Retracting his thoughts, Qing Ming refocused his attention on the Iwagakure Chunin before him. The fight was still ongoing.
Qing Ming was holding his ground against two enemies, showing no signs of being at a disadvantage.
However, this was only temporary.
After all, Qing Ming was fighting alone. Facing two opponents, sooner or later, he was bound to make a mistake.
So…
"I have to finish this quickly!"
To achieve a swift victory, he first needed to break out of this close-combat stalemate.
If he continued to engage at close range, he wouldn't be able to capitalize on his true strengths.
And what were those strengths?
Naturally, it was his level 3 "Ninja Tool Throwing" and his ninja arts, most of which he had leveled up to 2.
With a plan in mind, Qing Ming began to think of a strategy.
Then, as he saw Ryo-suke and Shizuko Mizutani struggling against the Iwagakure Chunin, an idea suddenly came to him.
In the following exchanges, Qing Ming occasionally glanced over at the two, and each time they got hurt, he would show a flash of worry.
These subtle reactions didn't go unnoticed by the two Iwagakure Chunins.
The two exchanged a glance, understanding one another without a word.
Their reactions didn't escape Qing Ming either, who remained calm.
Both sides were waiting for an opportunity.
Finally, after who knows how long, Shizuko Mizutani made a mistake and was slashed on the arm by the Iwagakure Chunin, blood flowing freely.
The intense pain caused her to cry out involuntarily.
Seeing this, Qing Ming's expression changed slightly, as if his focus had been split. His movements slowed just enough to be noticeable.
In the next instant, there was a tearing sound as one of the Iwagakure Chunins managed to slice through Qing Ming's clothing at the shoulder, drawing some blood.
Upon seeing this, the other Iwagakure Chunin's eyes lit up as he swiftly swung his kunai towards Qing Ming's vital points.
Qing Ming's performance thereafter was a perfect demonstration of how, once a mistake is made, everything starts to fall apart.
After failing to dodge earlier, Qing Ming had taken some minor damage. Although the injury was trivial, it threw off his rhythm in battle.
As a result, when faced with the second Iwagakure Chunin's attack, he could only retreat step by step.
Seeing the opening, the first Iwagakure Chunin launched a fierce assault.
Eventually, Qing Ming couldn't hold up under the pressure, and one of the Iwagakure Chunins landed a solid kick on his right arm.
Had Qing Ming not raised his arm to block in time, that kick might have struck his head instead.
As it stood, the impact from the kick sent Qing Ming flying backward.
Yet, in the instant that his feet left the ground, Qing Ming forcefully pushed off with his legs, accelerating his backward motion ever so slightly.
However, even if the Iwagakure Chunins had noticed this, they wouldn't have paid it any mind. After all, they had no intention of giving Qing Ming any breathing room.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several kunai and shuriken were thrown by the two Iwagakure Chunins, pursuing Qing Ming as he flew backward.
Not only that, but the two of them also followed closely behind, ready to deliver the finishing blow at any moment.
Qing Ming was very familiar with this strategy of attacking during a gap in defense because not long ago, he had used this very approach to kill an Iwagakure Genin.
Without needing to guess, Qing Ming knew that regardless of whether he dodged this wave of shuriken and kunai, the moment he landed, the two Iwagakure Chunins would launch a chain of attacks.
At that moment, if he didn't react in time, he would end up like the Iwagakure Genin he had just killed—slain instantly by the two Chunins pursuing him.
Even if he could react in time, losing the initiative meant that his chances of survival were slim.
It seemed like his situation was dire.
Yet, Qing Ming's expression showed no signs of panic; if anything, there was a hint of satisfaction.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The kunai and shuriken thrown by the two Iwagakure Chunins all hit their target.
However, the sound that followed wasn't that of blades piercing flesh; it sounded more like metal striking wood.
Wait a second!
It didn't just sound like it—it was wood.
As the two Iwagakure Chunins looked on in shock, they realized that the Qing Ming who landed on the ground had somehow turned into a log, stuck with shuriken and kunai.
