Qian stood quietly in place, watching as several Root shinobi surrounded him with practiced coordination, not moving so much as an inch.
The Root shinobi did not stand on ceremony with him either. Once the encirclement was complete, they immediately raised their hands to form seals, preparing to cast the "Sealing Binding Formation" and trap him.
An ordinary "Sealing Binding Formation," when cast by a single person, required four sealing talismans to be prepared in advance, making it more suitable for ambushes.
However, if four people worked together to cast it, they could skip the step of preparing sealing talismans and directly bind any living beings within the formation's range.
Clearly, they intended to make the first move and seize the advantage.
Unfortunately, Qian did not give them that chance at all.
Almost the instant they raised their hands to form seals, Qian stepped forward, his body turning into an afterimage as he arrived before one of the Root shinobi in the blink of an eye.
Whoosh—
A flash of sword light appeared.
The short sword in his hand stabbed straight toward the Root shinobi's heart like a venomous snake.
Although these Root shinobi did not fear death at all, they would not throw their lives away meaninglessly either.
At this moment, even if he insisted on completing the jutsu, there was no guarantee he could cooperate with his teammates to finish the "Sealing Binding Formation" before dying.
Therefore, without the slightest hesitation, he decisively abandoned the hand seals and flashed backward in retreat.
Yet for some unknown reason, though he had clearly decided to give up, his movements were still half a beat slow, lingering for just an instant longer.
As a result—
Pfft—
The sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh rang out.
The Root shinobi's expression beneath