Once his decision was made, Qing Ming immediately stored away the sealing scroll and began preparing his equipment.
When everything was ready, he stepped out of his quarters. Instead of leaving immediately, he first visited the mess hall to fill his stomach. Only after satisfying his hunger did he activate the Wind Release: Wings of Wind, ascending into the sky and heading toward the open sea.
Some patrolling Konoha shinobi spotted his figure but refrained from questioning him.
The reason was simple. Over the past few weeks, Qing Ming had consistently ventured out to the open sea or other remote areas for training whenever he had spare time. This habit, while not widely known, was no secret, so no one stopped him to inquire about his actions.
As a result, Qing Ming easily slipped out of everyone's sight.
After about ten minutes of flight, he found himself deep over the ocean, a considerable distance from the Blackstone Outpost.
Confirming no one was in the vicinity, Qing Ming carefully adjusted his bearings and immediately headed toward the Land of the Sea.
The Land of the Sea had always been fortunate. Despite being sandwiched between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water, it had never faced the strategic importance of places like the Land of Waves, which lay on key maritime routes.
Thus, it had largely avoided the turmoil of the ongoing war.
By the time Qing Ming reached the Land of the Sea around noon, he was greeted by scenes of tranquility and peace.
Still, with the powerful perceptive abilities of his Sharingan, he quickly spotted traces of Mist ninja activity.
Clearly, even while focused on their conflict with Konoha, the Mist Village had not relaxed its defense of its home territory. Even this relatively unimportant maritime route had Mist ninja stationed to guard it.
Shaking his head, Qing Ming avoided them and quietly made his way toward Oni Island.
Perhaps fearing discovery, Orochimaru had located his secret base far from the major islands of the Land of the Sea—so far, in fact, that it was almost outside the country's jurisdiction.
The area was so remote that there were few, if any, civilians around, let alone Mist ninja.
This isolation spared Qing Ming the trouble of covering his tracks.
Upon arriving above Oni Island, he scanned the area from the sky. Finding nothing unusual, he descended.
Deactivating the Wind Release: Wings of Wind, he began navigating the island's complex forested terrain. His chakra senses stretched outward, seeking the entrance to the underground base.
Yet, after nearly an hour of searching, he found nothing.
This left Qing Ming somewhat frustrated.
Oni Island was not particularly large, but it wasn't small either. Finding an underground entrance without any specific clues or guidance was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
As for his memories from his previous life...
Unfortunately, they were of little help here.
"Indeed, incorporating the Byakugan into my reconnaissance arsenal is the correct decision."
If he had a Byakugan right now, he could easily see through the ground's surface to locate the base.
Instead, he was left wandering aimlessly, like a headless fly.
"Too bad I haven't transplanted the Byakugan yet," he muttered under his breath, halting his search.
Then, he changed tactics, channeling his chakra and releasing it in a massive surge.
In an instant, an overwhelming aura radiated outward from him, spreading rapidly across the island.
The island fell silent.
Insects and birds stopped chirping. Even the faint buzz of mosquitoes ceased as many fell lifelessly to the ground, overwhelmed by the oppressive force.
This wasn't a matter of willpower but of an instinctive fear for survival.
The oppressive aura was so powerful that any shinobi within range would instinctively feel discomfort, even if they were far away.
Qing Ming was certain: if there were any shinobi in the underground base, they would surely come to investigate.
Once they surfaced, he could follow them back to the base.
Admittedly, this approach was risky and might increase his chances of being exposed, but he had no other choice.
He was unwilling to waste another hour—or longer—aimlessly searching.
As expected, not long after Qing Ming unleashed his chakra, someone came to investigate.
However, the identities of the individuals surprised him.
Emerging from the forest were two figures clad in black cloaks and wearing masks, unmistakably members of Konoha's Anbu.
"Anbu?"
Qing Ming voiced his confusion as he observed the pair.
The two masked figures seemed equally surprised.
"Uchiha Qing Ming? What are you doing here?" one of them asked in a cold tone.
Paying closer attention to their demeanor and aura, Qing Ming quickly realized they weren't Anbu at all but members of Danzo's Root division.
Their chakra signatures were a dead giveaway—they were identical to those of other Root members he had encountered in the past.
Knowing this, Qing Ming hesitated no further.
If they had truly been Anbu, he might have paused to consider his next move. But since they were Root operatives, there was no need to hold back.
After all, whether it was Danzo or his Root operatives, Qing Ming had no intention of sparing any of them in the future.
With that thought, he unsheathed the blade at his waist with a sharp "clang," preparing to execute his Flash Sword Technique.
Yet before he could act, several shuriken flew toward him at high speed.
The Root operatives had sensed his killing intent and launched a preemptive strike.
Thanks to the Sharingan's keen perception, Qing Ming noticed the shuriken's unusual coloration and the faintly acrid odor in the air—clear signs they were coated in poison.
"Typical Root tactics—swift and ruthless," Qing Ming thought with disdain.
But against absolute strength, no amount of cunning would matter.
With a single thought, he activated his Flash Sword Technique.
A streak of azure light flashed, and in an instant, Qing Ming evaded the shuriken's trajectory, closing the distance to one of the operatives.
The targeted Root member reacted swiftly, hurling a kunai toward Qing Ming.
The faint sound of crackling reached Qing Ming's ears. Looking closer, he noticed the kunai was attached to a burning explosive tag.
"Detonating an explosive tag at such close range? Reckless," Qing Ming muttered, abruptly veering away to maintain distance.
Boom!A deafening explosion shook the forest.
Amid the blaze and shockwave, Qing Ming seized the opportunity to strike again, silently executing his Flash Sword Technique to approach the kunai-wielding operative.
This operative, despite having avoided injury, was still reeling from the shockwave and had just barely regained his footing.
Before he could fully recover, the glint of Qing Ming's blade was already upon him.
Even in the face of imminent danger, the Root member showed no panic. He instinctively withdrew, attempting to buy time.
Simultaneously, the second operative began weaving hand signs, clearly preparing to cast a jutsu.
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