Seeing this, the two Iwagakure Chunins halted their steps, exclaiming in surprise, "Substitution Jutsu!"
They weren't surprised that Qing Ming knew the Substitution Jutsu; what astonished them was how he had managed to pull it off in such a short time.
Even they wouldn't have been able to execute it so quickly.
But these thoughts were momentarily unimportant—the real question was, where was Qing Ming now?
The two Chunins, seasoned fighters, immediately scanned the nearby terrain for potential hiding spots.
And then they saw him, standing on a tree branch.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Qing Ming formed a seal and exhaled a massive, flaming fireball.
The scorching wave of heat rushed towards them. The two Chunins quickly evaded, but having lost the initiative, they couldn't avoid the blast completely.
Boom!
One of the Chunins fell to the ground in a sorry state. Ignoring his exhaustion, he propped himself up against a tree and tried to stand.
But just as he did, a kunai shot through the smoke.
The Chunin quickly shifted his body, barely dodging the attack.
However, before he could breathe a sigh of relief, the kunai, having passed him, curved around from behind the tree and came back at him.
Zzz-zzz
The sound of metal wires rubbing against each other rang out.
The Chunin didn't even have time to react before he found himself bound to the tree by a thin, almost invisible steel wire connected to the kunai.
Realizing the danger, the Chunin panicked and tried to break free, but with his arms bound, he couldn't form seals to use ninjutsu, leaving him only brute force to rely on.
But breaking steel wire wasn't easy.
As he struggled, a streak of fire appeared from the smoke, following the steel wire like a flaming serpent.
"Ahhh!"
A scream of agony echoed through the battlefield, gradually fading after several long seconds.
Step, step, step.
Qing Ming walked out of the smoke, looking at the Chunin whose body was charred but still barely alive. He casually threw a kunai, putting an end to his misery.
Then, he turned his gaze to the other Chunin, who was still struggling not far away.
This Chunin had several shuriken lodged in his body, blood flowing freely. Despite his attempts, he couldn't get back on his feet.
Without a doubt, those shuriken were Qing Ming's handiwork.
Just a moment ago, during the confusion, Qing Ming had briefly activated his Sharingan.
With its help, he had performed two tasks at once: binding one Chunin with the steel wire and landing shuriken on the other.
Seeing the struggling Chunin, Qing Ming shook his head and threw a kunai to end his suffering.
And just like that, both Iwagakure Chunins were dead.
Looking back at the entire battle, the turning point had started with that one kick.
Once Qing Ming had decided on a quick resolution, he subtly signaled to his opponents that he was deeply concerned about his comrades' safety.
Thanks to his age and the fact that he had immediately rescued Ryo-suke and Shizuko Mizutani after killing their enemies earlier, the two Iwagakure Chunins believed him.
So, when Qing Ming showed signs of distraction after Shizuko Mizutani got injured, the two didn't doubt it for a second.
What followed was natural: Qing Ming deliberately exposed a weakness, and the two took the bait.
The moment he was kicked and sent flying, Qing Ming knew his plan had succeeded.
Although their follow-up attacks were well-coordinated, Qing Ming had long mastered the Substitution Jutsu, reaching level 3 proficiency.
And thanks to the time he gained by accelerating his fall with that push off the ground, he had more than enough time to perform the jutsu.
From that moment on, he had gone from defense to offense.
First, he took them by surprise with a "Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu," catching them off guard.
Then, using his Sharingan and ninja tool skills, he restrained one Chunin and severely wounded the other.
After that, it was simply a matter of cleaning up.
Overall, the battle had never strayed from Qing Ming's control, except for the brief moment when he turned defense into offense, which involved a bit of risk.
But that risk was within Qing Ming's tolerance.
Even if his Substitution Jutsu had failed, he could have avoided the subsequent attacks by revealing his Sharingan.
So, in the end, the danger wasn't as great as it seemed.
Nevertheless, the two Iwagakure Chunins had bad luck. They hadn't even gotten the chance to use any real ninjutsu before Qing Ming seized the opportunity and ended them.
This battle was a perfect demonstration of how crucial timing is in a ninja fight.
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