Chapter 159: Encirclement

After treating the wounded and resting for about an hour, Qingming's group set off again. Under the starlight, they pressed forward, and in the next few hours, they successfully eliminated two more camps of Iwagakure, pushing their front lines directly near the third line of defense of Iwagakure.

By this time, dawn had already broken.

Even though they were able to rest briefly after each major battle, fighting on and off through the entire night left everyone feeling utterly exhausted.

Fortunately, their initial objective had been achieved. Reports from other outposts confirmed that Iwagakure had secretly withdrawn personnel from these camps during the night. Their feigned attacks were soon to turn into a full-on offensive.

As for the timing—it was scheduled for 10:00 a.m. today!

In light of this, the commanding jōnin from the Nara clan issued an order to rest on-site.

Now, it was no longer the other outposts coordinating with them; it was their turn to support the offensive of those outposts.

There was no doubt that Iwagakure's withdrawal of forces from the front lines was aimed at dealing with them. Their task now was to hold those forces in place.

Qingming glanced at the time. With more than three hours remaining until the full offensive, it seemed like a good chance to rest.

However, Iwagakure had no intention of letting them rest.

In less than an hour, the camp ahead at the third line of defense—their next target—actually sent people to attack them first.

Well, calling it an attack was a bit of an exaggeration. It was more of a harassment.

These enemy ninja launched sporadic surprise attacks from the outskirts, often using explosive tags and flashy ninjutsu, clearly aimed at preventing them from resting properly.

Fed up with the disruption, Qingming decided to give up on resting altogether. After informing Nara Sishui, who was in charge of the operation, he took on the responsibility of defending the camp.

Walking to the outer perimeter, Qingming quickly sensed some watchful gazes. He glanced toward the forest and vaguely saw the shadows of some Iwagakure ninja.

After carefully sensing the situation, Qingming didn't detect any significant threats, likely just some chūnin-level enemies.

Still, he remained cautious, summoning a few Konoha chūnin tasked with patrolling to join him as they ventured into the forest together.

After about ten minutes, Qingming and his team had cleared the Iwagakure ninja from the surrounding woods. Although they hadn't killed many, it was enough to intimidate the enemy for a while.

Of course, stopping the harassment entirely was impossible.

It was clear that these enemy ninja had orders from higher-ups to continue their attempts, regardless of the danger.

Qingming used the opportunity to replenish his chakra, gaining a little bit of skill proficiency in the process. Though it wasn't much, it was better than nothing.

...

Time passed, and before long, it was mid-morning.

The atmosphere on both sides—Konoha and Iwagakure—had grown tense, as if a major confrontation was imminent.

For Qingming and his group, this was simply part of their plan to support the larger offensive.

For Iwagakure, the reason for their restlessness was obvious—they had likely received reinforcements, or they were expecting them soon. They feared that Qingming's group would retreat before they could arrive, so they were preparing to make a move.

Sensing this, Nara Sishui quickly switched the order from attack to retreat.

Qingming understood the strategy immediately. The plan was to use the Iwagakure ninja's eagerness to capture them as bait, luring them out of their camp.

And the plan worked.

The moment they began retreating, the Iwagakure forces from the nearby camp swiftly organized and gave chase.

It wasn't that Nara Sishui's strategy was particularly brilliant; the Iwagakure ninja simply had no choice.

The reason was simple: Qingming and his group had caused such havoc the previous night that the Iwagakure high command had issued a strict order—no matter what, they had to capture Qingming's group.

Because of this, as soon as they saw the Konoha group making a move to leave, the Iwagakure ninja jumped at the chance, rushing out to stop them.

Without the defensive advantage of their camp, the upcoming battle would certainly be easier for Qingming's side.

But only slightly.

This time, the Iwagakure forces numbered over two hundred, with the majority being mid- and high-level ninja. Only about a third were genin. This configuration was vastly different from the previous camps they had encountered.

It wasn't that this third-line camp was particularly important, requiring a large number of ninja to defend it.

Rather, the Iwagakure ninja who had escaped from the previously defeated camps and outposts had gathered here. The ones who managed to escape were generally quite strong. Additionally, Iwagakure had also pulled in mid- and high-level ninja from nearby camps.

That was why the number and quality of the Iwagakure forces here far exceeded that of a typical third-line camp.

For this reason, Qingming had said earlier that even though luring these ninja out of their camp would make the fight a little easier, it wouldn't be a walk in the park.

After retreating some distance, Nara Sishui ordered the group to stop, reorganize their formation, and prepare for the Iwagakure forces' assault.

Sure enough, when the Iwagakure forces caught up, they wasted no time in launching an attack, clearly fearing their targets would slip away.

"Earth Release: Stone Iron Cannon!"

In an instant, dozens of Iwagakure ninja formed hand seals, simultaneously unleashing the technique.

Small stone pellets, about the size of a thumb, shot from their mouths.

As they traveled through the air, they quickly spun and expanded, eventually turning into fist-sized rocks, which rained down upon Qingming's group.

In response, nearly a hundred Konoha ninja hurled kunai at the Iwagakure forces.

Despite the barrage, neither side showed any signs of panic.

The reason was simple: these attacks wouldn't cause any serious harm to the ninja on either side—at most, they would disrupt formations slightly.

The real outcome would depend on the imminent close-quarters combat.

"Kill!"

A loud shout echoed from the Iwagakure side.

In an instant, the Iwagakure ninja seemed to be filled with adrenaline, charging at the Konoha ninja. A chaotic battle erupted.

In no time, the battlefield was filled with clashing metal, the booming of exploding tags, and the anguished screams of injured ninja.

Amidst the chaos, Qingming had no time to focus on anything else—he was currently being attacked by three Iwagakure jōnin.

Yes, three of them.

Just moments ago, after Qingming engaged one Iwagakure jōnin, two others immediately rushed over to join the fight, forming a three-man team to encircle him.

Clearly, Qingming's abilities had been exposed.

Otherwise, the Iwagakure response wouldn't have been so extreme.

However...

As Qingming surveyed the three of them, dodging their attacks, he couldn't help but smirk inwardly. "Heh... do they really think three elite jōnin are enough to take me down?"

Indeed, after a brief exchange, he had already determined that these three were merely elite jōnin—not full-fledged jōnin. Their specific skills hadn't become clear yet, but that no longer mattered. As long as they weren't true jōnin, Qingming was confident he could handle them.

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