Black River Ichiro stopped about ten meters away from Qingming, his expression grim as he watched the two corpses behind Qingming engulfed in flames. He understood the trap that Little Kuriyama Asuka had laid; he initially thought that even if they couldn't trap Uchiha Qingming, nothing serious would happen.
To his shock, they had lost a life.
Moreover, what had just happened with the "flash" from the opponent? Was it a space-time ninjutsu?
Black River Ichiro was filled with doubt and an even deeper wariness towards Qingming.
Without exchanging much more dialogue, the battle erupted as Black River Ichiro threw his kunai.
Clang, clang, clang!
Since Qingming had already eliminated two enemies, he felt relatively less pressure from the remaining four. Their combined strength was still inferior to that of Kamihara Nobunaga and his team.
Although he didn't plan to use his Mangekyō Sharingan this time, that didn't mean the four could hold on for too long.
Just a few minutes later, he seized an opportunity to pierce one of them through the abdomen, severely injuring him.
As a result, Qingming also acquired a new wound.
However, this injury was nothing significant in Qingming's eyes.
Even considering the severe wound on his chest from earlier, it had healed in just a few minutes. So, this small cut was trivial!
Qingming dodged a powerful punch from Black Wind and quickly formed hand seals, instantly casting "Healing Technique," channeling his Yang Release chakra into the area near his wound.
Then, he turned back to face the remaining Iwa Shinobi.
With each Iwa Shinobi eliminated, his Sharingan genjutsu found more opportunities to shine, increasing the pressure on Black River Ichiro and the others.
Time ticked away.
After a few more minutes, Qingming found another opportunity and severed the shoulder of the last remaining special Iwa Shinobi, drastically reducing his combat ability.
At this point, only Black River Ichiro and Black Wind remained as the intact fighting force from Iwa.
But their conditions were also far from perfect.
Qingming cast a glance and noticed that their chakra levels had dropped to less than a third of their peak.
In this state, if they continued to play the consumption game, the inevitable losers would be them.
With this thought, Qingming relaxed, opting to take his time with the remaining foes.
Of course, his "leisure" was also because on other battlefields, the tide was gradually turning thanks to the involvement of Konoha's Shinobi.
Although the Iwa Shinobi still had numerical superiority, their morale had taken a hit.
Especially since Qingming's team had already eliminated several high-ranking Iwa Shinobi, instilling immense psychological pressure on many of the lower-ranked Iwa Shinobi.
Under these circumstances, even when operating at full strength, they could manage at most 60-70% of their capabilities.
This meant Qingming could afford to be "leisurely" against Black River Ichiro and the others.
Sure, he could use his Mangekyō Sharingan to quickly take down both of them and rush into the Iwa ranks to alleviate the pressure on his fellow Konoha Shinobi.
But why should he do that?
Setting aside the permanent damage to his eyes from using the Mangekyō Sharingan, it simply wasn't in his character to play the caretaker.
Yes, he intended to help the Konoha Shinobi withstand this Iwa raid, but he absolutely would not shoulder all the burdens himself.
He could only offer them hope; whether they could survive in the end depended on their own abilities.
This approach might result in more casualties, but Qingming felt no guilt.
Reining in his thoughts, Qingming shifted his focus entirely to combating Black River Ichiro, Black Wind, and the severely injured special Iwa Shinobi.
This time, he refrained from using other techniques, relying mostly on his swordsmanship. He would only resort to ninjutsu or genjutsu as a last resort.
The reason? Naturally, he wanted to increase his proficiency in swordsmanship.
Though he was stalling for time, he wasn't going to waste his chakra.
It just so happened that his swordsmanship proficiency had already surpassed level 6 (6000/10000), and he was nearing the completion of level 7.
Now was a great opportunity to boost that proficiency, and he wouldn't let it slip away.
Clang, clang, clang!
The battle continued.
Before long, Black River Ichiro and Black Wind realized something was amiss. Upon closer observation, they understood Qingming's intentions.
So, this was how he intended to use them as a sharpening stone.
This realization ignited the anger of both Black River Ichiro and Black Wind, as well as the injured special Iwa Shinobi. They charged at Qingming, disregarding their dwindling chakra reserves.
Suddenly, Qingming felt a significant increase in pressure, but in turn, this allowed his swordsmanship proficiency to skyrocket.
Black River Ichiro and the others would never have guessed that as long as they kept applying pressure on Qingming, they were inadvertently helping him enhance his proficiency.
In fact, the closer they pushed Qingming to his limits, the better the effect became.
Sensing the malice radiating from them, Qingming nearly laughed out loud, but to prevent them from picking up on it, he restrained himself.
His strained expression, as he worked to fend them off, filled Black River Ichiro and the others with renewed hope, driving them to fight harder.
Time trickled on.
Under this immense pressure, Qingming's swordsmanship quickly evolved, with his proficiency accumulating at a visible pace.
Even so, it was unrealistic to gather 4000 points of proficiency in one battle.
Moreover, the bursts of energy from Black River Ichiro and his companions also had their limits.
At a certain moment, Qingming suddenly felt a release of pressure from his body.
Focusing his gaze, he saw that sweat was trickling down Black River Ichiro's forehead, and he was breathing heavily, clearly showing signs of exhaustion from their earlier efforts.
Qingming activated his Sharingan slightly and swept it toward their chests.
He could see that their chakra levels had dwindled to less than a quarter of their peak.
Looking over at the distant battlefield, the Iwa Shinobi's morale had plummeted as the earlier surge caused by Black River Ichiro and the others was once again crushed by several Konoha Shinobi.
The victory was all but assured!
It's time to end this battle.
With that thought in mind, Qingming no longer hesitated. His chakra surged, and he activated "Body Flicker Technique," dashing straight toward Black River Ichiro and the others.
As he unleashed his full power, the first to suffer was the half-injured special Iwa Shinobi.
Qingming seized the moment, first casting "Genjutsu: Sharingan" to immobilize him, then followed up with "Rasengan," striking directly at his chest and severely injuring him to the ground.
As for Black River Ichiro and Black Wind, they didn't fare any better.
Under Qingming's overwhelming aura, they tried to escape, but in the face of his full-force assault, they found no opportunity to flee.
Black Wind was struck by Qingming's "Wind Release: Blade of Wind," which severed half of his neck. Although he quickly activated a Doton ninjutsu, it failed to stop the wind blade's attack.
This proved that Black River Ichiro hadn't deliberately set a trap for him earlier; Black Wind's Doton ninjutsu truly couldn't defend against Qingming's wind blade.
After killing Black Wind, Black River Ichiro was left to fend for himself.
In just a few exchanges, Qingming found his opening.
The moment their eyes met, Qingming executed "Illusion: Chains of Judgment," instantly immobilizing Black River Ichiro in place.
Swish!
The short sword in his hand shot forward, instantly piercing through Black River Ichiro's heart.
With that, Black River Ichiro met his demise.
Perhaps the last meaningful thing he did was to issue a retreat order to the remaining Iwa Shinobi in the final moments of his life.
plz support me if you can.
patreon.com/Mano99
all the fanfic is 30 chapter a had and you will get 1 chapter everyday.