Fukui Ichirou had his thoughts, but Qingming neither knew nor cared to know. Right now, he only wanted to find someone to test his newly upgraded lv6 Swordsmanship.
With that in mind, Qingming charged straight toward the two Iwagakure Jonin not far ahead.
Seeing Qingming rushing toward them, Fukui Ichirou raised his kunai and warned his companion, "Yoshihito, watch out for his eyes!"
"Understood!"
Iwakane Yoshihito replied, aware that after witnessing Fukui Ichirou being so easily hypnotized by Qingming, he could not afford to be careless.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~
A flurry of kunai were thrown, aiming at Qingming's vital points.
Qingming's pupils spun rapidly, instantly locking onto the trajectory of the flying kunai and mapping out his evasive route in his mind.
He lightly tapped his feet against the ground, lowered his body, and gracefully sidestepped, evading the kunai without losing any speed.
Seeing this, Iwakane Yoshihito snorted but wasn't overly disappointed. He hadn't expected such attacks to injure Qingming; his actions were merely to provide cover for Fukui Ichirou's assault.
Ding~
Qingming swung his short sword, blocking Fukui Ichirou's thrust.
Zzzz~~~
A harsh grinding sound rang out as both fighters exerted force, their kunai and sword scraping against each other, sending sparks flying.
After a brief stalemate, both stepped back, creating some distance between them.
However, this was not the end; it was just the beginning.
The moment they landed, both lunged forward again, kunai and short sword clashing once more, producing a louder sound than before.
This time, there was no stalemate. They almost touched and immediately collided again.
In an instant, the air was filled with the sound of clashing metal.
Qingming intended to test his Swordsmanship and thus did not rush to attack. Instead, Fukui Ichirou seemed eager not to fall into a passive role, unleashing a relentless torrent of attacks, swift and continuous.
Yet Qingming resembled a lone boat amidst a stormy sea, seemingly at risk of capsizing.
However, this was merely an illusion; the reality was that Qingming's little boat, despite bobbing along with the waves, remained remarkably steady.
Outwardly, he appeared to be effortlessly managing Fukui Ichirou's barrage of attacks.
He evaded those he could with minimal movement, and for those he could not avoid, he would counter with his sword, blocking them head-on.
His movements were precise and elegant, reminiscent of a dancer on the blade's edge—seemingly dangerous, yet everything was under control.
The entire process felt indescribably easy and pleasant.
'What's going on? How has his Swordsmanship improved so dramatically?'
Fukui Ichirou was filled with confusion as he watched Qingming effortlessly parry all his attacks.
While Qingming's Swordsmanship had been impressive before, it had never surpassed Fukui Ichirou's comprehension. What was happening now?
Qingming's current performance left Fukui Ichirou questioning his own strength.
'Could it be that I've fallen under an illusion?'
As Fukui Ichirou pondered this, his movements became hesitant.
"Uh? An opportunity!"
Noticing the shift in Fukui Ichirou's emotions, Qingming immediately seized the chance and thrust his sword toward him.
Although he hadn't planned to attack first, he wouldn't let such an opportunity slip away.
His short sword shot forward, seemingly destined to pierce Fukui Ichirou's heart.
Suddenly, a kunai appeared from the side, blocking his attack.
Only at this moment did Fukui Ichirou snap out of his self-doubt, and upon seeing the sword so close, he broke into a cold sweat.
"Ichirou, what's wrong with you?"
Iwakane Yoshihito intercepted Qingming's attack and turned to Fukui Ichirou, asking solemnly.
"I'm fine!"
Fukui Ichirou shook his head, regaining his composure. "Be careful; his Swordsmanship is exceptionally strong!"
"What do you mean?"
Iwakane Yoshihito replied, puzzled.
To him, it seemed that Fukui Ichirou had simply zoned out during the fight, almost falling victim to Qingming. How did this connect to Qingming's Swordsmanship?
Even if he needed to be cautious of Qingming's Sharingan, Yoshihito could understand that Fukui Ichirou might have been caught off guard by an illusion, which led to his distraction.
But what did he mean by warning him about Qingming's Swordsmanship? Yoshihito had seen Qingming block all of Fukui Ichirou's attacks perfectly.
"Very strong! Exceptionally strong!"
Yet, given Qingming's previously displayed Swordsmanship level, achieving this wasn't particularly difficult. Why emphasize it now?
Qingming could only say that without being in the thick of it, one would never truly understand the extent of his improvement in Swordsmanship.
After battling, Qingming realized that his Swordsmanship had progressed from lv5 to lv6, enhancing not merely technique but also his grasp of combat details.
Thus, without personal experience, it was impossible to discern any differences.
Like now, Iwakane Yoshihito had witnessed the entire confrontation between him and Fukui Ichirou yet failed to notice anything unusual.
Such subtle changes could only be truly felt through personal engagement.
And soon, Iwakane Yoshihito would come to experience this firsthand.
Qingming looked at Iwakane Yoshihito, who was blocking his short sword without any hesitation. He immediately included him in his attack range.
Ding, ding, ding~
Qingming swung his short sword, taking on two opponents as he engaged both Iwagakure Jonin.
Within just a few minutes, Qingming had gained the absolute upper hand, using his Swordsmanship to suppress both of them.
At that moment, Iwakane Yoshihito finally understood what Fukui Ichirou meant by "Qingming's Swordsmanship is very strong."
This was no mere strength; it was a transformation!
One must realize that once techniques reached a certain level, the key challenge became a ninja's control over the details.
In high-level confrontations, these nuances often determined the outcome.
Unfortunately for Yoshihito, Qingming's Swordsmanship had advanced from lv5 to lv6, specifically enhancing his capability in this regard.
Thus, after truly battling him, one would feel that Qingming's Swordsmanship had improved significantly, and the more skilled the opponent, the more pronounced this feeling would be.
Were Iwakane Yoshihito and Fukui Ichirou skilled fighters?
The answer was an unequivocal yes.
Therefore, they were more keenly aware of Qingming's advancement.
Clang, clang, clang~
Szzzz~
Iwakane Yoshihito wielded his kunai, blocking several of Qingming's attacks, but ultimately, he suffered a wound on his shoulder from Qingming's short sword.
Seeing this, Fukui Ichirou hurriedly moved forward to block Qingming, trying to prevent him from further injuring Iwakane Yoshihito.
However, Qingming had already discerned that compared to Fukui Ichirou, Iwakane Yoshihito's close combat ability was clearly weaker, and he wouldn't miss this excellent opportunity.
Thus, after parrying Fukui Ichirou's attacks with a few swift moves, he turned his attention back to Iwakane Yoshihito and launched another round of assaults.
Although truly high-level Jonin possess a well-rounded development in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu, there would always be distinctions between them.
Iwakane Yoshihito's close combat skill might surpass that of some mid-to-lower-tier ninjas and even some specially skilled Jonin, but he was still a notch below Fukui Ichirou.
Hence, the gap widened against Qingming.
In the face of Qingming's fierce onslaught, Iwakane Yoshihito was left with no choice but to defend, utterly unable to counterattack.
Moreover, had it not been for Fukui Ichirou's interference nearby, causing Qingming's rhythm to be frequently interrupted, Yoshihito might have already been gravely injured.
From this, one could see just how powerful lv6 Swordsmanship combined with the Sharingan truly was!
This left Qingming all the more eager to develop various ultimate techniques on top of this foundation.
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