"Huh, is it time?"
Seimei's gaze sharpened instantly, locking onto a figure to the east.
It was none other than Shimura Danzo—the very person he had been waiting for.
As expected, Danzo had not taken any chances this time. He personally stepped into action, choosing not to delegate.
Sensing the sharp gaze on him, Danzo, who was engaged in conversation with his subordinates, abruptly raised his head and looked toward Seimei.
Even though they were separated by hundreds of meters, it felt as though their eyes met directly.
After a long moment, Seimei withdrew his gaze.
He then dispelled his Shadow Clone Jutsu, causing the clone he had been using for testing to vanish.
Without hesitation, he flickered to the west, heading to the area farthest from Danzo to prioritize eliminating the Root ninja stationed there.
As the saying goes: strike first to gain the upper hand; strike later, and suffer the consequences.
Until now, Seimei hadn't made his move for two reasons:
1. He wanted to master the Chakra Cloak skill, which was just shy of reaching level 9 (0/0) in its perfected state.
2. He hadn't pinpointed Danzo's location yet.
Now that both conditions were met, there was no need for restraint.
As for why he chose to deal with Danzo's subordinates rather than targeting Danzo directly, the reason was simple: caution.
Seimei had no way of knowing what preparations Danzo had made in secret, but by cutting off his wings, Danzo would become powerless.
With this plan in mind, Seimei moved swiftly to confront the squad of Root ninja ahead of him.
At this moment, they had just received a warning signal from Danzo's side.
Unfortunately for them, it was too late.
Seimei didn't waste time with schemes or tricks. He attacked decisively and lethally.
Activating his Mangekyō Sharingan and unleashing the power of Heaven's Will, he closed in without warning and appeared suddenly before them.
Then, with seamless execution, he deployed the Rasengan and Chakra Scalpel in quick succession, giving the Root ninja no time to react.
In the span of a single breath, all four members of the squad fell to the ground.
Even as death claimed them, their gazes betrayed no fear. In their final moments, they activated explosive tags hidden on their bodies, just as expected.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of explosions erupted, echoing loudly through the forest.
The blasts served as both a signal to others and a desperate attempt to injure Seimei.
But once again, Seimei activated Heaven's Will. Not only was he unharmed, but he also swiftly distanced himself from the scene, leaving no trace of his presence.
Using his Byakugan, Seimei quickly located another squad nearby and moved toward them silently.
The same jutsu, the same sequence—despite the previous explosion putting this squad on high alert, Seimei dispatched them just as effortlessly.
For the first time, Seimei was going all out, utilizing the ocular powers of the Mangekyō Sharingan. The battle was nothing short of a one-sided massacre.
These Root ninja were strong, certainly, but only to a certain extent.
Against ordinary opponents, they might have been able to delay or resist by fighting desperately.
But against Seimei, they didn't even have the chance to fight desperately, let alone stall for time.
Letting the defeated ninja self-detonate as they wished, Seimei once again left the scene and moved toward his next target.
---
One minute later, Danzo and his men arrived.
Staring at the familiar corpses on the ground, Danzo's face twisted in rage, his aura oppressive and heavy.
Just then, more explosions rang out.
There was no need to guess—Danzo knew more of his men had been killed.
Although he didn't particularly value the lives of his subordinates, the sheer number of deaths in such a short time made his heart ache.
These were people he had painstakingly trained.
More critically, without these men, some of the tactics he had prepared could no longer be executed.
"Damn it!"
Danzo cursed under his breath.
Without wasting another moment, he turned to one of his men and barked, "Yi, send the signal immediately! Have the Red Rain Squad on the perimeter deploy the barrier. Everyone else, regroup with me at once!"
"Yes, sir!"
Yi nodded, forming hand seals and using a mental communication technique akin to the Yamanaka clan's Mind Transmission Jutsu to relay Danzo's orders to the others.
Moments later, a dome-shaped barrier appeared in the sky, covering a large swath of the forest like a lid.
---
Somewhere in the forest
Seimei had just finished dealing with another group of Root ninja when he looked up and noticed the barrier forming above.
---
However, there was not much panic in his heart.
Why? Because, based on his past experiences with sealing techniques, the vast majority of them could be evaded using the power of "Heavenly Defense."
Only once, when a Root Organization ninja used the "Four-Life Sealing Array," was he slightly restrained. That technique could suppress both the spirit and the body.
But at the time of that seal's activation, he had felt his body and mind being suppressed beforehand.
Now, he wasn't experiencing any such sensation.
Given that, combined with the different structure of this barrier, Seimei was almost certain that this sealing barrier was not the "Four-Life Sealing Array."
Thus, he wasn't particularly worried.
As he was contemplating this, an inexplicable sense of being watched surfaced in his mind.
Instantly, Seimei understood the purpose of this sealing barrier. It was most likely a sensory barrier designed to track his position at all times.
Clearly, Danzo had meticulously studied his past battle records. Knowing that a regular sealing barrier wouldn't be enough to trap him, Danzo had chosen not to aim for containment but rather support.
This also indirectly demonstrated Danzo's confidence in himself and the power he controlled.
Using his Byakugan's vision, Seimei scanned the area within a one-kilometer radius and found that most of the Root Organization ninjas had already gathered around Danzo.
So, he decided not to take the initiative anymore and stood quietly in place, waiting for Danzo and his subordinates to arrive.
······
Time passed, second by second.
Soon, Danzo and his group arrived.
Letting the surrounding Root ninjas encircle him, Seimei raised his head to look at Danzo.
This was the first time he had seen him since the end of the Chūnin Exams.
Compared to their last encounter, Danzo looked even older. His once-normal right arm was now wrapped in bandages, a sight that evoked a strange sense of familiarity in Seimei.
While Seimei was sizing up Danzo, Danzo was also observing Seimei.
Previously, he had only seen Seimei's records in files. This was their second face-to-face meeting.
Compared to two years ago, Seimei now seemed less youthful and uncertain, exuding more confidence and composure.
Just standing there, he gave off an air of youthful vigor.
Danzo's gaze shifted from Seimei's figure to his eyes. When he saw those Sharingan, each marked with three tomoe, even someone as battle-hardened as Danzo felt an invisible sense of pressure.
The strength of Seimei's ocular power was nearly unparalleled in Danzo's lifetime.
At that moment, Danzo became even more certain of his suspicions.
This only made his heart burn with even greater intensity, wishing he could immediately gouge out Seimei's eyes and transplant them into his own body.