As his peripheral vision caught sight of the long blade of Seimei slicing in from the right, Murakami Yu's heart seized with terror. The kunai in his hand, about to strike, abruptly changed course to intercept the incoming blow. But with an injury freshly carved into his right arm by Seimei moments earlier, his arm was already losing its agility.
Additionally, Seimei's attack came both suddenly and at blinding speed. As a result, Murakami Yu couldn't block it in time.
*Slash!*
The chilling sound of blade cutting through flesh filled the air.
"Ahh!"
A strangled cry escaped Murakami Yu's lips as he watched Seimei's long blade, enhanced with highly compressed Wind Release chakra, tear through his right arm.
In an instant, half of his arm was severed, blood gushing forth, staining the ground red in a wide swath.
Gritting his teeth to endure the pain, Murakami Yu leapt back several times, trying to put some distance between himself and Seimei.
But Seimei was relentless.
Almost immediately as he began to retreat, Seimei deployed his "Instant Sword Technique" once more, closing the distance in a flash. This time, however, he was met with an unexpected assault.
The assailant was none other than another Mist Ninja.
Everything had happened so quickly that the Mist Jōnin barely had time to react. Now, seizing the opportunity, he showed no intention of holding back.
*Whizz, whizz, whizz!*
Several shurikens shot straight toward Seimei.
Sensing the danger, Seimei momentarily abandoned his pursuit and dodged the projectiles in a swift movement.
While he dodged successfully, the Mist Jōnin remained undeterred, hurling several more kunai in Seimei's direction.
As Seimei shifted his gaze, the Sharingan in his eyes fully activated, he instantly noticed something unusual. Among the kunai, one had a paper bomb discreetly wrapped around its handle, carefully concealed. If not for his heightened vision, he would have missed it completely.
It was clear: if he treated it like a regular kunai, he would suffer severe damage.
Fortunately, Seimei had been vigilant all along.
The tomoe in his pupils whirled, and in an instant, Seimei tracked the trajectory of the armed kunai.
Next, he pulled out a kunai of his own from his pouch and, without a second thought, threw it forward.
The two kunai collided in mid-air with a *clang*, scattering sparks as they deflected in opposite directions.
*Boom!*
The explosion resounded powerfully.
But Seimei remained untouched.
The remaining kunai were easily dodged by Seimei as well.
Without pausing, he activated the "Instant Sword Technique" and continued his pursuit of Murakami Yu, who was desperately fleeing toward the shoreline while tending to his injured arm. It was evident he intended to escape.
However, despite the efforts of the other Mist Jōnin to distract him, Seimei caught up effortlessly.
The battle resumed swiftly.
Before long, the other Mist Jōnin joined the fray.
But the fight didn't last long. Seimei overpowered both of them.
Losing an arm had a devastating impact on any ninja, and without Murakami Yu as a capable ally, the remaining Mist Jōnin was simply no match for him.
Within minutes, Seimei seized the chance and struck the Mist Jōnin with a deep slash, exposing bone. Both Mist Jōnin were now critically injured.
*Huff, huff.*
Both men gasped for air, staring at Seimei as he steadily advanced. They exchanged a glance and, with a nod, shouted in unison, "Run!"
The next instant, *poof, poof*—two smoke bombs hit the ground.
In a flash, dark purple smoke with a pungent odor spread, covering a large area around them.
Engulfed in the smoke, Seimei felt his senses dulled, his perception significantly hindered, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact location of the two Mist Jōnin.
This smoke bomb wasn't just obscuring visibility; it was also designed to impair sensory abilities.
Realizing this, Seimei wasted no time, forming hand seals before opening his mouth to unleash the Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!
*Whoosh!*
A fierce gust erupted from his mouth, scattering the smoke over several dozen meters in mere seconds.
Surveying the area, Seimei spotted multiple figures of Murakami Yu and the other Mist Jōnin—seven or eight in total.
Half appeared as Murakami Yu, while the other half were the other Mist Jōnin. They had clearly used the Shadow Clone Technique to create this confusion.
Wait—
Seimei suddenly remembered that Murakami Yu had just lost an arm. Without extensive training, it would be impossible to perform the Shadow Clone Technique with one hand.
In other words, all these clones were likely made by the other Mist Jōnin, with some taking on Murakami Yu's appearance.
"How touching! Even in this situation, he's still willing to help his teammate," Seimei murmured with a smirk. Without hesitation, he raised his hands, crossing them to form the Ram sign and summoned his own clones.
In an instant, a number of shadow clones equal to those of the Mist Jōnin appeared.
Without needing instructions, they each engaged one of the enemy's clones.
At the same time, Seimei performed another jutsu, the Mind Link Technique, connecting with all of his clones. This way, if any one of them identified the real target, Seimei and the others would know immediately and could react accordingly.
Using shadow clones as a means of escape wasn't foolproof, especially when facing an opponent with an abundant chakra supply.
As Seimei unleashed an equal number of shadow clones to pursue them one-on-one, their fate was sealed.
Neither Murakami Yu nor the other Mist Jōnin could evade the relentless chase of Seimei's clones.
Soon, their true bodies were exposed.
From there, it was straightforward.
Seimei assigned one clone to keep Murakami Yu at bay, then swiftly dispatched the other Mist Jōnin.
Then, he turned back and finished off Murakami Yu.
Finally, the two who had given him so much trouble were slain.
Only then did Seimei have a moment to reflect on the new insights he had gained after his "Instant Sword Technique" had reached perfection.
Indeed, his Instant Sword Technique had evolved the moment he had severed Murakami Yu's right arm, though he hadn't had time to appreciate it until now.
At last, he could explore it in depth.
*(End of Chapter)*