Chapter 59: Melee

A few minutes later. The Iwa ninja troops appeared at the end of their vision. As they got closer, Seimei roughly counted them, there were a little over two hundred people. This made Seimei breathe a sigh of relief, thinking to himself that Orochimaru's plan had succeeded. Otherwise, in such a long time, Iwagakure wouldn't have sent only this many people. Now, with three hundred against two hundred, they had the advantage, and the battle wouldn't be too fierce. The Iwa ninja troops were getting closer and closer. Seimei and the others had already raised their kunai, waiting for the team leader's order to launch the first wave of attacks on the Iwa ninja. But at this moment, the leading Iwa Jonin suddenly stopped. Seeing this, the Konoha Jonin leading the team didn't hesitate at all and immediately ordered, "Fire!" The next moment, countless kunai flew out from the woods on both sides, like raindrops, shooting towards the Iwa ninja troops. "Watch out!" Seeing this scene, the leading Iwa Jonin shouted immediately. But the attack came too suddenly, and many Iwa ninja didn't react in time and were hit. Especially some Genin were directly pierced like hedgehogs and died on the spot. In just one wave of attacks, one-tenth of the Iwa ninja were killed. Then came the second wave of attacks. This time, the Iwa ninja were prepared and took out their weapons to block, and in the end, only a few unlucky ones died. After all, they were fighting away from home and had limited ninja tools, so after the second wave of attacks, the Konoha team leader gave the order to attack. Immediately, a group of Konoha Jonin charged out of the forest, shouting. And before they reached the battlefield, several Konoha Jonin launched the third wave of attacks. Several powerful ninjutsu techniques fell from the sky, directly hitting the Iwa ninja troops. The Iwa Jonin reacted quickly and immediately used ninjutsu to defend, but they had lost the initiative. In the end, nearly ten Iwa Chunin and Genin died under the ninjutsu attacks, and more than twenty or thirty were injured. At this time, there were less than two hundred Iwa ninja left on the battlefield, and dozens of them were injured. It was also because the Iwa ninja were too eager to rescue and didn't consider the possibility of an ambush. By the time they discovered the problem, it was already too late. Otherwise, if they had sent out a few scout teams, they wouldn't have lost so many people. However, on the other hand, those who could act as scouts were basically elites among the ninja. But with their current configuration and numbers, no matter what kind of elite they encountered, they would die. So, was it more worthwhile to sacrifice some Chunin and Genin, or to lose a few elite ninja? That was a matter of opinion. "Kill~ kill~ kill~" Boom~ boom~ boom~ The cries of battle and deafening explosions echoed continuously on the battlefield. Seimei didn't charge forward too quickly. Before the Jonin from both sides engaged in combat, the approaching Chunin and Genin were all in some danger. Because no one knew if the enemy Jonin would casually kill them. At this time, no one would follow the unspoken rules of the battlefield. Therefore, Seimei always stayed in the middle of the team. After the Jonin from both sides started fighting, he found an Iwa Chunin to engage. As for why he didn't look for a Genin? It was simple. The nearby Genin had all been picked off by the Konoha ninja in front. Obviously, on the battlefield, everyone had their own survival rules. Charging ahead might lead to uncontrollable risks, but the subsequent battles would be slightly easier. Bringing his attention back, Seimei focused on the Iwa Chunin in front of him. Coincidentally, the opponent was also holding a long sword. He was one of the rare Iwa ninja who practiced swordsmanship. Due to their unique geographical environment and values, most Iwa ninja didn't like "flashy" things like swordsmanship. Compared to swordsmanship, they preferred to practice proper taijutsu and various ninjutsu. Now that he had finally encountered an Iwa ninja who practiced swordsmanship, Seimei naturally wanted to have a duel with him. Similarly, seeing that Seimei was just a Genin, the other person also happily rushed over. However, his happiness was premature. With a series of clanging sounds, Seimei unleashed dozens of sword strikes in just a few breaths, each aimed directly at the opponent's vital points. At first, the Iwa Chunin didn't take it seriously, not believing that such a young kid could have any profound swordsmanship. After all, geniuses weren't like weeds on the roadside, seen everywhere. So, he defended rather casually. However, as the battle progressed, the Iwa Chunin's expression became increasingly unsightly, and fine beads of sweat gradually appeared on his forehead. The reason for this was simple. The Iwa Chunin suddenly realized that in terms of swordsmanship alone, he didn't seem to be Seimei's match. In the past period, he had encountered danger several times, and the frequency of these encounters was increasing, making him extremely nervous. In contrast, after overcoming his initial nervousness, Seimei became more and more relaxed as he fought. Because he discovered that not only was the sword technique the opponent practiced not as sophisticated as his 'Konoha Flow Sword Technique', but the opponent's proficiency was also a notch lower than his. In that case, what else did he have to worry about? It just so happened that he hadn't had the chance to practice the 'Konoha Flow Sword Technique' and accumulate proficiency these days. Now he could take advantage of this sparring opportunity to gain a few points. Clang clang clang~ The battle progressed steadily. Seimei exchanged blows with the Iwa Chunin while keeping an eye on Mizutani Shizuko's situation. Her opponent was also a Chunin, but his skill level wasn't that great. Although he had a slight upper hand, he couldn't completely suppress Mizutani Shizuko. Seeing this, Seimei felt relieved. Time passed by. Soon, more than ten minutes had gone by. And as time went on, the battles on the field became increasingly intense. It was fine for Konoha's side, as their main goal was to stop the enemy's reinforcements, so they would drag it out as long as possible. But it wasn't the same for the Iwa ninja. Their orders were to rush to the attacked stronghold for support as soon as possible, so they couldn't delay for too long. Therefore, they saw powerful ninjutsu techniques appearing from time to time on the Jonin battlefield, forcing the surrounding Chunin and Genin to keep their distance. Seimei's side was no exception. He and Mizutani Shizuko had left their original spot early on. And taking advantage of this opportunity, the Iwa Chunin he was fighting with disengaged from the battle, and his opponent became another Iwa ninja. This person was also a Chunin, seemingly quite strong. He had just killed two Konoha Genin who were fighting together and immediately targeted him. "Hehe, kid, you're unlucky to have run into me." Nishimura Ishihei charged towards Seimei with a ferocious grin, staring intently at Seimei's eyes during the charge, as if trying to see the familiar fear in them. As a veteran Chunin who had been fighting on the battlefield for over a year, Nishimura Ishihei knew very well what these rookies fresh out of the Ninja Academy were afraid of. As long as he appeared ruthless enough, these rookies wouldn't be able to发挥 even 70% of their strength, and some might even be scared out of their wits. So... 'Fear me, rookie!' Nishimura Ishihei shouted inwardly. But even as he got closer, he didn't see any fear on Seimei's face. His eyes were calm and nothing else. 'What's going on?' Nishimura Ishihei felt uneasy, sensing that he might have provoked someone troublesome. But the arrow was already on the string, and he had to release it. So, he let out a loud shout and swung his kunai forcefully, stabbing towards Seimei.