About an hour later, as the sky darkened, Qing Ming finally arrived near the Blackstone Base.
At this point, continuing to fly was becoming unwise.
Though the surgery was complete, and he no longer cared if anyone discovered that he had left the base secretly, avoiding unnecessary trouble was always better.
Besides, there were numerous Mist ninja squads patrolling outside the base, and with his chakra reserves running dangerously low, creating more complications was not worth it.
However, just because Qing Ming wanted to avoid trouble didn't mean trouble wouldn't come looking for him.
As he cautiously approached the Blackstone Base, about a kilometer behind him, a Mist ninja squad suddenly came to a halt.
One of them crouched down, turning to a small ninja dog standing no taller than his calf. "Hapi, did you sense something?"
The dog, named Hapi, was this Mist special jonin's summoning companion.
Hapi possessed a sense of smell far superior to ordinary dogs, capable of detecting even the faintest traces in the air.
At that moment, Hapi sniffed the air intently before lifting its head and saying in a deep, serious tone, "Ryu, we might have a problem."
Its voice, low and measured, belied its youthful appearance.
The seriousness in Hapi's tone made the four Mist ninjas tense up immediately.
Inoue Ryu, trusting Hapi's instincts, leaned closer and asked, "What is it? What did you find?"
Instead of answering immediately, Hapi sniffed the air again, carefully discerning the scent before continuing. "I've detected a familiar scent."
"Whose scent?" Ryu asked, his voice dropping.
"Uchiha Qing Ming."
"What?!"
"The Blade Demon Qing Ming?"
"That's impossible!"
Hapi's words shocked the other three Mist ninjas, causing them to cry out in disbelief. Some instinctively drew their kunai, readying themselves for a possible encounter.
Their reaction wasn't unwarranted.
Unlike Ryu, who was a special jonin, the other three were merely chunin. Against someone like Qing Ming, facing him in battle would be akin to signing their own death warrants.
This had been proven repeatedly over the past week.
What made Qing Ming particularly terrifying was that, unlike other elite Leaf jonin who disdained targeting weaker ninjas, he would mercilessly strike down any chunin he encountered.
His relentless hunting of Mist chunin had instilled a deep fear in them.
Unbeknownst to them, Qing Ming wasn't driven by malice but necessity.
With limited chakra reserves, Qing Ming needed to maximize the efficiency of his battles. Once techniques like Shun Sword Technique and other skills reached their pinnacle, they would no longer progress through use, making each fight a calculated effort to replenish his reserves and maintain skill development.
Additionally, healing wounded allies required substantial chakra, leaving him constantly in need of replenishment. Mist chunin were simply the most efficient targets.
This made the mere mention of Qing Ming's name enough to terrify them.
At this moment, Hapi added, "Something seems... off about him."
"What do you mean?" Ryu's eyes glinted, pressing for details.
Hapi tilted its head slightly and clarified, "His scent is weaker than usual. My nose tells me he's ahead in the forest, possibly making his way back to Blackstone Base."
"In the forest?"
This revelation caused the Mist ninjas to exchange wary glances.
Over the past half month, Qing Ming had always flown in and out, never behaving as cautiously as this.
The fact that he was now moving through the forest instead of flying struck them as odd.
Coupled with Hapi's remark about his weakened state, they began to speculate that Qing Ming might have been injured during a mission and was now forced to return on foot.
Human nature often gravitates toward self-serving interpretations, especially when potential rewards are at stake.
Blinded by the allure of fame and fortune from eliminating or assisting in the elimination of Qing Ming, the squad convinced themselves that his diminished aura was due to injury, failing to consider the possibility that he was merely low on chakra.
Their breathing grew heavier with anticipation.
Finally, Inoue Ryu regained his composure and, after confirming with Hapi once more that Qing Ming's chakra levels were significantly lower than usual, made his decision.
He turned to one of the chunin, "Eimei, head back to our base immediately. Inform Captain Oozawa and request reinforcements."
"Yes, Captain!"
Although slightly disappointed, Eimei also felt relieved.
While sticking with Ryu might yield greater rewards, it also brought exponentially higher risks. Given the circumstances, it was better to play it safe and secure a smaller share of the glory.
After all, they were dealing with the Blade Demon Qing Ming, one of Konoha's Twin Stars.
Once Eimei departed, Ryu looked down at Hapi and gave a simple command: "Hapi, lead the way."
"Understood."
With a curt nod, Hapi sniffed the air again before darting off in a specific direction.
"Follow!" Ryu ordered, taking the lead as the remaining two chunin gripped their weapons and followed him into the forest.
Meanwhile, Qing Ming continued his cautious advance through the woods.
Suddenly, he stopped and glanced over his shoulder.
An inexplicable feeling of being watched washed over him.
"Just my imagination?"
He murmured to himself, scanning his surroundings.
After a moment of intense focus, he still found nothing out of the ordinary.
Shaking his head, he prepared to move forward again, but his instincts urged him to pause.
Qing Ming trusted his intuition, especially in a world filled with extraordinary powers. Often, gut feelings stemmed from subconscious observations of overlooked details, culminating in a seemingly inexplicable sense of foreboding.
Deciding to investigate, he opted to utilize his newly transplanted Byakugan.
However, before doing so, he ensured no one was nearby.
With that thought, he activated his Sharingan, scanning his immediate surroundings.
Finding no abnormalities within his line of sight, Qing Ming leaped onto a tree branch, deactivated his Sharingan, and unsealed the protective barrier over his Byakugan.
Focusing his energy, he activated the Byakugan embedded in his forehead.
In an instant, his vision pierced through the dense foliage, revealing everything within a one-kilometer radius.
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