Clang clang clang!
The crisp sounds of metal clashing echoed continuously in the arena.
Qingming wielded his short sword, facing off against three jōnin from Iwa, yet he showed no signs of being at a disadvantage.
But this was only the present. Just a few minutes earlier, when confronted with their coordinated attacks, he had encountered several dangers.
During that time, he had repeatedly considered using ninjutsu to break the deadlock, but he had suppressed that urge with immense willpower.
Ultimately, relying solely on his swordsmanship and Sharingan, he managed to defuse each perilous situation.
Under the immense pressure of life and death, his swordsmanship progressed rapidly, and he accumulated the last bit of proficiency at an astonishing rate.
"It's almost there! So close!"
While blocking the attacks from the three Iwa jōnin, Qingming muttered to himself.
"What does 'almost there' mean?"
The three Iwa jōnin exchanged glances, confused by Qingming's words, and unconsciously slowed their attacks.
At the same time, they glanced around suspiciously, seemingly on guard against something.
Feeling the pressure on him ease, Qingming furrowed his brows. But upon seeing the trio's reactions, he found it somewhat amusing.
What's going on? I'm just muttering a few words; do you really need to be this cautious?
Despite his internal chuckling, this was a perfect opportunity.
Qingming blocked two attacks with a "clang," then, facing Ota Naohikari's opportunistic strike, he chose not to fully dodge but instead evaded the vital points and launched a counterattack.
"What?!"
Ota Naohikari was caught off guard by Qingming's sudden change in tactics.
He hesitated to retract his attack for fear it was a feint, intending to create an opening for Qingming to escape by disrupting their teamwork.
However, if he continued his attack, he risked serious injury or even death!
There was no time for deep contemplation. In a critical moment, Ota Naohikari recalled his fallen comrade, Kohei Ota, who had died due to his mistake.
Resolute, he chose to ignore Qingming's counterattack and pressed on with his assault.
Seeing this, a glint flickered in Qingming's eyes. He had initially thought Ota Naohikari would retreat to defend himself.
He never expected him to choose a reckless exchange.
It was a wise choice, to some extent.
If Ota Naohikari had opted to defend, Qingming was confident he could take the man's life in just a few moves.
Now, however, things were a bit more complicated!
But it was merely a minor complication; it was not an insurmountable issue, and Qingming's plan could still be executed.
With a thought, Qingming slowed his attacks, slightly repositioning himself to let Ota Naohikari's strike miss entirely.
However, this delay allowed the two Iwa jōnin to react. One of them stepped in to intercept Ota Naohikari's attack.
The other quickly aimed a kunai at Qingming's throat.
Sensing the razor-sharp intent behind the attack, Qingming couldn't afford to take it head-on. He swiftly evaded the strike.
At the same time, he retracted his short sword to block Ota Naohikari's second attack.
Seizing this opportunity, the Iwa jōnin who had just defended Ota Naohikari suddenly thrust his kunai toward Qingming's throat.
Once again, Qingming leapt away just in time, then immediately swung his sword to target both this man and the other Iwa jōnin.
Clang! Clang!
His attacks were parried.
But this was no longer important, as Qingming had regained the initiative.
He unleashed a flurry of strikes, each one serving as both a block and an attack, often targeting multiple opponents at once.
Thus, even though he was surrounded by three enemies, it appeared as though he was the one pressuring them.
One move, two moves, three moves…
After dozens of exchanges, Qingming finally could no longer contain all three attackers, allowing them to regain their rhythm.
In the intentional chaos, Ota Naohikari was the first to break free and immediately launched an attack against Qingming.
Seeing the strike aimed at his heart, Qingming thought, So, this is how it is.
He decided to abandon his pressure on the other two and readied his sword to block the incoming attack.
Ota Naohikari felt his tactic of "surrounding Wei to rescue Zhao" had worked and immediately intensified his onslaught, hoping to create an opportunity for his companions.
However, in his fervor, he forgot that when an attack is at its fiercest, defenses are often the most vulnerable.
With his Sharingan's three tomoe spinning rapidly, Qingming instantly locked onto Ota Naohikari's attack trajectory.
Moreover, based on Ota Naohikari's combat habits, he had already anticipated his subsequent maneuvers.
Thus, Qingming slightly tilted his body, evading Ota Naohikari's strike.
Ota Naohikari seemed to have foreseen this as well; he quickly twisted his wrist to change his attack direction.
But before he could complete his adjustment, Qingming had already sidestepped.
Once he confirmed there was no danger, Qingming thrust his short sword forward, as if it were a hidden viper aiming for its prey.
"Watch out!"
One of the Iwa jōnin, sensing the imminent threat, quickly warned Ota Naohikari and simultaneously swung his kunai to block the strike meant for him.
However, the previous occasion when they could intercept Qingming's attacks was merely due to his unwillingness to cause both parties to suffer.
Now, it was different.
Before the Iwa jōnin could react, Qingming turned his head sharply to face him.
Their eyes locked for an instant, and Qingming activated the hypnotic ability of his Sharingan.
The evolved three-tomoe Sharingan's inherent hypnotic power was something an average person could hardly resist.
In just a fleeting moment, the Iwa jōnin froze in place, his consciousness slipping into a deep slumber.
Seeing this, the other Iwa jōnin, who had been preparing to ambush Qingming, now had no choice but to abandon the plan.
He merely executed a basic attack to ensure Qingming couldn't deliver a finishing blow before rushing to awaken his comrade who had fallen asleep.
But this left Ota Naohikari in a dire situation.
When he attacked, he hadn't held back at all, and now he had no time to defend himself.
Ultimately, in Ota Naohikari's desperate gaze, Qingming drove his short sword into Ota Naohikari's body.
Ota Naohikari had attempted to save himself, desperately twisting his body in an effort to evade the lethal strike.
However, Qingming's sword seemed to have a will of its own, tracking his movements until it pierced straight into his heart.
Puh!
A mouthful of blood sprayed from Ota Naohikari's mouth.
Qingming sidestepped to avoid the spray and swiftly withdrew his short sword.
With his support gone, Ota Naohikari staggered back a few steps before collapsing to the ground, completely lifeless.
At that moment, a surge of understanding flooded Qingming's mind. He experienced a new revelation regarding his swordsmanship.
In that instant, even without opening his status panel, he knew his swordsmanship had leveled up.
As the realization settled in, he felt an immense sense of accomplishment; his perseverance over the past several minutes had not been in vain.
Now at level 6, Qingming felt that if he faced off against the remaining two jōnin, he could likely defeat them purely with his swordsmanship.
Unfortunately, there were no longer three adversaries.
Casting a glance at Ota Naohikari's lifeless body on the ground, Qingming wiped the blood off his blade and turned to the two Iwa jōnin in the distance.
At that moment, the previously hypnotized Iwa jōnin had awakened, and as he looked at Qingming, his gaze was filled with heightened wariness.
His caution was understandable; Qingming's Sharingan was exceptionally powerful.
He was no stranger to battling members of the Uchiha clan, but never before had someone incapacitated him with just a mere hypnosis technique.
Instinct told Fukui Ichiro that Qingming's Sharingan was far from ordinary!
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