Swoosh!
A kunai shot towards Qingming from behind. He slightly tilted his body, dodging the attack with ease as if he had eyes on the back of his head.
Turning to see the direction from where the kunai came, Qingming spotted an Iwagakure chunin abandoning the two Konoha genin he had been overpowering and charging directly toward him.
It wasn't just him; another Iwa ninja also abandoned his opponent and moved toward Qingming.
Clearly, these two had decided to team up against him.
Qingming had anticipated this.
After that middle-aged Iwa ninja attempted to ambush him earlier, Qingming knew he had caught the attention of these Iwa ninjas. Being targeted was only a matter of time.
Knowing he couldn't avoid it, Qingming chose to act proactively.
That's why he had quickly killed Ishii Ichirou earlier—he wanted to disrupt the enemies' rhythm.
Now, with Ishii Ichirou dead, the two ninjas had no choice but to abandon their previous targets and focus entirely on Qingming.
This might seem like Qingming had become a shield for the other Konoha ninjas, but in reality, his own risk hadn't increased.
In fact, overall, the risk had decreased.
If things had gone according to the enemies' plan, these two Iwa ninjas might have finished their opponents and then teamed up with Ishii Ichirou to attack Qingming.
Now, with Ishii Ichirou dead, the number of attackers had dropped from three to two, significantly reducing the danger.
At the same time, the surviving Konoha genin would inevitably attract the attention of other nearby Iwa ninjas, reducing the number of potential enemies that Qingming might face.
All these thoughts flashed through Qingming's mind. Without wasting any time, he drew a kunai and charged towards the two Iwa ninjas.
Seeing Qingming rushing straight at them, the two exchanged glances before charging at him as well, both opting for close combat.
Typically, a ninja's chakra reserves are limited unless they are a genius. As such, most ninjas don't continuously use ninjutsu, especially on a chaotic battlefield like this one.
No one wants to risk depleting their chakra, only to be killed by an opportunistic enemy afterward.
So, most ninjas are cautious with their chakra usage.
Although Qingming had demonstrated strong close combat abilities earlier against Ishii Ichirou, that had been a one-on-one fight.
Now, the two Iwa ninjas were teaming up, and they didn't believe Qingming could handle both of them.
So, when they saw him closing in for close combat, they didn't retreat but instead accepted the challenge.
In fact, they were secretly relieved.
Qingming's earlier display of ninjutsu when he killed Ishii Ichirou had left a deep impression on them. Even though they didn't say it out loud, they were cautious of him.
Now that Qingming had chosen close combat, it played right into their hands.
They didn't believe for a second that Qingming could handle both of them at once.
And indeed, they were right to some extent.
Even though Qingming had reached level 3 mastery in basic taijutsu and had gained valuable battle experience from his earlier fight, he still found it difficult to handle two opponents at the same time.
Within moments, his body was marked with several minor wounds.
Fortunately, these were only superficial injuries and didn't affect his combat abilities for the time being.
Clang! Clang!
Qingming parried the attacks from both Iwa ninjas with his kunai and took a step back, temporarily creating some distance.
The two Iwa ninjas didn't immediately pursue but instead split up, closing in on Qingming from both sides.
While advancing, they used psychological tactics to weaken Qingming's fighting spirit.
"Kid, stop struggling. There's no way you can win against us. Surrender now, and we might spare your life," one of them said.
"Yeah, kid, look around. Do you see anyone who can help you? Surrender now, and save yourself from unnecessary pain," the other chimed in.
Hearing this, Qingming glanced around the battlefield.
Indeed, everyone around him was locked in combat, with no one in a position to help him. Even Ryo and Shizuko were engaged in a fight.
They were battling a young Iwa ninja, with another Konoha genin assisting them.
It was a three-on-one situation. Although not ideal, they weren't in immediate danger.
Satisfied with that observation, Qingming refocused on the two Iwa ninjas in front of him.
It was true that fighting two at once without activating his Sharingan meant he couldn't fully match them in close combat.
However, the two of them wouldn't have an easy time killing him either.
Thus, the situation reached a stalemate.
And this was exactly what Qingming wanted.
As long as he could maintain this balance, he wasn't in a hurry.
Time was on his side. Once reinforcements arrived, the danger would naturally be resolved. There was no need for him to risk his life in this fight.
With this thought, Qingming's mindset grew even more steady.
Seeing that Qingming wasn't affected by their words, the two Iwa ninjas stopped talking and charged at him again.
Clang, clang, clang!
The harsh sound of metal clashing filled the air as Qingming fully opened his senses, barely keeping up with the two of them, though slightly on the defensive.
The battle dragged on for one or two minutes.
Finally, one of the Iwa ninjas lost patience. He signaled to his teammate, then suddenly pulled back, seemingly preparing to use some ninjutsu.
Seeing this, Qingming thought, "This is bad!"
Although he had expected that they wouldn't let him stall forever, their sudden switch in tactics caught him off guard.
He had hoped to delay them for a few more minutes, but their impatience disrupted his plan.
Qingming tried to create some distance, but the remaining Iwa ninja suddenly intensified his attacks, preventing Qingming from retreating.
In this dangerous moment, Qingming thought, "Should I use my Sharingan?"
With the element of surprise, he was confident he could kill the Iwa ninja in front of him in one blow. But he wasn't sure if he could hide it from the other ninja.
If his Sharingan was exposed, it wouldn't just bring future troubles. In the immediate battle, there would likely be a swarm of Iwa ninjas coming to kill him.
After all, every Uchiha with a Sharingan is considered a valuable target, and Iwagakure wouldn't hesitate to capture one for research.
Of course, even without using the Sharingan, Qingming might still survive. But the loss of control over the situation made him feel uneasy.
Just as Qingming was wrestling with this decision, a series of piercing whistles suddenly echoed across the battlefield.
Hearing the whistle, the Iwa ninja who had been furiously attacking Qingming abruptly stopped, his expression changing. He quickly exchanged a glance with his teammate.
The two of them immediately formed hand seals and activated some Earth Release jutsu, retreating towards the edge of the battlefield together.
"Are they… retreating?"
Qingming was both surprised and relieved. If they were retreating, then he didn't have to make a tough choice anymore.
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