Slish~
The sound of a blade slicing through flesh echoed.
Yamada Shinichi had exerted all his efforts to dodge the fatal blow from the previous strike, but he couldn't avoid the second, seemingly ordinary blow.
Qingming wasted no time, and the moment he appeared in front of him, he activated Illusion Sword Technique, using the brief moment when his opponent was in a vulnerable state to slice through his throat.
Clang~
The kunai in Qingming's hand fell to the ground.
Yamada Shinichi, clutching his throat, tried to speak but could only move his lips without saying a word. In the end, nothing came out.
Thud~
His body collapsed heavily to the ground.
Qingming let out a light sigh and then turned to look at the two others, who were still engaged in combat with his Shadow Clones.
At that moment, these two also noticed the sound of the battle and saw Yamada Shinichi's fall.
Gōsu Zanmutsu wasn't too worried. He believed his strength was superior and that, even if he couldn't defeat Qingming, he wouldn't be easily defeated.
However, the opposite was true for Takejima Ichirō, a special jōnin. His pupils constricted upon seeing the scene, and a wave of fear toward Qingming began to rise in his heart.
He knew that Yamada Shinichi's strength was greater than his own, and now that Shinichi had been killed by Qingming, he feared that his own fate might not be much different, or possibly even worse.
And judging by Qingming's demeanor, it was clear that he was about to target either him or Gōsu Zanmutsu next.
This thought made Takejima Ichirō feel increasingly uneasy.
Though he tried not to show it, Qingming was quick to notice his change in demeanor.
Qingming also took note of his bleeding left arm and, without hesitation, immediately executed Instant Sword Technique to rush toward him.
Not long ago, Takejima Ichirō had interfered in his duel with Gōsu Zanmutsu, seizing an opportunity to injure his left arm. He had only escaped death thanks to Yamada Shinichi's intervention.
Now that Shinichi was dead, who would come to his aid?
Swish~
Qingming's figure appeared before him.
The Shadow Clone that had been fighting him immediately halted its technique, abandoning the current opponent without any command from Qingming. It then rushed toward Gōsu Zanmutsu to apply pressure together with another Shadow Clone.
Seeing this, Qingming silently nodded to himself, thinking, "As expected, the coordination between us is always the best!"
The Shadow Clones inherited his battle experience and memories, understanding his fighting style and thoughts. So, at critical moments, they could always make the right decision, just like now, making the transition without any need for communication.
This left Takejima Ichirō with no chance to escape.
Seeing the pale figure in front of him, losing blood rapidly, Qingming did not hesitate to swing his blade.
Clang~
A crisp metallic sound rang out as the kunai and long sword clashed. Takejima Ichirō felt a strong force jolt through his arm, causing it to go numb as he staggered back a half step.
However, that half step made his already precarious situation worse.
Qingming wasted no time, quickly closing the distance and delivering a second strike, activating Illusion Sword Technique again, preparing for another blow.
Takejima Ichirō, though weaker, was still a jōnin and not without battle experience. He didn't make the same mistake twice and, sensing something was wrong, bit his tongue to break free from the illusion in time.
Thus, Qingming's illusion didn't affect him.
Clang~
The long sword and kunai collided once again, sending sparks flying.
The tremendous recoil pushed Takejima Ichirō back, and he quickly retreated, trying to put more distance between himself and Qingming.
Unfortunately, Qingming gave him no chance to escape.
A green light appeared around him.
The next moment, Qingming vanished from his position.
"Is it that move again?"
Having seen Qingming use Instant Sword Technique several times, Takejima Ichirō immediately guessed what he intended to do when the green light appeared.
He quickly focused his senses on his surroundings.
As a ninja skilled in infiltration and intelligence gathering, his sensory abilities were stronger than most, and under preparation, it wasn't difficult for him to detect Qingming's whereabouts.
But it was to no avail.
Aside from dodging, he had no other options.
