Chapter 157: Tactics

Shing~

Qingming withdrew his short sword from Ishida Shinsuke's chest, watching the body fall slowly to the ground. He then glanced around. At this point, the Iwagakure ninjas had been split and surrounded by the Konoha forces, now trapped in a bitter struggle.

Though Iwagakure had hidden some of their forces, they still only had just over a hundred people, while Konoha had nearly five hundred. The two sides were not on the same level.

Thus, Qingming wasn't worried about the outcome of this battle; his only concern was whether the subsequent advances would proceed smoothly.

But that was a matter for later. For now, he decided to check the rewards of this battle.

After all, Qingming had not forgotten his main reason for joining the combat team. If the rewards didn't meet his expectations, he wouldn't put in much more effort moving forward.

Opening his skill panel, his gaze immediately focused on the "Swordsmanship" option.

His skill had improved by more than twenty points in proficiency, almost equivalent to half a day of his usual training.

Satisfied, Qingming thought to himself, It seems I can't slack off in the future.

With that thought, he closed the panel and began scanning the battlefield for a new target.

It wasn't long before a sword-wielding Iwagakure jonin entered his sight. After observing for a moment, Qingming judged that the opponent's swordsmanship was mediocre.

But even a mosquito's legs are still meat. Qingming didn't hesitate and quickly dashed towards the Iwagakure jonin.

Clang~

A crisp sound of metal clashing echoed through the air.

Qingming raised his short sword, blocking the Iwagakure jonin's strike. Without turning his head, he said, "This one is mine. You go command the battle."

The Konoha jonin who had been fighting this Iwagakure jonin paused for a moment, glancing toward where Qingming had just been fighting.

Seeing Ishida Shinsuke's lifeless body on the ground, he gulped and nodded decisively, "Got it!"

With just one word, he showed complete trust in Qingming.

After all, he was only a special jonin, and the Iwagakure jonin he was fighting was also of similar rank. However, Ishida Shinsuke—who Qingming had just killed in minutes—was a true jonin. If Qingming could easily take down such a formidable opponent, what was there to worry about?

Now, the one who should be worried was the Iwagakure jonin in front of Qingming.

Indeed, as Faruyama Daito, the Iwagakure jonin, followed the Konoha jonin's gaze and spotted Ishida Shinsuke's corpse, his heart trembled, and a thought of fleeing crossed his mind.

Especially when he saw Qingming's blood-red Sharingan, his confidence crumbled.

But with Qingming now facing him, it was no longer his decision whether to fight or flee.

Not giving him a moment to ponder, Qingming swiftly retracted his short sword, then instantly reappeared at Faruyama Daito's side, striking at his neck with lightning speed.

Sensing imminent danger, Faruyama immediately focused, dodging to the side while simultaneously countering with his own sword.

However, Qingming had already anticipated his move the moment Faruyama's muscles tensed and his stance shifted. Qingming evaded the counterattack, leaving Faruyama's strike to miss.

Before Faruyama could regain his footing, Qingming's second strike was already upon him.

As usual, the attack came from his blind spot, leaving Faruyama with very little time to react. He could only dodge with maximum effort, further shortening the window for any potential counterattack.

Taking advantage of this, Qingming continued attacking from various blind spots, keeping Faruyama on the defensive.

In no time, Faruyama found himself in the same predicament as Ishida Shinsuke had earlier—forced into a purely defensive stance with no room for action.

Yet, Qingming didn't rush to end the fight. Instead, he used this opportunity to further refine his tactics.

What's that? You think such a simple tactic doesn't need refining?

Isn't it just forcing the opponent into a situation where they can't fight normally by exploiting their blind spots and then attacking?

If you think that, you're underestimating your enemies.

A ninja who has reached the rank of jonin has extensive combat experience. If you rigidly stick to attacking from blind spots, they'll quickly adapt and counter you, possibly even turning the tables.

This tactic might seem simple, but it's far more complex than it appears.

You not only have to constantly read the opponent's movements, but you must also come up with counter-strategies in a split second based on those movements. And those countermeasures aren't just about evasion—you also need to plan the follow-up strike.

Only by doing all this can you trap the enemy into following your rhythm. But if you make even one mistake, the enemy may find an opening.

If that happens, they could either escape or counterattack, meaning you'd have to start all over again.

So, to trap your opponent, you can't afford even a single mistake.

Of course, achieving this requires the assistance of the Sharingan. Without it, making so many decisions in such a short time would be impossible.

But the Sharingan alone isn't enough. You also need extensive combat experience.

Otherwise, a simple feint from the enemy might throw you off entirely.

Moreover, to ensure your attacks are effective, you need strong close-combat skills. In Qingming's case, that's his level 5 "Swordsmanship."

Even with all that, it took Qingming a long time to master the nuances of this tactic.

When he was still inexperienced, many enemies managed to escape his rhythm.

Although he ended up crushing those opponents with ninjutsu, it demonstrated how difficult it was to perfect this strategy.

Even now, this tactic only worked well against average jonin. When faced with more powerful jonin, Qingming couldn't fully trap them.

Moreover, this tactic had another weakness—it was ineffective against multiple enemies. It could only be used in one-on-one battles.

Despite its limitations, it was perfect for honing his swordsmanship.

Just like now, even without opening the skill panel, Qingming could clearly feel his swordsmanship improving bit by bit.

In fact, Faruyama Daito, the Iwagakure jonin, was also beginning to realize this.

Though Qingming had assessed his swordsmanship as mediocre, it was still quite impressive by ninja standards.

And anyone who had trained their swordsmanship to this level had a certain degree of talent.

Naturally, this allowed Faruyama to notice Qingming's gradual improvement.

But that realization only deepened his despair because it meant Qingming wasn't even using his full strength. He was simply using him for practice.

Faruyama's expression shifted several times. He glanced at the rapidly dwindling number of Iwagakure ninjas around him before gritting his teeth and making a desperate decision. Ignoring Qingming's next attack, he launched a counteroffensive.

As soon as his movements changed, Qingming immediately detected something was wrong.

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