Boom~
A huge explosion echoed through the air.
The place where Qingming had just been standing erupted into a massive fireball, instantly sending the nearby special Mist Ninja flying.
Already heavily injured, the Mist Ninja was struck once more, and this time, he could not survive—he was killed on the spot.
Not far away, Qingming, who had narrowly dodged the explosion, couldn't help but mutter, "They truly are ruthless."
As he spoke, he glanced in the direction from which the Kunai had been thrown.
There, he saw Kuroki Izumi, with the help of two other special Mist Ninjas, had managed to free himself from the interference of the shadow clone.
The Kunai that had nearly struck Qingming had been thrown by Kuroki Izumi himself.
Izumi heard Qingming's comment, but he didn't respond. Instead, he retaliated by hurling several Kunai toward the shadow clone.
The shadow clone, sensing the danger, swiftly dodged the incoming attacks.
Taking advantage of this moment, the other two special Mist Ninjas freed themselves from the clone's grasp, and together with Kuroki Izumi, they prepared to break through to the second defense line of the Mist.
However, as always, Qingming was not about to let them go so easily.
As long as he could delay them for a while, the other Konoha Jonin would soon arrive, and the remaining three would be captured.
For the Mist Ninjas inside the Yujin Port, three Jonin would be an undeniable force.
From this point onward, no matter what action they took—whether they sent reinforcements or abandoned them—would be favorable for Qingming's side.
If they chose to send reinforcements, they could focus on rescuing their comrades, avoiding a forced attack on the Mist defenses, and minimizing casualties.
If they chose to abandon their comrades, the Mist's high-end combat strength would be further reduced.
Once that happened, they could repeat their previous tactics, systematically eliminating the Mist Ninjas, one step at a time, and ultimately capturing the Yujin Port.
Thus, as long as he could prevent them from escaping, no matter how the Mist responded, it would all be to Qingming's advantage.
Of course, the key was to make sure they didn't escape.
With this thought in mind, Qingming and his shadow clone rushed toward the three Mist Ninjas.
The distance between them wasn't that great. Qingming had intentionally chosen to confront the Mist Ninja closer to the second defense line when he decided to counterattack earlier.
As a result, Kuroki Izumi and the others were unable to bypass him and retreat to the defense line.
However, Qingming's task of stopping them was not without obstacles.
Some of the Mist Ninjas who hadn't retreated to the second defense line yet, whether voluntarily or out of necessity, all gathered around, trying to prevent Qingming from reaching Kuroki Izumi and the others.
Qingming's gaze quickly scanned over them, then he formed hand signs with one hand and cast a ninjutsu—Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Technique!
In an instant, multiple fireballs were spat from his mouth, flying like burning bullets toward the surrounding Mist Ninjas.
"Watch out!"
"Move away!"
"Counterattack!"
Panic-stricken voices came from the crowd as the Mist Ninjas scrambled to avoid the incoming flames.
The quicker ones, such as the Chunins, managed to dodge the flames without significant injury, perhaps only suffering some light burns.
But the slower ones, especially the Genins, couldn't avoid the fire and were hit in vital areas. Even if they didn't die, they were severely wounded.
Soon, the sounds of agonizing cries filled the air as many Mist Ninjas were struck. Some were hit in the head, others in the chest, and their conditions were dire.
Yet this was not the end.
Qingming's Sharingan spun rapidly. After evading several incoming Kunai, he focused on a particularly active Mist Chunin in the crowd.
He formed hand seals again and cast another ninjutsu—Fire Style: Hot Wind Technique!
Boom!
Without any warning, the Chunin's clothes were set on fire.
In an instant, the entire person was engulfed in flames, and screams echoed through the area.
Then came the second, and third...
After igniting five people in quick succession, the Mist Ninjas around him were finally shaken. Their steps toward him slowed involuntarily.
Qingming snorted coldly and turned his gaze toward Kuroki Izumi and the others.
Moments ago, the three had tried to use the distraction to escape, but they were immediately ensnared by the shadow clone.
Before, they had quickly escaped the shadow clone's clutches because it was working to buy Qingming time to eliminate the special Mist Ninja. It couldn't be quickly defeated.
But now, Qingming just needed to stall them for a brief moment to cast a few more jutsus, and the clone could handle the rest. It didn't take long.
As a result, the clone's battle capabilities had increased significantly.
It was exactly for this reason that the shadow clone could now trap Kuroki Izumi and the others.
However, this hadn't come without cost.
Just now, while the shadow clone was attacking one of the other Mist Ninjas, Kuroki Izumi saw his chance and drove a Kunai into the clone's back.
The clone was severely wounded and couldn't maintain its form, exploding into a mass of chakra with a resounding bang. The clone's memories were immediately sent back to Qingming.
He glanced at Kuroki Izumi and the others, then quickly noticed several Konoha Jonin closing in from a distance. Using the Instant Sword Technique, he lunged toward them.
Kuroki Izumi and the others had missed the best opportunity to escape and were now forced to continue fighting with Qingming.
Clang, clang!
The sounds of intense combat once again filled the air.
Qingming moved like a ghost, his speed so fast that he surrounded the three of them and launched relentless attacks.
To prevent any of them from seizing the opportunity to escape while he was attacking the others, Qingming made sure to focus his attacks evenly on all three of them, leaving no one untouched.
Meanwhile, the other Mist Ninjas who had gathered around didn't dare to intervene. They were simply too weak. If they tried to help, they would only cause more trouble, and so they could only watch helplessly.
Fortunately, this situation didn't last long.
Soon, commands from the Mist's leadership were passed down.
Several leading Mist Chunins seemed to be listening carefully to something. After a brief pause, they reorganized their teams and began moving toward the Konoha reinforcements approaching from the distance.
Not only they, but the Mist Ninjas who had already retreated to the second defense line also began to split into two groups. One group headed for the Konoha reinforcements, while the other group charged toward Qingming and the Konoha Jonin already closing in.
Clearly, the Mist's leadership had decided to choose the option of sending reinforcements.
Rather than sacrificing Kuroki Izumi and the others and allowing them to be slowly eliminated, the Mist's command chose to fight to the death, hoping for a direct confrontation.
For Konoha, this was good news as well.
They no longer needed to worry about traps and ambushes from the Mist's second defense line. They could advance with more ease.
The only real pressure left now would be on Qingming.
Had the Mist chosen to abandon Kuroki Izumi and the others, Qingming could have waited for the other Konoha Jonin to join him in capturing the three.
Now, with several Konoha Jonin being delayed, Qingming had no choice but to face Kuroki Izumi and the others alone.
There was no doubt that this raised the stakes for him.
But Qingming wasn't particularly concerned.
After all, he had been handling situations like this for the past half-hour.
Moreover, the enemy was now down one man.
Wait a minute…
Suddenly, Qingming recalled some small details he had observed through his Sharingan over the past period of time.
Perhaps it was time to try to end this fight quickly with the remaining three.
With this thought in mind, Qingming unconsciously activated his Sharingan once again and began scrutinizing the three opponents in front of him even more closely.
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