Grind is My Ninja Way

Meanwhile, Takagi Takasuke also turned his gaze over, and the moment their eyes met, he raised his vigilance to the highest level.

However, in the face of absolute strength, mere caution was insufficient.

As Seimei joined the battle and teamed up with his shadow clone, it didn't take long before several wounds were inflicted on their opponent.

Seeing Takagi Takasuke struggling to hold on, another Mist Hidden (Kirigakure) elite jōnin rushed over.

Swish!

A kunai was fired from the side.

Seimei frowned slightly. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the kunai and the person who had thrown it, silently thinking, "As expected!"

Earlier, he had guessed that the Mist Hidden commander wouldn't let him move freely, even if he had already defeated the two Thunder Britons.

It now appeared his prediction was correct.

The Mist Hidden commander, seeing the unfavorable situation, had immediately sent reinforcements.

And judging by the reinforcements, this wasn't just anyone—it seemed to be a true jōnin.

Still, their condition didn't look great.

Even with the naked eye, several visible injuries could be seen, not to mention the chakra already drained from within their body.

It was clear that this person had just arrived from another battlefield.

This revealed that the Mist Hidden forces were significantly stretched thin.

Nonetheless, no matter where this jōnin had come from, two true jōnin working together could still pose a significant challenge for Seimei.

Moreover, the Mist Hidden commander had also sent several chūnin, sneaking toward the two Thunder Britons, seemingly intent on rescuing them.

Would Seimei let this slide? Absolutely not.

Without hesitation, he dashed to evade the incoming kunai and, wielding his blade, stepped forward to intercept Takagi Takasuke's counterattack against his shadow clone.

Finally, he exchanged a quick glance with the shadow clone.

Sharing the same origin and inheriting Seimei's memories, the shadow clone understood his intentions immediately, even without verbal communication.

Thus, it swiftly withdrew and moved toward the two Thunder Britons.

The Mist Hidden chūnin intended to intervene, but the shadow clone quickly dispatched them in just a few moves.

Afterward, like Seimei's previous shadow clones, this one didn't linger either. It promptly used Wind Release: Wings of Wind and Chakra Cloak to leave the battlefield.

However, unlike the earlier clones that had gone out to train with stored chakra, this clone was carrying one of the Thunder Britons, intending to extract the information Seimei sought.

Watching them leave, Seimei finally felt relieved.

Without holding back any longer, he engaged in a two-on-one battle, suppressing Takagi Takasuke and the other Mist Hidden jōnin.

About fifteen minutes later, a message arrived from the command center.

According to Nara Keikou, the Mist Hidden forces attacking the camp had already been repelled, and the camp's troops were now pursuing them.

Keikou instructed that if they could break through the Mist Hidden defensive line, they must do so within fifteen minutes.

Otherwise, they were to retreat immediately and block the Mist Hidden troops from retreating further.

"Fifteen minutes, huh," Seimei murmured, glancing at the battlefield nearby during a brief lull in combat.

The shortening of the Mist Hidden's third defensive line allowed their three squads to collaborate better.

However, it also made it easier for the Mist ninjas within the defensive line to assist one another.

As a result, even after half an hour, the line had yet to be breached.

Earlier, it had almost been enough, but now things were uncertain.

If they could receive messages from the camp, the Mist ninjas within the defensive line could certainly receive news of their own forces' defeat.

Under these circumstances, the Mist Hidden forces would likely hold their ground stubbornly.

After all, if Seimei's forces returned, they would form a pincer attack with the camp's pursuing troops.

At that point, the retreating Mist ninjas would suffer devastating losses.

Therefore, from any perspective, the Mist Hidden commander would persist for as long as possible to buy more time.

In fact, if they chose to retreat voluntarily, their enemies might even pursue them.

In this sense, both sides had fallen into a stalemate.

But Seimei didn't want to see this drag on.

This war had already lasted long enough, and Seimei didn't want to waste any more time here.

