Clang! Clang!

The fierce sound of combat echoed through the air.

Seimei was facing two opponents simultaneously, yet he showed no signs of being at a disadvantage.

His sharp gaze scanned the surroundings. After confirming that everyone else had found their opponents and the battlefield had regained stability, he focused entirely on the two individuals before him.

Indeed, for a while now, he had been fending off the attacks of two Hidden Mist special jōnin with only a portion of his strength.

This was partly due to his own exceptional abilities.

But mostly, it was because these two opponents weren't particularly skilled.

Of course, this "not particularly skilled" assessment was relative to him.

After all, his opponents were still special jōnin. Even if their overall capabilities fell short of fully developed true jōnin, they could easily overpower average lower and mid-level ninja.

In truth, special jōnin like these—who excelled in a specific area—comprised the majority of jōnin active on the battlefield.

The fully rounded jōnin, like Koshikawa Kōsuke and Kawata Hiroshi, whom he had encountered previously, were the exception.

For any large ninja village, fully rounded jōnin were the backbone. They often bore significant responsibilities within the village and were few in number due to the high standards required.

Special jōnin, on the other hand, were different.

As long as their strength met the criteria and they excelled in a particular skill—even if their ninjutsu, taijutsu, or genjutsu capabilities weren't comprehensive—they could still qualify.

Of course, there were exceptions. If a ninja demonstrated extraordinary skill in one area, villages often made allowances.

Take Might Guy, for example.

His ninjutsu and genjutsu were lacking, but his taijutsu was so exceptional that he was not only recognized as a jōnin by Konoha but also as an elite among them.

Ultimately, ranks were just labels; true strength was what mattered most.

These thoughts flashed through Seimei's mind in an instant before he dismissed them.

Now that the situation was under control, he began considering how to use these two opponents to test the techniques he had recently mastered.

There hadn't been any opportunity earlier, but now that one had presented itself, he didn't want to let it slip by.

Without hesitation, Seimei stepped back to avoid one of the Hidden Mist jōnin's attacks, creating some distance.

In a fluid motion, he sidestepped another assault from the second Hidden Mist jōnin.

Then, under their wary gazes, he leaped back several times, further widening the gap between them.

Ignoring the suspicion in their eyes, Seimei quickly formed hand seals. He ran his palm along his blade, coating it in a near-transparent layer of chakra.

Suddenly, his sword emitted a sharp, menacing aura.

Even before he swung it, the air around the blade seemed to ripple as though being sliced apart.

This scene resembled when he infused wind chakra into his blade, but its essence was entirely different.

Previously, he merely utilized the properties of wind chakra to enhance the blade's cutting edge.

Now, he was unleashing a jutsu—Wind Release: Vacuum Blade!

As a B-rank wind release technique focused on offense, its effectiveness far surpassed that of mere chakra property enhancement.

A faint azure glow illuminated the blade. With a swift Shunkenjutsu (Blink Sword Technique), Seimei lunged at one of the Hidden Mist jōnin.

Seeing his move, the two Hidden Mist jōnin exchanged glances and instinctively split up. They approached him from both sides, creating a pincer formation.

The three clashed in the center. Seimei twisted his body, dodging one opponent's kunai strike, and swung his blade directly at the other.

Clang!

The crisp sound of metal colliding rang out.

The Hidden Mist jōnin reacted swiftly, using his kunai to block the attack.

But in the next instant, a cracking sound broke the tension.

Both Seimei and the jōnin glanced at the source of the noise.

Sparks flew where their weapons met, and fine cracks spread across the kunai, as if it could shatter at any moment.

Around the cracks, Seimei's blade was surrounded by countless tiny wind blades that whirled along its edge, relentlessly cutting into the kunai.

It was clear that the cracks were the result of this continuous assault.

Crack!

Another sharp noise followed.

The next moment, the kunai shattered into dozens of pieces in the jōnin's hand.

"What?!"

The Hidden Mist jōnin gasped in shock.

He hadn't expected his weapon to be destroyed in a single exchange.

Fortunately, as a close-combat specialist, his surprise lasted only a moment. He quickly leaned back and pushed off the ground to evade Seimei's follow-up strike.

While retreating, he reached into his pouch and pulled out another kunai.

On the way, he reached into his ninja tool pouch and pulled out another kunai.

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Clang! Clang! Clang!

Seimei stepped forward, catching up, and once again engaged in a fierce exchange.

However, after several collisions of their ninja tools this time, the opponent's tools did not end up as severely damaged as the kunai from earlier.

Out of the corner of his eye, Seimei noticed another Kirigakure jōnin preparing to cast a technique. Seizing the opportunity, he quickly retreated, creating distance between himself and the Kirigakure jōnin in front of him.

Based on what had just happened, it was clear that the Wind Release: Vacuum Blade had impressive offensive power but a limited duration.

Its strongest impact and most destructive force came during the first contact. Afterward, its effectiveness diminished considerably.

Thus, this technique was more suited for ambushes. In prolonged or frequent combat, its utility became less significant.

Seimei glanced at the kunai with multiple chips in the blade held by the nearby Kirigakure jōnin and thought as much.

"Water Release: Whirlpool Water Wheels!"

While Seimei was analyzing the situation, the Kirigakure jōnin on his flank completed the hand seals. Both hands now held rapidly spinning water wheels as he charged forward.

It was evident that this was a close-combat technique.

Confirming this, Seimei did not hesitate and immediately leapt backward.

This movement not only allowed him to evade the kunai thrown by the Kirigakure jōnin he'd just been fighting but also created distance from the flanking jōnin.

Stowing his longsword, Seimei swiftly formed hand seals.

Before the flanking jōnin could close the gap, Seimei opened his mouth and released an attack.

Whoosh!

An air bullet shot forth, aimed directly at the Kirigakure jōnin's face.

This was none other than the B-rank technique—Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!

Sensing the danger, the Kirigakure jōnin quickly dodged to the side.

The air bullet struck a large tree behind him, blasting a fist-sized hole through the trunk.

Clearly, its offensive power was formidable.

And this was just the beginning.

Seimei observed the Kirigakure jōnin who had dodged his first strike. Tilting his head slightly, he once again launched air bullets at his opponent.

This time, however, it wasn't just one bullet but several, effectively sealing off the jōnin's escape routes and targeting vital areas of his body.

The dense barrage of air bullets left the Kirigakure jōnin in a desperate situation. He was even forced to use the water wheels meant for offense to block the incoming projectiles.

In the end, it was only the intervention of another Kirigakure jōnin closing in on Seimei that barely managed to break the deadlock.