Chapter 296: Resolution

Slashing sounds pierced through the air as the blade cut through flesh. Immediately after, a large amount of blood gushed forth.

The Root ninja covered his neck and staggered backward, his eyes filled with confusion as he looked at Qingming.

Qingming noticed the look in his eyes but chose not to explain. Instead, he threw another kunai aimed straight at the ninja's heart.

Just moments ago, the reason why the ninja's kunai hadn't struck him was that Qingming had momentarily used 'Heavenly Protection' to dodge the attack.

However, this time, the duration was too short for the ninja's nervous system to react properly. By the time he processed that Qingming's afterimage hadn't vanished yet, he was already in front of him again.

This created the illusion that the attack had passed through Qingming's body.

To an observer, this scene might resemble Uchiha Obito's 'Kamui: Intangibility' ability from memory, but in reality, it was different.

Obito's intangibility involved transporting his body to the Kamui dimension, where he could still be injured.

In contrast, Qingming's 'Heavenly Protection' allowed him to jump out of the entire ninja world, rendering him truly invulnerable and impossible to harm.

At least, for the duration of the eye technique, he couldn't be injured.

It could be said that Qingming's 'Heavenly Protection' was clearly on a higher level than that of his opponent's; the similarities were only in some of the usages.

However, due to its immense power, his 'Heavenly Protection' could only be maintained for a very short time.

Initially, it could last a maximum of about ten seconds.

Now, with the enhancement of his eye power, that time had increased to roughly thirteen seconds.

Though it was still brief, it was an improvement.

In practice, he didn't need such a long duration to deal with an average ninja.

Just like before, he only needed to use 'Heavenly Protection' briefly to seize the opportunity for a kill.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The sounds of three heavy objects hitting the ground echoed in the air.

Behind Qingming, the Root ninja, whose carotid artery he had severed, struggled for a moment before collapsing.

The two 'fixed targets' also fell to the ground.

At this point, only one Root ninja remained in the area.

Qingming looked up at the figure in front of him, wrapped in parasitic insects, and said with interest, "You must be Oil Woman Ryoma, right?"

Even through the mask and sunglasses, Qingming could sense the surprise in the other's demeanor.

It was understandable; while guessing their identities wasn't difficult, Root ninjas operated in secrecy, making it hard to uncover any clues without effort.

Just like Uchiha Shisui, after receiving a hint from him, managed to find some issues, even deducing that the enemy might intervene in this support mission.

However, accurately naming Oil Woman Ryoma was no simple task.

Ryoma even suspected that there might be a traitor within Root, but that was impossible.

With brainwashing and the 'Seal of Tongue Eradication,' a Root ninja would never betray until Danzo's death.

Yet the fact that Qingming knew his name left Ryoma deeply puzzled.

After a moment of silence, he asked, "How did you know?"

"Of course, it's because..."

Qingming had only spoken half of his response when he suddenly leaned forward.

With a powerful push from his legs, he shot forward like an arrow, instantly closing the distance to Oil Woman Ryoma.

Whoosh!

A flash of sword light cut through the air.

In an instant, Ryoma's throat was slashed open.

However, Qingming's face showed no joy.

The reason was that no blood flowed from the severed throat of Oil Woman Ryoma.

Boom!

In an instant, Ryoma transformed into a mass of insects.

"Bug Clone Technique," Qingming murmured as he slightly tilted his head to look behind him.

There, another swarm of insects gathered and eventually transformed into the figure of Oil Woman Ryoma.

He extended both hands towards Qingming and shouted, "Secret Technique: Insect Sphere!"

In that moment, the swarm of insects shaped like Oil Woman Ryoma combined with another nearby swarm, charging towards Qingming.

At that moment, he felt as if the insects in front of him formed a giant net, ready to wrap around and consume him.

Qingming understood this was no illusion; if the insects truly enveloped him, they would indeed devour him completely.

Without any hesitation, Qingming leaped backward.

At the same time, he raised his left hand, swiftly completed the hand seals, opened his mouth, and unleashed the ninjutsu—Fire Style: Grand Fireball Technique!

In an instant, a massive fireball erupted, crashing into the swarm of insects.

Immediately, a cacophony of insect cries filled the air, sounding as if countless insects were gnawing at something, sending chills down his spine.

After a moment, the fireball dissipated.

As Qingming surveyed the area, he noticed that the number of dead insects was far less than he had anticipated.

At that, he had already formed some speculation in his mind.

These insects were all parasitic bugs, naturally capable of consuming chakra.

Moreover, the fireball generated by Fire Style: Grand Fireball Technique, while a ball of flame, was also a concentrated mass of chakra.

Thus, it was only natural that these parasitic bugs could consume it.

Recalling the gnawing sounds that had emanated from the swarm earlier, it wasn't hard to guess the reason for the relatively low number of insect casualties.

Thoughts raced through his mind.

Qingming didn't dwell too much on the bugs. After breaking their formation with Fire Style: Grand Fireball Technique, he charged straight toward Oil Woman Ryoma.

Throughout this, his Sharingan kept a close watch on Ryoma, observing his every move.

Seeing this, Oil Woman Ryoma raised his hand again, summoning more insects, and pointed at Qingming, unleashing another secret technique—Insect Disruption Technique!

This technique, passed down through the Oil Woman clan, could disrupt the enemy's perception.

By using the wings of the parasitic bugs to carry chakra, it creates vibrations at special frequencies. The sounds emitted could confuse the enemy's senses.

As such, whether hiding their forms amidst the insect swarm or executing various secret techniques, they could do so with relative ease.

Although Oil Woman Ryoma was unaware of the specifics of Qingming's current Sharingan state, he had keenly observed that after Qingming activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, his reactions had significantly increased.

This indicated an enhancement in his perceptual abilities.

Thus, he needed to weaken Qingming's perception to better hide himself.

His actions indeed caused some trouble for Qingming.

The sounds produced by the vibrating wings of the parasitic bugs made it difficult for Qingming to concentrate, greatly diminishing his sensory perception.

At the same time, the presence of the insect swarm obstructed his line of sight.

Together, these factors made it challenging for his Mangekyō Sharingan to perform at its optimal level.

If this continued, he would have to engage in a battle of wits against the swarm.

At that point, should the enemy realize they were outmatched, they might very well flee.

"Ugh! I initially intended to conserve some eye power, but it seems…"

Shaking his head, Qingming's expression grew serious. He peered through the gaps in the insect swarm to see Oil Woman Ryoma in the back and suddenly activated 'Heavenly Protection.'

In the next moment, his figure vanished.

"What's going on?"

Previously, Qingming had used 'Heavenly Protection' for just a split second. While Oil Woman Ryoma sensed something was amiss, he didn't grasp the situation.

Now, however, Qingming had truly disappeared, setting off alarm bells in Ryoma's mind.

Without hesitation, he immediately used the 'Bug Clone Technique' to hide his main body while manipulating the insect swarm to search for Qingming's whereabouts.

Unfortunately, all of his actions were completed right under Qingming's watchful eyes.

Thus, Qingming easily located Ryoma's main body, deactivated 'Heavenly Protection,' and directly appeared in front of him.

"You—"

Even with Oil Woman Ryoma's usually calm demeanor, seeing Qingming suddenly appear before him sent a wave of panic through him, causing him to instinctively utter a sound.

Unfortunately, before he could finish his sentence, Qingming unleashed 'Genjutsu: Sharingan,' instantly pulling Ryoma's consciousness into a realm of illusion.

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