[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-grind-is-my-ninja-way":3,"chapter-grind-is-my-ninja-way-grind-is-my-ninja-way-chapter-289":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Grind is My Ninja Way",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1481110,1929,"Chapter 289: First Encounter","grind-is-my-ninja-way-chapter-289",289,"\u003Cp>In the blink of an eye, another half an hour passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*Clang*\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seimei pulled his short sword out from the chest of a Kirigakure Tokubetsu Jonin, letting his corpse fall to the ground, then looked around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, only a few Kirigakure ninjas were left besieging him, and at his feet lay over a dozen corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, in the past half hour of chaotic fighting, the Kirigakure side had suffered heavy losses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shaking the blood off his blade, Seimei looked at the few remaining ninjas and said in a somewhat unsatisfied tone, \"It seems you're a bit short-handed...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Seimei's words, the expressions of the Kirigakure ninjas changed several times, but they didn't refute anything because it was indeed the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More than a dozen of them had besieged Seimei and fought for over half an hour, yet Seimei was completely fine, while they had suffered heavy casualties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, they were indeed a bit short-handed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But no matter what, they couldn't let Seimei leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this in mind, they were about to gather more people to besiege Seimei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at this moment, a whistling wind sound approached.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seimei glanced to the side from the corner of his eye, then took half a step back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next moment, a large sword, like a door panel, swept past his eyes and directly pierced into the trunk of a nearby tree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blade met the tree trunk as if it were a hot knife cutting through butter, easily slicing into it without any resistance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its sharpness was evident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before anyone could react, another figure appeared in front of Seimei, sweeping out a kick aimed directly at Seimei's head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seimei reacted quickly, immediately raising his left arm to block the side of his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*Thump*\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dull impact sounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seimei took the kick head-on. The newcomer's strength was immense, actually kicking him two or three meters away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn't the end. Just as Seimei regained his footing, the person threw another punch, aiming straight for his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seimei tilted his head to dodge, letting the strong wind from the fist graze his cheek. He casually swung his sword in a diagonal slash, counterattacking the newcomer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, although the newcomer had a burly build, his reactions were not slow. With a slight twist of his body, he dodged the attack perfectly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, he swept out another leg whip, again aiming for Seimei's head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seimei raised his arm to block again, then counterattacked in one fluid motion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, the sounds of fists and feet hitting flesh rang out continuously on the field, and in the blink of an eye, the two sides had exchanged over a dozen blows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*Thump*\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, after Seimei blocked another attack from the newcomer, the opponent temporarily retreated and jumped back a few steps to the side of the large sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did the surrounding Kirigakure ninjas come back to their senses and address him, \"Lord Mangetsu!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That's right, the newcomer was none other than Hōzuki Mangetsu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had to be said that his combat experience and actual combat ability were both very strong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder a few months later, when the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were beaten into a sorry state by Might Dai opening the Eight Gates, he could be one of the three survivors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His strength was indeed not to be underestimated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although it was just a brief exchange, Seimei still saw some clues. Even without the 'Decapitating Carving Knife', his strength surpassed that of an ordinary Jonin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If coupled with the incredibly sharp 'Decapitating Carving Knife', then his combat power...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seimei glanced at the corpse of the Vice-Captain, which had been cut in half at the waist in the distance, and thought to himself, \"Then even a skilled Jonin wouldn't be his opponent.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That's right, the Vice-Captain who had previously fought with Hōzuki Mangetsu was already dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, Seimei had felt that he wasn't Hōzuki Mangetsu's opponent, and now it seemed that was indeed the case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was impressive that he had managed to hold on for so long!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seimei sighed inwardly, retracted his gaze, and looked at Hōzuki Mangetsu again. The latter was also fearless, staring at him with cold eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Heh~\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Seimei naturally wouldn't be polite. He raised his hand and used the 'Genjutsu: Sharingan', then immediately threw a few kunai.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Hōzuki Mangetsu dared to look at him so brazenly, naturally having something to rely on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw that the moment Seimei used Genjutsu, he pulled out the 'Decapitating Carving Knife' that was stuck in the trunk of the nearby tree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, he rotated the large sword ninety degrees in his hand and plunged it deep into the soil, erecting it in front of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wide blade of the 'Decapitating Carving Knife' happened to block his vital points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The kunai thrown by Seimei hit the blade, making only a clanging sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seimei wasn't too disappointed by this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He kicked off the ground, his entire body shooting out like a cannonball, arriving in front of Hōzuki Mangetsu in the blink of an eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, the short sword in his hand thrust out, precisely passing through the semicircular gap near the hilt of the 'Decapitating Carving Knife'.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind it was Hōzuki Mangetsu's chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Hōzuki Mangetsu also reacted quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had just broken free from the Genjutsu's influence and, seeing this scene, casually tilted the 'Decapitating Carving Knife', causing Seimei's short sword to miss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only that, he immediately lunged forward, charging towards Seimei's face with both his body and the sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recalling the immense strength the opponent had displayed during their close combat earlier, Seimei decisively abandoned the idea of a head-on clash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the opponent was using the blade to ram into him, so he definitely couldn't engage in a direct confrontation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seimei tapped his feet on the ground and immediately leaped backward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hōzuki Mangetsu missed his charge and, without any pause, immediately swung the large sword in his hand, continuing to slash at Seimei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling the sharp aura emanating from it, Seimei didn't hesitate at all and immediately ducked, dodging the attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, the short sword in his hand thrust out, aiming for the opponent's heart while he was still recovering from the previous attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sensing the danger, Hōzuki Mangetsu immediately stopped and turned sideways, narrowly dodging the sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Hōzuki Mangetsu become fully focused, and the gaze he directed at Seimei once again was filled with seriousness and caution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had naturally sensed the 'Wind Style: Spiraling Shuriken' that Seimei had used to kill Kaguya Shinnosuke earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And being able to unleash a ninjutsu with such power, he originally thought Seimei was a ninja who specialized in ninjutsu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now it seemed that his swordsmanship was also not to be underestimated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although it was just a few sword strikes, it was enough to illustrate the point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the corpses on the ground and the sword wounds on them...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sorry, in Hōzuki Mangetsu's eyes, these people were just ants and cannon fodder. Their encounters weren't enough to serve as a reference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only now, after experiencing it firsthand, did he become wary of Seimei's swordsmanship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, it was just wariness. As for fear, that was far from it. When it came to swordsmanship or kenjutsu, he truly hadn't feared many people!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, good swordsman needed to be paired with a good weapon to display its full potential.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And obviously, the short sword in the opponent's hand was far inferior to his 'Decapitating Carving Knife'.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, he was fearless!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of this chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1258,"2026-06-06T03:30:41.618Z",1,"novelbin.me","c9b233f190af7aa44ac2e52fb3ea5a84364306380d46a7877798190e1afd23a9","grind-is-my-ninja-way-chapter-290","grind-is-my-ninja-way-chapter-288",1097,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fgrind-is-my-ninja-way-cover.jpg"]