Clink, clink, clank~
The crisp sound of metal clashing echoed repeatedly.
Holding a long sword, Qingming faced off against two opponents, not losing ground in the slightest.
As time ticked by, another quarter of an hour passed.
Ganishi Kisame and Xuefeng both briefly separated, standing still as they watched Qingming's youthful face, their gazes full of gravity.
After several rounds of battle, even as enemies, they couldn't help but admit that Qingming was a true genius.
At such a young age, being able to go head-to-head with them was nothing short of extraordinary. If he didn't die in this war, he would definitely become Konoha's pillar in the future.
This realization made Ganishi Kisame even more eager to kill Qingming.
Unfortunately, no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't find any weaknesses in Qingming.
No, to be more accurate, it wasn't that they couldn't find any weaknesses, but rather that they couldn't exploit them.
Qingming was still too young. Although the battlefield had forced him to grow, his combat experience still paled in comparison to the two seasoned Jonin.
In such circumstances, it was inevitable that some weaknesses would show.
The problem was that even when Qingming showed some weaknesses, they couldn't capitalize on them. Even if they did, Qingming could retaliate with his sheer strength.
This was what frustrated Ganishi Kisame the most.
"Maybe I should risk everything," Ganishi Kisame thought to himself, casting a covert glance at Xuefeng.
However, the anticipated silent understanding didn't come. Instead, he saw a deep-seated fear in Xuefeng's eyes.
In this situation, getting him to fight to the death was nearly impossible.
The key point was that the village's orders were to delay the reinforcements led by Qingming, not to kill him.
So even if Kisame wanted to make Xuefeng fight desperately, Xuefeng could easily find an excuse to back out.
This was one of the disadvantages of the Hidden Mist Village's brutal Blood Mist policy — the lack of unity among its people.
Perhaps the Hidden Mist Village hadn't yet targeted the Kekkei Genkai families, but for self-preservation, these families wouldn't overly deplete their strength.
Like Xuefeng in front of him, he might carry out some tasks for the village, but he would never sacrifice his life for it, especially when there was an excuse to back out.
In his mind, his family's legacy and survival were far more important than the village's missions.
Though Ganishi Kisame viewed himself as a mere tool for missions, often silent, he wasn't lacking in intelligence. He quickly saw through Xuefeng's true nature.
Without even speaking, he understood Xuefeng's answer.
"Eh..."
With a quiet sigh, Ganishi Kisame stopped overthinking and immediately planned to launch the second round of attacks.
Although the chance of killing Qingming today was slim, he still needed to put in the effort.
But just as he was about to make his move, a large eagle suddenly flew from the distance. It circled above them and emitted a sharp cry.
Kisame looked up and immediately recognized it as the village's messenger eagle.
Once he confirmed this, he listened carefully to the cry, deciphering the message.
Yes, the messenger eagle not only delivered physical information like a carrier pigeon but also conveyed simple orders through its call.
And the message it carried was clear: the mission to delay the reinforcements had been completed, and they could withdraw.
After deciphering the order, Kisame didn't have a chance to speak before Xuefeng directly said, "Retreat!"
With that, he abandoned his standoff with Qingming and turned, rushing toward the battlefield where the remaining Mist and Konoha ninjas were.
Seeing this, Kisame was momentarily stunned and muttered to himself, "That was too straightforward…"
However, now that Xuefeng had already left, there was nothing he could do. He could only give Qingming one last reluctant glance and prepare to retreat himself.
But how could Qingming let him leave so easily?
Although Qingming had mostly given up on capturing them alive, a small opportunity had now presented itself, and he was determined to try again.
So, ignoring Xuefeng, Qingming charged directly toward Ganishi Kisame.
Kisame had initially planned to retreat but, seeing the remaining Mist ninjas on the periphery, ultimately decided to stay behind and hold Qingming off for a while to buy time for their retreat.
Ganishi Kisame was a contradictory figure. He could sacrifice his allies without hesitation to complete the mission. But equally, he was willing to place himself in danger to protect his comrades.
This was the complexity of human nature.
Clink, clink, clank~
The battle resumed.
With Xuefeng's help gone, Kisame felt noticeably more pressure.
However, that was all it was.
Despite Kisame being at a disadvantage in close combat, it was still unlikely that Qingming could completely defeat or kill him.
Especially once Kisame focused on defense, his chances of victory were slim.
Five minutes later, Qingming, using his superb swordsmanship, managed to leave two shallow wounds on Kisame's body, but they weren't deep enough to cause significant damage.
At the same time, Kisame noticed that the remaining Mist ninjas had escaped Konoha's pursuit and were now following Xuefeng to retreat. Realizing this, he finally decided to make his exit.
However, leaving was easier said than done.
As soon as Kisame revealed his intention to retreat, Qingming noticed it.
Immediately, Qingming increased the pressure on him, not giving him any chance to escape the battlefield.
Meanwhile, the surviving Konoha ninjas began to gather toward this location.
Kisame noticed these people from the corner of his eye and understood that he couldn't continue to linger.
Though their strength might be nothing remarkable, they could still serve as distractions.
Once they joined the fight and Qingming took advantage of the situation, the danger for Kisame would increase dramatically.
With that thought in mind, Kisame gritted his teeth, waited for the right moment, and, at the cost of taking a sword to the chest, managed to create some distance between himself and Qingming.
Quickly, he began hand-signing and executed his signature jutsu — Water Style: Water Shark Bomb!
A large wave of water erupted from his mouth, resembling the Milky Way pouring down, crashing toward Qingming.
Qingming reacted swiftly, diving into the water.
He then activated his Mangekyō Sharingan and used 'Tenshi no Mi' (Heaven's Grace), ignoring the surrounding water's impact and rapidly reaching Kisame's feet.
With a thought, he canceled 'Tenshi no Mi', emerged from the water, closed his Mangekyō Sharingan, and struck with his sword.
Swoosh~
The long sword pierced Kisame's back.
However, no blood poured out — only droplets of seawater.
Boom~
Kisame's body exploded into a puddle of water.
Qingming pulled back his long sword and turned to look nearby, just in time to see a shark appear, swallowing Kisame whole.
The shark quickly vanished from his view.
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