Within the water sphere, suffocating pressure mounted, but Qingming resisted the urge to breathe as he cast a glance over his shoulder, catching sight of Kisame's expressionless face.
Kisame, too, noted Qingming's expression. Under normal circumstances, with one person in control and the other at their mercy, Qingming's face would likely reflect regret or frustration, especially after falling from the heights of confidence to this dire situation. Yet, there was nothing of the sort; instead, deep within his gaze, there was a glint of calculated satisfaction—as if his plan had succeeded.
In truth, it had.
Although he hadn't clearly seen through the pouring rain when Kisame's water clone appeared earlier, a full minute of battle had been sufficient for him to discern the clone's limitations. Not only did its reflexive defenses differ from Kisame's usual fighting style, but its chakra levels were also noticeably lower, which immediately made Qingming suspicious.
Despite this, he had feigned ignorance, all to lure out the real Kisame. Now, he was certain the person behind him was the genuine article.
In other words, his plan had worked.
All that remained was to capture him.
Qingming took a covert glance at the Mist and Leaf ninja in the distance, confirming that they were too far to observe the specifics of the situation here. He was about to activate the power of his Mangekyo Sharingan—"Heaven's Command"—to break free and simultaneously immobilize Kisame.
Just as he was about to activate it, however, a subtle chakra fluctuation emanated from the seawater beneath him. At the same moment, he noticed a hint of ease in Kisame's eyes.
"Could it be—?"
A sudden, terrifying realization flashed through Qingming's mind, and without a moment's hesitation, he activated his Rasengan.
As a jutsu that required no hand signs, Rasengan was the perfect choice for the current situation. A ball of chakra quickly formed in his left palm and then expanded, causing the water surrounding them to swirl violently.
In that instant, he was reminded of his training days when he had first used a balloon to learn the Rasengan. Drawing on his chakra reserves, he funneled them into his palm until, with a sharp burst, the surrounding water prison could no longer hold, bursting outward from the pressure.
Freed from the Water Prison jutsu, Qingming didn't hesitate; he lunged forward with all his strength, putting as much distance between himself and his attackers as possible.
In the next moment, a razor-sharp ice spear shot up from below, skimming past his back and soaring into the sky.
Had he remained even a second longer, the spear would have impaled him. Even if he had managed to use "Heaven's Command" to evade the strike, it would have exposed his Mangekyo Sharingan's secret.
"Heaven's Command" would indeed allow him to seize control over Kisame, possibly killing or capturing him in the process, but there was no way he could take down both Kisame and Setsuka at once.
That's right—Setsuka was also here.
With a splash, the seawater parted as a shark about three meters in length surfaced, its mouth opening to reveal Setsuka, who quickly climbed out and took her place alongside Kisame.
At some point, Setsuka had allied herself with Kisame, hiding inside his summoned shark to deliver a deadly sneak attack on Qingming.
The shark was no mere chakra construct but a genuine creature summoned by Kisame, who had, moments earlier, hidden Setsuka within its body.
It was a fortunate thing that Qingming's sensory skills were as sharp as they were; he had noticed the faint chakra fluctuation in the water just in time, thus averting disaster. Had he not, things would have taken a grim turn.
With a displeased expression, Qingming now faced Kisame and Setsuka standing side by side.
Just moments ago, he'd been congratulating himself on outmaneuvering Kisame, but it seemed the tables had turned. It wasn't Qingming who had tricked Kisame, but Kisame who had lured him in.
Kisame might not have known Qingming's intent to capture him alive, but upon using the Water Clone jutsu, he could've easily deduced that Qingming would be able to see through it. After all, the Sharingan's abilities were no secret, and it wouldn't have been difficult for Kisame to guess that Qingming would recognize the limitations of a clone.
Given that, Qingming's feigned ignorance would have appeared insincere, and Kisame likely suspected some hidden motive.
Thus, Kisame went along with Qingming's ploy, using the Water Prison jutsu to trap him in order to set up a counter.
Of course, he might have anticipated that a mere Water Prison wouldn't contain Qingming indefinitely, since the latter had clearly planned to use a countermeasure.
In reality, Qingming's Mangekyo Sharingan power would have allowed him to break free instantly while seizing control of Kisame.
Unfortunately, Setsuka's timely arrival disrupted the entire plan.
Had she not been there, Kisame might not have afforded him the chance at all.
In the end, Qingming was only one step ahead, whereas his opponents were five steps ahead.
Fortunately, his quick thinking had allowed him to escape the water prison before things worsened.
However, now that Setsuka was involved, capturing Kisame had become far more difficult.
"Damn it!"
Qingming's eyes narrowed as he glanced at Setsuka. Her earlier injuries seemed to have healed, and although she hadn't regained full strength, her current condition likely allowed her to fight at around 60 to 70 percent capacity.
This combination made for a challenging duo.
As Qingming analyzed his options, Kisame and Setsuka were also strategizing on how to deal with him.
For a moment, an eerie silence hung over the battlefield.
Seconds ticked by.
Finally, a gust of sea wind whipped up waves several meters high, crashing toward the three combatants.
In an instant, all three moved simultaneously, charging at each other.
Clearly, they had all come to the same conclusion—if there was no clear plan, then fighting head-on was the only way to go.
Both Kisame and Setsuka knew that individually, neither of them stood much of a chance in close combat against Qingming. But with their combined skills, they were confident he couldn't easily overcome them either.
Without hesitation, they attacked.
Facing the two opponents, Qingming showed no signs of retreat.
He had mastered Level 4 Instantaneous Sword Technique, Level 6 Phantom Sword Technique, and Level 7 (0/0) Swordsmanship.
The former posed little threat to either of his opponents, but the latter two techniques, in the hands of an average jonin, were considered trump cards.
So, he faced their attack head-on, confident and unyielding, fully prepared to engage.
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