ch 196-200

Chapter 196: Level Up

Clang, clang, clang

The crisp sounds of metal clashing echoed continuously in the forest.

Seimei, wielding his short sword, fought against three Iwa Jonin simultaneously, not showing any signs of being overwhelmed. He could even counterattack occasionally.

However, this was only the current situation. A few minutes ago, facing their coordinated attacks, he had encountered danger several times.

He had wanted to use ninjutsu to break the deadlock many times, but he suppressed the urge with great willpower.

In the end, relying solely on his "Swordsmanship" and Sharingan, he managed to resolve these dangerous situations one by one.

And under this life-and-death pressure, his Swordsmanship progressed rapidly, and the last bit of proficiency was quickly accumulating.

"Almost there! Almost there!"

Seimei muttered while blocking the attacks from the three Iwa Jonin.

'Almost there? What does he mean?'

The three Iwa Jonin exchanged glances, not understanding what Seimei was talking about. Unconsciously, they slowed down their attacks.

At the same time, they glanced around from time to time, as if on guard against something.

Seimei felt the pressure on him ease and frowned. But seeing their reactions, he couldn't help but find it amusing.

'What's going on? It's just a few murmurs. Do you need to be so cautious?'

Although Seimei complained inwardly, he had to admit that this was a perfect opportunity.

Clang, clang

Seimei blocked the attacks from two Iwa Jonin.

Then, facing Oda Naito Hikaru's opportunistic attack, he didn't completely dodge but only avoided the vital point and counterattacked.

"What?"

Oda Naito Hikaru was caught off guard by Seimei's sudden change of tactics.

He wanted to retract his attack but was afraid it was a feint by Seimei to disrupt their coordination and create an opening for escape.

But if he continued his attack, there was a high chance he would get injured... or even killed!

There was no time for him to think. At the critical moment, Oda Naito Hikaru thought of Ozawa Kurota, who had died because of his mistake.

So, he gritted his teeth and ignored Seimei's counterattack, continuing his own attack.

This time, he chose to trust his teammates, believing they could block this attack for him and save his life.

Seeing this, a strange glint flashed in Seimei's eyes. He had originally thought Oda Naito Hikaru would retract his attack and defend.

Unexpectedly, he chose to "perish together" with him.

It had to be said that he made the right choice.

Just now, if he had chosen to block, Seimei was confident he could take his life within a few moves.

But now...

It was a bit troublesome!

However, it was just a bit troublesome, not a major problem. His plan could still be carried out.

With a thought, Seimei slowed down his attack and slightly shifted his body, causing Oda Naito Hikaru's attack, which could have injured him, to miss.

But because of this delay, the two Iwa Jonin reacted. One of them blocked the attack for Oda Naito Hikaru.

And the other one directly swung a kunai at Seimei's neck.

Feeling the sharp aura coming from it, Seimei didn't dare to take it head-on. He dodged with a flash.

At the same time, he retracted his short sword and blocked Oda Naito Hikaru's second attack.

Seizing this opportunity, the Iwa Jonin who had just blocked the attack for Oda Naito Hikaru suddenly thrust his kunai, aiming for Seimei's throat.

Seimei dodged again and immediately swung his sword, his attack trajectory encompassing both this Jonin and the other Iwa Jonin.

Clang, clang Two sounds rang out as his attacks were blocked.

But this was no longer important, as Seimei had gained a temporary advantage.

He swiftly attacked with his sword. Each strike was both a block and an attack, often targeting two or more people.

Therefore, even though he was surrounded by three people, it seemed like he was the one suppressing them.

One move, two moves, three moves...

After dozens of exchanges, Seimei could no longer suppress the three of them, and they broke free from his rhythm.

Under his deliberate control, Oda Naito Hikaru was the first to regain his freedom and immediately attacked Seimei.

Looking at the strike aimed at his heart, Seimei thought, "As expected..."

Immediately, Seimei gave up suppressing the other two and retracted his sword to block this attack.

Seeing that his "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao" tactic worked, Oda Naito Hikaru launched an even fiercer attack, trying to create opportunities for his teammates.

However, he forgot that when the attack is the fiercest, the defense is often the weakest.

The three tomoe in Seimei's Sharingan spun rapidly, instantly locking onto Oda Naito Hikaru's attack path.

