Two hours later, once all preparations were complete, Sano Nobuhisa officially issued the order to counterattack.
East Side of the Stronghold
On the battlefield, a group of Konoha's lower and mid-ranking ninjas, under the leadership of the jōnin, began their offensive against the Mist ninjas.
After several hours of intense fighting, both Konoha and the Mist had suffered heavy casualties. While the Mist had prepared adequately and brought sufficient supplies, they were still at a disadvantage, as they were fighting on enemy territory, which allowed Konoha to stall them effectively.
Now, with Konoha launching a counterattack, the Mist, though outnumbering Konoha, began to feel the pressure.
Especially with Qingming in the sky, who ignored the battlefield below and flew directly toward the Mist battle ships, which were about two kilometers from the coastline, the Mist ninjas below became even more agitated.
The reason was simple: those dozen or so Mist battle ships were their only retreat route. If the battle went well, they could afford to consider it a long-term strategy after taking the Black Stone Stronghold. But, the situation was not going smoothly. With the Black Stone Stronghold showing no signs of being taken, if their retreat route was cut off, their troubles would increase significantly.
As soon as Qingming made his move, some Mist ninjas immediately received orders to rush toward the battle ships.
In the Sky
Qingming saw the Mist ninjas' reaction and nodded in satisfaction.
He then used the "Telepathy Technique" to contact Sano Nobuhisa and informed him of the Mist's response.
Upon receiving the message, Sano Nobuhisa wasted no time. He immediately gathered all available forces, preparing to crush the Mist ninjas in one decisive blow.
On the other hand, Qingming did not stop. Though his main task was to lure the Mist forces away and attract their reinforcements, he still aimed to destroy a few Mist battle ships if the opportunity arose.
There were several reasons for this:
Firstly, destroying the ships would reduce the Mist's war potential. It was obvious that the Mist's attacks would not stop with this one, and even if they failed this time, they would surely launch another offensive later. The Black Stone Stronghold's location made it impossible for the Mist to choose their attack route freely, with the sea being their best option. This made the battle ships indispensable.
Although the Mist had an abundant number of ships, only a limited number had been allocated to the Flying Fish Town. If Qingming could destroy a few ships now, the Mist would be short on ships during their next attack. With fewer ships, fewer reinforcements could be deployed, making it easier to handle.
Secondly, destroying the ships would further pressure the Mist on the frontlines.
Once Qingming had taken out a few of their ships, the Mist ninjas' morale would inevitably be affected. Whether it led to more reinforcements retreating or the Mist withdrawing early, either outcome would be highly beneficial.
Therefore, Qingming was not just pretending to strike; he was genuinely determined to target the Mist's battle ships.
With this in mind, Qingming accelerated his speed.
In under two minutes, he reached the vicinity of the Mist battle ships.
However, just before he could approach, a Mist jōnin leaped out from one of the ships.
Even though Qingming did not recognize him, he could guess his identity. This person was most likely the commander of the Mist forces attacking the Black Stone Stronghold.
As it turned out, he was indeed right.
The person in question was none other than Ōzawa Yoshiki.
Looking up at Qingming in the sky, Ōzawa Yoshiki wore a grim expression.
Counting the previous incidents, Qingming had disrupted their plans multiple times, and yet they had no way of dealing with him. Their last effort had failed not long ago. To make matters worse, they had lost their key asset—Qing, and with him, the precious Byakugan.
Just thinking about it made Ōzawa Yoshiki's heart bleed.
But, against Qingming, who could fly, he felt completely powerless.
If it had been someone else, he might have had confidence in dealing with them, even if they possessed a flying jutsu. But Qingming was different—his base strength was already formidable, and now with the added ability to fly, he had become an even more dangerous opponent.
Even their village's numerous attempts to target him had failed.
In such a situation, what could he possibly do?
While Ōzawa Yoshiki was lost in thought, Qingming flew directly past him, reaching the furthest Mist battle ship.
On that ship, a few Mist ninjas were left behind to guard it.
However, their strength was quite weak—aside from a chūnin, the rest were only genin.
As soon as they saw Qingming approaching, they immediately threw kunai and shuriken to stop him from getting closer.
However, their attacks were too weak. With a simple flap of his wings, Qingming dodged the incoming projectiles.
Without hesitation, Qingming formed the necessary hand seals and cast a jutsu—Fire Release: Dragon Flame Jutsu!
A stream of fire shot from his mouth, morphing into a fire dragon that barreled toward the ship.
To avoid further complications and save time, Qingming deliberately bypassed the Mist chūnin as he cast the jutsu.
No one could stop him. The fire dragon slammed into the ship, and with a loud crack, a large hole appeared in the ship's hull.
The next moment, the fire dragon surged into the ship's interior, quickly spreading and turning a large portion of the ship into a blazing inferno.
Seeing this, the remaining Mist ninjas immediately formed hand seals and used a Water Release technique to summon water from the sea, trying to extinguish the flames.
But Qingming didn't give them a chance.
As soon as the fire dragon vanished, he immediately performed a second series of hand seals and used a large amount of chakra to cast another fire technique—Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!
Boom!
A giant fireball fell from the sky, crashing through the hole created by the fire dragon and into the ship's interior.
The fireball exploded on impact, sending shockwaves through the ship and causing chaos below deck. The flames quickly spread throughout the entire ship.
Finally, Qingming threw several shuriken toward the disoriented Mist ninjas, disrupting their attempts to cast further jutsus.
With no one to suppress the flames, they immediately engulfed the ship.
Seeing this, Qingming nodded in satisfaction.
Though it might seem like a long process, everything happened in an instant.
At this moment, Ōzawa Yoshiki had not yet arrived, and the reinforcements from the Mist were still rushing over.
Qingming quickly glanced at them before hurrying to the other side of the fleet.
Even though the Mist ninjas aboard this ship had prepared, they were completely powerless against Qingming's overwhelming strength.
In just a few seconds, Qingming shattered their defenses and unleashed two more fire jutsus, setting the ship ablaze once again.
"Damn it!"
Seeing this, the Mist ninjas cursed under their breath and sped up their approach.
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