Chapter 60: The Kill
Clang!
Clang, clang, clang!
Sparks flew. Seimei made several consecutive sword strikes, accurately blocking Nishimura Ishihei's attacks.
Then, before the opponent could continue their offensive, Seimei thrust his sword, aiming directly at their vital point, turning defense into offense and forcing them to defend.
Feeling the chill from Seimei's sword tip, Nishimura Ishihei didn't dare to be careless and quickly turned his kunai to block Seimei's attack.
The kunai and the short sword clashed, producing a harsh scraping sound.
The distance between the two closed, and a cold glint flashed in Nishimura Ishihei's eyes.
Then, he slightly shifted his body, avoiding the sharp edge of the short sword. The kunai in his hand slid forward, aiming directly at Seimei's neck.
The disadvantage in height and size gave Nishimura Ishihei this opportunity.
Seeing the kunai getting closer and closer, Seimei didn't panic at all.
He lightly tapped the ground with his toes, and his entire body suddenly retreated two steps, causing Nishimura Ishihei's attack to miss.
Before the opponent could change their move, Seimei stomped on the ground, and his whole body shot out like an arrow, instantly arriving in front of Nishimura Ishihei.
Then, he swept his short sword horizontally, aiming directly at the opponent's waist and abdomen.
Being small also had its advantages, such as agile movements.
Just like now, after dodging Nishimura Ishihei's attack, Seimei could immediately launch a counterattack.
Correspondingly, Nishimura Ishihei's defensive movement was slightly slower, barely blocking Seimei's attack.
As the saying goes, one step slow, step by step slow.
Seeing his short sword being blocked, Seimei didn't hesitate at all. He immediately withdrew his sword and thrust it diagonally, aiming the tip at Nishimura Ishihei's carotid artery.
Clang!
A crisp metal clashing sound rang out.
Nishimura Ishihei defended in time, using his kunai to block Seimei's attack.
But soon, Seimei launched his third attack.
This time, the short sword aimed at Nishimura Ishihei's heart.
Seimei's sword technique was like this, emphasizing "fast, accurate, and ruthless."
Therefore, when attacking, every move targeted vital points.
However, Nishimura Ishihei had relatively rich combat experience. Sensing the danger, he immediately reacted - swinging his kunai to deflect Seimei's short sword to the side.
But this also made him completely lose the initiative.
In the subsequent fight, Seimei fully utilized the advantages of the 'Konoha Flow Sword Technique', launching waves of attacks.
Correspondingly, Nishimura Ishihei could only passively defend.
...
Time passed by, and Nishimura Ishihei's defense became increasingly difficult. Unconsciously, sweat had already drenched his clothes.
If it were just this, it would be fine. Although he couldn't kill Seimei, Nishimura Ishihei was still confident in preserving his own life.
But the problem was, the opponent didn't seem to be using their full strength.
That's right, Nishimura Ishihei currently had the feeling that Seimei was using him to practice swordsmanship and wasn't going all out at all.
This was somewhat terrifying.
Because it meant his life could be lost at any moment.
And the feeling of not being able to control one's own fate was definitely not pleasant.
'What should I do?'
Nishimura Ishihei's mind was in turmoil, and his movements became increasingly hasty. And when one was hasty, mistakes were inevitable.
And mistakes meant openings.
Seimei's eyes flashed, and he thrust his short sword straight out.
Immediately, a chill struck Nishimura Ishihei's heart, pulling him back from his distracted thoughts.
Then, he saw the short sword thrusting directly towards his heart.
At this point, it was too late to block.
Having no other choice, Nishimura Ishihei could only dodge sideways, but Seimei's attack speed was too fast, and he had seized the opening in his movement.
Therefore, although Nishimura Ishihei avoided the vital point of his heart, a deep wound was left on the side of his waist, and blood instantly soaked his clothes.
This wasn't the end. After Seimei thrust this sword, he immediately swung it horizontally, seemingly wanting to enlarge the opponent's wound.
The sharp blade smoothly cut into the opponent's body, but there was no joy on Seimei's face.
The reason was that this strike had missed.
Seimei looked up and saw a cloud of chakra smoke dispersing. In the place where Nishimura Ishihei had been standing, a human-shaped stone was left behind.
There was a deep cut on the surface of the stone, obviously left by Seimei just now.
"Earth Substitution."
Seimei muttered in a low voice.
That's right, at the critical moment just now, Nishimura Ishihei had completed the Earth Release: Earth Substitution Technique, successfully avoiding death.
Thinking back now, it seemed that the opponent had already started performing the 'Earth Release: Earth Substitution Technique' when they dodged sideways to avoid that sword strike.
Otherwise, there wouldn't have been enough time.
'I still need the Sharingan after all.'
If he had activated the Sharingan just now, the opponent's movements wouldn't have been able to fool him at all.
In that case, the substitution technique wouldn't have been possible. He wouldn't have been caught off guard like now, only realizing it after it had happened.
However, on the other hand, if he had activated the Sharingan, the opponent wouldn't have lasted this long and would probably have died under his sword already.
Collecting his thoughts, Seimei looked towards the not-so-distant front.
Nishimura Ishihei was clutching the wound on his waist, nervously staring at him, seemingly afraid that he would continue attacking.
Unfortunately, what he feared came to pass.
Since Seimei had already chosen to strike, he wouldn't give up halfway.
He reached into his ninja tool pouch at his waist, and several shuriken appeared in his palm.
Then, without any aiming movements, he threw the shuriken.
Nishimura Ishihei had been paying close attention to Seimei's movements, so the moment Seimei made his move, he reacted.
Initially, he thought he could easily dodge.
After all, human energy was limited.
It was already remarkable for Seimei to have honed his swordsmanship to this level at such a young age. He didn't believe that Seimei's other abilities would also be so outstanding.
However, it turned out he was wrong.
Compared to his lv3 'Konoha Flow Sword Technique', Seimei's 'Shurikenjutsu' had a higher proficiency, already reaching lv4.
Therefore, after Seimei threw these shuriken, Nishimura Ishihei, who was unprepared, could only hastily dodge.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Seimei used the 'Body Flicker Technique' to quickly close the distance and swung his short sword again, forcing Nishimura Ishihei to engage in close combat.
In this situation, he didn't even have a chance to use ninjutsu.
Coupled with his injuries and immense psychological pressure, he only lasted a few minutes before Seimei seized the opportunity and pierced his heart with one sword strike.
Intense pain washed over him, and Nishimura Ishihei stopped moving, the kunai slipping from his hand.
He looked down at the short sword embedded in his heart, then at Seimei's expressionless face, a trace of regret flashing in his eyes.
Perhaps, from the very beginning, he shouldn't have come looking for Seimei.
Or perhaps, his fate had been sealed from the start.
He inexplicably thought of Seimei's calm eyes at the beginning, showing no emotional fluctuation in the face of his intimidation.
'Truly a natural-born ninja...'
Mumbling to himself, Nishimura Ishihei closed his eyes forever.
Rip~
Seimei casually pulled out his short sword, letting the opponent's corpse fall to the ground.
He had seen Nishimura Ishihei's final gaze, but he didn't consider himself a natural-born ninja.
The reason he wasn't afraid of the opponent's intimidation was simply because he had enough strength.
Facing an enemy he could easily kill, what reason did he have to be afraid?
Therefore, the best way to overcome fear was to possess sufficient strength.