And based on his fighting habits, he had some predictions about his subsequent moves.

So, Seimei slightly shifted his body and avoided Oda Naito Hikaru's attack.

Oda Naito Hikaru seemed to have anticipated this and immediately twisted his wrist, intending to change his move and continue attacking.

But before he could complete the change, Seimei had already dodged in advance.

After confirming there was no danger, Seimei thrust his short sword, like a viper lying in wait, striking fatally as soon as it emerged from its hole.

"Watch out!"

An Iwa Jonin sensed the danger and immediately warned Oda Naito Hikaru, while also swinging his kunai, preparing to block the attack for him.

However, the reason he could block Seimei's attack last time was that Seimei didn't want to suffer any injuries.

But now?

Before the Iwa Jonin could make a move, Seimei, as if having sensed it beforehand, suddenly turned his head and looked at him.

The moment their eyes met, Seimei activated his Sharingan's hypnotic ability.

Even the inherent hypnotic ability of the fully evolved Three-Tomoe Sharingan wasn't something ordinary people could resist.

In an instant, the Iwa Jonin froze in place, his consciousness falling into slumber.

Seeing this, the other Iwa Jonin, who had originally planned to sneak attack Seimei, no longer cared about that.

He launched a random attack to threaten Seimei and prevent him from finishing off his comrade, then went to wake up the hypnotized Iwa Jonin.

But this put Oda Naito Hikaru in a difficult situation.

He hadn't held back at all in his previous attack and now couldn't retract in time to defend.

In the end, under his desperate gaze, Seimei thrust his short sword into his body.

During this, Oda Naito Hikaru naturally tried to save himself, desperately twisting his body to avoid vital points.

But Seimei's sword seemed to have eyes, following his movements. When it finally made contact, it pierced right through his heart.

Pfft

A mouthful of blood spurted from Oda Naito Hikaru's mouth.

Seimei dodged sideways and pulled out his short sword.

Losing support, Oda Naito Hikaru stumbled a few steps and finally collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

At this moment, a wave of insight surged into his mind. In a trance, Seimei gained a new understanding of his Swordsmanship.

At this moment, even without opening the panel, Seimei knew that his Swordsmanship had leveled up.

And after absorbing the insights in his mind, he felt he had gained a lot. The persistence of the past ten minutes hadn't been in vain.

With Lv6 Swordsmanship, Seimei felt that if he faced those three again, he could probably kill them with just his swordsmanship.

Unfortunately, there were no longer three of them.

Seimei glanced at Oda Naito Hikaru's corpse on the ground, shook off the blood from his blade, and looked at the two Iwa Jonin not far away.

The Iwa Jonin who had been hypnotized by him had woken up. When he looked at Seimei again, there was a hint of wariness in his eyes.

It was no wonder he was so wary. Seimei's Sharingan was too powerful.

It wasn't like he had never dealt with Jonin from the Uchiha clan before, but it was unheard of for someone to be taken down by just a simple genjutsu.

His intuition told Fukui Ichiro that Seimei's Sharingan was definitely not ordinary!

*Chapter 197: Suppression*

Fukui Ichiro’s thoughts were unknown to Seimei, nor did he care. Right now, he only wanted to find someone to test his newly advanced LV6 swordsmanship.

With that in mind, Seimei rushed straight toward two Iwagakure Jōnin not far ahead.

Seeing Seimei rapidly closing in, Fukui Ichiro raised his kunai and said to his companion, "Yōjin, be careful of his eyes!"

"Hmm!"

Iwagakure Yōjin responded in a deep voice.

He wasn’t foolish. After seeing how easily Fukui Ichiro was hypnotized by Seimei, he knew Seimei was no simple opponent and naturally wouldn't lower his guard.

Swish swish swish  

Several kunai were thrown by Yōjin, aiming straight for Seimei’s vital points.

The tomoe in Seimei’s pupils spun rapidly, locking onto the kunai’s trajectory. He quickly mapped out an evasion route in his mind.

With a light tap of his feet, Seimei’s body lowered, skillfully dodging the kunai with a series of elegant side-steps, his speed not slowing at all.

Yōjin frowned slightly but wasn’t too disappointed.

