As the oncoming Seimei charged toward him, Danzo didn't hesitate. Raising both hands, he quickly formed a series of hand signs.
Then, drawing out two shuriken, he infused them with wind-style chakra. Instantly, the shuriken began to spin rapidly.
This technique, called "Wind Release: Shuriken," was notably powerful.
Even from a distance, Seimei could sense the sharp and deadly aura emanating from them.
He estimated that this technique could likely cut through gold and jade with ease.
As such, he opted not to confront it head-on.
Almost at the moment Danzo hurled the shuriken, Seimei adjusted his posture and deftly dodged their trajectory.
Without pause, he continued his charge toward Danzo.
However, before Seimei could take another two steps, his expression shifted dramatically.
Why? Because under the 360-degree vision granted by his Byakugan, he noticed that the two shuriken, after narrowly missing him, had curved mid-air like boomerangs and were now flying straight toward his back.
Moreover, they were aimed with uncanny precision at his heart.
Carefully sensing the situation, Seimei discovered the intricacies of the wind-style chakra infused into the shuriken.
It was clear that Danzo had mastered the shape and nature transformation of wind-style chakra to an extraordinary degree, allowing his wind-based jutsu to display remarkable and unexpected effects.
Still, Seimei quipped internally, "You've delved so deeply into wind-style techniques—why not focus on inheriting the Kazekage title instead of constantly eyeing the Hokage seat?"
Of course, this was merely a joke.
In hindsight, none of the Hokage seemed to have been particularly renowned for fire-style jutsu. Even the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who came closest, was known for his mastery of multiple jutsu types rather than fire release alone.
These thoughts flashed briefly through Seimei's mind as he spun around and swung his blade with precision, striking the center of the incoming shuriken.
"Clang! Clang!"
The two shuriken were sent flying by his strike.
However, this was exactly the opportunity Danzo had been waiting for.
Almost at the instant Seimei turned, Danzo appeared behind him.
In the next moment, a short sword about a foot long stabbed straight toward Seimei's back.
Not only that, but the blade was clearly infused with wind-style chakra.
This wasn't just any jutsu; it was a technique Seimei was quite familiar with—Wind Release: Vacuum Blade!
Unlike Seimei's method of enhancing his blade with fine wind blades to increase its cutting power, Danzo enveloped his entire sword in wind-style chakra.
This significantly boosted both the speed and the penetrative power of his attacks.
At this moment, Seimei didn't even have time to fully turn around to block; he could only take a step forward to dodge the incoming strike.
But Danzo was relentless.
Almost as soon as Seimei evaded, Danzo closed in again, slashing directly at his neck with another swift strike.
Seimei felt the chill of killing intent. The skin on his neck tingled from the proximity of the blade.
Without hesitation, he flickered away again, putting distance between himself and Danzo.
But Danzo didn't relent, pressing the attack with a third strike.
However, as the saying goes: Momentum peaks at the first attack, weakens at the second, and wanes at the third.
Before Danzo's third strike could connect, Seimei had already adjusted his stance. He parried the short sword with his long blade.
"Clang!"
The sharp sound of metal colliding filled the air.
The long blade and short sword clashed, both weapons halting mid-air.
The next moment, both combatants applied force, causing a grating screech as sparks flew where the weapons met. The clash was visibly intense.
After several seconds of deadlock, Seimei let out a sudden shout, unleashing a burst of chakra.
His arm muscles bulged, his strength increasing dramatically. He began pressing Danzo's short sword downward, forcing the blade closer to its wielder.
Feeling the overwhelming force through the short sword, Danzo's pupils constricted. He quickly bent his knees, redirecting the force, and used the momentum to retreat backward.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
The water surface beneath Danzo's feet splashed loudly as he skidded backward, creating ripples and small depressions with each step. He struggled to stabilize himself.
Seeing this, Seimei wasted no time. He immediately pursued, slashing relentlessly.
Though Danzo was at a disadvantage, his quick reflexes and extensive combat experience allowed him to barely fend off Seimei's attacks.
However, this was just the beginning.
As time passed, Danzo's defenses began to falter.
The constant clang of metal on metal echoed across the battlefield.
Seimei, relentless and seemingly tireless, attacked with the efficiency of a machine. His swordsmanship was precise and unyielding, forcing Danzo into a continuous retreat.
Finally, at a certain moment, Danzo failed to react in time, and Seimei's blade grazed his arm, leaving a shallow wound.
To be fair, the injury wasn't severe, nor was it on a vital part of the body. For a seasoned ninja like Danzo, it wasn't a critical blow.
But the wound was symbolic.
It marked that Danzo was no longer an equal match.
At least in terms of swordsmanship, Danzo had undeniably fallen behind.
Danzo was decisive by nature. Upon realizing the situation, he neither persisted nor chose to endure forcibly. Instead, he seized the opportunity to leap backward several times, creating some distance between himself and Seimei.
At this moment, his gaze toward Seimei was filled with caution and dread.
The Mangekyo Sharingan, extraordinary as it might be, could be attributed to the Uchiha clan's remarkable bloodline.
However, being able to master swordsmanship to such a level and accumulate this kind of combat experience at such a young age was not something that could be explained by superior lineage alone. This required exceptional talent.
And that talent was precisely what made Danzo most apprehensive.
Seimei, however, didn't care what Danzo was thinking. The moment Danzo widened the distance between them, Seimei immediately prepared to close it again.
Yet, just as he moved, Danzo suddenly formed hand seals and undid the sealing technique on his right eye.
What? You're wondering how Seimei noticed?
It was simple. In the visual perception of his Byakugan, the chakra flow in Danzo's meridians suddenly shifted dramatically.
Previously, the area around his right eye was blank.
But now, it had transformed into the pattern of a Sharingan.
Clearly, the prior blankness had been caused by the sealing technique.
Seimei was very familiar with this technique, as he used it to hide his Byakugan.
Danzo probably employed this tactic to avoid being discovered, especially by members of the Uchiha clan, that he had transplanted a Sharingan.
Back in the wartime period, when Kakashi received Obito's gift of a Sharingan, the Uchiha clan had relentlessly pursued its retrieval.
If not for Minato Namikaze mediating the situation, Kakashi would likely have lost the eye.
Now that the war was over, if the Uchiha clan discovered that Danzo had transplanted a Sharingan, it would surely create an uproar.
After all, Danzo's relationship with the Uchiha clan was far from amicable. To be precise, there was enmity between them.
Under such circumstances, if the Uchiha clan learned of this, they would never let it slide.
Danzo might not fear the Uchiha clan, but he couldn't afford to antagonize everyone.
Ultimately, what he had done was highly taboo.
Thus, his reluctance to expose the eye was entirely understandable.
As for now, it seemed that he had decided to take the risk and reveal it because the situation had turned unfavorable.
Still, using the Sharingan in front of a true Uchiha ninja, especially one who had unlocked the Mangekyo Sharingan—wasn't that a bit overconfident?
Seimei was puzzled.