Seeing that one of their comrades had died so quickly, the remaining mist ninjas felt a deep sense of unease. They immediately decided not to engage further but to attempt to break through.
However, their desire to escape depended on whether the Konoha forces would allow it.
Thanks to the late arrival of reinforcements, Nara Keiko's arrangements were more targeted. Although the preparations were still somewhat incomplete due to the short time available, they created a certain level of suppression.
As a result, the mist ninjas found themselves in a difficult position. Several attempts to escape were unsuccessful.
It was during this opportunity that Qingming took action, repeatedly striking and utilizing the intelligence gathered by himself and his shadow clones to ambush the mist ninjas on the battlefield.
His versatile abilities further assisted his efforts.
...
Time passed, minute by minute.
When the third mist ninja fell, the command center of the mist received the report and immediately began preparations for a rescue operation.
However, Nara Keiko had already anticipated this. He immediately ordered the frontline forces to intensify their attacks, ensuring that no mist ninja could escape.
As a result, the mist command center suddenly found itself without any available personnel.
Upon realizing the disastrous consequences of losing all the upper-level ninjas, the mist commander couldn't help but shiver.
After a moment of hesitation, he decided to prioritize the survival of his key personnel, ordering the middle and lower-ranking ninjas near Qingming to converge on the center of the battlefield. His plan was to use the lives of these ninjas to buy time for the surviving upper-level ninjas.
In addition, he sent out the last of his reserve forces to support the mist ninjas on the battlefield.
Although Konoha had slightly more upper-level ninjas available due to reinforcements, the number of mist ninjas surrounding Qingming was still significant.
It wasn't that Nara Keiko didn't want to deploy more forces, but there were simply only so many available.
To match the mist's strength, he had already deployed some of his reserve forces.
Both sides had been able to maintain a stalemate on this battlefield for so long because, at the high-end power level, the difference wasn't substantial.
Of course, this was under the condition that neither Wave Wind Water Gate nor Qingming had used their full strength.
If both of them had gone all-out, the mist ninjas in Oil Port would definitely be unable to hold their ground.
However, both Wave Wind Water Gate and Qingming had their own concerns, which is why they had refrained from using their full power.
Even so, with both of them involved, Konoha had a clear advantage in the battle between upper-level ninjas.
The death toll among the mist ninjas continued to rise. Initially, it had only been weaker special jounins, but as the battle progressed, even real upper-level ninjas began to fall.
Yet, as they delayed, a change finally came.
First, the mist's middle and lower ninjas, though unable to pose a threat to Qingming and the others, were numerous. Their interference allowed the remaining mist upper-level ninjas to catch their breath.
Then, after a short while, the mist's reserve forces arrived. These were elite ninjas, some of whom were upper-level, with the rest being skilled middle-level ninjas. Even in an upper-level battle, they could play a supporting role.
As a result, the battle shifted from a one-sided "massacre" to an evenly matched, chaotic conflict.
With more and more fighters entering the fray, the situation was slowly evolving into a final showdown.
Indeed, Qingming's premonition was not wrong.
The encirclement and counter-encirclement caused by him eventually turned this battlefield into a small-scale final battle.
Of course, it could also be considered the prelude to the final battle.
At this point, near Oil Port, fighting was taking place everywhere. Both sides of ninjas were bloodied, and despite the setting sun, neither side chose to retreat.
Or perhaps, neither side dared to.
At this point, the situation was about who would collapse first. If one side chose to retreat, the other would relentlessly pursue them.
In such a situation, the casualties would be the greatest.
It wasn't just because the retreating side would be vulnerable to attack, but also because injured personnel wouldn't be able to be promptly evacuated.
Thus, casualties would inevitably be high.
On the other hand, the winning side would be able to calmly tend to their injured.
With the medical ninjutsu available to ninja forces, as long as the injuries weren't too severe, most could be treated and saved.
The increasing number of casualties on one side and the decrease in casualties on the other would make both sides reluctant to retreat, unless both sides were completely exhausted.
At that point, any side retreating would have no choice but to endure pursuit, as neither side would have the energy to continue chasing.
Thus, the optimal time for a ceasefire would be once both sides had fought to exhaustion.
And now, Konoha and the mist's ninjas were heading toward this stage.
...
Several hours passed.
It was now late at night.
The moon hung high in the sky, and the stars were few.
After fighting throughout the day and well into the night, Nara Keiko and the mist commander finally issued orders to retreat.
Both sides of ninjas, dragging their wounded, holding kunai, and keeping a cautious watch on each other, began to withdraw from the battlefield.
This process, however, would not be peaceful.
From time to time, the sound of explosions and fighting could still be heard across the battlefield.
Clearly, not everyone was willing to act rationally, and not every part of the battlefield could retreat as planned.
The entire process lasted nearly two hours.
By the early morning hours, Konoha and the mist's ninjas had completely separated.
At this point, the battlefield reeked of blood, an odor that was nauseating.
On a high point, Qingming stood on a tree branch, looking down at the entire battlefield with a distant gaze, seemingly lost in thought.
Time passed quietly.
At a certain moment, a figure appeared behind him.
Without moving, Qingming heard the person say, "Qingming-sama, Captain Nara requests your presence."
Turning around, Qingming saw that it was none other than a messenger ninja from Nara Keiko's team.
Qingming didn't ask what Nara Keiko wanted and nodded. He then used "Wind Release: Wind Wings" to soar into the sky, heading towards the command center.
A few minutes later, Qingming walked out of the command center.
He turned and made his way to the hospital.
Nara Keiko hadn't asked for anything important. He simply hoped that Qingming could help treat some of the seriously injured.
In theory, Qingming shouldn't have had any more duties that day.
After all, he had already worked hard today—first acting as bait at the risk of his life, then preventing the mist upper-level ninjas from breaking through, and finally slaying powerful enemies during the chaotic battle.
Under normal circumstances, he should have been given a break, at the very least some time to rest.
However, due to the unexpected battle and the increase in casualties, the medical ninjas in the camp were stretched thin.
With no other option, Nara Keiko had asked for Qingming's help.
Qingming didn't refuse.
After all, he had considered using practical experience to quickly improve his proficiency in "Chakra Scalpel" and "Detailed Extraction Technique," but he hadn't had the opportunity until now.
Now that the chance had come, he certainly wouldn't let it slip by.
As for fatigue—compared to leveling up, what was a little mental exhaustion?
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