He hadn’t expected such an attack to hurt Seimei anyway. It was merely a cover for Fukui Ichiro to strike.

Clang!  

Seimei swung his short sword, deflecting Fukui Ichiro’s thrust.

Screech!  

The sharp friction echoed as both exerted force. Sparks flew as the short sword and kunai clashed.

After a brief standoff, both jumped back, putting some distance between them.

But this wasn’t the end—rather, it was just the beginning.

The moment they landed, both lunged forward again, and the kunai and short sword clashed once more with a louder sound.

This time, there was no stalemate. The two separated almost instantly before colliding again.

For a time, the sound of metal clashing filled the air.

Seimei, intent on testing his swordsmanship, didn’t rush to attack.

On the contrary, Fukui Ichiro, fearing a passive position, unleashed a relentless storm of attacks, fast and furious.

Seimei, on the other hand, resembled a lone boat in the midst of a stormy sea, seemingly on the verge of capsizing at any moment.

However, this was only an illusion. In truth, though the small boat appeared to drift with the waves, it remained remarkably steady.

From an outside perspective, it seemed Seimei was effortlessly handling Fukui Ichiro’s attacks.

He dodged every attack with the slightest of movements, and those he couldn’t dodge, he blocked with a precise sword stroke.

His movements were sharp and graceful, like a dancer on a knife’s edge—dangerous yet perfectly controlled.

The entire process exuded a sense of ease and leisure.

‘What’s going on? How has his swordsmanship improved so much?’ Fukui Ichiro was filled with confusion as he watched Seimei effortlessly block every one of his attacks.

In their previous battles, Seimei’s swordsmanship, though superb, wasn’t beyond Fukui Ichiro’s understanding. But now, what was this?

Seimei’s current performance even made Fukui Ichiro doubt his own abilities.

‘Am I under a genjutsu?’ Fukui Ichiro thought, his movements becoming hesitant.

"Huh? An opportunity!"

Noticing the shift in Fukui Ichiro’s mood, Seimei seized the moment and thrust his sword toward him.

Though Seimei hadn’t intended to strike first, he wouldn’t pass up an opportunity presented before him.

His short sword stabbed forward, aiming directly at Fukui Ichiro’s chest.

Suddenly, a kunai appeared from the side, blocking his attack.

Only then did Fukui Ichiro snap out of his self-doubt. Seeing the short sword so close to his chest, cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"Ichiro, what’s going on?"

Yōjin, who had blocked Seimei’s attack, looked at Fukui Ichiro and asked in a deep voice.

"Nothing!"

Fukui Ichiro shook his head, regaining his composure. "Be careful, his swordsmanship is incredible!"

"What do you mean?" Yōjin asked in confusion.

From his perspective, it seemed like Fukui Ichiro had just zoned out in the middle of the battle and almost got severely injured by Seimei. Why would he bring up Seimei’s swordsmanship?

If Fukui Ichiro had warned him about Seimei’s Sharingan, Yōjin could understand. Perhaps Fukui Ichiro had fallen under a genjutsu and lost focus.

But what was the deal with mentioning Seimei’s swordsmanship?

Yōjin had seen Seimei’s swordsmanship, perfectly blocking all of Fukui Ichiro’s attacks.

Strong! Very strong!

But given Seimei’s skill level shown in the previous battle, achieving such a feat wasn’t hard. Why emphasize it again now?

To this, Seimei could only say that unless you were directly involved, you couldn’t understand the progress he had made in swordsmanship.

After this bout, Seimei realized that advancing his swordsmanship from LV5 to LV6 wasn’t about improving specific techniques but about mastering the finer details of combat.

Without experiencing it firsthand, one wouldn’t notice the difference.

Just like now, even though Yōjin had seen the entire battle between Seimei and Fukui Ichiro, he hadn’t detected anything unusual.

These subtle changes could only be felt in the heat of battle.

And soon enough, Yōjin would experience it himself.

Seeing that Yōjin had blocked his sword, Seimei wasted no time and immediately included him in his attack range.

Clang clang clang  

Wielding his short sword, Seimei fought against both Iwagakure Jōnin at once.

Within just a few minutes, Seimei had gained the upper hand, suppressing the two with his swordsmanship.

