A week later.
After seven consecutive days of battle, both Konoha and Kirigakure forces had inevitably succumbed to exhaustion.
As such, both sides tacitly agreed to a temporary ceasefire.
Walking out of the meeting room, Qingming glanced at the now eerily quiet base and muttered to himself, "As expected, the closer we get to the end of a war, the bloodier it becomes."
From his omniscient perspective, he knew that the Third Shinobi War was nearing its conclusion.
However, based on his experiences over the past two months, the intensity of the battles on the frontlines had clearly escalated.
To say nothing of other locations, this base alone had seen casualties in the past seven days reach two-thirds of its total personnel.
Thanks to the incredible healing capabilities of medical ninjutsu, many were saved, but even so, at least half of the severely injured would have died without such measures.
Yet even with medical ninjutsu, a one-third reduction in manpower within seven days was a devastating loss.
And this was merely a diversion point, a feint to draw Kirigakure's attention. One could only imagine how brutal the fighting was at the southern defense line, where the main assault had broken through.
It was likely that lives were being lost there every moment.
Shaking his head, Qingming pushed the grim thoughts aside. His strength was not yet at the level where he could dominate the battlefield. For now, his only option was to bide his time and remain cautious.
Perhaps one day, when he had the power to freely shape this world, he could follow his own desires and transform it.
But whether he would have the will or patience to do so by then was another question entirely.
Lost in these idle musings, Qingming returned to his quarters.
Sitting on the edge of his bed, he closed his eyes and began to carefully review the visual system enhancement techniques he had developed over this period.
Time passed, second by second.
About an hour later, Qingming opened his eyes again.
Without hesitation, he packed his things, prepared himself, and left his quarters.
This time, he avoided drawing attention. Instead of flying directly, he stealthily bypassed Konoha's patrol teams and quietly exited the base.
He continued moving cautiously, evading the Kirigakure squads patrolling outside the base, and proceeded westward.
Indeed, Kirigakure forces were still present outside the base.
Although they had agreed to a temporary ceasefire, they had not withdrawn but remained stationed near the Blackstone Base, ready to launch another attack at any moment.
However, Qingming's goal this time was not to confront them. He was looking for a secluded location where he could perform the surgery to enhance his visual system.
With no battles occurring today, it was a rare opportunity he didn't want to miss.
After walking for over half an hour, he left the battlefield area.
Without further delay, Qingming activated his Wind Release: Wings of Wind, propelling himself forward at a speed of 100 meters per second, heading deep into the Land of Fire.
While the surgery wouldn't take long, caution was still necessary.
Compared to other regions, the Land of Fire was currently the safest place to be.
And so, he chose this direction.
Time flowed like water, steadily and silently.
After traveling intermittently, Qingming finally found a suitable location around noon.
It was a spacious cave that appeared unremarkable from the outside but contained a hidden expanse further in.
Standing in a central hall, Qingming scanned the broken doors around him, his eyes brimming with delight.
This was no natural cave but rather a man-made underground facility.
Judging by the decayed remains in the surrounding rooms, it was likely a storage site prepared by some faction during past wars.
As for its age...
It was at least several decades old.
In other words, this place had existed even before Konoha was founded.
And given that no one had discovered it in all this time, it was highly likely that its existence had been long forgotten.
If not for the giant bear he encountered using this cave as its lair, Qingming wouldn't have stumbled upon it either.
Thus, the chances of anyone else finding this location were slim to none.
This underground space could not only serve as the site for his surgery but also function as a secret base in the future—a dual benefit.
"Perfect. This will do."
Muttering to himself, Qingming made his decision without hesitation.
Since he had chosen this location for the surgery, cleaning was necessary.
With that thought, Qingming walked to a corner of the hall, formed a hand seal, and unleashed the Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.
A violent gust burst from his mouth, sweeping through the entire underground hall, carrying away all the dust and debris toward the exit.
In just a few moments, the gale subsided. Qingming lowered his hand and looked at the now spotless hall, nodding in satisfaction.
However, upon glancing into the surrounding rooms, he frowned again.
His expedient cleaning method had left the interiors of these rooms untouched, and the strong winds had only worsened the mess inside.
Still, Qingming had no energy to deal with that now.
After ensuring the hall was clean, he prepared to proceed with the surgery.
Scanning the area, he saw no suitable tables or chairs. Without hesitation, he stomped the ground, channeling Earth Release chakra into it, and raised a stone operating table before him.
This wasn't a formal jutsu, merely a simple reshaping of the rock using Earth Release chakra.
With the table ready, he formed the Ram hand seal and used the Shadow Clone Technique.
Poof!
With a burst of chakra smoke, two shadow clones appeared beside him.
Qingming addressed one of them, "Your job is to stand guard."
"Understood."
The clone nodded and left the underground hall without further ado.
Turning to the other clone, Qingming handed over two scrolls from his ninja pouch and said, "The surgery is up to you."
"Understood."
This clone also responded succinctly, taking the scrolls from Qingming.
It formed a seal and opened one scroll, retrieving a complete set of surgical tools. Then, it opened the second scroll.
From the center of this scroll emerged a vial filled with a green solution.
Suspended in the pale green liquid was an eye brimming with vitality.
This was the Byakugan he had obtained from Ao.
The clone would soon transplant it into his body, granting him the ability to harness the Byakugan's powers through an additional visual system.
Watching the clone methodically prepare everything, Qingming calmly lay down on the stone operating table.
Moments later, the surgery officially began.
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