*Screech~*
The sound of a blade slicing through flesh echoed.
Seimei slashed out with his blade, leaving a deep wound on his opponent's chest, cutting down to the bone.
"Ah!"
The Mist Shinobi Jōnin let out a cry of pain, pulling back the kunai he had thrust forward and quickly retreated.
Seimei glanced down at the wound on his shoulder, caused by the kunai.
Then, with one step forward, he prepared to finish off his opponent.
However, just at that moment, the Mist Jōnin, whom he had forced back earlier with his "Genjutsu: Sharingan," suddenly stepped forward again, blocking his path.
*Whoosh~*
A kunai came flying straight at him.
Seimei paused slightly, raised his long blade, and blocked it in front of him.
*Clang~*
The blade and the kunai clashed, producing a crisp metallic sound.
Neither Seimei nor his opponent backed down. They both exerted force, causing the blade and kunai to grind against each other, producing a harsh screeching noise.
Sparks flew between them, forcing both to squint their eyes.
After a moment of deadlock, both simultaneously retreated, putting some distance between them.
In the next moment, they charged at each other again, colliding once more.
*Clang~*
The crisp sound of metal clashing rang out again.
This time, however, they didn't remain in a stalemate. The moment they made contact, they broke apart, only to engage again immediately.
*Clang, clang, clang~*
A series of rapid metal clashes followed.
Seimei swung his long blade, launching continuous attacks. The Mist Jōnin before him struggled to keep up, managing only to defend despite his best efforts.
This left him in a very passive position.
Seimei glanced at the wounded Mist Jōnin in the distance, who had already retreated. He sighed inwardly, thinking it was a missed opportunity.
Focusing again, Seimei directed his attention to the Mist Jōnin before him.
Earlier, neither of the two had been his match. Now, with only one left, Seimei found it much easier to handle.
Within minutes, Seimei had gained the upper hand and left several wounds on his opponent.
As for Seimei himself, not only had he avoided further injury, but even the wound on his shoulder from the earlier fight was rapidly healing.
This was why he dared to use himself as bait to create opportunities.
Now, it seemed he could use the same tactic again.
With that thought in mind, Seimei continued to fight with full force, but at the same time, he deliberately left openings, trying to lure his opponent into making a move.
However, whether out of caution, recognizing Seimei's strategy, or for some other reason, the Mist Jōnin didn't fall for it, no matter how Seimei tried to bait him.
This left Seimei feeling somewhat helpless.
Fortunately, the strength gap between them was evident. Even if his opponent didn't take risks, he still wasn't Seimei's equal.
The battle dragged on for a few more minutes.
Under Seimei's relentless assault, the Mist Jōnin was on the verge of collapse.
Drawing closer, Seimei could even hear his opponent's labored breathing.
Severe exhaustion was causing the Jōnin's movements to become increasingly sluggish.
Finally, Seimei saw an opening.
Without hesitation, he unleashed his chakra, pushing off the ground with both feet and instantly increasing his speed to the maximum. He appeared in front of his opponent in a flash.
Shimizu Kenta, momentarily stunned by Seimei's sudden appearance, thrust his kunai towards Seimei's throat.
However, despite the speed of the attack, it was no match for Seimei's Sharingan, which made it appear slow and predictable.
Furthermore, since Seimei had initiated this attack, he had already anticipated his opponent's reaction, easily dodging the strike.
On the other hand, Shimizu Kenta wasn't as fortunate. Seimei's sudden burst of speed caught him completely off guard.
Although he managed to thrust his kunai, it was ultimately too slow.
On the battlefield, sometimes victory or defeat is decided in an instant.
Sidestepping the kunai, Seimei slashed out with his long blade.
The blade was enveloped in a pale blue wind-like current, giving off a sharp aura as it flowed.
This wasn't some other power, but the result of Wind Release chakra gathering and flowing along the blade.
*Whoosh~*
The long blade swept across Shimizu Kenta's neck.
Shimizu Kenta leaned back with all his strength, narrowly avoiding a direct hit from the blade.
However, the Wind Release chakra surrounding the blade still managed to slice through his neck.
In the next moment, blood gushed out.
Stumbling back two steps, Shimizu Kenta reached up to clutch his throat, as if trying to stop the blood loss.
But it was futile.
Seimei's strike, aided by his Sharingan's precision, had not only severed Kenta's carotid artery but also cut his windpipe.
As a result, Kenta faced both massive blood loss and the agony of suffocation.
In such circumstances, without the immediate intervention of a high-level medical ninja like Tsunade, survival was impossible.
And clearly, there was no such ninja on the battlefield.
While Seimei's abilities in certain areas might rival Tsunade's, saving his opponent was beyond him.
So Kenta could only await death in despair.
Seimei shifted his gaze away from his dying opponent, no longer paying him any attention.
He glanced at a Konoha Jōnin who had nearly defeated Itō Shōhei and was heading toward another part of the battlefield. With a leap, Seimei jumped onto a tree.
After several more leaps, he reached the treetop.
Standing at the highest point, Seimei surveyed the surroundings.
The entire valley had become a battlefield. The Mist Shinobi's defensive line on the mountainside had long since collapsed.
Now, both sides were engaged in a chaotic battle.
However, due to prior preparations, Konoha was generally holding the upper hand.
At the same time, though, the Mist Shinobi hadn't been completely overwhelmed.
If things continued like this, it was clear that even if Konoha eventually won, it would take a long time.
And if that happened, they would fall into Yasuda Akiyuki's trap.
What Yasuda likely wanted most was to delay, waiting for the other Mist forces to overrun the Blackstone Stronghold and join up with them, leading to Konoha's complete annihilation.
This was not an impossible scenario.
In fact, it was the most likely outcome.
Although Sano Nobuhisa had set up forces at sea to disrupt the Mist forces, it would be impossible to stop them from reaching Blackstone Stronghold.
Once they got close, the current defenses of the stronghold would likely be insufficient to hold them off.
At that point, with a two-pronged attack, the results would be disastrous.
Thus, this battle couldn't be allowed to drag on.
And that was precisely the reason for Seimei's presence.
With that thought, Seimei wasted no time. He leaped down from the treetop and rushed toward another Mist Jōnin who was fighting a Konoha Jōnin.
Thanks to Sano Nobuhisa having pulled most of the Jōnin from the stronghold, there were no "free" Mist Jōnin on the battlefield at the moment.
In other words, Seimei could act freely without worrying about being surrounded.
As a result, his strength could be fully unleashed.
And that was Sano Nobuhisa's true advantage.
(End of Chapter)