Chapter 293: Escape and Swift Kill

Standing on a tree branch, Qingming stared at the charred body of his captain in the distance, then at the rapidly approaching Kurotsuchi Raiga, feeling a headache coming on. He had barely finished defeating Jūzō Biwa, and now another enemy had arrived. Did they think he was invincible?

"Oh, right… I do have an 'invincible' mode. But that doesn't make this any easier!" Qingming felt the ever-present sense of being watched and couldn't help but scowl.

After a moment's consideration, he hardened his resolve, formed a hand seal, and released the Shadow Clone Technique.

Instantly, his last shadow clone, which had been keeping the Mist Shinobi occupied nearby, vanished, and his chakra reserve received a slight boost. This action, along with his recent behavior, sent a clear message to the observers: he was in desperate need of chakra.

With a final glance at Kurotsuchi Raiga and Jūzō Biwa, Qingming dashed into the dense forest, fleeing without hesitation.

Yes, he ran.

Surprised, both Kurotsuchi Raiga and Jūzō Biwa paused for a moment before reacting and chasing after him.

Within the forest, Qingming sensed his pursuers closing in and heaved a small sigh of relief, then accelerated, making it seem as if he was desperate to shake them off.

Unwilling to let their prey escape, Raiga and Jūzō also increased their pace, closely following him. Meanwhile, from hidden corners of the forest, unnoticed by anyone, small bugs began to follow the group, tracking Qingming.

Time ticked by slowly.

After running about five or six kilometers, Qingming finally stopped atop a tree branch, carefully scanning his surroundings. After a brief pause, he opened his eyes and murmured, "As expected, they're gone."

Over the past few days, although he had not caught the hidden observers, he had managed to deduce their tracking methods through subtle clues.

To avoid detection by a Byakugan, an enemy would likely need to stay at least a kilometer away. In a forest setting, without a jutsu like Sarutobi Hiruzen's Telescope Technique, any long-range surveillance likely relied on some medium. And if it was a medium, there would naturally be range limitations. By covering this five to six kilometers in one go, he had effectively left his previous environment, freeing himself from surveillance.

Now, he could move freely.

With this in mind, Qingming crossed his fingers and performed the Shadow Clone Technique.

Poof!

A burst of chakra smoke cleared, and a clone appeared beside him.

Qingming nodded at his clone, which then sprinted off in his original direction, continuing his feigned escape. Meanwhile, Qingming himself suppressed his presence, hiding nearby like a seasoned hunter, waiting for his prey to step into his trap.

The seconds passed by.

In a flash, ten seconds had passed, and a sound of footsteps reached his ears. Qingming looked toward the source and saw two figures rushing forward—it was none other than Kurotsuchi Raiga and Jūzō Biwa.

With his Sharingan at full capacity, Qingming scanned his surroundings one last time to ensure there were no other presences, then prepared to strike.

As soon as they drew close, Qingming launched his surprise attack.

Almost immediately, Jūzō Biwa sensed something. "Who's there?"

Even as he spoke, he was already swinging his Executioner's Blade in a wide, sweeping arc towards Qingming's attack. At this range, if Qingming continued forward, he would be cut in half. If he pulled back, he'd lose the element of surprise. Truly, to have risen to his position with just a single blade, Jūzō Biwa was formidable.

His combat instincts and reaction speed were leagues above those of Kurotsuchi Raiga beside him. Yet, none of that mattered in the end.

As Jūzō Biwa calculated how Qingming would dodge, preparing to either pursue or defend, the unexpected happened. Qingming didn't back off but instead rushed straight into the swing of his blade.

The blade sliced clean through Qingming's midsection, splitting him in two.

"Wait!"

Jūzō Biwa suddenly realized something was wrong.

"That didn't feel right!"

His eyes widened in shock as he noticed that the Qingming he had sliced in half had dissolved into mist.

It was a mere afterimage.

"Then… where is he?"

Jūzō Biwa's mind raced as his eyes darted around, but before he could react, an icy chill crept over him.

Instinctively, he lunged forward, but it was too late.

Slash!

The sound of a blade slicing through flesh echoed. Qingming's sword had slit Jūzō Biwa's carotid artery, sending blood spraying, instantly dyeing the area around them red.

In a flash, as this all happened in mere seconds, Kurotsuchi Raiga had finally zeroed in on Qingming's location and attacked.

Crackle!

With a burst of lightning, two arm-thick bolts shot from his double-bladed sword, hitting Qingming's form head-on.

However, just like Jūzō Biwa's blade, his attack hit nothing.

The next moment, the unmistakable sound of a blade piercing flesh echoed.

Kurotsuchi Raiga looked down at the sword tip that had emerged from his body and muttered, "How…?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Qingming standing right behind him, a single tear of blood streaming from his left eye.

What drew his attention, however, wasn't the blood but Qingming's eyes.

Seeing the black-sun-like pattern of the Sharingan, Kurotsuchi Raiga murmured, "What… is this?"

He didn't recognize the Mangekyō Sharingan.

But that didn't stop him from making one final attempt.

"Lightning Style: Thunder Burial!"

In his last moments, Kurotsuchi Raiga poured all his chakra into his twin swords, unleashing a deadly, self-sacrificial move.

Boom!

A deafening roar echoed as blinding lightning filled the area, illuminating the forest.

Terrifying bolts of lightning erupted from the Lightning Blades: Fang, consuming Kurotsuchi Raiga in an instant before expanding outward, devastating everything within a hundred-meter radius and reducing it all to scorched earth.

A hundred meters away, Qingming's figure reappeared out of thin air. He clutched his left eye in pain, observing the scorched ground with a pained expression.

The enemy's final attack had indeed been deadly.

It was only thanks to Heavenly Deflection, his short-duration invincibility technique, that he survived unscathed. Without it, he might have been in real danger.

That said, without the assurance of Heavenly Deflection, he wouldn't have dared employ such an aggressive strategy in the first place.

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