed hand seals, and unleashed a Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique in the direction the kunai had come from.
The massive fireball, carrying a wave of heat, crashed into the bushes.
Suddenly, a figure darted out from within.
Seeing this, Seimei immediately took out several shuriken and threw them at the figure.
However, this person's reaction speed was extremely fast. Seeing the shuriken coming, they immediately swung their kunai, deflecting the shuriken that were blocking their path.
Then, with a flash, they dodged behind a tree, avoiding the attacks of the remaining shuriken.
Seimei originally intended to continue his assault.
But just then, behind the kunai he had dodged earlier, thin, almost invisible steel wires appeared.
Suddenly, the area where he stood was like a cage, enveloped by a net formed by the steel wires.
Moreover, this net was rapidly shrinking.
If it were an ordinary person, they might have fallen for it, but Seimei had the Sharingan.
Although the previous situation was urgent, he still relied on the Sharingan's powerful perception to notice the clues behind those kunai.
Therefore, he had anticipated all of this.
In that case, it was impossible for him to be caught.
He twisted his body like a gymnast, avoiding contact with all the steel wires and slipping out before they closed in.
The prepared attack missed, and the hidden assailant paused their attack.
Suddenly, the scene fell silent.
Seimei looked around, and after a long while, he said, "Come out. If you want to kill me, hiding in the shadows won't be enough."
Tap, tap, tap~
Faint footsteps approached.
Two figures emerged from the darkness.
Seimei looked towards the sound and frowned slightly.
Although these two individuals wore Iwagakure headbands and Chunin uniforms, their aura was completely different from other Iwa-nin.
'Iwa Anbu?'
This thought crossed Seimei's mind, but he quickly dismissed it.
Even Iwa's Anbu ninjas shouldn't have such a unique aura.
In Seimei's perception, these two were like dead people, devoid of any vitality that living beings possessed.
If the Sharingan hadn't clearly told him that these two were indeed alive, Seimei would have thought they were corpses being controlled.
So...
'What kind of ninja would have such an aura?'
Seimei pondered.
Suddenly, he thought of someone - Danzo.
It wasn't that Danzo himself had this "deathly aura," but rather that the Root organization ninjas he led had a similar quality.
He remembered that at the end of the Chunin Exams, when he sensed Danzo's malice and glanced in his direction, it seemed that the figure beside him had a similar aura.
However, at the time, to avoid attracting Danzo's attention, he didn't look closely and quickly averted his gaze after a brief glance.
Now it seemed that he had been wishful thinking. Just because he didn't want to cause trouble didn't mean trouble wouldn't come looking for him.
"Danzo..."
Seimei gritted his teeth and spat out these two words.
At the same time, he glanced at the two, trying to discern something from their expressions.
However, it turned out he was overthinking.
The expressions of the two hadn't changed from beginning to end, even after hearing Danzo's name.
But this further confirmed his suspicions.
Only Root ninjas who had "erased their selves" could exhibit such an aura.
He just didn't know why they were targeting him. Was it simply because he was a member of the Uchiha clan?
Wait...
That might actually be the case!
Considering Danzo's prejudice against the Uchiha clan and his greed for the Sharingan, it was indeed possible that he would try to eliminate him, a "future star" of the Uchiha clan.
While he was still pondering, the two Root ninjas launched their attack.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 90: Blood Demon's Barrier
Clang!
Clang, clang, clang!
A series of metal clashing sounds rang out.
Seimei wielded his short sword, blocking a dozen attacks from the two in an instant, but there was no joy on his face.
The pressure these two exerted on him together was far greater than the two Iwa-nin from before.
Those two Iwa-nin would still consider their own safety during the fight.
But these two in front of him were different. They not only didn't care about their own safety, but they would even deliberately act as shields to create opportunities for their companion.
This kind of reckless fighting style really made Seimei feel a bit flustered.
Under normal circumstances, Seimei could completely risk getting injured to take out one first and then deal with the other.
But not now...
Seimei glanced at the kunai in their hands, gleaming with a dark purple light. If he guessed correctly, they were probably coated with some kind of potent poison.
Under these circumstances, Seimei naturally didn't dare to let them injure him easily.
So, he could only temporarily make do.
Fortunately, Seimei's swordsmanship was superior to theirs. After adapting to their rhythm, he quickly gained the upper hand again.
In a short time, several wounds appeared on both of them.
But what could he say?
They were indeed mission tools trained by the Root organization. Even when injured, their combat effectiveness didn't diminish in the slightest.
However, humans were still humans. No matter how strong their will, once their bodies couldn't handle it anymore, their combat power would naturally decline.
At that time, his opportunity would come.
Therefore, Seimei wasn't in a hurry. He steadily fought, slowly grinding down their "HP."
However, as time passed, Seimei suddenly realized something seemed amiss.
Logically speaking, his intentions were very obvious, and it was impossible for these two not to notice.
And with the Root ninja's way of doing things, they would never accept a slow death.
So, they would most likely launch a fierce counterattack, and Seimei was prepared to deal with their retaliation.
