The battlefield was in chaos.
On one side, Seimei had just killed a Mist Ninja when several more rushed toward him.
Seeing the group before him, Seimei frowned slightly.
It wasn't that these opponents were particularly strong. In fact, they were all in poor shape; two of them even had bandages wrapped around their bodies, clearly injured.
To be honest, Seimei would normally avoid attacking wounded enemies unless absolutely necessary. But in a life-or-death battle, he couldn't afford to show mercy.
Without hesitation, he unleashed his "Instant Sword Technique," closing in on one of the wounded Mist Ninjas at near-instant speed.
This Mist Ninja was only a mid-level warrior, no match for Seimei even at full strength—let alone now, while injured. The outcome was obvious.
A ripping sound was heard as Seimei sliced open the Mist Ninja's carotid artery before he even had a chance to react.
Seimei swiftly stepped back to avoid the splattering blood.
Just then, several other Mist Ninjas threw their kunai at him.
With just a quick glance, Seimei tracked each kunai's path.
His body glowed with a blue aura as he activated the Instant Sword Technique again, dodging the kunai and appearing beside another injured Mist Ninja.
Learning from the fate of his comrade, this Mist Ninja managed to block Seimei's first attack. But with a feint, Seimei swung again and decapitated him.
Seeing this, the other Mist Ninjas looked alarmed.
Seimei paid them no mind. After dispatching this injured Mist Ninja, he immediately flashed over to a third.
A cold gleam sliced through the air as Seimei swung his blade toward this Mist Ninja.
The crisp clash of metal rang out as the Mist Ninja raised his kunai just in time to block.
Seimei prepared to strike again, but another Mist Ninja nearby lunged, aiming a kunai at his neck.
Sensing the threat, Seimei turned his head.
Their eyes met, and Seimei quickly activated his "Genjutsu: Sharingan."
The Mist Ninja froze, his mind ensnared in an illusion. Follow current novels on novel※fire.net
Though he was caught in the genjutsu, he had unintentionally saved the Mist Ninja in front of Seimei.
The freed Mist Ninja, battle-hardened, took advantage, deflecting Seimei's blade and slashing his kunai toward Seimei's neck.
Feeling the sharp energy from the kunai, Seimei instantly pushed off the ground, retreating quickly.
The Mist Ninja didn't pursue but prepared to release his companion from the genjutsu.
Suddenly, two shuriken flew toward him.
Reacting instinctively, he swung his kunai twice in quick succession, deflecting the incoming shuriken with a double "clang."
He breathed a sigh of relief, but in that moment, he heard the sickening sound of flesh being pierced from behind.
Freezing, he looked back to see his companion—the one Seimei had trapped in genjutsu—with a shuriken embedded in his throat.
Choking, the Mist Ninja broke free from the illusion but could only clutch his throat in despair, looking to his comrade for help.
He soon collapsed, lifeless.
Seeing this, the Mist Ninja felt his previous defensive effort was almost laughable. Glaring at Seimei, he realized the truth.
Seimei, expressionless in the distance, had launched that attack. During his retreat, he had thrown three shuriken—two visible, one hidden in their shadow.
Instinct had helped the Mist Ninja deflect the visible shuriken, but he missed the deadly hidden one.
So, the Mist Ninja still died.
All this took place in a mere instant.
Meanwhile, a distant Mist Ninja had finished weaving his hand seals, preparing a jutsu aimed at Seimei.
Crackling with electricity, two long lightning whips lashed out from the Mist Ninja's hands, snaking toward Seimei.
Seimei's eyes brightened momentarily, then dimmed as he shook his head.
He didn't yet have lightning chakra mastery, so he couldn't replicate the jutsu. If he could, it would have been a useful skill—fast and effective for control, something he lacked.
"What a pity," he murmured, as he leapt backward several times, dodging the lightning whips.
Though he acknowledged the jutsu's speed, it was slow in the face of his Sharingan. Dodging was easy.
Still, the whips continued to stretch toward him, making close combat unwise.
Realizing this, Seimei quickly sheathed his blade and formed hand seals with impressive speed, casting the Fire Release: Roaring Dragon Flame Jutsu!
He exhaled a stream of flames, which split into three fire dragons.
Two dragons lunged toward the lightning whips, while the third targeted the Mist Ninja directly.
As the three fire dragons bore down on him, the Mist Ninja, Kojima Shinrai, looked tense. He retreated, directing his lightning whips in defense.
There was no distinct elemental advantage between Lightning and Fire Release, but Seimei's control of the Roaring Dragon Flame Jutsu was superior, and he had infused more chakra into the technique.
Within moments, the fire dragons shattered the lightning whips.
Although the fire dragons were slightly weakened, Seimei controlled them to press forward with the third dragon toward the Mist Ninja.
However, the Mist Ninja managed to escape beyond the dragons' reach, leaving them to strike empty ground.
Seeing this, Seimei prepared to cast the Wind Release: Blade of Wind to continue his assault.
But at that moment, Yoshino Tsukasa attacked.
Though heartbroken over his comrade's death, Yoshino didn't lose hope. Instead, he gathered his resolve, determined to kill Seimei in revenge.
As Yoshino charged, Seimei met him without hesitation.
He drew his long blade from his waist with a sharp "clang" and swung as they closed in on each other.
Metal met metal as kunai clashed with blade, scattering sparks.