Grind is My Ninja Way

Boom!

A thunderous explosion echoed through the air.

At the exact spot where Seimei had just stood, a fireball erupted, instantly blasting away the Special Jōnin from the Mist Village.

Already gravely injured, the Mist ninja succumbed to the critical damage, breathing his last.

Not far away, Seimei, who narrowly avoided the ambush, clicked his tongue as he witnessed the scene. "That's ruthless."

Speaking to himself, he glanced toward the direction from which the kunai had been thrown.

There, he saw Kuroki Izumi, now freed from the Shadow Clones' entanglement with the help of two other Special Jōnin from the Mist Village. The kunai from moments ago had been thrown by him.

Izumi heard Seimei's words but chose not to respond. Instead, he immediately threw several more kunai, aiming for the Shadow Clones' vital points.

Sensing the danger, the Shadow Clones swiftly dodged the attack with a series of nimble movements.

This moment of distraction allowed the other two Special Jōnin to break free from the Shadow Clones and join Kuroki Izumi in their dash toward the Mist Village's second line of defense.

But, as the saying goes, "The opportunity is too good to pass up." There was no way Seimei would let them escape so easily.

All he needed to do was delay them for a while. Once the other Konoha Jōnin arrived, the remaining trio would have no chance of leaving.

For the Mist Village's forces in Yujin Port, losing three Jōnin would be an irreparable blow.

Regardless of their next move—whether sending reinforcements or abandoning their comrades—it would be advantageous for Konoha.

The first option, sending reinforcements, would allow Konoha to isolate and eliminate the rescue team. This strategy would save lives and make breaching the Mist's defenses significantly easier.

The second option, abandoning the trio, would further deplete the Mist Village's high-level combat power. Repeating this strategy would gradually wear down their forces, akin to slicing through a sausage, until Yujin Port fell.

Thus, as long as Seimei could hold them back, Konoha would come out ahead regardless of the Mist Village's reaction.

Of course, the key was ensuring they couldn't escape.

With this thought, Seimei and his Shadow Clones charged toward the trio from opposite sides.

The distance between them wasn't far to begin with. When Seimei decided to counterattack earlier, he had intentionally positioned himself closer to the Special Jōnin nearest to the Mist's second line of defense.

As a result, Kuroki Izumi and his companions had no way to bypass him and retreat to safety.

That said, Seimei's task of stopping them wasn't without challenges.

Several lower-ranked Mist ninjas who hadn't yet retreated to the second line of defense surrounded him. Whether voluntarily or under orders, they tried to block his approach to Kuroki Izumi and the others.

Seimei's eyes scanned them briefly before forming a single-hand seal. He unleashed a jutsu—Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!

In an instant, numerous fireballs shot from his mouth like blazing bullets, speeding toward the surrounding ninjas.

"Watch out!"

"Dodge!"

"Counterattack!"

Panicked shouts erupted from the crowd. The surrounding Mist ninjas scrambled to evade.

Those with quicker reflexes, like the Chūnin, managed to avoid critical hits, suffering either minor injuries or none at all. However, the slower ones weren't as lucky. Struck in vital areas, they either fell critically injured or died on the spot.

Agonized screams filled the battlefield as waves of pain echoed through the chaos.

Many of the Mist's lower-ranked ninjas were struck in critical areas—heads, chests, and more—leaving them gravely wounded or dead.

And Seimei wasn't finished.

Dodging a few incoming kunai with his Sharingan spinning rapidly, he locked onto a particularly active Chūnin in the crowd.

Forming another hand seal, he unleashed Fire Style: Scorching Ember Jutsu!

Boom!

Without a sound, the clothes of the targeted Mist Chūnin caught fire.

In an instant, the unfortunate shinobi was engulfed in flames, their agonized screams piercing the air.

Then came the second.

The third.

After setting five of them ablaze in quick succession, the encroaching Mist ninja were finally shaken. Their advance faltered, and their steps unconsciously slowed.

Seimei let out a cold snort and shifted his gaze toward Kuroki Izumi and the others.

Just moments earlier, these three had attempted to slip away, taking advantage of the brief moments when Seimei was preoccupied. However, his Shadow Clone had intercepted them.

Previously, they had managed to shake off the Shadow Clone's pursuit because it was focused on buying Seimei enough time to kill a particular elite Mist Jōnin. The clone couldn't afford to be destroyed too quickly.

But now, its sole purpose was to delay them just enough for Seimei to launch a few ninjutsu attacks. There was no need for prolonged resistance anymore.

As a result, its combat power surged.

This was how it managed to pin down Kuroki Izumi and the others.

Still, this did not come without a cost.

For instance, due to the Shadow Clone's relentless actions, Kuroki Izumi had seized an opportunity. While the clone was attacking the other two, Izumi drove a kunai into its back.

The heavy blow caused the Shadow Clone to dissipate instantly. With a puff of smoke, it returned as chakra and transferred its recent memories back to Seimei.

He cast a sharp glance at Kuroki Izumi and her comrades before sweeping his gaze toward the nearby Konoha Jōnin rapidly closing in. Without hesitation, he used his Instant Sword Technique to rush forward.

Kuroki Izumi and her group had missed their best chance to escape. Left with no other option, they were forced to continue battling Seimei.

The intense sound of clashing weapons echoed once more.

Seimei, moving like a phantom, launched swift and relentless attacks, weaving around the three opponents.

To prevent any of them from fleeing while he attacked another, his strikes were evenly distributed, leaving none of them untouched.

Meanwhile, the remaining Mist Chūnin and Genin had surrounded the area. But despite their numbers, they refrained from intervening.

It wasn't that they didn't want to help—it was that they simply had no opening to act.

Their abilities paled in comparison. Attempting to join the fight would likely cause more harm than good.

So, they could only watch helplessly.

Fortunately, this situation didn't last long.

Soon, orders from the Mist commander were relayed.

Several leading Mist Chūnin twitched their ears, as if listening intently to something.

Moments later, they regrouped their forces and charged toward the approaching main Konoha contingent.

Not only them—Mist shinobi who had retreated behind the second line of defense also emerged. Splitting into two groups, one moved to intercept the Konoha forces, while the other rushed toward Seimei and the advancing Konoha Jōnin.

Clearly, the Mist commander had chosen a rescue strategy.

Rather than allow Kuroki Izumi and the others to be taken down and risk a slow erosion of their defenses, the commander opted for an all-out battle.

This was good news for Konoha.

They wouldn't need to press deep into the second line of defense, avoiding any pre-laid traps or ambushes. This would make their task significantly easier.

The only one left to bear the brunt of the pressure was Seimei.

Originally, if the Mist had abandoned Kuroki Izumi and her group, Seimei could have waited for the other Konoha Jōnin to arrive and joined forces to overwhelm the trio.

Now, however, with the Konoha Jōnin held back, Seimei was left to face Kuroki Izumi and her group alone.

Undoubtedly, this was a far riskier scenario.

Even so, he remained unfazed.

After all, he'd already endured such risks for the past half-hour.

And now, his opponents were down one member.

Wait—

Seimei suddenly recalled some subtle details he'd observed with his Sharingan earlier.

Perhaps it was time to end this quickly.

With this thought, Seimei instinctively activated his Sharingan to analyze the trio before him more deeply.

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