Chapter 105: Progress

However, Sabaku no Kaze was, after all, a Jonin. He quickly regained his composure. When he looked at Seimei again, although his gaze was still cautious, the apprehension from before was gone. Perhaps he had also seen through it. Seimei's previous strike was most likely a fluke; otherwise, he wouldn't be putting on a show of bravado here. Seeing that he hadn't fooled the opponent, Seimei wasn't discouraged. It just so happened that he also wanted to test his own strength. Thinking back to when he faced the Iwa Jonin, Kohara Shuji, the opponent had overwhelmed him without even going all out. Now, several months had passed. His One Tomoe Sharingan had evolved into Two Tomoe, and his abilities in all aspects had greatly improved. Ninjutsu - Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique had been upgraded from lv3 to lv4, involving shape and nature transformation, with significant improvements in flexibility and power. Genjutsu - Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique had also risen from the early lv2 level to a level close to lv4, with both activation speed and genjutsu power significantly stronger than before. His primary combat style, Konoha-Style Kenjutsu, had even been upgraded from lv3 to the perfected state of lv5. And there were also Body Flicker Technique and Shurikenjutsu... The former had risen from lv3 to the perfected state of lv4, and the latter from lv4 to the perfected state of lv5, both showing considerable improvement. Besides the improvement of these existing skills, he had also learned a more suitable Uchiha-Style Kenjutsu for the Sharingan, which he had also diligently trained to the perfected state of lv5. Moreover, he had merged this technique with Konoha-Style Kenjutsu, creating a new swordsmanship style that was even more suitable for him and more profound. Furthermore, in terms of genjutsu training, besides the Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique, he had also learned another Genjutsu: Sharingan, and after reaching lv3, its effects were also quite good. All these improvements combined meant that he had made significant progress in both close combat and long-range attacks. Therefore, Seimei was eager to know if he could now defeat Kohara Shuji. He hadn't forgotten that Mizutani Shizuko had died at the hands of the opponent while trying to help him. However, it was obviously unwise to directly seek out the opponent. And now, a Suna-nin whose combat power was weaker than a true Jonin but stronger than an average Tokubetsu Jonin had appeared. Seimei naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity. Seeing the burning fighting spirit in Seimei's eyes, Sabaku no Kaze felt a sense of being offended. He was a Jonin, after all. Where did this mere Chunin get the guts to provoke him, just because he was from the Uchiha clan? 'Hmph, it's just a Two Tomoe Sharingan...' With a thought, Sabaku no Kaze unleashed his full气势. Instantly, an oppressive aura of death washed over them. Seimei's breathing hitched for a moment but quickly recovered. If it were an ordinary low- to mid-level ninja with a weak will, facing this pressure, they might feel a sense of despair and reveal an opening. But Seimei was different... His ambition was beyond the comprehension of these natives of the ninja world. A mere bit of deathly pressure wasn't enough to shake his resolve. Thus, a strange scene unfolded - Sabaku no Kaze had a serious expression, his body enveloped in an intimidating aura, while Seimei remained calm and composed, looking at him with interest. Time passed by, and Sabaku no Kaze, seeing Seimei's unwavering demeanor, finally couldn't hold back and said, "You..." However, as soon as he uttered a word, Seimei moved. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~ Three shuriken flew out. Seeing this, Sabaku no Kaze quickly stopped speaking. With a thought, he infused wind-style chakra into his fan and swung it forcefully. A gust of wind swept past, blowing all three shuriken back. This wasn't any ninjutsu but simply the utilization of wind-style chakra. Just like how Asuma Sarutobi infused wind-style chakra into his chakra blades to enhance their penetration, as long as one mastered the shape and nature transformation of wind-attribute chakra, they could achieve this. Similarly, mastering the shape and nature transformation of fire-attribute chakra allowed for flexible usage as well. Just like Seimei now. He dodged the incoming gust of wind with a flash. Then, with a thought, a surge of fire-style chakra imbued with high temperature flowed from his palm into his short sword. Instantly, the short sword, obtained from the Iwa Tokubetsu Jonin, Shiraishi Kurado, changed from snow-white to dark red, and faint flames flickered on its surface. Feeling the scorching heat emanating from the sword, Seimei was overjoyed. The physical and magical dual attack he had envisioned long ago had finally been realized. If this sword strike landed, the enemy would not only suffer flesh wounds but also endure high-temperature damage, a double blow, double the pain. Seimei couldn't wait to test it out. Thinking of this, he kicked off the ground with both feet, his entire body shooting out like an arrow, reaching Sabaku no Kaze's right side in the blink of an eye. Then, he swung his short sword, aiming directly at Sabaku no Kaze's neck. Feeling the scorching heat from the blade, Sabaku no Kaze didn't dare to be careless. He quickly moved his fan, intending to block. But at that moment, a wave of drowsiness suddenly washed over him, making him want to close his eyes. "Not good!" Sabaku no Kaze was startled. He bit his tongue, and blood trickled down the corner of his mouth, bringing him back to his senses. It had to be said that the mental fortitude of a Jonin was far stronger than that of Chunin or lower-ranked ninjas. Even with Seimei fully activating his Sharingan, he still couldn't hypnotize him. Perhaps it was also because of the imminent danger. In any case, before Seimei's short sword could hit him, Sabaku no Kaze had already regained his senses. Then, he didn't bother with blocking head-on anymore and simply leaned back dramatically, avoiding Seimei's attack. Seeing this, Seimei's expression remained unchanged. He twisted his wrist, smoothly switching the short sword from a horizontal slash to a diagonal slash, aiming at Sabaku no Kaze's chest. The next moment, the short sword passed through Sabaku no Kaze's body, leaving behind a pile of scorching sand. That's right, it was sand. It turned out that just as the short sword was about to hit him, Sabaku no Kaze had timely used the Sand Substitution Technique, causing Seimei's sword to miss. Seimei had actually seen the opponent's movement, but he had obviously experienced fighting against the Sharingan and avoided his gaze in time, leaving him no chance to stop it. "Wind Style: Great Sickle Weasel Technique!" As Seimei retracted his short sword, Sabaku no Kaze, having escaped the attack, launched a counterattack. This time, he used the full power of the Wind Style: Great Sickle Weasel Technique. In the previous two instances, Seimei had dared to face the storm head-on and charge towards the opponent, but this time, he didn't dare. The reason was simple: this storm was simply too terrifying. In the previous two times, the trees along the way had only lost some branches and leaves. But this time, not to mention branches and leaves, even the trees themselves were uprooted and shredded into pieces in mid-air by countless vacuum blades. Even the ground was scraped away by a layer. In this situation, let alone charging in, even getting close made Seimei feel extremely dangerous. So, without any hesitation, he immediately used the Body Flicker Technique, swiftly running to one side, away from the storm's coverage. Not only him, but the three Suna-nin and three Konoha ninjas fighting in the outer area, seeing this terrifying scene, also fled to the periphery, not daring to stay for even a moment. For a time, apart from the raging storm, there was no one left on the field. (End of Chapter)