Inside the cave of the Rock Bear, Qing Ming placed the unconscious Mist Village Anbu down and, after some thought, performed the Shadow Clone Jutsu, creating two clones.
Since the clones inherited his memories, there was no need for instructions. The two shadow clones immediately left the cave and ran outside. Their task was to patrol the surrounding area, keeping an eye out for any potential threats.
Although Qing Ming was fairly certain no one would pursue him, even if there was only a one-in-a-million chance, he had to be cautious. After all, this wasn't Konoha territory, and if he were discovered, he'd face enemies ten, if not a hundred times his strength. Qing Ming had no desire to be chased around like a dog.
Once the precautions were set, he turned his attention back to the Mist Anbu. Looking at the many sword wounds on his body, Qing Ming wasted no time in performing the Healing Jutsu to treat the injuries. This was his asset, after all, and it needed to be well-maintained.
After about half an hour, Qing Ming removed his hand from the final wound and said, "If you're awake, stop pretending to sleep."
Hearing this, the Mist Anbu slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was sharp and clear, with no hint of confusion, clearly indicating he had been awake for some time, merely feigning sleep.
"What exactly do you want?" the Mist Anbu asked coldly, glaring at Qing Ming.
With a casual tone, Qing Ming replied, "Not much, I just need you to do me a favor."
However, upon hearing this, the Mist Anbu's expression grew tense. As if realizing something, he suddenly lunged forward, jaws wide open, attempting to bite Qing Ming's throat.
"Hmph!" Qing Ming snorted, surprised for a moment, but quickly reacted. Activating his Sharingan, he instantly cast a hypnotic illusion, subduing the Mist Anbu with ease.
Thud
The Anbu, who had just sprung up, collapsed once more.
After the battle, the Mist Anbu was already exhausted. Qing Ming's simple Genjutsu was enough to knock him out again.
Seeing the Anbu fall unconscious once more, Qing Ming realized that it wouldn't be feasible to have him willingly follow orders, unlike the Sand Ninjas he had previously captured.
The main reason was simple: the Mist Anbu wasn't afraid to die. In such a case, expecting him to cooperate and extract chakra on command was impossible.
Fortunately, Qing Ming's Chakra Absorption Technique had already been upgraded to level 5, allowing him to directly siphon spiritual and physical energy from his target. This meant he no longer needed the Anbu's cooperation.
From now on, all he had to do was keep the Anbu asleep and absorb his chakra without concern. Though this method of forcibly draining chakra would harm the Anbu's body and reduce its long-term utility, Qing Ming wasn't planning to stay here long anyway.
The goal was to extract as much chakra as possible in the shortest time, squeezing every bit of value out of the Anbu. Concerns about sustainability were irrelevant.
With this realization, Qing Ming stopped hesitating.
Now there was only one remaining question: Should he continue targeting spies from different factions?
Originally, Qing Ming had chosen these spies because they were easier to capture discreetly. Their unique roles meant that if they went missing, it wouldn't be noticed immediately.
However, Qing Ming had overlooked one important factor: these people were highly skilled. If every target was as difficult to handle as this Mist Anbu, the risk would far outweigh the benefits. Not to mention, most of them would attempt to commit suicide before capture, meaning all his efforts could be in vain if they succeeded.
Faced with such high risks, Qing Ming began reconsidering his choice of targets. Perhaps he should instead focus on the Cloud and Stone Village ninjas assigned to perimeter patrols or guard duties.
These ninjas were clearly less formidable than the elite Anbu members from various villages. The only risk would be whether capturing them would draw the attention of higher-ups on the battlefield, prompting investigations.
As the saying goes, "Where there's movement, there's trace." No matter how cautious he was, the more times he acted, the more likely he was to leave clues behind. One or two incidents might go unnoticed, but repeated disappearances would inevitably raise suspicions.
Still, after much thought, Qing Ming decided he had to try. Capturing spies from other factions posed an even greater risk, and as long as he was careful, he could avoid causing too much commotion.
By the time his actions became noticeable, the final battle would likely be underway, and the major factions would be too occupied to worry about him.
Having made his decision, Qing Ming wasted no time. He was about to perform the Shadow Clone Jutsu to send out a clone to scout for suitable targets. However, just as he began the hand seals, he realized that his level 1 Shadow Clone Jutsu had already created three clones, all of which were patrolling the area outside. He couldn't summon any more clones.
Reluctantly, Qing Ming recalled one of his clones from the perimeter and reassigned it to search for new targets.
After sending off the clone, Qing Ming opened his skill panel. Over the past twenty days, his Shadow Clone Jutsu had advanced from level 1 (40/200) to level 1 (91/200), leaving just over a hundred points to reach level 2.
Contemplating this, Qing Ming dispelled one of his clones that had been observing the battlefield, freeing up a slot to practice his Shadow Clone Jutsu and level it up.
Yes, Qing Ming had decided to grind his Shadow Clone Jutsu to level 2 to increase the number of clones he could create.
However, he knew grinding required strategy. He had just absorbed chakra from the Mist Anbu, and his chakra reserves were nearly full. Practicing the Shadow Clone Jutsu at this time would burn through a significant amount of chakra.
Therefore, Qing Ming decided to first practice his "Yin Seal" technique to deplete his chakra reserves down to about three thousand points before beginning his Shadow Clone training.
By doing this, each practice session only consumed around two hundred chakra, which was manageable for him.
Soon enough, Qing Ming completed five repetitions of the Shadow Clone Jutsu. By this time, his chakra reserves had dropped to two thousand points. Any further decrease and he wouldn't have enough chakra to perform the jutsu at all.
So, Qing Ming returned to the Mist Anbu's side and used the Chakra Absorption Technique, drawing more spiritual and physical energy from the unconscious ninja and converting it into chakra for himself.
He didn't extract too much, only enough to restore his chakra to around three thousand points. Then, he resumed practicing the Shadow Clone Jutsu, repeating this cycle.
After an entire day of this methodical grinding, Qing Ming had burned through a substantial amount of his own chakra. Finally, he leveled up the Shadow Clone Jutsu to level 2 (1/500).
It had taken longer than expected, not because grinding the Shadow Clone technique itself was time-consuming, but because chakra extraction also required time.
But in the end, it was all worth it.
Now that his Shadow Clone Jutsu was at level 2, he could summon up to five clones, with better stability and control. Additionally, the chakra consumed by his clones had been reduced from one-tenth to one-ninth. While this reduction may seem minor for a single clone, it added up, especially as his ability to summon more clones improved.
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