Sharingan Evolution: Proficiency's Path

Two hours later...

As Qingming once again dispelled the Shadow Clone Jutsu, completing another round of training, the chakra belonging to the Iwa-nin was finally exhausted.

The surroundings were still quiet, just as he had predicted. A mere two hours wasn't enough time for the Iwa-nin to surround the area.

"Phew—"

Qingming exhaled deeply. He walked over to the last two Iwa Chunin, formed a few hand seals, and performed the Chakra Absorption Technique.

Within mere moments, his chakra was fully restored, while the two Iwa-nin lay lifeless on the ground due to the rapid depletion of their spiritual and physical energy.

Even though much of his information had been compromised, Qingming still didn't want Iwagakure to discover why he was targeting these ninjas.

Therefore, before leaving, he once again used Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique to incinerate the bodies. This way, Iwagakure wouldn't be able to deduce what he had done by examining the corpses.

After cleaning up the battlefield and erasing his tracks, Qingming quickly left, heading southeast.

Next, he needed to cross a large portion of the Land of Earth, travel along the southwestern border, and enter the Land of Rain before returning to Konoha's territory.

Yes, Qingming was planning to return.

Although there hadn't been any word about the Third Raikage yet, Qingming estimated that the Raikage wouldn't last much longer. At the latest, the Raikage would fall tonight.

Rather than waiting for that moment to act, it was better to set off now—he might even avoid some of Iwagakure's surveillance this way!

However, unbeknownst to Qingming, just after he left, a four-person Iwagakure team arrived at the scene.

This wasn't just any regular squad. The four wore black cloaks and masks—it was an elite ANBU unit.

The four observed the charred bodies on the ground. They said nothing, but the air around them grew colder.

"Rei!"

The leader of the ANBU team spoke suddenly.

Without needing further instructions, the ANBU member code-named Rei responded, "Understood, captain!"

She quickly performed a series of hand seals, her mouth slightly parted as an invisible sound wave spread from her position.

Rei closed her eyes, her ears twitching as she listened intently to the sound wave's changes.

Moments later, she opened her eyes and shook her head at the captain. "Captain, the target has already left."

"Kuromaru?" The ANBU captain turned to another member.

The ANBU member code-named Kuromaru wasted no time and began carefully examining the scene.

Although Qingming had erased his tracks before leaving, his precautions couldn't withstand such a meticulous inspection. Soon, Kuromaru found traces of his movements.

He led his teammates to a spot in the stone forest, pointing at a faint footprint. "Captain, this is from the target."

"Is that so?" The ANBU captain studied the footprint closely, then followed the direction of the toes. "So, the target fled this way?"

"That's correct," Kuromaru confirmed.

"Good!" The captain nodded. "Let's move!" he barked, disappearing with a Body Flicker Technique.

The other three swiftly followed.

······

Meanwhile...

Walking through the forest, Qingming suddenly felt a sense of unease.

He stopped and carefully sensed his surroundings.

However, he found nothing.

"Could it be my imagination?"

Qingming thought to himself, but quickly dismissed the idea.

He trusted his instincts—there was definitely danger approaching.

After some thought, he changed direction, deciding to take a longer route to his destination.

After traveling for a while, that feeling of unease disappeared.

Qingming sighed in slight relief.

However, before he could relax fully, just about an hour later, the feeling returned.

If it was a fluke the first time, this second occurrence proved it wasn't a mistake. After all, who has the same "illusion" twice?

Without hesitation, Qingming altered his course once more. This time, he meticulously cleared away his tracks.

As expected, the uneasy feeling took even longer to resurface.

But eventually, it did.

By now, Qingming was certain someone was tracking him, and they were close enough to make him feel such intense danger.

If he had to guess, it was probably Iwa-nin, and whoever it was, they were no ordinary ninja.

Naturally, Qingming wasn't about to face them head-on. Charging at a clearly superior enemy wasn't bravery—it was foolishness.

Having made up his mind, Qingming changed direction again.

This time, not only did he erase his tracks, but he also used the Shadow Clone Jutsu to create a clone.

He and the clone exchanged a glance, then ran in different directions.

The clone maintained a slightly faster pace than before, drawing the pursuers' attention, while the real Qingming used Body Flicker to move at his fastest speed in another direction.

No, Qingming had no interest in confronting the enemy or setting up any kind of ambush.

His only goal now was to leave the Land of Earth and return to Konoha-controlled territory as quickly as possible.

The reason was simple. The shadow clone left behind near the Third Raikage had just sent word—the Raikage had fallen in battle.

This meant that Iwagakure now had plenty of available manpower.

Although most of them would return to the frontlines, even a small group would be more than enough to cause him trouble.

With that in mind, Qingming picked up his pace.

He felt fortunate that he had already mastered the Body Flicker Technique. Using it now felt like flying.

Combined with his chakra reserves, far beyond that of an ordinary Jonin, Qingming was confident he could outdistance his pursuers.

Of course, that didn't mean he was ignoring them completely.

As the saying goes, "Know thyself, know thy enemy, and you shall never be defeated."

Even if he had no intention of confronting his pursuers and they were unlikely to meet, it was still crucial to understand the enemy.

The shadow clone he sent out had this very task.

The clone had been infused with enough chakra—10,000 points. As long as it avoided direct hits and minimized head-on confrontations, even a Jonin would struggle to defeat it.

Dodging enemy attacks might be difficult for most clones, but with the aid of the Sharingan, Qingming's was more than up to the task.

Gathering intelligence on the enemy shouldn't be too difficult.

plz support me if you can.

patreon.com/Mano99

all the fanfic is 30 chapter a had and you will get 1 chapter everyday.