Qingming stood before the two Mist Village jonin and the approaching squad of nearly a hundred Mist genin and chunin, a hint of caution glimmering in his eyes. This was merely the second wave of reinforcements. It was foreseeable that as time went on, more and more Mist ninja would return to support the battlefield. The pressure he faced would only grow.
Moreover, he couldn't afford to let this squad of Mist genin and chunin pass through, or at least not all of them.
Out of the corner of his eye, Qingming glanced at the battlefield behind him. He saw that with the arrival of the Mist reinforcements led by Yoshida Hideo, the dozen or so Konoha ninjas tasked with holding off the Mist were already struggling.
If this new group of dozens were to join the fray, the Konoha ninjas' burden would increase exponentially. Should their defense collapse, the battle in the Mist Village's command center would undoubtedly be affected.
Previously, Qingming had said that a handful of genin and chunin couldn't sway the outcome of the battle. But that assertion had a condition: the numbers must not grow too large.
As the saying goes, even an elephant can be felled by an army of ants.
Even the Third Raikage, a top-tier ninja, was eventually worn down and killed. The leaders of the clans in the command center, no matter how strong, were not invincible.
Even if the worst didn't come to pass, and the clan leaders managed to hold their ground, the battle's outcome could still be affected. If one or two critical figures escaped, the gains from this operation would be severely diminished.
With all this in mind, Qingming concluded that he couldn't let this group pass easily.
A Tactical Response
Qingming leaped backward, deliberately increasing the distance between himself and Yoshida Hideo's group. Before they could react, he swiftly formed the Ram seal with both hands and performed the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
With a poof, four shadow clones appeared amidst a puff of chakra smoke.
Seeing this, Yoshida Hideo quickly glanced at the approaching Mist genin and chunin, then at the Konoha forces on the battlefield ahead. His expression darkened as realization dawned.
"Stop him! He's trying to stall for time!" he shouted urgently.
Without waiting for his companions to respond, Yoshida began forming hand seals to unleash an attack. The other three reacted just as swiftly—one hurled kunai while the others prepared large-scale offensive jutsu to destroy Qingming's shadow clones.
But Qingming had anticipated this. Almost simultaneously, he slammed both hands onto the ground, invoking Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall.
With a sharp rumble, a massive earth wall—twenty meters long and six meters high—rose abruptly from the ground, shielding Qingming and his clones.
The kunai thrown by Yoshida's group clattered harmlessly against the wall, leaving only a few minor dents. As for the wide-range jutsu they unleashed, they lacked the concentrated power needed to penetrate the sturdy earth wall.
This bought Qingming's clones the time they needed to act.
The clones quickly formed hand seals, each activating the Wind Style: Wind Wings technique.
With a flurry of chakra, translucent blue wings sprouted from the backs of the four clones. They nodded toward Qingming before flapping their wings and soaring skyward at breathtaking speed. Within moments, they had closed the distance to the Mist genin and chunin below.
Before the Mist forces could react, the clones unleashed Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu in unison.
Four enormous fireballs, each twenty meters in diameter, lit up the night sky like miniature suns, casting a fiery red glow across the battlefield.
"Scatter!" someone in the Mist ranks shouted in panic.
Chaos erupted as the Mist ninjas broke formation, scattering in different directions to avoid the incoming inferno.
As for attempting to counterattack?
Don't even think about it. They had neither the time to form seals nor the capability to intercept such massive fireballs.
The fireballs struck the ground with deafening explosions, unleashing waves of fire that quickly spread outward. Within moments, an area over a hundred meters in diameter was engulfed in a raging inferno.
Those too slow or inexperienced to escape were caught in the flames, their anguished screams echoing like the wails of tormented spirits.
This devastating scene left the surviving Mist ninjas momentarily stunned. Seizing this opportunity, the clones launched a series of swift and relentless attacks, eliminating another seven or eight enemies.
It wasn't until this point that the remaining Mist forces regained their composure and began organizing a coordinated defense and counterattack.
But this played right into Qingming's hands. His goal had never been to wipe them out but to delay them. As long as they were no longer advancing, it was mission accomplished.
The clones, showing no regard for chakra consumption, continued to fight with agility and precision. Despite their vulnerability to damage, the clones exploited the high mobility provided by their Wind Wings to stay out of harm's way, evading capture or destruction with ease.
Facing the Jonin
Meanwhile, Qingming refocused his attention on the four Mist jonin before him.
Clang! Clang!
He parried Yoshida Hideo's and another jonin's kunai with his blade, their weapons clashing in bursts of sparks.
Now fully committed to the fight, Qingming began to counter their assaults.
Even with four jonin coordinating their attacks, Qingming showed no signs of faltering. His impeccable swordsmanship, combined with the enhanced agility of his Wind Wings, allowed him to hold his ground—and even find moments to launch precise counterattacks.
Though Yoshida Hideo and his comrades pressed him relentlessly, it was clear they couldn't gain the upper hand.
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