Noticing his opponent's movements, Qingming swiftly turned his head.
In an instant, he activated the full potential of his Sharingan, carefully observing every action his opponent took.
When he saw the final seal was the "Tiger" hand seal, he immediately deduced that the enemy was likely preparing a Fire Release jutsu.
With this thought in mind, Qingming intended to use Water Release: Water Formation Wall to block the incoming Fire Release jutsu.
However, at that very moment, he suddenly sensed an unfamiliar chakra presence around him.
Simultaneously, a surge of danger flooded his senses.
Realizing something was amiss, Qingming immediately abandoned the idea of a direct confrontation. With a swift motion, he leapt behind a nearby tree.
Almost the instant he vacated his original position, a burst of flame ignited mid-air as if setting the area ablaze.
Had he not evaded in time, the flames would have appeared directly on him. Even with his 19 points of constitution, which allowed him to endure severe attacks, he would still have suffered grievous injuries.
This sent a chill down Qingming's spine, prompting him to think, "Truly, one must never underestimate an opponent, especially these Root ninja who are essentially bred through ruthless selection."
Wait—
Qingming's mind flashed as he realized the jutsu seemed oddly familiar.
He recalled that the Konoha Anbu had a secret Fire Release technique known as Fire Release: Combustion Technique, which could ignite enemies from a distance.
Previously, after mastering several Fire Release jutsu to perfection, Qingming had considered learning additional techniques.
Given its unique features, Fire Release: Combustion Technique was naturally on his list and even ranked highly.
Unfortunately, he had never found the opportunity to learn it.
Who would have thought he'd encounter it today? Although the circumstances weren't ideal, the opportunity had presented itself nonetheless, hadn't it?
To his surprise, he had managed to witness the opponent's entire process of casting the jutsu through the Sharingan.
This fulfilled the conditions required to activate the Sharingan's copying ability.
In other words, he had already learned the jutsu!
Focusing his thoughts, Qingming opened his proficiency panel. Sure enough, a new skill had appeared:
Fire Release: Combustion Technique Lv1 (1/200)
However, with only Lv1 proficiency, it was clearly unsuitable for combat use—unless he could, like Kakashi, use genjutsu to influence his opponent.
That, however, was almost impossible.
Not only were Root ninja highly experienced in combat and difficult to deceive, but their special training ensured that even brief genjutsu would have minimal impact.
Moreover, there were two of them, and they could cover for each other.
Thus, the method Kakashi used to deal with Zabuza was not suitable for Qingming.
More importantly, there was no need to make things overly complicated.
The two Root ninja before him were indeed strong, but their skill level was at most equivalent to highly battle-hardened jonin, perhaps even slightly below.
Against other jonin, they might have been able to hold their ground or retreat unscathed. But against him? That was out of the question.
Qingming quickly steadied his thoughts and stopped overanalyzing.
Reaching into his pouch, he drew several kunai and hurled them at the Root ninja who had just cast the jutsu.
Then, a blue glow flashed around him as he activated Instant Sword Technique, drastically increasing his speed.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of the retreating ninja.
Whoosh!
He swung his sword again.
This time, the Root ninja reacted in time, raising his kunai to block the attack.
Clang!
The clash of metal echoed sharply.
Qingming instantly withdrew, and as he sheathed his sword, he activated Instant Sword Technique once more.
Swish!
In a flash, he disappeared before the ninja and reappeared to his right.
Infusing Wind Release chakra into his blade, a nearly invisible edge formed along the sword's surface.
Then, Qingming swung his sword.
A surge of danger overwhelmed his opponent.
Zhenji felt a chill around his neck as the wind from Qingming's blade tore through his skin, leaving behind faint streaks of blood.
Despite this, Zhenji remained eerily calm.
In an instant, he made the correct decision—not to dodge, but to thrust his kunai toward Qingming, aiming to trade lives and force him to retreat.
This would give him enough time to evade.
Would Qingming be willing to trade his life for his opponent's?
The answer was, of course, no.
But he also wouldn't let Zhenji escape so easily.
Just as the kunai was about to pierce him, a blue glow flared around Qingming once more, signaling another activation of Instant Sword Technique.
The perfected Instant Sword Technique allowed near-seamless transitions between consecutive uses.
Naturally, this consumed a substantial amount of chakra.
But for Qingming, it was manageable.
Shing!
The kunai struck empty air.
Zhenji tensed, trying to locate Qingming, but he immediately felt an icy chill down his back.
Without hesitation, he lunged forward, executing a Substitution Jutsu mid-movement.
However, Qingming's speed exceeded Zhenji's expectations.
Slash!
Qingming's sword struck his back, leaving a deep gash.
Blood sprayed into the air.
Though Zhenji said nothing, he gritted his teeth and endured the pain, successfully completing the Substitution Jutsu to avoid Qingming's follow-up attack.
Qingming's gaze locked onto Zhenji's new location. Just as he prepared to use Instant Sword Technique again, a wave of fire rushed toward him.
Shifting his focus slightly, Qingming glanced in the direction of the fire.
The second Root ninja stood with hands forming seals, clearly launching the attack.
Without hesitation, Qingming leaped backward, narrowly dodging the flames.
Yet, the ninja was relentless, continuing to spew fire toward him.
After several evasive maneuvers, Qingming finally had enough time to complete his own seals.
Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Technique!
A massive chakra-formed shark materialized, surging toward the advancing flames.
Water inherently countered fire, and with a jutsu specifically designed to neutralize other techniques, the result was obvious.
The shark opened its maw, swallowing the fire entirely. Its size swelled dramatically as it continued to charge toward the distant Root ninja.
Seizing the opportunity, Qingming activated Instant Sword Technique again and appeared before the heavily injured Zhenji.
With his blade poised to strike, death loomed over the ninja.
Even with death imminent, Zhenji's expression behind his mask remained unchanged. His dark, cold eyes held no fear.
Without hesitation, he once again thrust his kunai toward Qingming, hoping to land a hit even at the cost of his life.
But while his intent was commendable, his movements were far too slow.
Almost the moment he acted, Qingming activated Instant Sword Technique once more and sidestepped to Zhenji's flank.
With a single slash, Qingming decapitated him.
A torrent of blood erupted from Zhenji's severed neck, staining the ground red.
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