Only then did Yōjin understand what Fukui Ichiro had meant by "Seimei’s swordsmanship is incredible."

This wasn’t just incredible; it was a transformation!

At a certain level of mastery, the key to swordsmanship lies in attention to detail.

In a battle between experts, those details often make all the difference.

Coincidentally, Seimei’s LV6 swordsmanship had enhanced his ability to control such details.

Thus, once you actually fought him, you’d feel how much his swordsmanship had improved, especially if you were a skilled opponent.

Were Yōjin and Fukui Ichiro experts?

The answer was yes.

That’s why they could feel Seimei’s improvement more deeply.

Clang clang clang!  

Slash!  

Yōjin wielded his kunai, repeatedly blocking Seimei’s strikes, but the last one left a gash on his shoulder.

Seeing this, Fukui Ichiro rushed forward, trying to block Seimei and prevent him from further injuring Yōjin.

However, Seimei had already noticed that Yōjin’s close combat skills were clearly weaker than Fukui Ichiro’s, so he wouldn’t pass up such a great opportunity.

After deflecting Fukui Ichiro’s attacks with a few sword strokes, Seimei went after Yōjin again, continuing his fierce offensive.

Although true Jōnin are generally skilled in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu, there are still differences in their expertise.

Yōjin’s close combat skills might surpass those of Chūnin or even some specialized Jōnin, but compared to Fukui Ichiro, he was clearly weaker.

And against Seimei, even more so.

So, under Seimei’s onslaught, Yōjin could only defend, unable to counterattack.

If it weren’t for Fukui Ichiro’s interference disrupting Seimei’s rhythm, Yōjin might have already been severely injured.

This showed just how powerful Seimei’s LV6 swordsmanship was when combined with the Sharingan!

And this only made Seimei look forward to developing his special techniques even more.

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 198: An Interruption*

Slash!

Iwakuma Yang barely dodged a deadly blow from Seimei, but was still grazed, leaving a wound on his waist.

Nearby, Fukuoka Ichiro noticed this and rushed in to assist, engaging Seimei.

Seimei, however, stuck to his strategy. After quickly shaking off Ichiro, he once again set his sights on Iwakuma Yang.

Initially, the two Iwa ninjas working together could somewhat hold back Seimei, but with each strike targeting Iwakuma Yang, his condition worsened.

Gradually, Yang's efforts became less effective, turning into a burden that hindered Ichiro's performance as well.

It was clear that if this continued, both would inevitably fall to Seimei.

Ichiro was the first to realize this and thought to himself, "This won't do, we need to find a chance to pull back."

With that, Ichiro subtly gestured to Yang, signaling him to retreat when he found an opportunity.

Meanwhile, Ichiro intensified his attacks, attempting to draw Seimei's attention.

Seimei noticed this shift but could guess their intentions.

No way would he let them have their way!

He quickly tightened his grip on Yang, keeping him locked in battle.

As for Ichiro's attacks? He dodged them when possible, and even when he couldn't, he quickly broke free, leaving Yang with no chance to escape the fight.

Time ticked away as the three exchanged blows. Despite their efforts, Ichiro and Yang couldn't break free.

When Yang had a chance to flee, Ichiro found himself in danger. Yang couldn't just abandon him to face Seimei alone.

So the fight dragged on for several more minutes, with neither able to escape at the same time.

As Yang's condition worsened and both of their situations became increasingly dire, a new figure appeared: an Iwagakure Jonin.

As soon as he arrived, he unleashed a Lightning Release: Thunder Roar at Seimei.

Boom! The sound was deafening, and Seimei's consciousness briefly slipped into an illusion, where he saw countless lightning snakes dancing in the sky.

It was a rare form of Lightning Release Genjutsu, triggered through sound.

The moment Seimei heard the thunder, he was already under the spell.

However, with his Sharingan's natural resistance to illusions and his high mental fortitude, he easily broke free.

As soon as his mind cleared, the first thing he saw was Yang charging at him, aiming a kunai at his throat.

Not only that, but to his left, Ichiro was also swinging his kunai straight for his neck.

In the blink of an eye, Seimei activated his Sharingan to its fullest, boosting his reflexes to their peak. First, he cast a genjutsu on Yang, freezing him in place.

