Truth be told, he really wanted to kill Seimei right now. However, as long as the battle was still taking place within Konoha and as long as Seimei's dojutsu remained unrevealed, he didn't dare go all out.
The first reason was that, although he had already lured Konoha's patrol units elsewhere, allowing him to use Kamui without worrying about its distinct space-time fluctuations being detected by Konoha's sensory barrier, chakra fluctuations could still be sensed.
Just now, both he and Seimei had been holding back, engaging in a more restrained fight that primarily relied on skill and taijutsu rather than high-powered jutsu. However, if Seimei wanted to, he could unleash a few high-impact jutsu, attracting the attention of Konoha's patrol units.
At that point, whose side they would take was obvious.
The second reason was even more concerning. Having awakened Kamui himself, he was well aware of how formidable the Mangekyō Sharingan's dojutsu could be.
He didn't know if Seimei was holding back to conserve his ocular power, avoiding the drawbacks of the Mangekyō Sharingan, or simply waiting for the perfect moment to deliver a fatal blow. Whatever the reason, Seimei had yet to use his dojutsu.
But as long as it existed, it posed a threat.
Because of that, he didn't dare push too hard.
And then there was Seimei's final remark:
"Your identity has been exposed."
Uchiha Obito wasn't sure if Seimei had truly uncovered his secrets, if he had simply witnessed his outburst at Rin's gravestone and was trying to bait him, or if he had mistaken him for someone else entirely.
Regardless of the situation, he couldn't afford to take the gamble.
If it was the latter two cases, he could still play along, either confirming or dodging the accusation as needed. But if it was the first case…
That would be a major problem!
Even though he didn't really believe Seimei had fully uncovered his identity, there was always that slim chance.
And right now, he couldn't afford to take any risks.
So, for the time being, retreat was his only option.
With that thought, Uchiha Obito gave Seimei a long, deep stare before activating Kamui. Using his right eye as the medium, he opened the dimensional portal to the Kamui space.
His body started to distort, his form bending like lines being drawn into the vortex before being completely sucked in.
Just before vanishing, he spoke in a low, menacing tone:
"I don't care who you are. Remember this—I'll be watching you."
Seimei remained standing in place, watching as Uchiha Obito disappeared. He paid little mind to those parting words.
Indeed, his actions today would likely put him on the radar of Uchiha Obito, Black Zetsu, and eventually, the Akatsuki.
But so what?
In the past, he had preferred to stay hidden from the world—at least, he had avoided exposing his true strength.
But that was only because there hadn't been enough at stake.
This time, however…
Seimei reached into his ninja tool pouch and touched the sealing scroll inside.
This time, the rewards were well worth the risks.
Revealing a little strength? That was nothing.
Besides, all he had shown was the Mangekyō Sharingan. He hadn't even used its unique dojutsu, let alone revealed his full power.
So he hadn't truly exposed himself.
More importantly, wasn't the whole point of training to have the power to make choices at critical moments?
Now that the opportunity had presented itself, how could he let it slip by?
If he lived in fear of this and that, then why bother training at all? He might as well just lie down and give up!
As these thoughts flickered through his mind, Seimei calmed himself and briefly sensed the approaching chakra signature in the distance.
He raised a hand and swiftly performed the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, instantly creating over a dozen clones.
Without hesitation, he ordered, "Clean up the battlefield immediately!"
The clones wasted no time dispersing, efficiently erasing all traces of the recent battle, especially any clues that could be linked back to Seimei.
By the time they finished, the incoming chakra signature had drawn very close.
Seimei didn't linger. He dispelled his Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, retrieved their experiences, and immediately used Flying Thunder God Jutsu to leave the area.
Not long after his departure, a figure arrived at the scene.
It was none other than Kakashi.
Despite how long the battle had seemed, it had actually taken place within just a minute or two.
Had Seimei not taken a detour through the graveyard to approach Uchiha Obito from Kakashi's original departure direction, it was likely that Kakashi would have noticed the commotion before the fight had even ended and rushed over sooner.
As it stood…
He had arrived just a little too late.
All that remained were signs of a battle, but nothing of real value.
Moments later, several ANBU operatives arrived in response to Kakashi's summons.
Unfortunately, even with their expertise, they couldn't uncover anything useful.
However, the situation did serve as a wake-up call for Kakashi.
Judging from the traces left behind, the fight had broken out not long after he had left.
And Kakashi didn't believe in coincidences like that.
That meant he had most likely been within the enemy's line of sight the entire time.
Yet, he had noticed nothing.
For a ninja—especially an elite ninja—that was unacceptable.
Yes, Kakashi might have become somewhat disillusioned with life, even harboring a quiet desire for death. But Obito's final words and his late sensei's expectations still kept him from outright throwing his life away.
So, the vigilance of a true ninja was something he had to maintain.
Because of that, from then on, every time he returned to the graveyard to mourn his fallen comrades, he paid more attention to his surroundings.
And that, in turn, led to Uchiha Obito reducing his visits to this place.
Of course, that was a matter for another time and had nothing to do with Seimei.
At this moment, Seimei was focused on reviewing his spoils.
---
Uchiha District
Seimei's Home
Inside his bedroom, Seimei's figure suddenly appeared.
He scanned the area, confirming that no one else was present before letting out a small sigh of relief.
To be honest, he had been worried that Uchiha Obito might take the risk of waiting for him here to confirm his identity.
But it seemed that, at least for now, Obito wasn't that reckless.
Since that was the case, Seimei no longer needed to dwell on it.
He walked over to his wardrobe and changed out of his damp, battle-worn clothes.
Then, he formed a hand seal and created a shadow clone to handle any unexpected visits from patrol squads.
As for himself…
He stepped into his training room.
"Inhale… Exhale…"
Taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out, he calmed his mind before reaching into his ninja pouch and retrieving the sealing scroll containing Uchiha Obito's severed arm.
"Release!"
With a soft chant and a series of hand seals, a cloud of chakra smoke dispersed, revealing a bloodied severed arm resting on the scroll before him.
Its jagged wound looked particularly gruesome.
But after nearly three years of war, Seimei had grown desensitized to such sights. He merely frowned slightly before shifting his focus to something far more important.
The vitality within the severed limb.
Even after being torn from its owner and left for some time, the arm still pulsed with life.
There was no doubt about it—this was the power of Hashirama's cells.
Only the cells of the legendary Senju Hashirama could grant such incredible vitality.
And now, his next step was clear: extracting them.
But how to go about it? That required careful thought.
With that in mind, Seimei raised his hand, gathering a small sphere of Yang Release chakra in his palm.
Then, pressing his hand against the severed limb, he began channeling the chakra into it, carefully sensing the changes within.