Grind is My Ninja Way

Seimei gave no time for the Mist ninjas below to regain their composure. As the saying goes: "Strike while the iron is hot; hesitation leads to failure." The Mist ninjas had already suffered two consecutive defeats. If he could maintain the pressure now, their fighting spirit would crumble, possibly leading to a full retreat. 

With this thought, Seimei swiftly formed hand seals. Before the terrified gazes of the Mist ninjas, he conjured an enormous fireball. 

It was none other than the C-rank jutsu: Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique! 

However, no one witnessing this scene would dare to dismiss it as a mere C-rank technique. 

The fireball swelled rapidly, reaching the limits of Seimei's control. With a sharp cry, he shouted, "Go!" 

The colossal fireball descended like a second sun, radiating intense heat and light, crashing directly toward the Mist ninjas. 

Several Mist ninjas stood frozen, paralyzed by fear. 

Finally, Hozuki Mugetsu snapped out of it and shouted, "Run!" 

His urgent command jolted the others back to reality. They scattered in all directions, employing their various escape techniques. 

Moments later, a deafening explosion echoed—*BOOM!*—as the fireball struck the lake below. 

Immediately, a massive plume of white steam erupted. 

A large section of the lake evaporated in an instant. 

Not only the lake but even the massive trees around it, untouched by the previous Water Style: Exploding Water Shockwave, were reduced to charred remains. 

Fortunately, the surrounding forest had already been turned into a lake, otherwise, the damage from Seimei's attack would have been even more catastrophic. 

This strike nullified the terrain advantage created by Hozuki Mugetsu's earlier Exploding Water Shockwave. 

With his Byakugan and Sharingan activated to their fullest, Seimei locked onto the fleeing figures through the mist. Identifying his targets, he dove to the ground. 

Just like his earlier "lightning war," he struck decisively, severely injuring two Mist Chunin and absorbing their chakra before retreating to the skies once more, avoiding entanglement with the Jonin. 

Now, only eight Mist ninjas remained: two Jonin, three Special Jonin, and three Chunin. 

Among the Chunin, one had a deep chest wound and was nearly incapacitated. Another had lost half an arm earlier to Seimei's Water Style: Water Severing Wave, greatly diminishing his combat power. Only one remained in relatively good condition. 

Thus, out of the remaining eight, only six were still combat-capable. 

This was merely a third of their original number. 

However, without counting external tools like explosive tags, the loss of a few Chunin barely dented the overall combat effectiveness of the Mist ninjas. 

After all, their five Jonin were still in the fight. 

In any battle, a single Jonin could influence the tide of war far more than several Chunin. Even a Special Jonin couldn't match the impact of a Jonin. 

Therefore, to decisively defeat them, Seimei had to take down at least one or two of these Jonin. 

If they chose to flee, Seimei would have plenty of opportunities to pick them off. 

With this in mind, Seimei wasted no time. He locked onto his next target and began forming seals for Water Style: Water Severing Wave once more. 

Pssh~ Pssh~ Pssh~ 

Three razor-sharp water streams shot out like lasers, aiming at three Mist Jonin. 

The Mist Jonin, having witnessed the technique's power earlier, dodged without hesitation. 

Seeing this, Seimei dove down again, landing directly in front of the injured Chunin with the severed arm. 

Wind Style: Wings of Wind dissipated as Seimei's feet touched the ground. 

Sching~ 

His blade sang as it left its sheath. 

A faint azure glow enveloped the blade as Seimei unleashed Blink Sword Technique, aiming to cripple the injured Chunin further and drain his chakra. 

However, the three Mist Jonin, forced apart by his water jutsu earlier, quickly regrouped. One positioned himself in front of the injured Chunin, while the other two flanked Seimei, trapping him in a pincer formation. 

Their seamless coordination revealed prior preparation. 

Despite the sudden turn of events, Seimei remained calm. His true target wasn't the injured Chunin. 

He turned his gaze to one of the Jonin ahead—the same one he had previously forced back with a single glance. 

Without hesitation, Seimei activated Genjutsu: Sharingan. 

This time, the Mist Jonin, Nishiura Oichi, didn't try to evade. He even raised his kunai and took a step forward, appearing confident that Seimei wouldn't cast genjutsu on him. 

But Seimei had no reservations. He trapped Nishiura Oichi in an illusion instantly. 

The Jonin froze, his body betraying no signs of life. 

It seemed Seimei could end him with a single strike. 

However, it was all a trap. 

Through his Byakugan, Seimei saw Hozuki Mugetsu behind him, finger pointed like a gun. 

A water droplet, sharp as a bullet, shot toward him. 

Seimei abruptly halted, tilting his head just enough for the water bullet to miss by inches. 

If he had pressed forward, he would've been dead. 

Meanwhile, Nishiura Oichi was freed from the genjutsu, shielded by another Jonin. 

It all unfolded in mere seconds, as if rehearsed. 

Clearly, Oichi had been bait all along. 

Yet Seimei didn't fall for it. 

Both sides were evenly matched—tit for tat. 

Seeing his Water Style: Water Gun Technique miss, Hozuki Mugetsu clicked his tongue and charged out with a kunai. 

The other two Special Jonin attacked from Seimei's flanks. 

There was no turn-based combat on the battlefield. 

As shuriken whizzed toward him, Seimei parried them effortlessly with his blade. 

The Special Jonin capitalized, lunging with kunai aimed at his vital spots. 

But Seimei's Sharingan spun furiously. He anticipated their moves, dodging and blocking precisely. 

The battle intensified as more Mist Jonin joined the fray. 

Though Seimei was under immense pressure, his enhanced reflexes and combat instincts, bolstered by his Sharingan and physical prowess, kept him firmly in control.