Then, he swiftly dodged Ichiro’s attack, grabbed Yang’s kunai, and counterattacked.

Stab! The sound of a blade piercing flesh echoed.

With his left hand, Seimei plunged the kunai into Ichiro’s chest, straight into his heart.

Though it all sounds slow in detail, it happened in an instant, Seimei’s speed nearly leaving afterimages.

Ichiro looked down at the kunai buried in his chest and the hand gripping it, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"You..."

He wanted to say something but couldn't.

He had considered the possibility of Seimei dodging his attack and even a counterattack, but he never imagined Seimei would strike back so quickly, so decisively.

Even the newly arrived Jonin in the distance hadn't anticipated this outcome.

He had just been admiring the seamless teamwork between Yang and Ichiro, only for Seimei to shake off the genjutsu and kill one of them in the next instant.

Everything happened so fast that his brain couldn’t fully process it.

But Seimei didn’t care what he thought.

After killing Ichiro, he wasted no time. His sword thrust upward, piercing Yang’s abdomen.

The severe wound jolted Yang out of the genjutsu, but all he felt was intense pain.

Yet, despite the pain, seeing Seimei so close, Yang ignored the agony and instantly swung his kunai at Seimei’s throat.

To his shock, he realized the kunai was gone. It had disappeared at some point, leaving him swiping at nothing but air.

A glance to his right confirmed it: Seimei was holding a familiar kunai, the one he had taken from Yang, now embedded in Ichiro’s heart.

"That's... my kunai..."

Yang’s mind struggled to process the situation. It felt like he'd missed a century, as if reality was completely out of sync with what he remembered.

Slash!

Seimei suddenly yanked the kunai from Ichiro's chest and swiftly slashed Yang’s throat.

At that moment, Yang finally pieced everything together, realizing what had happened.

But it was too late.

Thud! Thud!

Two bodies hit the ground, Yang and Ichiro lying lifeless, their eyes still wide open in death.

Ignoring the corpses, Seimei turned to the young Jonin who had cast the genjutsu on him.

Indeed, his first impression of the Jonin was that he was young.

Judging by his appearance, the kid couldn’t have been more than fifteen or sixteen, and to have already become a Jonin at such a young age meant he was a prodigy in Iwagakure.

Yet this so-called prodigy took an involuntary step back as Seimei’s gaze fell upon him.

Seeing this, Seimei narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Thanks for your help. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to kill those two so quickly."

He glanced at the two bodies on the ground.

It was true. Without the kid's interference, it wouldn’t have been easy to take them down. Sure, Seimei had the upper hand, but turning that advantage into victory and killing them both wasn’t a simple task.

There were plenty of other Iwa ninjas nearby who could have come to their aid, and even if not, the two could have sacrificed one to save the other.

So theoretically, killing both would’ve been extremely difficult.

But the new arrival had unwittingly thrown a wrench into things.

With his genjutsu, Yang and Ichiro thought they had a chance to kill Seimei, and in their overconfidence, they disregarded their own safety.

But Seimei had woken up too quickly, turning the tables before they could react.

Yet, implying that the young Jonin had intentionally helped Seimei was unfair.

Yang and Ichiro had been under pressure for too long. The moment the tension lifted, they relaxed too much, leading to their downfall.

So why did Seimei say that?

Simple: to mess with the kid's head.

If the boy flinched just from his gaze, his resolve wasn’t strong enough, at least not right now.

Since that was the case, Seimei would naturally take advantage.

With that in mind, Seimei continued, "By the way, do you have a grudge against them?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Seimei saw the young Jonin’s face turn red with anger. "Nonsense! Who’s helping you? I—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Seimei activated his Sharingan and cast a genjutsu.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 199: Interception

"What?"

Not far away, the Iwagakure (Stone Village) boy, although shaken by the series of blows, still had decent skills.

Almost at the exact moment that Seimei made his move, the boy sensed something was wrong. He gasped in surprise, quickly closed his eyes, and retreated.

Due to the distance between them, plus the boy retreating even further, Seimei was unable to hypnotize him.

However, this was enough.

Seeing his opponent close his eyes, Seimei didn't hesitate. He pulled out several shuriken and rapidly hurled them toward the boy.

