Chapter 35: Retreat

Whoosh!

A kunai shot from behind.

As if having eyes on the back of his head, Seimei slightly tilted his body, dodging the sneak attack.

Turning around to face the direction of the kunai, he saw an Iwa-nin Chunin abandoning the two Konoha Genin he had been suppressing and rushing straight towards him.

Not only him, but another Iwa-nin also gave up on his opponent and approached.

Obviously, these two planned to team up against him.

Seimei had anticipated this.

When the middle-aged Iwa-nin launched a sneak attack on him earlier, he knew he had entered the Iwa-nin's sights, and being targeted was only a matter of time.

Since he couldn't avoid it, he would take the initiative.

That's why Seimei chose to quickly kill Ishii Ichiro.

It was to disrupt the rhythm of these people.

Just like now, with Ishii Ichiro dead, these two people had to abandon their original targets and focus their energy on him.

Doing this, on the surface, it seemed like Seimei had become a shield for these Konoha Genin. But thinking deeper, one would realize that the risk he faced hadn't actually increased.

In fact, overall, it was even lower.

Because according to the opponent's rhythm, after these two killed their original targets, they would likely join Ishii Ichiro in besieging him.

But now, with Ishii Ichiro dead, the number of people besieging him decreased from three to two, significantly reducing the danger.

At the same time, the surviving Konoha Genin, whether willing or not, would attract the attention of other Iwa-nin nearby, thus reducing the number of potential opponents for him.

This way, as long as he controlled the pace well, he wouldn't have to face more enemies in a short time.

Various thoughts flashed through his mind, and Seimei didn't waste any more time. He immediately took out his kunai and rushed towards the two opponents.

Seeing Seimei charging straight at them, the two Iwa-nin didn't waste any words. They exchanged glances and also charged towards Seimei, clearly intending to engage in close combat.

Generally speaking, unless they were genius-level ninja, the amount of chakra within their bodies was limited.

Therefore, during battles, they usually wouldn't frequently use ninjutsu, especially on such a chaotic battlefield.

Because no one knew if an enemy would appear and finish them off after they exhausted their chakra.

So, every ninja was meticulous in their calculations.

Admittedly, Seimei had displayed impressive close combat skills in his fight with Ishii Ichiro, but that was ultimately a one-on-one situation.

Now, with these two Iwa-nin teaming up, they didn't believe Seimei could still be their match.

Therefore, when they saw Seimei closing the distance, preparing for close combat, they didn't choose to evade but instead met his challenge head-on.

In fact, they even felt a bit fortunate.

After all, the scene of Seimei using ninjutsu to kill Ishii Ichiro was still fresh in their minds. Although they didn't say it out loud, they were still somewhat apprehensive.

Now, Seimei had chosen close combat, which was exactly what they wanted.

They didn't believe that Seimei could fight one against two.

The reality was just as they expected.

Even with his 'Basic Taijutsu' cultivated to lv3 perfection, all the techniques mastered, and having gained some实战 experience from Ishii Ichiro, Seimei still couldn't achieve a one-versus-two victory.

Therefore, in just a short time, he had several new wounds on his body.

Fortunately, they were all superficial injuries and didn't affect his combat effectiveness for now.

Clang! Clang!

Seimei swung his kunai, blocking attacks from both Iwa-nin, then took a step back, briefly creating some distance.

The two Iwa-nin didn't immediately pursue but instead flanked him from both sides, slowly closing in.

During this, they didn't forget to use psychological tactics to try and weaken Seimei's fighting spirit.

"Kid, stop struggling. You can't possibly defeat us. Surrender now, and maybe we'll spare your life," one of them said.

"Yeah, kid, look around. Is there anyone who can help you? Surrender now and avoid the pain," the other echoed.

Hearing this, Seimei glanced around the battlefield.

Indeed, everyone nearby was currently engaged in combat. No one could help him, not even Ryosuke and Mizutani Shizuko.

At this moment, they were fighting a young Iwa-nin, with another Konoha Genin assisting them.

Three against one, the situation wasn't very optimistic, but their lives weren't in immediate danger.

Confirming this, Seimei secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, he focused his attention back on the two in front of him.

Indeed, in a one-versus-two situation, without activating his Sharingan and relying solely on close combat skills, he wasn't their match.

But similarly, it wasn't easy for these two to kill him either.

Thus, the situation reached a stalemate.

And this was exactly what he needed.

As long as he could maintain this situation, Seimei wasn't in a hurry at all.

Time was on his side. Once reinforcements arrived, the crisis would naturally be resolved. There was no need to fight these two to the death.

Thinking of this, Seimei's mentality became even more stable.

Seeing that Seimei wasn't affected by their words at all, the two Iwa-nin stopped wasting their breath and charged at him again.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The harsh sound of metal clashing continued.

Seimei's senses were fully alert, fighting one against two, only slightly at a disadvantage.

The battle lasted for a minute or two.

Finally, one of the Iwa-nin couldn't take it anymore. After signaling to his teammate, he suddenly created distance, seemingly preparing to use some ninjutsu.

Seeing this, Seimei thought to himself, "Not good!"

Although he had long known that the two wouldn't let him stall for time like this, their sudden change in tactics still caught him off guard.

He originally thought he could at least drag it out for a few more minutes, but their impatience after such a short time left him somewhat unprepared.

Just as Seimei was about to create distance, the remaining Iwa-nin suddenly intensified his attacks, preventing him from breaking free for a moment.

The situation was critical, and Seimei thought, "Should I use the Sharingan?"

If he caught the Iwa-nin off guard, Seimei was confident he could kill him in one strike, but he wasn't sure if he could conceal it from the other Iwa-nin.

If his Sharingan was exposed, not to mention the trouble that would follow, he would likely face a siege from a bunch of Iwa-nin right away.

After all, every Uchiha ninja who awakened the Sharingan was a potential asset. If they could eliminate one, the merit would be significant.

Moreover, the Sharingan didn't have the protection of the Caged Bird Seal, and Iwagakure wouldn't mind capturing one for research.

Of course, even without using the Sharingan, Seimei might not be in danger, but this feeling of losing control over the situation made him feel very insecure.

Just as Seimei was hesitating, several sharp whistles of varying lengths suddenly sounded on the battlefield.

Hearing these whistles, the Iwa-nin, who had been fiercely attacking, suddenly stopped, their expressions changing drastically. They quickly exchanged glances with the Iwa-nin who had retreated to the rear.

Then, both of them formed hand seals simultaneously and used some kind of Earth Style ninjutsu, breaking through towards the outskirts of the battlefield.

"This is... a retreat?!"

Seimei was both surprised and delighted. If the opponents retreated, he wouldn't have to struggle anymore.