Grind is My Ninja Way

*Clang!*

*Clang!*

*Clang!*

After three consecutive sword strikes were accurately blocked by Aikawasuke, Seimei immediately sensed something was amiss. After a brief thought, he understood the opponent's intention.

He scanned the surroundings and saw that the Iwa ninja still held the advantage.

Although Konoha teams were continuously arriving, due to their staggered arrival times, the Iwa ninja still outnumbered them.

Coupled with the fact that they were all elites this time, the Konoha ninja's casualty rate remained higher than the Iwa's.

In this situation, enemy reinforcements were almost inevitable.

He could even see an Iwa Jonin noticing their fight.

'No, I can't give them a chance to stall for time.'

With this thought, Seimei stopped holding back and launched a full-on attack.

Instantly, the pressure on Aikawasuke increased dramatically, and the sound of metal clashing filled the air.

Aikawasuke, wielding his kunai, continuously blocked attacks from his blind spots. Despite his efforts, he couldn't avoid getting injured.

After Seimei went all out, in just a dozen moves, Aikawasuke had two more wounds on his body.

Although the wounds weren't large, they still had some impact.

Seimei used this slight advantage to further widen the gap.

He might not have been able to be so meticulous before, but after his Swordsmanship leveled up from Lv5 to Lv6, enhancing his control over details, he could now do it.

But this was far from enough!

If there were no one else around, Seimei would be happy to wear down his opponent this way.

However, with the possibility of enemy reinforcements at any time, wasting time would be foolish.

So, Seimei seized an opportunity. The moment Aikawasuke blocked his attack again, he decisively used the A-rank ninjutsu - Rasengan.

Over the past month, his Rasengan had leveled up from Lv3 to Lv4, and his proficiency had further improved.

Almost instantly, he condensed a high-density chakra sphere in his left palm and pressed it towards Aikawasuke's back.

Immediately, an indescribable sense of crisis washed over Aikawasuke.

He didn't have time to think. He instinctively converted chakra within his body into Lightning Release chakra and channeled it into his legs in an almost brute-force manner.

*Crackle*

A flash of lightning.

Aikawasuke's leg muscles and nerve reactions were greatly enhanced.

At the critical moment, he lunged forward, avoiding the Rasengan attack.

Well...

To be more precise, he avoided part of the attack. The Rasengan in Seimei's palm still grazed his body.

In an instant, the clothes on his back were shredded by the rotating force, revealing an ugly, twisted wound on his skin.

"Ugh!"

Aikawasuke couldn't help but groan. He endured the pain, got up, and dodged Seimei's sword strike from the side.

That's right, Seimei's attacks hadn't stopped; they had even become fiercer.

*Clang, clang, clang*

In the blink of an eye, Seimei launched several sword strikes, attacking Aikawasuke from different directions.

Aikawasuke struggled to resist, but due to his injuries, he revealed an opening.

*Slash*

The sound of a blade cutting through flesh.

Seimei's sword pierced Aikawasuke's left side, just above his waist, leaving a deep wound that exposed bone.

The reason for such a strange wound was simple. His sword was originally aimed at Aikawasuke's heart.

But at the critical moment, Aikawasuke reacted and dodged, causing his attack to miss its mark.

Well...

It couldn't be considered a complete miss.

Although this sword strike didn't hit Aikawasuke's heart, the resulting injury was still very serious, almost reducing his combat power by 20%.

And this was enough to take his life.

Seimei moved like a ghost, constantly attacking Aikawasuke.

Aikawasuke, ignoring the damage Lightning Release was causing to his body, forcibly stimulated his nerves and muscles to keep up with Seimei's speed.

But stimulation was just stimulation; it couldn't last.

After just three minutes, Aikawasuke couldn't hold on any longer. The lightning glow on his body dimmed, and his speed plummeted.

Seeing this, Seimei's eyes lit up. He instantly thrust his short sword, and with a *pierce*, the blade penetrated Aikawasuke's lower back.

"Ah!"

Aikawasuke couldn't endure the intense pain and cried out.

Seimei ignored him.

He opened his left hand, focused his mind, and once again used the hand seal-less ninjutsu - Rasengan, condensing a high-density chakra sphere in his palm.

Then, he pressed it directly towards Aikawasuke's back.

At this critical moment, a shout suddenly came from not far away.

"Stop!"

Seimei frowned, glancing in the direction of the voice. He saw a middle-aged Iwa Jonin rapidly approaching.

And before him were three shuriken flying straight towards Seimei.

If he chose to continue attacking Aikawasuke, he could at most avoid two of them. But if he gave up the attack, he could avoid all of them.

Considering there were still battles ahead, Seimei didn't want to get injured unnecessarily, so he decisively gave up the attack.

But he wouldn't let Aikawasuke off so easily either.

As he retreated, he swiftly pulled out his short sword and slashed, leaving a long gash on Aikawasuke's waist.

With this injury, coupled with the previous penetrating wound and the other wounds Seimei had inflicted earlier, Aikawasuke had basically lost his combat ability.

But Seimei was still not satisfied.

As he retreated, he took out a kunai with an explosive tag from his ninja pouch and threw it at Aikawasuke.

Seeing this, the middle-aged Iwa Jonin cursed inwardly, "Damn it!"

He accelerated, flashed to Aikawasuke's side, and grabbed him before the kunai could hit, moving them away from the original spot.

*Boom*

Flames and smoke erupted, and a shockwave spread, knocking both the middle-aged Iwa Jonin and Aikawasuke to the ground.

Seimei, who was prepared, dodged the shockwave and immediately launched an attack towards where he remembered Aikawasuke and the middle-aged Jonin were.

He formed hand seals and swiftly used the Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!

*Boom*

Another explosion.

The fireball detonated, clearing the dust in the surrounding area.

Seimei waved his hand to disperse the dust in front of him and looked towards the spot where the fireball had exploded. However, he didn't see the middle-aged Iwa Jonin and Aikawasuke.

Clearly, they had escaped in advance.

Just as Seimei was about to search for their traces, several kunai suddenly shot from the side, aiming for his vital points.

Seimei turned his head, the tomoe in his Sharingan spinning rapidly. He instantly locked onto the trajectories of these kunai and also saw the person who had thrown them.

It was none other than the middle-aged Iwa Jonin who had rescued Aikawasuke.

He was hiding behind a tree, looking a bit disheveled but otherwise unharmed.

Clearly, his surprise attack just now hadn't injured him.

Seimei's gaze shifted slightly, observing the chakra within his body. It was undoubtedly Jonin level.

Considering that he had already gone through more than one battle, his true strength should surpass that of an average Jonin.

And this was consistent with the abilities he had just displayed.

(End of Chapter)