Shuriken are small, fast, and make little noise as they cut through the air.

In the absence of visual cues, it's hard for most people to detect them.

Just like now, the Iwagakure boy only noticed the danger as the shuriken were about to strike.

In a split second, he used the Substitution Jutsu, his speed increasing as he left a rock in his place as a decoy.

Clang, clang, clang!

The shuriken hit the rock, producing crisp collision sounds and leaving behind white marks and scratches.

Once again, Seimei's attack had failed to hit its mark.

But he wasn’t discouraged.

His Sharingan remained locked on the boy, and as soon as the Substitution Jutsu was used, Seimei began forming hand seals.

By the time the boy had dodged the shuriken and hidden, Seimei had completed his hand seals.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

The next moment, countless fireballs, like seeds from a Phoenix Sage Flower, shot from Seimei's mouth, fanning out toward a large tree in the distance.

Behind that tree was where the Iwagakure boy was hiding.

"So fast!"

Aikawa Kai saw the fireballs closing in from both sides. Barely catching his breath, he rolled forward to avoid them.

Boom, boom, boom!

The fireballs struck the tree trunk, leaving behind fist-sized blackened pits.

Seeing this, Aikawa Kai felt a chill run down his spine. He quickly got up and used the Body Flicker Technique, dashing even further away.

Although he hadn’t fought Seimei personally before, he had seen how Iwagama Yōjin and Fukui Ichirō were both suppressed by him.

He knew he couldn’t risk engaging Seimei in close combat.

Since Seimei hadn't stopped advancing from the beginning, Aikawa Kai had to keep creating distance to avoid being caught.

As for counterattacking, that could wait until he was safe!

But there was no way Seimei, who had worked so hard to create this opportunity, would let his opponent escape so easily.

After Aikawa Kai used the Body Flicker Technique, his speed increased, but it still wasn't enough to escape Seimei’s fully-evolved Three Tomoe Sharingan.

Whoosh!

A shuriken flew out, precisely cutting off Aikawa Kai's path forward.

Aikawa Kai dodged hurriedly.

But the next moment, another shuriken came at him. He dodged again. Seimei threw another, and he dodged once more. Seimei continued to throw, and Aikawa Kai kept dodging.

In a matter of moments, Seimei had thrown six shuriken, completely cutting off Aikawa Kai's escape route.

Aikawa Kai, face grim, stopped and faced Seimei, who was quickly closing in, leaving him no choice but to fight.

He rapidly formed hand seals, and then a beam of light appeared between his palms.

A blinding white light shot out, forcing Seimei to shut his eyes.

Not only that, but his consciousness also fell into brief disarray.

This was clearly a type of genjutsu, but unlike the auditory-based Thunder Release: Thunderclap, this one was triggered by visual cues.

Normally, Seimei would be more resistant to visual genjutsu due to his Sharingan, but the Thunder Release: Thunder Light Pillar had a suppressive effect on the Sharingan.

As a result, Seimei’s disorientation lasted longer than expected.

But only slightly longer.

This brief window only gave Aikawa Kai enough time to throw a few shuriken.

So, just as Seimei shook off the genjutsu and opened his eyes, he saw several shuriken flying toward him.

The tomoe in his Sharingan spun rapidly, and with just one glance, he tracked the trajectory of each shuriken.

With a few quick steps, he dodged every attack.

Not only did he evade them, but he also formed hand seals as he moved.

In the blink of an eye, Seimei came to a stop and unleashed the signature Uchiha technique: Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.

A fireball, the size of a fist, shot out from his mouth, rapidly growing and expanding until it reached a diameter of three meters in mere moments.

By then, the fireball had already reached Aikawa Kai.

Feeling the searing heat from the fireball, Aikawa Kai didn’t hesitate. He swiftly dodged to the side.

Boom!

The fireball missed him and slammed into a large tree behind him, exploding upon impact.

In an instant, the tree was obliterated, and the flames scattered the splintered wood like a shower of sparks.

Aikawa Kai, being so close, could only keep dodging.

And in that brief moment, Seimei had already closed the distance between them.

Shing!

The sound of a blade being drawn echoed.

Seimei unsheathed the short sword from his waist and lunged toward Aikawa Kai.

