Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Suddenly, the sound of something cutting through the air rang out.
From the dense forest ahead, dozens to hundreds of kunai were launched, like a downpour of rain, so dense that it was hard to face directly.
"Watch out!"
Nakajima Hiro shouted, quickly forming hand seals and, after taking a deep breath, exhaled forcefully.
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!
A simple C-rank ninjutsu, but in Nakajima Hiro's hands, its power was no less than some high-level offensive techniques.
A whirlwind shot out from his mouth, resembling a storm of force, toppling a large section of the forest in front of them.
As for the kunai?
They were blown back immediately.
Qing Ming estimated that Nakajima Hiro's mastery of this technique had to be at least level 3, with chakra consumption likely exceeding 500 points in a single use.
Normally, to merely stop the kunai from reaching them, Nakajima Hiro wouldn't need to expend so much chakra.
Was he just wasting chakra because he had too much to use?
The answer was clearly no.
Nakajima Hiro wasn't just aiming to block the kunai; more than that, he wanted to assert dominance and disrupt the enemy's momentum.
Additionally, he aimed to destroy any hidden traps set by the enemy and force them to reveal themselves.
And his approach proved very effective.
Before the dust had even settled, a dozen Iwagakure ninjas leaped out from the forest.
Though they tried their best to appear calm and composed, the leaves and twigs clinging to their bodies made them look somewhat disheveled.
However, Qing Ming and the others weren't laughing.
Why?
Because after these ninjas revealed themselves, nearly ten more Iwagakure ninjas emerged from both sides, closing in on them.
Scanning these enemies, Qing Ming silently muttered, "This is trouble."
At that moment, the Iwagakure ninjas formed into six teams, each led by someone wearing the Jōnin uniform of Iwagakure.
Though it was unclear how many were truly Jōnin, at the very least, there were six Special Jōnin. This already exceeded their own force.
Excluding the squad left at the camp, they only had 13 people on their side—2 Jōnin, 2 Special Jōnin, 6 Chūnin, and 3 Genin.
And the enemy?
Besides the six in Jōnin uniforms, the remaining 18 were half Chūnin and half Genin. In both number and strength, they had the advantage.
And this didn't even account for the ones fighting against the second division.
If the enemy had sent so many to block them, it meant they were confident in their ability to handle the second division.
Either those forces were extremely powerful, or they were overwhelmingly numerous—neither scenario was good news for Qing Ming's team.
Because that meant, once the other battle concluded, they would be facing even more enemies.
"Thankfully," Qing Ming subtly glanced up at the night sky.
Surely Daisuke Saint had already seen the situation through his owl's eyes. As long as they could hold out for a while, reinforcements from the main camp should arrive soon.
Once that happened, all difficulties would be resolved. If they acted quickly, they might even be able to encircle these Iwagakure ninjas.
But if Qing Ming could foresee this, the enemy certainly had anticipated it too.
Would they really take such a big risk just to kill off these small fry?
Of course not!
Qing Ming had a bad feeling growing in his heart.
However, they had no choice now. The situation had escalated, and delaying was not an option—nor would the enemy allow it.
Sure enough, the moment the Iwagakure ninjas closed in from the sides and formed a preliminary encirclement, they launched their attack.
There was no idle chatter on the battlefield. The moment they clashed, it was a life-or-death struggle.
But the overwhelming difference in numbers put the Konoha side at a severe disadvantage.
The only silver lining was that with Jōnin present on both sides, neither side allowed their Jōnin to attack Genin recklessly.
This was an unspoken rule of the battlefield—unless there was an overwhelming advantage, Jōnin wouldn't easily target Genin.
The power gap between a Jōnin and a Genin was so vast that if Jōnin attacked Genin without restraint, the resulting death toll would be catastrophic.
In retaliation, enemy Jōnin would do the same, resulting in both sides losing their Genin forces.
With all the young shinobi wiped out, there would be no future for the villages.
Still, the pressure on Qing Ming and the others was immense.
Even without the Jōnin involved, they still had to face enemies that outnumbered them two to one.
Seeing his teammates struggling to hold on, Qing Ming knew he couldn't hold back any longer. He had to reduce the number of enemies quickly and ease the burden on his comrades.
If his teammates started to fall, his own pressure would skyrocket.
With that in mind, Qing Ming glanced at his chakra—2100 points. He whispered to himself, "That's enough."
The Iwagakure Genin facing him heard this mumble and, pausing slightly, asked, "Enough for what?"
Qing Ming was momentarily taken aback, not expecting the enemy Genin to be so sharp-minded, paying attention to his words even in the heat of battle.
"Perhaps he's not under much pressure," Qing Ming thought to himself, and then, taking advantage of the Genin's brief hesitation, he burst forward with full force, closing the distance rapidly.
With a swift flick of his wrist, Qing Ming switched his kunai from a standard grip to a reverse grip, aiming straight for the Genin's throat.
Sensing the sharp, deadly intent from the kunai, the Genin froze, his mind blank, and instinctively dodged backward.
Whoosh!
The kunai sliced through the air, leaving a white streak but missing its mark.
The Genin, feeling his neck, realized he was still alive and felt a wave of relief wash over him.
But then, a voice called out from the side.
"Watch out!"
"Watch out for what?" the Genin thought, puzzled, as he turned his head. He saw his comrade, who had been helping him attack Qing Ming earlier, looking at him with a face full of anxiety.
Or more accurately, looking at his chest.
The Genin looked down and saw a single explosive tag faintly glowing with sparks.
In that instant, the Genin's face turned pale, the joy in his eyes replaced by absolute despair.
"No—!"
A terrified and desperate scream escaped his mouth.
And then, a deafening explosion rang out.
Fiery red flames erupted, consuming the Genin's entire body in an instant.
Qing Ming had already used the Body Flicker Technique to distance himself from the Genin.
The firelight reflected on his face, but his expression remained unchanged.
On the battlefield, it was kill or be killed. Qing Ming had no pity for his enemies, considering they stood on opposite sides.
Without wasting any time, Qing Ming immediately turned his attention to the Iwagakure Genin who had shouted the warning earlier.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three shuriken flew through the air.
The Iwagakure Genin dodged left and right, but one shuriken grazed his arm.
It was worth noting that Qing Ming's "Ninja Tool Throwing" skill was level 3 (210/1000). His thrown tools posed a threat even to Chūnin, so for a distracted Genin, it was inevitable he'd be hit.
If only Qing Ming had some good poison, the enemy would already be done for.
But no matter, another strike would finish the job.
With that thought, Qing Ming used the Body Flicker Technique once again, moving at such a speed that he appeared in front of the Iwagakure Genin in an instant.
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