The wind blew through the trees, creating a rustling sound.
Qingming and Kojiro stood tens of meters apart, facing each other, a palpable killing intent pervading the air.
The insects, which had begun to chirp again as the other ninjas left, fell silent once more under the weight of this tension.
In an instant, both moved. Kojiro swiftly drew several kunai, launching them towards Qingming.
Qingming's Sharingan, with its three spinning tomoe, quickly discerned the trajectories of the kunai. He swung his short sword and, with a series of ringing sounds, knocked them all down.
The next moment, Kojiro closed the distance, thrusting one kunai at Qingming's neck at an awkward angle, aiming directly for his carotid artery.
At that moment, Qingming realized he couldn't draw his sword in time to block the attack.
Instead, he swiftly sidestepped to avoid the blow.
Unforgiving, Kojiro twisted his wrist, transforming the thrust into a slash aimed at Qingming's collarbone.
Qingming pushed off the ground and took a step back, evading this attack once more.
Kojiro advanced, following Qingming closely, and launched another kunai aimed directly at Qingming's throat.
Qingming tilted his head back slightly, narrowly avoiding this strike. He could feel the sharp wind of the attack passing by his throat.
Then, Kojiro pressed on with a series of attacks, forcing Qingming to dodge time and time again.
In that moment, Qingming felt as if he had returned to several months prior, during their first encounter.
Kojiro's use of kunai was still as simple, efficient, and fierce as ever, embodying the essence of close combat weaponry.
However, unlike before, Qingming now had his own understanding of the "strength" of long weapons.
With that thought, he stopped merely dodging and began to counterattack with his short sword.
In the past, even with all his effort, he could barely defend against Kojiro's assaults.
Now, just a few exchanges later, he had turned the tables, forcing Kojiro into a defensive position.
The sounds of clashing weapons filled the air.
Kunai and short sword clashed repeatedly, producing a series of sharp metallic sounds.
Kojiro's expression was serious; he appeared calm on the surface, but inside, he was a tumultuous sea of emotions.
Two days ago, their encounter had been brief. He had only glimpsed Qingming's advancements in ninjutsu and kunai throwing, attributing it to the evolution of Qingming's Sharingan to three tomoe, which he believed had naturally enhanced his abilities.
Now, through their exchange, he truly felt Qingming's growth.
Kojiro couldn't believe that the swordsmanship displayed now belonged to the same inexperienced youth from months ago.
The disparity was simply too vast.
However, after the shock, a heavy killing intent surged within him.
He had deep-seated enmity with the Uchiha clan and did not want to see any new talents rise from it.
Thus, no matter what, he had to kill Qingming here today.
Unfortunately, Konoha's early discovery of their encirclement forced Han and the others to retreat, which reduced his chances of success.
Now, he could only rely on how well Chika would cooperate.
Thinking this, Kojiro glanced at Chika, who had disappeared from sight, waiting for the right moment to launch an attack.
Qingming's Sharingan had evolved to its three tomoe limit, allowing him to see through the opponent's small movements easily. Therefore, he quickly noticed Chika's absence.
Earlier, he had sensed that the opponent could conceal its presence; now it was confirmed.
'In that case, I must be careful of their ambush,' he thought as he divided his focus, keeping an eye on the movements around him.
At the same time, he did not cease his offensive actions. He was well aware that Iwagakure was surrounding this area. If this battlefield were discovered, it would mean great trouble for him.
Thus, he needed to end this fight quickly.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Another series of clashes echoed as kunai met the short sword.
But then, a sound of fabric tearing cut through the air.
Kojiro glanced down at the torn fabric at his waist, his eyes filled with seriousness and fear.
Just moments ago, Qingming had feigned an attack and thrust twice with his sword. Had Kojiro not reacted in time, his abdomen would have been pierced.
This only increased the pressure on him.
Conversely, Qingming was becoming increasingly relaxed.
The reason for this was simple: as time passed, Kojiro's movements were gradually becoming predictable to him.
With that insight, regardless of how Kojiro attempted to dodge, Qingming could find the optimal angles for attack, making it much easier for him to strike back.
Qingming estimated that if Kojiro didn't change tactics soon, it wouldn't be long before he could defeat him; now, it was just a matter of how Kojiro would respond.
Time passed, second by second.
As the battle raged on, Kojiro began to accumulate wounds, while Qingming's attacks became even more ferocious.
Just as Qingming readied himself to land a critical blow, he felt a faint disturbance beneath his feet.
Had he not been vigilant about the shifts in the surrounding wind and grass, he might have missed it.
Without hesitation, Qingming jumped back, leaving his previous position.
The next instant, a creature covered in scales silently emerged from the ground, its mouth wide open as if to swallow Qingming whole.
However, Qingming's reaction was quicker; it devoured only an afterimage.
Yet, Kojiro seemed to anticipate Qingming's escape and prepared to strike again.
He formed hand seals, opening his mouth to release a barrage of air bullets, resembling bullets in their speed and ferocity.
Qingming's Sharingan's tomoe spun rapidly; even though the air bullets were transparent, he could see them clearly.
In a flash, he evaded all the incoming attacks.
Not only that, but he also seized the opportunity to draw three shuriken, launching them toward Kojiro's throat, heart, and abdomen.
But to Qingming's surprise, the three shuriken were all blocked by the peculiar creature.
Chika flicked its tail and effortlessly swatted the shuriken away.
If it were merely blocking Kojiro's attack, Qingming wouldn't have paid much attention; however, the timing of Chika's intervention was impressive.
This indicated that the creature possessed a certain level of intelligence.
Thus, he could not afford to underestimate it in the subsequent battles.
As various thoughts flickered in his mind, Qingming locked his gaze on Kojiro, forming hand seals, clearly preparing to cast an illusion technique.
Kojiro, unwilling to withstand it, quickly averted his gaze.
At that moment, Qingming employed the same tactic he used against Han.
He changed his hand seals, shifting from the originally intended "Magical: Sealing Technique" to "Fire Release: Phoenix Fire Technique."
In the next moment, a multitude of fireballs erupted from his mouth, splitting into two streams: one third aimed at Chika, while two thirds targeted Kojiro.
plz support me if you can.
patreon.com/Mano99
all the fanfic is 30 chapter a had and you will get 1 chapter everyday.