But the reality was that they were like they had lost their intelligence, completely unaware of the danger, foolishly wasting time with him here.
They were bleeding all over the place, yet they still weren't anxious.
Wait...
Blood!
Seimei suddenly realized something and looked around.
At some point, the surrounding ground was already covered in blood. These bloodstains connected, faintly forming the shape of a sealing array.
Seimei inwardly exclaimed, "Not good," and then leaped backward.
But at that moment, one of the Root ninjas suddenly rushed forward, desperately holding Seimei back, while the other started rapidly forming hand seals.
The blood from his wounds rapidly gushed out, forming dozens of blood-red lines on his body.
Then, these blood lines quickly spread downwards, along his feet, connecting with the blood splattered on the nearby ground.
Following that, the blood squirmed, transforming into orderly sealing patterns.
"Blood Demon's Barrier, activate!"
A low shout came from the Root ninja covered in blood lines.
The next moment, four blood-red barriers abruptly rose, finally converging at the top, forming a small barrier about twenty meters long, twenty meters wide, and ten meters high.
At this time, the Root ninja who was desperately blocking Seimei suddenly retreated, dragging his heavily injured body and creating some distance between them.
Seimei didn't pursue but instead carefully observed the surrounding barrier with his Sharingan.
He had heard the name the other party shouted just now - Blood Demon's Barrier. So, where was the "Blood Demon"?
As he was thinking this, Seimei saw the heavily injured Root ninja suddenly stab the kunai into his own heart and then pull it out with a blank expression.
The next moment, blood gushed out, soaking his clothes and turning him into a blood-soaked figure.
Then, the surrounding barrier seemed to sense something and faintly glowed brighter.
Seimei warily watched the Root ninja who had suddenly "committed suicide." Sensing his rapidly declining life force, he was wondering why the other party would do this when...
The opponent's aura suddenly stabilized. Although it wasn't much different from a dying person, at least he wasn't truly dead.
A bad premonition arose in his heart. Seimei didn't hesitate any longer. With a flash, he appeared before the opponent and swung his sword, instantly severing half of his neck.
Suffering such a severe injury, the Root ninja in front of him fell straight to the ground.
However, before Seimei could rejoice, he discovered that the opponent's life force still existed.
Looking closely, he saw the blood at the severed part of the neck squirming, actually healing this fatal wound.
"Could this be the so-called Blood Demon?"
Seimei was filled with doubt and struck out with two more sword strikes.
However, the result was the same as before. The injuries caused by these two strikes healed with the squirming of the blood.
And the healing was even faster than before.
"Immune to physical attacks?"
Seimei steadied his mind, pondering the reason behind this.
With a thought, he was about to use ninjutsu to attack.
But at that moment, an inhuman growl erupted from the opponent's mouth.
Then, his figure sprang up like lightning, the kunai in his hand thrusting straight towards Seimei's chest.
At the same time, the other Root ninja also threw several shuriken, sealing off Seimei's retreat while aiming for his vital points.
The Sharingan in Seimei's eyes spun rapidly, and he instantly swung his sword several times, blocking all the attacks.
But this was just the beginning.
In the following moments, the Root ninja in the distance used the blood-soaked figure as a shield, continuously launching attacks.
The blood-soaked figure was killed countless times by Seimei, yet it remained active and lively.
Seimei wanted to use fire-style jutsu several times to test whether the opponent was also immune to ninjutsu attacks, but he couldn't find the opportunity.
It had to be said that an infinitely resurrecting meat shield was truly troublesome.
It was only because Seimei's swordsmanship was exceptional, and the two opponents couldn't get close to him, that he hadn't suffered any serious injuries.
Seimei had also tried using genjutsu to control the blood-soaked figure.
However, with the increasing number of deaths, the opponent had almost lost all rationality and only mindlessly attacked him.
Seimei's genjutsu had no effect on him, like a clay ox entering the sea.
Clearly, the Root ninja had come prepared.
Left with no choice, Seimei could only target the other Root ninja.
Unfortunately, the opponent was slippery and wouldn't engage him head-on.
Fortunately, with the Sharingan's assistance, he was finally able to predict the opponent's movements and find an opportunity.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two sword strikes severed the blood-soaked figure's throat and right hand.
As if he could foresee the future, Seimei dodged sideways, avoiding the other Root ninja's kunai thrust. Then, he lunged forward, instantly closing the distance between them.
The Sharingan's hypnotic ability activated, causing the opponent to briefly lose focus.
Seizing this opportunity, Seimei swung his short sword.
Slash~
The sound of a blade cutting through flesh rang out.
He directly sliced a half-foot-long wound across the chest of the Root ninja in front of him.
The intense pain awakened the Root ninja from his daze.
He was about to retreat, but Seimei didn't want to miss this chance. He flipped his left hand, and a shuriken appeared in his palm.
Whoosh~
The shuriken flew out, accurately pinning itself to the opponent's throat.
... There's another update tonight...
(End of Chapter)