'Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!'
Qing Ming dodged several incoming jutsu attacks from Iwa ninjas, then thrust his sword into the heart of one of the Iwa's lower-rank ninjas, using the corpse as a shield. Raising his left hand, he swiftly completed a series of hand signs, unleashing the Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu. In a flash, over a hundred small, fist-sized fireballs appeared, controlled by Qing Ming like a meteor shower raining down on the Iwa forces. These ninjas dodged or blocked, ultimately evading the attack, but as they prepared to retaliate, a transparent wind blade sliced through the air, and the sound of tearing flesh echoed through the battlefield.
Two Iwa Chunin were cut in half at the waist. Their agonized screams filled the air as their torsos hit the ground. The surrounding Iwa ninjas looked on in horror, wide-eyed, scanning the area intensely, fearing they might be next.
Qing Ming had already left the original spot by the time they turned.
······
Meanwhile, on another side of the battlefield, Kurokawa Ichiro, watching Qing Ming deftly evade and defeat his attackers, clenched his fists in frustration. "Damn it!" he cursed under his breath. Then, glancing at a nearby Iwa Chunin, he ordered, "Send in the Third and Fourth squads immediately!"
The Iwa Chunin looked shocked. "Huh?"
Seeing his reaction, Kurokawa Ichiro frowned. "What are you staring at? Execute the order at once!"
The Chunin glanced at Qing Ming, as if about to argue, but, intimidated by Kurokawa's authority, he dropped it. "Yes, Captain!" he replied, then hurried off to carry out the command.
To be honest, the Chunin felt that his captain was overthinking. Qing Ming's abilities were obviously beyond what their Chunin and lower ranks could handle. Sending more men at him felt like throwing them into a bonfire. Kurokawa Ichiro surely knew this but was left with no choice. By initiating this ambush, they had broken an unspoken rule of the battlefield—one that usually discouraged high-ranking ninjas from targeting low-ranking ones. Given this breach, the only way to keep Qing Ming from overwhelming their forces was for multiple Jōnin to engage him.
But…
Kurokawa scanned the battlefield. All available Iwa Jōnin were already tied up with Konoha's elite. Unable to spare additional hands, he had no choice but to send more Chunin and Genin after Qing Ming, knowing it would mean more casualties but hoping it would at least keep him tied down.
Ultimately, as long as they could secure victory across the battlefield, it wouldn't matter if Qing Ming held out to the end—the stronghold would still fall into their hands. Sacrificing Chunin and Genin to wear down Qing Ming was, to Kurokawa, an acceptable cost if it led to victory.
It was a grim choice, but he couldn't afford to consider the lives of his lower-ranked ninjas too deeply. If they could wear down Qing Ming's stamina or chakra reserves, even at the cost of several dozen lives, it would be worth it to bring him down.
Unfortunately, Kurokawa's calculations underestimated Qing Ming's capabilities.
······
Ten minutes later.
Kurokawa Ichiro looked at the remains of the Third and Fourth squads, the few survivors struggling to stay standing, and felt a wave of dizziness. In just a short span, Qing Ming had cut down over forty Iwa ninjas—a kill rate surpassing the combined efforts of all the Konoha forces. At this rate, his own troops would collapse before Konoha even showed signs of faltering.
"Captain, we can't keep this up! We need a new plan; the Third and Fourth squads are barely holding together!" the same Iwa Chunin pleaded, looking at Kurokawa Ichiro with desperation.
Kurokawa could only clench his fists in frustration. What options did he have? Qing Ming had shown decent strength in the previous encounter—not overwhelming, but formidable enough to require caution. But now… Qing Ming's strength had multiplied exponentially. Not only had he wiped out four of their elite Jōnin, but he was now dominating the battlefield single-handedly. There was no fairness in this.
"Damn it! Are we really going to retreat?"
Looking around at the battleground where Iwa still held an advantage, the idea of withdrawing seemed unthinkable to Kurokawa. After a brief consideration, he turned back to the Iwa Chunin. "Get the First, Second, Fifth, and Sixth squads off the frontlines and have them distract Konoha's Jōnin. Then bring in Black Wind and his squad to face Uchiha Qing Ming."
The Chunin's eyes brightened in understanding. Kurokawa's strategy was simple: pull back the forces that were initially encircling Qing Ming and send them to keep Konoha's Jōnin occupied. Then, he would bring over the Iwa Jōnin who had been dealing with Konoha's elites to join in against Qing Ming. This would reduce casualties and make the fight far more balanced.
This was a gamble, however. If they failed to contain or kill Qing Ming, the Konoha Jōnin might rally and reverse their fortunes entirely.
But it was a gamble they had to take. Sending wave after wave of Chunin and Genin against Qing Ming was a losing strategy, one that would soon cost them the entire advantage. Kurokawa would have to risk everything on this final play.
As the Iwa Chunin left to deliver his orders, Kurokawa turned his gaze back toward Qing Ming, who was still tearing through the battlefield.
He had heard stories of warriors so powerful they could turn the tide of war single-handedly, but those had been legendary figures known throughout the ninja world. Now, he was witnessing such a phenomenon in real-time—through Qing Ming. In that moment, he could almost see the shadows of those legends in Qing Ming's relentless assault.
"Perhaps, after today, the name 'Demon Blade Qing Ming' will become even more infamous," Kurokawa thought bitterly, his face darkening as the thought settled.
"What is this? Do I subconsciously believe that even the combined might of Black Wind's squad won't be enough to take down Uchiha Qing Ming?"
For a long time, Kurokawa had no answer.
Or rather, he had an answer, but he refused to accept it.
"Hmph! Fine, then! Let's see for ourselves!" he growled, steeling himself for what was to come.
Touching his hardened left arm and forearm, Kurokawa grimly muttered under his breath.
His left arm was a prosthetic, a reminder of his last encounter with Qing Ming. More than half a month ago, he had led a raid on the small valley stronghold, only for Qing Ming to kill several of their Jōnin in a crushing counterattack that sent the entire Iwa squad into retreat. It was during that retreat that Kurokawa had lost his arm in a furious assault by Konoha's Jōnin.
Since that day, he had harbored a deep-seated grudge against Qing Ming, holding him personally responsible for his injury. Now, at last, he was finally getting a chance to settle that score and exact his revenge.
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