Chapter 126: Mist Anbu

Sizzle~

The short sword clashed with the kunai, producing a piercing screech as sparks flew from the friction between the blades, showing the strength behind both attacks. During the stalemate, Qingming raised his eyes.

Beneath the black cloak, he saw a pale mask, engraved with four twisting lines resembling water currents—a clear symbol of the Hidden Mist Village. Considering the opponent's attire, it was not hard to deduce that this was an Anbu ninja from the Hidden Mist.

While Qingming was observing his opponent, the Mist Anbu was also sizing him up.

Seizing the opportunity, Qingming suddenly activated his Sharingan, using its hypnotic powers the moment their eyes met.

Yes, Qingming had not activated his Sharingan earlier.

It wasn't that he was purposely hiding his power to ambush the Mist Anbu. Rather, ever since his Sharingan evolved to the Three Tomoe stage, keeping it active no longer contributed to its evolution. To conserve chakra, he had long stopped maintaining the Sharingan's active state for extended periods.

Of course, it wasn't completely without calculation.

Qingming had thought for a long time about how best to use the full potential of the Sharingan.

The answer was simple: the element of surprise.

Thus, apart from saving chakra, he also kept it inactive to catch opponents off guard.

And his plan worked.

At that moment, Qingming abruptly activated his Sharingan, using its hypnotic power. The Mist Anbu had no time to react and fell under the spell instantly.

Taking advantage of the situation, Qingming twisted his wrist, sliding the sword past the opponent's kunai, aiming straight for the Mist Anbu's chest.

In fact, Qingming could have aimed for the opponent's jugular, but he wanted to keep the Mist Anbu alive, so he deliberately avoided lethal areas.

Slash~

The sound of a blade slicing through flesh echoed.

Qingming's short sword cut across the Mist Anbu's chest, leaving a shallow wound.

Yes, a shallow wound.

Qingming saw it clearly—at the last critical moment, the Mist Anbu managed to break free from the Sharingan's hypnosis, instinctively retreating half a step.

It was this half-step that turned a potentially fatal blow into a minor injury.

The Mist Anbu didn't pay any attention to the injury on his chest. He warily stared at Qingming for a while before speaking, "Sharingan? A ninja from the Uchiha clan?"

His voice was muffled behind the mask, sounding slightly distorted.

Hearing this, Qingming remained silent and dispelled his Transformation Jutsu, reverting to his original form—an eleven or twelve-year-old boy.

Seeing Qingming's young age, the Mist Anbu's eyes flashed with surprise, but he quickly concealed it.

"Why did you disguise as an Iwagakure ninja and lure me here?" the Mist Anbu asked.

"Why?" Qingming thought sarcastically, "To turn you into a chakra battery, of course!"

Without answering, Qingming lunged forward, his short sword swinging in rapid strikes aimed at the Mist Anbu's vital spots.

Despite having spoken earlier, the Mist Anbu hadn't let his guard down.

As soon as Qingming moved, he responded, using his kunai to block each of Qingming's attacks.

For a moment, the clash of metal against metal rang out continuously. With his Level 5 Swordsmanship, Qingming displayed exceptional skill. Combined with the precision of his Three Tomoe Sharingan, he quickly had the Mist Anbu on the defensive, struggling to keep up.

Whoosh~

Another thrust—this time, the Mist Anbu was a beat too slow. Qingming's sword sliced a deep wound into his shoulder.

But it didn't stop there.

At the moment their gazes met again, Qingming swiftly sheathed his sword and performed a series of hand seals, casting Genjutsu: Sharingan in one fluid motion.

Though rushed, the genjutsu was still enough to cause a brief moment of disorientation for the Mist Anbu.

Taking advantage of this opening, Qingming swung his sword, slicing off a large chunk of flesh from the Mist Anbu's left arm.

Had the Anbu not snapped out of it in time and dodged slightly, he would've lost his entire arm.

"I can't let this continue…" the Mist Anbu thought anxiously.

He had realized that Qingming's swordsmanship was far superior, and in close combat, he couldn't keep up with Qingming's speed and precision.

With the added challenge of facing the Sharingan, his defeat was only a matter of time.

Moreover, he suspected Qingming was deliberately holding back. Despite hitting him several times, Qingming had avoided striking lethal points each time.

"What does he want? To capture me alive?" the Mist Anbu wondered, unable to come up with an answer.

But instead of dwelling on it, he began contemplating how to turn this situation to his advantage.

"Maybe… I'll have to take a gamble."

After some quick thinking, the Mist Anbu made up his mind.

Two minutes later.

As Qingming found another opening and thrust his sword forward, the Mist Anbu didn't dodge to either side as expected. Instead, he took the hit directly, using the opportunity to force some distance between them.

Qingming's expression shifted, and he immediately prepared to pursue.

But before he could, the Mist Anbu pulled three smoke bombs from his pouch and hurled them to the ground.

The next moment, a thick cloud of smoke filled the air, obscuring Qingming's vision.

By the time Qingming cautiously approached, the Mist Anbu had completed his hand seals, unleashing one of the Hidden Mist Village's signature techniques—Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique!

In the blink of an eye, a dense white fog enveloped the area, severely limiting the effectiveness of Qingming's Sharingan.

It was clear the Mist Anbu had experience fighting against the Sharingan.

This aligned with what Qingming already knew.

For instance, most of the higher-ranking Uchiha ninjas had been deployed to battle against the Mist and Sand villages.

After all, both villages had countermeasures against the Sharingan—the Mist with their Hidden Mist Technique and the Sand with their puppet mechanisms.

It was impossible to believe this wasn't a deliberate strategy.

Clearly, the village was trying to weaken the Uchiha clan.

Did the Uchiha leaders know about this?

The answer was obvious.

But with the greater good in mind, they had no choice but to comply with the village's orders. Besides, most Uchiha ninjas didn't fear combat and followed the village's deployment without complaint.

However, this only deepened the conflict between the village and the Uchiha clan.

And after the Nine-Tails incident, when the Uchiha were forcibly relocated away from the village's center, it was simply the final straw that broke the camel's back.

Shaking his head to dispel his thoughts, Qingming refocused on the dense fog around him.

He couldn't see his opponent, but he could sense that the Mist Anbu was still nearby, lying in wait like a seasoned hunter, hoping for Qingming to make a mistake.

However, Qingming wasn't interested in playing a game of hide-and-seek. This was, after all, within the borders of the Earth Country and near a battlefield. The longer he delayed, the more unpredictable the situation could become.

It was best to finish this quickly!

With that thought, Qingming raised his hands, quickly forming a series of hand seals. He took a deep breath, gathering Wind Release chakra into his lungs before exhaling forcefully.

This was none other than his Wind Release: Great Breakthrough, now at Level 3 (410/1000).

As the gust tore through the air, the surrounding mist was scattered instantly. When the wind subsided, the field was clear of fog.

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