Hiss—
Short Sword and Kunai clashed, letting out an ear-piercing scrape. Sparks burst between the blades, enough to show the force on both sides.
During the stalemate, Qian raised his eyes and looked over.
Beneath that black robe was a deathly pale mask, and carved into the mask were four twisted lines shaped like flowing water—the mark of Kirigakure.
Combined with the other party's attire, it was not hard to guess that he was likely an Anbu ninja from Kirigakure.
And while Qian was sizing him up, this Kirigakure Anbu was also sizing up Qian.
Qian seized the chance. The instant their eyes met, he abruptly activated his Sharingan and, at the same time, used the Sharingan's hypnotic ability.
That was right. Qian had not activated his Sharingan at all before this.
It was not that he had deliberately kept a trick hidden just to ambush the Kirigakure Anbu before him, but rather that after his Sharingan evolved into the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, keeping it active to grind time could no longer continue to earn Evolution Progress.
To avoid wasting Chakra, he had long since stopped maintaining the Sharingan's active state for extended periods.
Of course, it would be impossible to say there had been no calculation in this at all.
Qian had thought long ago about how to maximize the effectiveness of the Sharingan.
The answer was surprise.
So, aside from saving Chakra, Qian had refrained from opening his Sharingan because he wanted to catch his opponent off guard.
Facts proved that his idea was not wrong.
For example, right now, Qian suddenly activated his Sharingan and used its hypnotic ability. The Kirigakure Anbu had no time to react and was caught on the spot.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Qian turned his wrist. His Short Sword slid along the