In a direct confrontation, he was no match for Qingming, and trying to create distance was impossible as Qingming didn't give him the chance.
Thus, they were stuck in a deadlock.
But as the saying goes, "A defense that lasts too long will eventually break."
The continuous attacks made Takejima Ichirō's defense more and more difficult.
Qingming moved like a cold machine, constantly analyzing his opponent's behavior patterns through the Sharingan, searching for any weaknesses.
Minutes passed by.
About three minutes later, when Takejima Ichirō dodged another strike and tried to create some distance, Qingming's eyes suddenly lit up—he had found an opening.
Without hesitation, Qingming reached into his ninja tools pouch and pulled out several shuriken, aiming them at Takejima Ichirō and throwing them.
Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh~
The faint sound of air being sliced through could be heard.
Takejima Ichirō, who had been on high alert the entire time, detected the incoming shuriken at once.
Although he lacked Qingming's Sharingan and couldn't discern the flight trajectory of the shuriken in the blink of an eye, his battle experience kicked in. He instinctively knew that his space to dodge was now fully blocked by Qingming.
If he tried to dodge recklessly, not only would he likely fail to avoid the shuriken, but the consequences could be far worse.
So, he wielded his kunai, attempting to intercept the shuriken head-on.
Of course, he didn't forget to keep an eye on Qingming.
After all, such a move wouldn't be made without a follow-up plan from Qingming.
Sure enough, the moment his gaze shifted, he saw Qingming rapidly performing hand seals before opening his mouth to release a ninjutsu—Fire Style: Fire Dragon Jutsu!
Whoosh~
A line of fire shot out from Qingming's mouth.
In an instant, it transformed into a red fire dragon that charged straight at Takejima Ichirō.
At that moment, Takejima Ichirō had just finished deflecting the shuriken and was momentarily exhausted, unable to summon enough energy to launch a defense.
With no other choice, he could only attempt to sidestep.
Boom~
The fire dragon slammed into the ground, exploding into a scorched crater. Flying dirt and rocks scattered in all directions, several striking Takejima Ichirō.
However, Takejima Ichirō didn't have the time to care about these minor injuries.
For, in the next instant, a torrent of fireballs shot toward him, all from Qingming's Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu.
Previously, when the Shadow Clones had unleashed various ninjutsu, the precision was lacking due to their copycat nature. They couldn't target him as accurately.
But now that Qingming had found an opening, the precision was entirely different.
He darted left and right, evading the fireballs, but they followed him like they had a mind of their own, relentlessly closing in.
Only his swift reactions allowed him to dodge, as the fireballs couldn't change directions drastically over short distances.
But he could only endure for so long.
As Qingming continued his unrelenting assault with Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu, subtly incorporating shuriken into the attack, Takejima Ichirō was left with no way out.
The burning shuriken streaked through his side, leaving a charred wound as he cried out in pain.
Soon after, the other fireballs hit him, and in an instant, he was consumed by the flames.
When the smoke cleared, only a charred silhouette remained.
Step, step, step~
Qingming walked forward.
The blackened figure struggled to lift its head, glancing in Qingming's direction, eyes filled with unwillingness.
Whoosh~
A kunai shot from Qingming's palm, accurately piercing the heart of Takejima Ichirō.
"You…"
The agonizing pain in his chest caused Takejima Ichirō's pupils to dilate. With a final, desperate attempt, he managed to utter a single word before completely losing his life.
Zzzz~
A faint sound came from his hand as it fell open, revealing an exploding tag, already igniting.
In the next instant, a loud explosion tore the air apart, and Takejima Ichirō's body was blown to pieces, engulfed by a crimson fireball that consumed everything in its path.
Qingming raised his hand slightly to shield his face, ignoring the smoke and dust from the shockwave, silently watching the scene unfold without a word.
One had to admit, while his opponent had grown fearful of him, the courage to attempt to drag him down with them was worthy of some respect.
However, an enemy was still an enemy, and Qingming wouldn't show any mercy.
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