Seeing their comrade severely injured, the remaining three ROOT ninjas showed no signs of emotion. They immediately seized the opportunity while Qingming's injuries worsened and launched a second wave of attack, intending to kill him.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~
Several shurikens flew towards Qingming.
Observing their reaction, Qingming sneered and muttered, "They really are cold-blooded."
As he spoke, he activated his Sharingan, instantly locking onto the flight trajectory of the shurikens. With a flick of his wrist, he threw an equal number of shurikens to intercept and block them.
In the next moment, a flash of blue light appeared as he activated the "Instant Sword Technique" and took the initiative to attack.
The remaining three ROOT ninjas consisted of two true Jonin, one specializing in Lightning Release, the other in Water Release, and a Special Jonin who was more adept at Wind Release.
Qingming quickly processed the information about these opponents in his mind, and based on their reactions and positions, he devised a corresponding strategy.
Soon, the battle began.
They alternated between close combat and ranged attacks, occasionally showcasing physical techniques and engaging in ninjutsu clashes, none willing to give in.
Compared to average ninjas, these ROOT ninjas had rapidly grown by exhausting their potential, and while they had lost the ability to break through their limits, there was no denying that they were top-tier in terms of battle prowess at their level, especially in terms of combat experience, which far exceeded that of ordinary ninjas.
Moreover, they were fearless and ruthless, making them quite troublesome to deal with.
However, they were only troublesome to deal with.
Even though Qingming's chakra was not at full capacity and he had not activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, he still had confidence in defeating the three of them in a one-on-three situation; the only question was how long it would take.
With a discreet glance at the motionless, sloth-like summoning beast perched on a tree far away, Qingming silently activated the "Mind Link Technique" to notify his shadow clone in the main battlefield to come over.
Soon, the shadow clone found an opportunity, broke away from the fight, and flew toward him at top speed.
However, Qingming did not let the clone reveal itself. Instead, he made sure it landed early in the forest and, following his instructions, approached the sloth-like summoning beast silently.
Upon approaching, the shadow clone realized that it was difficult to spot the sloth with the naked eye; it seemed to have melded with the tree, indistinguishable from its bark.
Additionally, the beast's presence was extremely faint. If not for locking onto the target beforehand and carefully sensing its chakra, one would never notice it.
Clearly, this was a summoning beast highly suited for stealth and surveillance.
'I wonder where Danzo found such a summoning beast?'
Muttering inwardly, the shadow clone hesitated no more and immediately used the "Instant Body Technique," appearing beside the sloth in the blink of an eye.
In the next moment, a cold gleam flashed as the shadow clone swung a blade, intending to sever the sloth in half before it could react.
However, the blade hit the target, but no blood was shed.
The sloth split into two pieces of tree bark.
Looking closer, the sloth itself had disappeared.
The shadow clone only saw the afterimage of the sloth as it vanished.
Meanwhile, Qingming's real body, still fighting the three ROOT ninjas, also saw this scene. Thanks to his Byakugan's X-ray vision, he saw the event even more clearly than the shadow clone.
Initially, the sloth had not detected the shadow clone's presence. However, once the shadow clone closed in within a meter, it immediately reacted.
It first used a technique similar to the "Substitution Jutsu," swapping positions with the tree bark beneath it at an almost imperceptible speed.
Then, as the tree bark was struck by the shadow clone's blade, it canceled the "Summoning Jutsu."
Finally, it completely disappeared from the original spot.
Qingming hadn't expected this sloth-like summoning beast to display such a rapid response when faced with danger.
This truly surprised him.
Nonetheless, he had called the shadow clone over just to test things out.
Although the beast wasn't killed, driving it away wasn't a bad result either.
This allowed Qingming to unleash his full strength.
With that thought, Qingming turned his gaze back to the three ROOT ninjas before him.
At this moment, the ROOT ninja who specialized in Water Release seemed to have sensed something, glancing back toward the area where the sloth had been. He then spotted Qingming's shadow clone.
The other two ROOT ninjas followed his gaze and also saw the shadow clone.
At this point, they immediately understood that their backup plan had failed.
They exchanged a quick look and decided to retreat immediately.
Yes, retreat.
It wasn't because they feared death, but because continuing the fight without any meaningful purpose was pointless.
Previously, they had refused to retreat, hoping to learn more of Qingming's abilities so that the next operation could proceed more smoothly.
But now that their summoning beast had disappeared, continuing the fight was futile.
It would be better to preserve their lives for the next mission.
Of course, this decision also stemmed from the realization that the three of them could never defeat Qingming; otherwise, they would have fought to the death.
Unfortunately, their desire to retreat depended entirely on Qingming's approval.
With the sloth no longer observing from a distance, Qingming could now use his full power to quickly finish off the three of them.
Naturally, he would not let them escape.
However, before unleashing his full power, he still cautiously activated his Byakugan to scan the surroundings once again.
After confirming that no one else was nearby, Qingming immediately activated his Mangekyō Sharingan.
In an instant, his pupils elongated rapidly, and the three tomoe in his eyes merged into a single central black dot.
This made the black dot expand, nearly occupying one-third of the pupil's area.
Next, the elongated tails of the three tomoe split into six curved black lines, forming a sixty-degree angle, connecting back to the central black dot.
At that moment, his Sharingan resembled a burning black sun, exuding an aura of mystery.
"This is..."
The leader of the ROOT ninjas, upon seeing his eyes, froze for a moment. Then, as if remembering something, his pupils contracted in shock, and he involuntarily muttered, "Mangekyō?"
"You activated the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Even the cold, calculating mind of the ROOT ninja was filled with astonishment and disbelief at this revelation.
"Oh~"
Hearing the words, Qingming took an interest and asked, "You actually know about it?"
The ROOT ninja didn't answer the question. Instead, he immediately shifted his gaze away and shouted loudly, "Separate and escape!"
As he spoke, he used the "Instant Body Technique" and sprinted off in the distance.
The other two, slightly slower, also scattered in different directions, running toward two separate paths.
The intelligence from the summoning beast was too important. They had to bring it back no matter what.
Unfortunately, they were too naïve.
Since Qingming had already activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, there was no way he would let them escape.
Qingming took a single step forward and immediately vanished from his spot.
Today, the battle ended here.
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