"Captain, what should we do next?"
Just as Qingming was deep in thought, Yamamoto Kenichi's voice rang out again.
Hearing this, Qingming pondered for a moment before saying, "You all should immediately organize personnel to construct a second defensive line. Also, send someone to report the situation here to Yuiren-sannin."
"What about the Four-Tails Jinchuriki?" Yamamoto Kenichi asked again.
From his tone, Qingming could easily detect a hint of fear.
It seems it's impossible for them to take the lead, so I'll have to handle this myself.
Thinking this, Qingming replied, "I'll take care of him. You all focus on your tasks; don't engage the enemy directly for now. I'll be back shortly."
"Understood, Captain!"
Yamamoto Kenichi felt a sigh of relief upon hearing Qingming's response and promptly ended the communication.
Qingming stood still, contemplating his next course of action.
First, he didn't need to pursue killing the enemy—one, because he couldn't, and two, because it was unnecessary.
As long as he reported the situation here, he was confident that it wouldn't be long before Minato Namikaze arrived. At that point, he could entirely offload this problem onto him.
Qingming's philosophy had always been to only take on as much as he could handle—never overextending himself or engaging in tasks beyond his abilities.
Since Minato was being summoned mainly to counter the Four-Tails and Five-Tails Jinchuriki, there was no need for him to overexert himself.
In truth, he considered it a bit risky to intervene at all. If not for the feeling that abandoning the position without a fight would be unacceptable, he would have walked away.
Fortunately, this risk was manageable, and it would just serve as a minor assist for Minato.
With that in mind, Qingming darted to the left, charging toward the Iwagakure forces.
He had already taken a detour, and now his position was perfectly situated in the middle of the Iwagakure left flank. By cutting through there, he could directly disrupt their formation.
No, Qingming didn't intend to confront Ooji directly.
There were two reasons for this: first, the distance was too great—by the time he arrived, it would all be over.
Second, the risk of facing off against the enemy one-on-one was too high.
Instead, it would be better to stir up chaos and engage in battle amidst the Iwagakure forces. This way, they would have to exercise caution while using their Lava Release techniques.
Additionally, this strategy would also force their hand in calling for reinforcements.
The entire Iwagakure force had no one capable of matching him besides Ooji. As long as he avoided being surrounded by multiple enemies, he could inflict significant casualties on Iwagakure.
Thus, if Ooji didn't want to end up as the last man standing, he would have to come back for support.
At that point, Qingming could engage the enemy while gradually closing in on them, which would certainly be much quicker than simply chasing after them.
······
One minute later.
Qingming spotted the Iwagakure team.
At this moment, they were quickly regrouping toward the mountaintop.
Without any hesitation, Qingming threw out several shurikens.
Swish, swish, swish—
A series of piercing sounds echoed in the air.
Then came the screams of the Iwagakure ninja.
To create chaos, Qingming intentionally targeted the lower-ranked ninja. Since it was a surprise attack, those unaware of his presence fell victim immediately.
"Enemy attack!"
"Be careful! There are enemies!"
"Where are they?"
"."
The sounds of panic filled the air.
Just as Qingming anticipated, the sudden attack caused chaos among the Iwagakure forces.
But that's not enough!
Qingming thought to himself.
Once the Iwagakure upper-ninja caught on and began organizing their defense, this level of chaos would quickly subside.
This was something Qingming wanted to avoid.
Thus, after launching those shurikens, he utilized his exceptional visual skills, hiding among the trees for cover, and swiftly approached an Iwagakure special jonin.
Through his observation with the Sharingan, he could ascertain that this opponent was merely a special jonin based on the chakra level he sensed.
While he wasn't sure what techniques they specialized in, he was confident that their strength wouldn't be too formidable—perfect for creating even more chaos.
"Everyone, be quiet!"
Seeing the panicked crowd, Yamamoto Kenichi stepped forward and shouted sternly.
"Next—"
Just as he was about to instruct everyone to prepare for defense, he suddenly noticed several people staring wide-eyed behind him in terror.
A sense of foreboding washed over him.
Without a moment's hesitation, Yamamoto Kenichi leaped forward, distancing himself from his original spot.
Swish—
A short sword whizzed by above him.
Feeling a burning sensation, Yamamoto Kenichi glanced back to see a chunk of his scalp flying off, realizing he had narrowly escaped death.
This made him feel a pang of dread, as he wondered who the enemy was to have approached him so silently.
"Hmm!"
Seeing Yamamoto Kenichi dodge his carefully planned strike, Qingming felt a mix of surprise and intrigue, letting out a soft exclamation.
However, surprise or not, he had to continue his assault.
Qingming swiftly raised his left hand, forming hand seals in an instant. Opening his mouth, he unleashed a jutsu—Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
A massive fireball shot forth, crashing directly toward Yamamoto Kenichi, who had his back to Qingming.
Realizing the impending danger from behind, Yamamoto Kenichi quickly scanned his surroundings, his gaze briefly landing on a large tree to his right front.
Without hesitation, he pushed off the ground with great force, propelling himself like a cannonball behind the tree.
Qingming controlled the fireball, chasing after him, and it slammed into the tree with a thunderous explosion, engulfing it in crimson flames.
Cough, cough, cough—
Amidst the smoke, a blackened figure staggered out from behind the tree. It was none other than Yamamoto Kenichi.
In the next moment, Qingming appeared, swiftly moving in front of him and swinging his short sword, precisely slicing through his throat.
However, no blood flowed from the wound, and Qingming's actions faltered imperceptibly.
Just then, a sudden sense of danger surged forth. From behind a tree, a kunai shot out, aiming straight for Qingming's neck.
"Die!"
From behind the tree, Yamamoto Kenichi, covered in soot, shouted.
Yet, what he anticipated—a look of fear and resentment from the enemy—never materialized. Instead, all he saw was a cold, indifferent face and a pair of blood-red Sharingan staring back at him.
In the next moment, those eyes consumed his entire vision, dragging his consciousness into an abyss.
Qingming raised his hand, effortlessly grasping Yamamoto Kenichi's wrist, then pressed down, sending the kunai piercing through his own heart.
Severely wounded, Yamamoto Kenichi awoke from the illusion and glanced down at the kunai embedded in his chest. He then turned to look at Qingming, wanting to say something, but no words came out.
In the next instant, he breathed his last, and the figure before Qingming transformed into a puff of chakra smoke, vanishing from sight.
Clearly, this had been a Shadow Clone.
To be fair, Yamamoto Kenichi's reaction had been exceptionally quick; he managed to devise a plan for baiting and countering in that split second.
In the case of an ordinary person, they might have fallen right into his trap.
But Qingming was different. Though the Sharingan couldn't determine the truth of a shadow clone, the noticeable drop in chakra before and after made it far too evident.
Thus, he guessed the opponent's strategy immediately.
So, he turned the tables and executed a counterattack in an instant.
"Captain!"
"Yamamoto-squad leader!"
"."
Only then did the Iwagakure lower-ranked ninja finally react, calling out in succession.
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