"Indeed, one should never underestimate anyone!"
Qingming couldn't help but let out a sigh of admiration.
At the same time, he was thinking to himself: since a mere Qing was able to discover his anomaly with the Byakugan, it stands to reason that, as he continuously uses the Mangekyō Sharingan and leaves more traces, it would be impossible for those in Konoha, who have even more Byakugan users, not to notice.
In fact, they may have already discovered it but kept quiet.
After all, during the past period, he had activated his Mangekyō Sharingan several times, and while he tried to avoid detection, there were instances when it couldn't be helped.
For example, during the ambush outside Eagle Beak Cliff by the Hidden Mist Anbu, if not for the assistance of 'Heaven's Will,' he wouldn't have escaped the 'Four Mist Seal Formation' in time.
At that time, there were ninja from the Hyūga clan nearby.
There were also other occasions that Qingming couldn't quite recall.
It would be too much to hope that, during all that time, none of the Hyūga ninjas in his team noticed.
Once two people know a secret, it is no longer a secret.
No one can guarantee that they wouldn't leak it.
Even if they didn't, the higher-ups in Konoha, especially the spies that Danzo planted in the team, would definitely try to figure out how he managed to repeatedly escape enemy traps and even defeat stronger opponents.
And once they started thinking about it, with more complete information, Konoha would be able to make a much more accurate guess about what Qingming was hiding.
Qingming estimated that, for now, because the war called for unity against a common enemy, no one had tested him yet. But once the war ended, his peaceful days would likely be over.
Strangely, a sense of urgency began to swell inside Qingming.
At least for now, he could be thankful that Qing hadn't shared any information with others before investigating these matters.
And by the time Qing discovered his secret, he no longer had the chance to say anything.
For now, he didn't need to worry about the Hidden Mist leaking anything.
As for Konoha, Qingming had one thought: to raise his strength as much as possible. Strength was the foundation of everything. As long as his power was strong enough, no secret would be hard to keep.
Otherwise, no matter how well one hides, they'd still be like a rat crossing the street.
After pulling his thoughts together, Qingming no longer dwelled on it. He focused back on reading Qing's memories, hoping to find more useful intelligence.
However, he was soon disappointed. Some of the most sensitive intelligence related to the ongoing war had been sealed by the Hidden Mist Village using a special sealing technique, and Qingming couldn't guide Qing's memories to access them. He couldn't extract any useful information.
After confirming that there was no further value, Qingming formed hand seals and released a large fireball.
After erasing the body, he contacted the shadow clone that was stationed on the battlefield for him.
It didn't take long for the 'Mind Link Technique' to successfully connect.
Through the communication, Qingming quickly understood the situation on the nearby battlefield. After a moment of consideration, he used the 'Wind Style: Wind Wings' technique and flew toward the area.
...
Meanwhile, about 1.5 kilometers south of the Blackstone Stronghold's southern gate, the battle between the Konoha ninjas and the Mist ninjas was still raging.
Although the disappearance of Qing, the squad leader, had caused a significant impact on the Mist ninjas, the presence of other Mist jōnin helped them stabilize their position.
Moreover, due to their numerical advantage, they had gradually gained the upper hand.
On the other hand, the Konoha side was struggling. Whether it was the survivors from the previous battle or the reinforcements who had arrived, the state of their troops was generally poor.
Even though Uchiha Shisui, one of the top jōnin, was doing his best to put out the flames, it still seemed to be an unsustainable situation.
As for Qingming, he was just a shadow clone, and in the chaos of such a battlefield, he couldn't contribute much; his presence was negligible.
Because of this, the casualty rate on the Konoha side had begun to climb steadily in the past few minutes.
It was predictable that once they reached their breaking point, large-scale sacrifices would become unavoidable.
But Qingming's main body was about to arrive, and that time would not come.
Looking down at the chaotic battlefield, Qingming muttered to himself, "This battle has dragged on too long. It's time for it to end."
With those words, he dove down, dodging a few thrown kunai and shuriken along the way, and landed in the middle of a group of Mist ninjas.
These Mist ninjas had just surrounded and killed several Konoha ninjas and were still in the midst of celebrating their success.
Now, however, they were cold with sweat.
As they saw Qingming appear out of nowhere, one of the Mist ninjas, a chūnin, swallowed hard, suppressing his fear, and shouted, "Kill!"
With that, he charged toward Qingming, and the others followed suit.
However, despite the swarm of attacks, Qingming remained unmoved.
First, he dispelled his 'Shadow Clone Technique' to restore his full strength, then he drew his long blade from his waist.
Next, when several shuriken and kunai came flying at him, he swiftly slashed several times, knocking them all away.
In the next moment, a flash of green light appeared, and the 'Instant Sword Technique' was unleashed.
Qingming's speed shot up to its maximum, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived in front of the Mist chūnin who had issued the command.
"Ah!"
The Mist chūnin was startled.
However, his combat experience was still solid, and almost instinctively, he thrust his kunai forward.
Yet, to Qingming, his movements were as slow as a tortoise.
Qingming raised his long blade and blocked the incoming kunai.
Then, with a swift motion of his left hand, a pale blue chakra ball appeared and was pressed against the Mist chūnin's chest.
"Poof!"
The chūnin spat out a mouthful of blood, which shot directly toward Qingming's face.
However, as the blood splashed toward him, Qingming's figure had already turned into a blur of afterimages.
The next moment, a scream rang out from beside them.
The chūnin, with his last bit of strength, turned his head toward the source of the noise. There, he saw his subordinate, a Mist genin, pierced through the heart by Qingming's sword from behind.
Qingming glanced at him indifferently before continuing his assault, using the 'Instant Sword Technique' like a ghost, striking down the remaining attackers.
At that moment, the Mist ninjas present finally understood why Qingming's nickname was 'Ghost Sword Qingming.'
With his arrival, the Konoha forces quickly halted their retreat and began to counterattack.
During this time, two Mist jōnin tried to hold off Qingming, but under his relentless assault, they were killed in a short span.
After that, the battlefield turned in Konoha's favor.
With Qingming and Uchiha Shisui, two of the most elite jōnin, present, even with the Mist's numerical superiority, they were no match for Konoha's forces.
In the end, after the Mist village lost about seventy percent of its forces, the remaining three Mist jōnin led the remaining Mist ninjas in retreat.
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