Sharingan Evolution: Proficiency's Path

After killing the three Iwagakure jonin, Qingming scanned the battlefield, assessing the overall situation.

It seemed that after the later skirmishes last night, the Iwa ninjas, possibly having received orders to retreat, were not putting up much resistance. Without their high-ranking leaders pushing them, the lower-ranked ninjas naturally weren't fighting with much effort either.

Additionally, their side far outnumbered the enemy, leading to significantly fewer casualties than in the first battle at the outpost.

Even at this stage, they still had over 400 people left.

In contrast, although Iwagakure had gathered quite a few ninjas at this third-line camp, their total numbers were only around 200.

As a result, the battle was one-sided, with their side dominating the field.

Even among the jonin, aside from Qingming, who was fighting multiple opponents, the others were fighting with the advantage of numbers.

Although the Iwa side had gathered elite forces from previous camps, they were still no match for them.

After all, they had been well-prepared, and their elite forces were far superior to the hastily assembled Iwa ninjas.

If that weren't the case, the higher-ups wouldn't have trusted them with the critical task of holding back Iwagakure's reinforcements. After all, it was obvious that the reinforcements would be formidable.

If they weren't strong enough, it wouldn't be a holding action—it would be a suicide mission.

The command center wasn't going to send them to their deaths, so their forces were equipped beyond standard requirements.

This was also one of the reasons for the low casualty rate in last night's battle.

These thoughts flashed through Qingming's mind as he bypassed the jonin and focused on the troublesome Iwa chunin, who were skilled and proving difficult to contain.

In just these ten minutes, many Konoha ninjas had already fallen at their hands. Qingming had to slow this trend.

It wasn't that he particularly cared about the Konoha ninjas, but they still had a tough battle ahead, and the team couldn't afford too many losses.

No matter how strong he was, he was still just one person. He needed these ninjas to draw the enemy's fire when Iwagakure's reinforcements arrived. He couldn't let too many of them die!

With that thought, Qingming sprang into action, heading straight for an Iwa chunin.

"What was that?"

Ishibashi Yamaguchi, who was engaged in combat with a Konoha chunin, suddenly noticed a shadow passing by and instinctively turned to look.

But before he could react, a terrifying sense of danger surged from his side, making his skin crawl.

Without hesitation, he dodged to the side, just in time to avoid a short sword aimed at his heart.

He broke into a cold sweat.

Judging by the sword's position, if he hadn't reacted quickly, his heart would have been pierced, not just the air.

"Who is this?"

Yamaguchi, both alarmed and uncertain, turned to find the source of the attack. All he saw was the hem of a garment—the attacker had already vanished.

Just as he was about to search for them again, the same familiar sense of danger struck.

"Not good!"

Yamaguchi panicked, quickly dodging again.

The blade sliced his arm, leaving a deep gash.

"Ugh…"

Yamaguchi grunted in pain but immediately thrust his kunai toward the source of the attack, hoping to land a counterblow, all while scanning the area for his assailant.

But there was nothing.

Again, a sword aimed at him from behind. Despite his desperate attempts to dodge, he was still grazed.

Another attempt to strike back—but still, no one was there.

Cold sweat dripped down Yamaguchi's forehead. His enemy seemed like a ghost, always just out of reach, making him feel both terrified and humiliated.

If it had been a fair fight, he could have accepted being overpowered, but what was this? Was he being toyed with?

As he pondered his situation, he was struck once again.

Finally, he snapped. With a roar, Yamaguchi began rapidly forming hand seals, seemingly preparing to unleash a ninjutsu.

However, before he could complete the seals, a short sword pierced his back, driving straight through his heart.

"Ugh…"

Blood spurted from his mouth as Yamaguchi stared in disbelief at the sword protruding from his chest.

His plan had been to feign casting a ninjutsu, intending to lure his enemy into attacking. He had been confident that he could avoid the next strike and counterattack.

But to his shock, the enemy's speed had suddenly increased dramatically, catching him completely off-guard. The trap he had set became his undoing.

"I… refuse… to accept this…"

These were Yamaguchi's final words before Qingming pulled the sword from his body, letting him collapse lifelessly to the ground.

Even in death, Yamaguchi never saw the face of his killer, leaving him full of unresolved anger.

Qingming glanced down at the body, wiped the blood from his sword, and gave a nod to the nearby Konoha chunin, who stood frozen in shock.

Then, in a flash, he used the Body Flicker Technique to move toward another Iwa chunin.

Within just a few minutes, Qingming had eliminated over twenty skilled Iwa chunin, significantly reducing the potential losses to his own forces.

Although several Iwa jonin tried to intervene, they were all held back by Konoha's jonin.

While the battlefield usually had an unspoken rule that jonin shouldn't target lower-ranking ninjas, Qingming didn't care.

After all, the Iwa forces were already at a disadvantage. Even if they saw what Qingming was doing, they couldn't retaliate in kind.

As a result, he continued his assault without hesitation.

The battle raged on, and Qingming kept targeting the most dangerous Iwa chunin. Anyone who showed exceptional skill was swiftly dealt with.

This put immense pressure on the Iwa chunin, causing them to hide their abilities for fear of drawing Qingming's attention.

Suddenly, the battle among the lower and mid-level ninjas became increasingly one-sided.

It was no surprise, really. Konoha already had the numerical advantage, and now, with the best Iwa fighters neutralized, the tide had completely turned in their favor.

A few more minutes passed, and Iwa's surviving forces had dwindled to less than a hundred.

Just as Qingming was about to shift his focus to the Iwa jonin, a voice echoed in his mind.

It wasn't just in his mind; every Konoha ninja on the field heard it.

"Everyone, initiate Plan C!"

Qingming recognized the voice—it belonged to a jonin from the Yamanaka clan.

The Yamanaka had likely used their Mind Body Transmission Technique to relay orders from Nara Shisui, the team's commander.

Plan C was the operation to hold back Iwagakure's reinforcements and assist the full-scale counterattack at other strongholds.

'So, Iwagakure's reinforcements are close.'

With that thought, Qingming immediately followed the plan, leaving the battlefield and heading back in the direction from which they had come.

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