Everything happened too quickly. Only when Qingming had killed Kenichi Yamamoto did the remaining Iwagakure shinobi finally react.
As they shouted in alarm, Qingming let go of Kenichi's lifeless wrist, allowing his body to slump to the ground. He then scanned the others with his blood-red Sharingan eyes.
Instantly, all shouting ceased. Each person he glanced at took an involuntary step back.
Qingming knew it was the right moment; all he needed was a final push, and they would surely flee in panic. If that happened, a larger scale of chaos would ensue. Amidst the confusion, he could continue his swift and lethal attacks, inflicting massive casualties on the Iwagakure forces and intensifying the disorder. Eventually, Roshi would have no choice but to retreat and defend.
With that plan in mind, Qingming swiftly approached an Iwagakure Chunin. Using his Sharingan, he cast a quick hypnosis on the target, freezing him in place.
Swoosh!
Qingming's short sword plunged into the Chunin's heart with a sickening sound.
The victim's eyes widened as he momentarily broke free from the genjutsu, but it was too late.
He was dead.
Qingming withdrew his blade, not pausing for a moment. His eyes flickered to another target, and he lunged. With the same swift routine—first hypnotize, then strike—the next Iwagakure shinobi also fell, a mere second's worth of action sealing his fate.
The surrounding shinobi were frozen in horror as they witnessed yet another comrade slump lifelessly to the ground.
Ignoring them, Qingming extracted his sword and turned his gaze to a third target, who suffered the same fate as the previous two.
Then someone among them screamed, "Run!"
Instantly, the rest snapped out of their terror and scattered in all directions, terror clear in their eyes.
Satisfied with the chaos he'd created, Qingming held off on immediate pursuit. His objective was chaos, not just to rack up kills. After a moment, he dashed after the group running toward the mountains.
"Ahhh!"
In the forest behind them, another scream rang out.
The shinobi at the front of the group knew another comrade had been killed, but none dared look back. They knew that even a moment's hesitation could cost them their lives. The enemy was too terrifying.
On their way, they encountered another small team, including a Tokubetsu Jonin, but even he couldn't halt the enemy's rampage. That Tokubetsu Jonin managed to hold his ground only slightly longer than Kenichi Yamamoto before falling to "Ghost Blade Qingming."
Yes, they now knew who Qingming was. Yet knowing his name only deepened their fear.
"Ghost Blade Qingming" was a name they had heard before, though most had never encountered him personally. The nickname had always felt distant, not something tangible.
But seeing his relentless pursuit and swift, lethal strikes firsthand had solidified that nickname in their minds, turning it into a source of paralyzing fear. After witnessing a second Jonin fall so easily to Qingming, they abandoned any thought of resistance, focusing only on fleeing to the mountains.
The effect snowballed, more and more shinobi fleeing in panic, and the disarray spread up the mountain.
Finally, as they neared Konoha's second line of defense, the scene attracted the attention of the Iwagakure's front-line forces. Before long, a Jonin appeared, blocking their path and angrily demanded, "What's going on? Why are you advancing ahead of schedule?"
The Iwagakure forces had strict orders, with clear roles assigned to the front line, rear guard, and flanks. This group was supposed to maintain security at different points. Their simultaneous retreat risked creating vulnerabilities in their formation, making them susceptible to encirclement.
One of the leading Chunin, still catching his breath, quickly responded, "Sir, it's Ghost Blade. He's been chasing us from behind. We've lost many; we had no choice but to flee!"
"Ghost Blade? You mean Uchiha Qingming?" asked the Jonin, Nagashima Chikyu, his brows knitting together.
The Chunin nodded repeatedly. "Yes, that's him. I saw him kill both Yamamoto and Oda myself."
"What?" Chikyu's voice rose in shock. "You're saying Kenichi Yamamoto and Yukima Oda are dead?"
"That's right. I saw it myself," the Chunin confirmed.
Only then did Nagashima Chikyu realize the gravity of the situation and immediately relayed the news to Roshi. This mission had been centered around Roshi, so only he could decide the next course of action.
This represented a marked shift from their previous commander, Kuroki Itto, who had treated Roshi and Han solely as tools, excluding them from any decision-making. The new commander, however, had granted Roshi and Han more autonomy, even allowing them to lead certain operations.
This mission was a test run of that new arrangement.
Elsewhere on the battlefield, Roshi's face darkened as he received the news, halting his advance just before breaking through Konoha's second line of defense.
"Chikyu, what's going on? How could this 'Ghost Blade' force so many of our shinobi to retreat?"
Upon Roshi's return to the rear, Nagashima Chikyu could only reply, frustrated, "I'm still gathering information, but our formation has been compromised. We have no support in the rear or on the flanks. If Konoha mounts an encirclement, our position will be extremely dangerous."
"Where are they? I'll question them myself," Roshi said tersely, evidently dissatisfied with Chikyu's response.
With no other choice, Chikyu led him over to a group of newly arrived shinobi, hoping to glean fresh information.
Just as they approached, Roshi suddenly stopped, his gaze locking onto one of the men in the group. "Who are you?"
The others followed Roshi's gaze to the plain-looking Chunin, who had nothing remarkable about him—at least, not at first glance.
But the man's response sent a chill through the air, especially among those who had been fleeing alongside him.
"Heh… Have I been found out? Your sensory skills are sharp indeed, Roshi."
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