Chapter 32: First Battle

"Everyone, form a defensive formation!" A stern shout came from the front of the group. Hearing this, the Chunin in the group immediately took action, organizing the Genin around them for defense based on proximity. The Tokubetsu Jonin also started to act according to their areas of expertise. Those skilled in combat immediately rushed out of the group to support the ninja responsible for reconnaissance. Those skilled in sensory perception sat down on the spot and began to use their techniques to probe the surroundings, preventing any surprise attacks. Others had their own tasks as well. Everything was so efficient, as if they had rehearsed dozens or even hundreds of times. Everyone could find their position. Only novice Genin like Seimei, who didn't understand anything, could only follow the instructions of the Chunin around them, like puppets on strings. This feeling was terrible, as if their fate was in the hands of others, with no sense of security. Despite this, Seimei still didn't act rashly. In this situation, it wasn't the time for a mere Genin like him to stand out. Over the past three weeks, due to the large number of people and the need to travel, he didn't have much time to gain proficiency. Even after minimizing his rest time, he could only squeeze in three or four hours of training per day at most. Therefore, the usable chakra he had was only around 1500 points. In order not to attract attention, he used all this chakra to practice the "Heart Reflection Technique," raising its proficiency from lv3 (683/1000) to lv3 (875/1000). A total increase of 192 proficiency points also increased his Sharingan's proficiency by 19 points, reaching (69/1000). Although the increase was small, every little bit counted, and Seimei didn't dismiss it. Besides that, there was the 'Chakra Refinement Technique'... With three or four hours of practice every day, plus the three days of full-fledged training before departure, its proficiency had increased from lv3 (346/1000) to lv3 (454/1000). As a result, his chakra limit increased by 864 points, now reaching 4074 points. At this point, he vaguely sensed his body's limit again. Seimei estimated that when his chakra limit increased to around 5000 points, it would likely stagnate. However, this was already much better than he had anticipated. Boom! Just as Seimei was lost in thought, a loud explosion suddenly came from the side cliff, followed by the clanging of metal clashing. Seimei looked up and saw several ninja wearing Iwagakure Jonin uniforms fighting with Konoha Jonin. Beside them were a dozen or so Iwagakure Chunin. 'Sharingan!' Seeing that no one around him was paying attention, Seimei quietly activated his Sharingan. Instantly, everything in front of him became clear. In his vision, those Iwagakure Chunin, taking advantage of the Konoha Jonin being entangled, quickly formed hand seals and then slapped their hands onto the cliff wall in unison. Seeing this, Seimei seemed to have realized something. He cursed inwardly, quickly deactivated his Sharingan, grabbed the two teammates beside him, and leaped backward. Suddenly being pulled like this, Ryosuke and Mizutani Shizuko lost their balance and stumbled on the spot. However, trusting their teammate, they didn't struggle. And just as they retreated, the sound of rocks cracking came from the side cliff. Then, countless large and small rocks fell from the sky, like a meteor shower, all crashing towards the area where Seimei and the others were. Instantly, chaos erupted below. Although ninja weren't ordinary people, their defense wasn't much stronger. Being hit by such falling rocks, even if they didn't die, they would be severely injured. So, everyone was desperately dodging. A few moments later, the dust settled. The drizzling rain fell on their faces, leaving streaks of mud. "Seimei, thanks to you!" Ryosuke, looking at the mess on the ground, said sincerely. The wave of falling rocks might not have been a big deal for Chunin, but for Genin like them, especially novice Genin, it was quite dangerous. Now, there were a dozen or so Genin lying among the surrounding rubble. 'I wonder if they're dead or alive?' However, Seimei and the others had no time to worry about these people's fate for now, because their own trouble had arrived. They saw nearly a hundred Iwa-nin appearing at both ends of the canyon, encircling them from both sides. Judging solely by numbers, their side still had an absolute advantage. But in terms of quality, they were significantly outmatched. The Iwa-nin this time were clearly well-prepared. There wasn't a single Genin in their ranks, all were Chunin or higher elites. And their side? In their nearly four-hundred-strong team, Genin accounted for more than half, and many of them were novices like Seimei and his teammates who had just graduated not long ago. It could be said that this battle was extremely dangerous. 'I can only hope that the main camp on the front lines can react quickly, otherwise...' Seimei glanced at the Jonin from both sides still fighting on the cliff walls, took a deep breath, and said in a low voice, "You two, don't stray too far from me later." Hearing this, Ryosuke and Mizutani Shizuko's nervously beating hearts calmed down a bit. Seimei still wanted to take care of these two teammates within his capabilities. After all, they had been together for nearly four months, and Seimei didn't want them to die just like that. Of course, if things became impossible, he wouldn't force it. From the very beginning of their team formation, he had already mentally prepared himself for such a possibility. Time ticked by, and the scene remained silent. Everyone was ready for battle. Finally, just as the two sides were about to clash, someone in the crowd shouted "Kill!" Instantly, the entire battlefield erupted in noise. Shouts, screams, the clash of weapons, the轟鸣 of ninjutsu, all kinds of sounds filled the air. That shout of "Kill" seemed to have flipped a switch, throwing the entire battlefield into chaos. Although Seimei and the others were near the center of the group, their formation was somewhat scattered due to the falling rocks attack, so they were immediately targeted. Over thirty Iwagakure Chunin used Earth Style to quickly approach their location from underground. Seeing their actions, it was clear they intended to strike at the center, dividing the entire convoy into two and expanding the battleground, causing maximum casualties to the Konoha ninja. Seimei carefully sensed the position of one of them, quietly took out a kunai, and threw it at the moment the Iwa-nin emerged from the ground. "Ah!" A scream pierced the air. The Iwa-nin had just emerged from the earth when a kunai accurately hit his eye socket. Blood flowed down his cheek, and he tried to see who had attacked him. But in the next moment, another kunai flew towards him, piercing his heart. With this fatal blow, the Iwa-nin closed his eyes unwillingly. The process of Seimei killing this Iwa-nin seemed simple, but it wasn't. First, he needed to have a precise grasp of the opponent's position to throw the kunai at the first opportunity. Second, the accuracy of the kunai throw had to be very high to achieve a one-hit kill. If the opponent had a chance to fight back, it wouldn't be easy to kill them. Finally, he needed to have strong mental fortitude, not being disturbed by external factors. Just like now, another Iwagakure Chunin was already engaged in combat with Ryosuke. If Seimei had chosen to intervene, he definitely wouldn't have been able to instantly kill the Iwa-nin in front of him.