Chapter 291: Broken Blade and Danger

With a loud clang, Zabuza Momochi raised his Executioner's Blade to block another strike from Qingming, breathing heavily. They had been battling intensely for nearly half an hour, and constantly guarding against the Sharingan's illusions had drained his energy immensely.

Seeing his opponent's fatigue, Qingming noted the strain Zabuza was under. Zabuza was undoubtedly strong, but Qingming could still claim the upper hand—even without relying on the Mangekyo Sharingan. Compared to Kaguya Senjosuke, who wielded the Shikotsumyaku, Zabuza had no particularly unique abilities. His combat prowess depended mainly on the deadly sharpness of his Executioner's Blade and his wealth of battle experience. While this was more than enough to defeat most jonin, against Qingming, he was inevitably outmatched.

Thus, Qingming chose to continue wearing down his opponent's stamina and chakra without rushing for a final blow. Thanks to his relentless assaults on Mist's special jonin and chunin, the pressure on the Konoha chunin had significantly decreased. There was no urgent need to end the fight quickly.

In fact, Qingming welcomed the prolonged battle. Each engagement had allowed him to refine his swordsmanship further. Perhaps Zabuza could provide the last bit of experience he needed to raise his skill to the next level, achieving the complete mastery of level 7. With his three Shadow Clones alongside him, all contributing to his growth, Qingming's progress in real-time was promising.

Minutes ticked by. Another ten minutes later, Zabuza was visibly struggling, his attempts to counterattack increasingly thwarted by Qingming's Sharingan. Sensing that the moment for a decisive strike was near, Qingming began looking for an opportunity to end it. As for sparing Zabuza for Maito Dai to confront and preserve the "story's" trajectory, that had never crossed Qingming's mind. He had always been clear—ever since arriving in this world, the story as he knew it had already changed, so he no longer needed to hold back.

A symphony of metallic clinks rang out as the fight raged on. Suddenly, Qingming saw an opening. Instinctively, he cast the "Sharingan Illusion." Unfortunately, the timing was short, so the illusion's effect wasn't strong, but Zabuza hesitated briefly. That brief moment was enough for one of Qingming's clones to capitalize on.

"Rasengan!"

In an instant, one clone's palm manifested a high-density chakra orb, almost half a meter in diameter. Alarmed by the dangerous sensation, Zabuza sprang back just in time to dodge the clone's ambush. He'd barely had a moment to catch his breath when a familiar, piercing sound filled the air. His face twisted in alarm as he saw another clone preparing a colossal, rapidly rotating chakra shuriken.

"It's that move!"

Zabuza's mind reeled, but he didn't panic. From the moment Qingming had used Shadow Clones, Zabuza had been wary of this attack. Despite his worsening situation, he hadn't let his guard down, and now his caution paid off. Just as Qingming's clone closed in with the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, Zabuza activated the Water Substitution Technique. Not even the Sharingan's keen insight could react in time to alter the move, and Qingming's clone struck Zabuza's water clone instead.

The Rasenshuriken exploded, obliterating the water clone and dissipating the clone that wielded it.

"Ugh, lack of mastery really is a hassle," Qingming thought to himself, right as the piercing sound rang out once more.

With his own Rasenshuriken, Qingming rushed forward, glancing at his clone's aftermath. Seeing Zabuza mid-recovery from his Water Substitution, Qingming knew this time his opponent wouldn't be able to dodge. Zabuza realized it too, raising the Executioner's Blade as a last-ditch defense.

The Rasenshuriken met the Executioner's Blade, filling the air with the screeching sound of countless needles grinding against the metal, sharp enough to make one's skin crawl. But the noise quickly died, as the Executioner's Blade shattered.

To be more precise, it disintegrated.

Zabuza was left with only the hilt in his hand, the blade itself fracturing into countless shards and scattering like deadly shrapnel in every direction. Then, the Rasenshuriken erupted, releasing thousands of chakra needles that blanketed the area. Qingming's face shifted as he planted his feet, launching himself back like a cannonball.

Finally, he managed to stop himself ten meters away, his body punctured by fragments of the Executioner's Blade. Thankfully, they were only surface injuries.

But the real concern was the chakra needles that had pierced his body. Qingming immediately assessed his state, only to exhale in relief moments later. Having retreated early, he'd avoided the worst of the Rasenshuriken's lethal aftermath. Its primary danger lay in the lingering, penetrative force of the chakra needles; he hadn't been affected for long enough to suffer significant damage.

The Rasenshuriken's true power lay in embedding chakra needles that continually shredded an opponent from within. Since he'd broken free in time, the situation wasn't critical. It was similar to the effect on his own right hand after performing the Rasenshuriken—brief contact wouldn't lead to permanent damage. Otherwise, using the technique even once or twice would leave his arm permanently crippled, making the Rasenshuriken less of a forbidden jutsu and more of a complete failure.

However, Qingming resolved to avoid using the Rasenshuriken with his own body until his mastery level improved.

The danger was simply too great!

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