At this point, Aikawa Kai had no way to retreat. He pulled out a kunai and engaged Seimei in close combat.

But it quickly became clear that Aikawa Kai's close combat skills were lacking. After just a dozen exchanges, Seimei left a wound on his opponent.

In theory, Aikawa Kai, despite being poor at close combat, was still a jōnin. He shouldn’t have shown signs of defeat so quickly.

The main reason for this was that Seimei's swordsmanship had reached level 6, far surpassing his opponent.

Feeling the pain in his forearm, Aikawasuke’s senses heightened to their peak.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he opened up his awareness, alert to the slightest disturbance in his surroundings.

Whoosh  

Another sword strike came from a blind spot in his vision.

Aikawasuke reacted quickly, immediately swinging his kunai to block.

Clang  

The kunai and short sword collided, separating instantly, as Seimei once again vanished into the blind spot of Aikawa’s vision.

Throughout the exchange, Aikawa only caught a glimpse of Seimei’s cloak.

At this moment, Aikawa finally understood why Seimei was called the “Demon Sword.”

Seimei moved like a ghost—just a shadow, never fully seen. Any slip-up, and it could mean death.

This really felt like fighting a ghost.

‘No wonder the village allows lower-ranking ninja to retreat when they encounter him. Who could withstand this kind of battle?’

These thoughts flashed through his mind, but Aikawa quickly pushed them aside. Now wasn’t the time for distractions.

The most important thing right now was to stay alive in Seimei’s onslaught and wait for his teammates' support.

Everything had happened too fast, too suddenly. None of the other elite ninjas had noticed the situation yet. Or maybe they had, but couldn’t intervene just yet.

Still, as long as he could hold out a bit longer, he believed help would arrive.

So, for now, survival was the priority.

With this in mind, Aikawasuke focused entirely on defense, determined to buy time.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 200: Rescue

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

After three consecutive sword strikes were accurately blocked by Aikawasuke, Seimei immediately sensed something was amiss. After a brief thought, he understood the opponent's intention.

He scanned the surroundings and saw that the Iwa ninja still held the advantage.

Although Konoha teams were continuously arriving, due to their staggered arrival times, the Iwa ninja still outnumbered them.

Coupled with the fact that they were all elites this time, the Konoha ninja's casualty rate remained higher than the Iwa's.

In this situation, enemy reinforcements were almost inevitable.

He could even see an Iwa Jonin noticing their fight.

'No, I can't give them a chance to stall for time.'

With this thought, Seimei stopped holding back and launched a full-on attack.

Instantly, the pressure on Aikawasuke increased dramatically, and the sound of metal clashing filled the air.

Aikawasuke, wielding his kunai, continuously blocked attacks from his blind spots. Despite his efforts, he couldn't avoid getting injured.

After Seimei went all out, in just a dozen moves, Aikawasuke had two more wounds on his body.

Although the wounds weren't large, they still had some impact.

Seimei used this slight advantage to further widen the gap.

He might not have been able to be so meticulous before, but after his Swordsmanship leveled up from Lv5 to Lv6, enhancing his control over details, he could now do it.

But this was far from enough!

If there were no one else around, Seimei would be happy to wear down his opponent this way.

However, with the possibility of enemy reinforcements at any time, wasting time would be foolish.

So, Seimei seized an opportunity. The moment Aikawasuke blocked his attack again, he decisively used the A-rank ninjutsu - Rasengan.

Over the past month, his Rasengan had leveled up from Lv3 to Lv4, and his proficiency had further improved.

Almost instantly, he condensed a high-density chakra sphere in his left palm and pressed it towards Aikawasuke's back.

Immediately, an indescribable sense of crisis washed over Aikawasuke.

He didn't have time to think. He instinctively converted chakra within his body into Lightning Release chakra and channeled it into his legs in an almost brute-force manner.

Crackle

A flash of lightning.

Aikawasuke's leg muscles and nerve reactions were greatly enhanced.

At the critical moment, he lunged forward, avoiding the Rasengan attack.

Well...

To be more precise, he avoided part of the attack. The Rasengan in Seimei's palm still grazed his body.

In an instant, the clothes on his back were shredded by the rotating force, revealing an ugly, twisted wound on his skin.

"Ugh!"