This was the decisive opportunity he couldn't afford to miss.

Moreover, the so-called stalemate was merely the result of the Mist ninjas' forced perseverance.

At this point in the war, the Mist Hidden forces had fallen behind in both high-end and low-end combat power.

All they needed was a final push, to break the stalemate.

And Seimei intended to be the one to deliver that blow.

However, before that, he needed to deal with the two opponents in front of him.

This wouldn't be a difficult task.

The past ten minutes of battle had allowed him to gain significant advantages.

Now, it was time to turn that advantage into victory.

With this thought, Seimei unleashed all his chakra, forcing Takagi Kosuke and another Kirigakure Jonin to retreat.

Immediately after, he sheathed his sword and formed hand seals, quickly executing a ninjutsu: Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!

Fwoosh!

A stream of flames burst from his mouth, transforming into three fire dragons. One lunged at Takagi Kosuke, while the other two targeted the more severely injured Kirigakure Jonin.

Seeing this, the two opponents dared not act carelessly. They quickly cast defensive ninjutsu to block the fire dragons' assault.

Seizing the opportunity, Seimei used another ninjutsu: Water Style: Water Severing Wave. The horizontal slash of water completely separated the two.

At that moment, he drew his sword and used Blink Sword Technique, moving at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, appearing right before the other Kirigakure Jonin.

Shing!

The blade flashed.

In an instant, Seimei unleashed Phantom Sword Technique and Shadow Sword Technique simultaneously, creating six sword shadows—three real and three illusory—attacking from different angles.

Had the opponent been at full strength, he might have been able to defend against such an attack.

But after several intense battles, his injuries had significantly slowed his reactions.

Thus, he dared not engage directly and could only retreat.

However, retreating was exactly what Seimei had been waiting for.

With a burst of chakra, Seimei stamped his foot and launched himself like a cannonball, closing the gap instantly.

While slashing at the opponent with his sword, he extended his left hand.

Silently, a high-density chakra sphere appeared in his palm.

The Kirigakure Jonin, having just blocked the sword attack, sensed imminent danger.

He tried to evade, but it was too late.

Crack, crack, crack!

A series of crisp bone-cracking sounds echoed.

Seimei slammed the Rasengan into the opponent's chest, sending him flying.

Back when he was Level 8, facing a true Jonin, he might not have been able to seize such an opportunity.

But now, having reached the pinnacle of Level 9 (0/0), he could.

Spurt!

A large mouthful of blood sprayed from the Kirigakure Jonin's mouth.

His body hit the ground hard, and combined with his previous injuries, he was unable to stand.

By this time, Takagi Kosuke had just arrived.

Without hesitation, Seimei engaged him in combat.

Clang, clang, clang!

The sound of blades clashing filled the air.

At first, Takagi Kosuke managed to keep up with Seimei's speed through sheer willpower. But after just one or two minutes, he fell entirely on the defensive.

Without the support of his teammate, he was no match for Seimei.

Moreover, during their previous skirmishes, Seimei had used his Sharingan to gather significant intel on their fighting styles.

As a result, it didn't take long for Seimei to plunge his blade into Takagi Kosuke's abdomen.

Spurt!

Another mouthful of blood erupted from Takagi Kosuke's mouth.

Before he could react, Seimei swung his left hand. His fingers, sharpened like blades, executed a Chakra Scalpel, severing Takagi Kosuke's throat in an instant.

"Gurgle…"

A guttural, meaningless sound escaped Takagi Kosuke's lips.

Clang!

The kunai in his hand fell to the ground.

Takagi Kosuke clutched his throat with both hands, eyes wide open, glaring at Seimei, his gaze filled with unwillingness.

But it was futile.

Shing!

Seimei withdrew his blade, and blood poured from Takagi Kosuke's abdomen.

In mere moments, life left his body.

Thus, both Kirigakure Jonin fell at Seimei's hands.

Support me by leaving a comment, voting, and visiting my Patreon at belamy20