Clang, clang, clang!

In an instant, the eight Konoha shinobi led by Seimei were locked in combat with the five Mist Chūnin nearby.

Drawing his gaze away from them, Seimei refocused on the two Mist Jōnin in front of him.

As he looked over, the two Mist Jōnin wasted no time, reacting swiftly.

One of them, whose arms were wrapped in flowing streams of water, yanked forcefully, pulling Seimei toward him.

Simultaneously, the other Mist Jōnin took advantage of the moment, freeing up his right hand to hurl several shuriken directly at Seimei's vital points.

Their coordination was flawless, a testament to their experience.

Unfortunately for them, such tactics were futile in the face of the Sharingan.

Seimei's Sharingan spun rapidly, locking onto the trajectory of the shuriken.

After confirming there were no hidden tricks, he utilized the pull of the water stream, diving forward to narrowly evade the shuriken's attack.

Not only that, but he also channeled his chakra, activating the Chakra Scalpel. With a swift strike, he severed the water stream binding his left wrist.

With both hands free, Seimei didn't hesitate. Twisting his body to dodge another kunai thrown by the approaching Mist Jōnin, he completed a series of hand seals at lightning speed, unleashing the Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!

The next moment, a barrage of fiery orbs shot out from Seimei's mouth like bullets, hurtling toward the two Mist Jōnin.

Seeing this, the two Mist Jōnin didn't panic. One continued to use water streams to restrict Seimei's movements, while the other rapidly formed hand seals, summoning the Water Release: Water Formation Wall just as the flames reached them.

Whoosh!

A towering water wall rose in front of them, perfectly intercepting the flames.

The fireballs collided with the water wall, producing nothing more than a faint hissing sound, failing to harm the Mist Jōnin behind it.

However, Seimei didn't seem disappointed.

After all, these were Jōnin—defeating them so easily would be unrealistic. Moreover, his goal wasn't to kill them but merely to buy some time.

Feeling the tugging force on his ankles once again, Seimei stomped hard on the ground, leaping into the air. At the same moment, he twisted his waist and extended his arms, slashing twice to sever the water whips wrapped around his ankles.

Regaining his freedom, Seimei spun mid-air to evade another volley of shuriken.

As he landed, he drew the long blade from his waist. A faint blue light enveloped him as he activated the Flash Sword Technique.

In an instant, his speed surged dramatically. Before the Mist Jōnin could react, Seimei was already upon them.

Whoosh!

With a single slash, he aimed directly at the Mist Jōnin who had been targeting him earlier.

Knowing how troublesome the "Ghost Sword" was, Kōsuke Horikawa had no intention of clashing head-on with Seimei.

He quickly retreated, attempting to create distance between them.

But whether he could retreat depended entirely on Seimei's intent.

Seeing his strike miss, Seimei didn't pause. With a forceful push off the ground, he shot forward like a cannonball, chasing after Kōsuke Horikawa.

However, just as he was about to close the gap, another Mist Jōnin intercepted him from the side.

Clearly, this individual had anticipated Kōsuke's retreat and moved to assist, blocking Seimei's path.

Clang!

A sharp metallic clash rang out as Seimei's blade met the kunai of his opponent.

Pausing momentarily, Seimei redirected his gaze from Kōsuke to the Mist Jōnin now within arm's reach.

Silently, he activated the Genjutsu: Sharingan, intending to subdue his foe.

However, this Mist Jōnin was wary, seemingly prepared for such an attempt.

The instant their eyes met, the Mist Jōnin withdrew his kunai and retreated, deliberately avoiding further eye contact.

Seeing this, Seimei remained unfazed.

After all, a kill was still a kill, regardless of who the target was!

He abandoned his pursuit of Kōsuke and instead lunged toward the retreating Mist Jōnin, slashing his blade once more.

This time, he utilized the Shadow Sword Technique.

Through recent practice and countless battles, his proficiency in this technique had skyrocketed to Level 5.

As the blade closed in, the Mist Jōnin quickly raised his kunai to block.

Yet in that instant, Seimei's sword split into three, each targeting a different angle.

The Mist Jōnin, skilled in close combat, reacted swiftly.

Clang, clang!

Two of the strikes—Seimei's main blade and one shadow blade—were deflected by the rapid movements of his kunai. Using the force of the deflection, he twisted his body just enough to narrowly avoid the third strike.

Seimei's blade grazed past his armpit, tearing only his clothing.

"Hmm?"

Seimei let out a small sound of surprise at his opponent's quick reflexes but didn't dwell on it.

After all, this was merely the beginning.

Just as he was about to strike again, several shuriken flew at him from the side.

Seimei's peripheral vision caught sight of Kōsuke Horikawa, who had regained his distance and was now launching another attack.

With a quick sidestep, Seimei dodged the shuriken and closed in on the first Mist Jōnin again, slashing his blade downward.

The Mist Jōnin swiftly turned and raised his kunai to block.

Screech!

The grating sound of metal against metal echoed as the two exerted their strength.

Though young, Seimei's long blade compensated for his lack of height, allowing him to fully utilize his enhanced physique.

After a brief stalemate, the Mist Jōnin could no longer hold his ground.

As the blade inched closer, his face darkened. With a low shout, he forced Seimei's blade aside and leapt backward to create space.

Just as Seimei prepared to pursue, Kōsuke completed a series of hand seals in the distance, unleashing a jutsu.

A massive water dragon rose into the sky before plunging downward with overwhelming momentum toward Seimei.

Recognizing the jutsu as the Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique, Seimei narrowed his eyes.

Despite its widespread use, this B-rank jutsu was renowned for its destructive power.

Even with his abilities, taking it head-on was out of the question.