Aikawasuke couldn't help but groan. He endured the pain, got up, and dodged Seimei's sword strike from the side.

That's right, Seimei's attacks hadn't stopped; they had even become fiercer.

Clang, clang, clang

In the blink of an eye, Seimei launched several sword strikes, attacking Aikawasuke from different directions.

Aikawasuke struggled to resist, but due to his injuries, he revealed an opening.

Slash

The sound of a blade cutting through flesh.

Seimei's sword pierced Aikawasuke's left side, just above his waist, leaving a deep wound that exposed bone.

The reason for such a strange wound was simple. His sword was originally aimed at Aikawasuke's heart.

But at the critical moment, Aikawasuke reacted and dodged, causing his attack to miss its mark.

Well...

It couldn't be considered a complete miss.

Although this sword strike didn't hit Aikawasuke's heart, the resulting injury was still very serious, almost reducing his combat power by 20%.

And this was enough to take his life.

Seimei moved like a ghost, constantly attacking Aikawasuke.

Aikawasuke, ignoring the damage Lightning Release was causing to his body, forcibly stimulated his nerves and muscles to keep up with Seimei's speed.

But stimulation was just stimulation; it couldn't last.

After just three minutes, Aikawasuke couldn't hold on any longer. The lightning glow on his body dimmed, and his speed plummeted.

Seeing this, Seimei's eyes lit up. He instantly thrust his short sword, and with a pierce, the blade penetrated Aikawasuke's lower back.

"Ah!"

Aikawasuke couldn't endure the intense pain and cried out.

Seimei ignored him.

He opened his left hand, focused his mind, and once again used the hand seal-less ninjutsu - Rasengan, condensing a high-density chakra sphere in his palm.

Then, he pressed it directly towards Aikawasuke's back.

At this critical moment, a shout suddenly came from not far away.

"Stop!"

Seimei frowned, glancing in the direction of the voice. He saw a middle-aged Iwa Jonin rapidly approaching.

And before him were three shuriken flying straight towards Seimei.

If he chose to continue attacking Aikawasuke, he could at most avoid two of them. But if he gave up the attack, he could avoid all of them.

Considering there were still battles ahead, Seimei didn't want to get injured unnecessarily, so he decisively gave up the attack.

But he wouldn't let Aikawasuke off so easily either.

As he retreated, he swiftly pulled out his short sword and slashed, leaving a long gash on Aikawasuke's waist.

With this injury, coupled with the previous penetrating wound and the other wounds Seimei had inflicted earlier, Aikawasuke had basically lost his combat ability.

But Seimei was still not satisfied.

As he retreated, he took out a kunai with an explosive tag from his ninja pouch and threw it at Aikawasuke.

Seeing this, the middle-aged Iwa Jonin cursed inwardly, "Damn it!"

He accelerated, flashed to Aikawasuke's side, and grabbed him before the kunai could hit, moving them away from the original spot.

Boom

Flames and smoke erupted, and a shockwave spread, knocking both the middle-aged Iwa Jonin and Aikawasuke to the ground.

Seimei, who was prepared, dodged the shockwave and immediately launched an attack towards where he remembered Aikawasuke and the middle-aged Jonin were.

He formed hand seals and swiftly used the Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!

Boom

Another explosion.

The fireball detonated, clearing the dust in the surrounding area.

Seimei waved his hand to disperse the dust in front of him and looked towards the spot where the fireball had exploded. However, he didn't see the middle-aged Iwa Jonin and Aikawasuke.

Clearly, they had escaped in advance.

Just as Seimei was about to search for their traces, several kunai suddenly shot from the side, aiming for his vital points.

Seimei turned his head, the tomoe in his Sharingan spinning rapidly. He instantly locked onto the trajectories of these kunai and also saw the person who had thrown them.

It was none other than the middle-aged Iwa Jonin who had rescued Aikawasuke.

He was hiding behind a tree, looking a bit disheveled but otherwise unharmed.

Clearly, his surprise attack just now hadn't injured him.

Seimei's gaze shifted slightly, observing the chakra within his body. It was undoubtedly Jonin level.

Considering that he had already gone through more than one battle, his true strength should surpass that of an average Jonin.

And this was consistent with the abilities he had just displayed.

(End of Chapter)