After reviewing the memories of his Shadow Clone, Seimei didn't waste any time. He got straight to work updating the "Heart-Sealing Soul-Locking Contract Teleportation Mark" on the spies he had planted in the Hidden Mist Village.
First, he tracked down the spies who were out on missions outside the village.
It was still early, and the Hidden Mist Village was bustling with people. One wrong move could stir up a huge mess.
Outside, though, he had fewer worries.
Even if someone spotted him, it'd only be a small team on the same mission. Many of them were already part of his network, marked with his seal, so there was no risk of exposure. And even if they did catch on, it wasn't a big deal.
Worst case, he'd just take them all down and mark them too.
With his skills and power, intercepting them before they could send out any messages would be a piece of cake.
No sooner thought than done. Seimei slipped out of the Hidden Mist Village with ease, locking onto the nearest Flying Thunder God mark and teleporting instantly.
Just as he expected, the teams or individuals on missions from the Hidden Mist were no match for him. They weren't even close to being a challenge, and he took them down effortlessly.
Once they were subdued, Seimei didn't bother with small talk. He immediately applied the upgraded version of the "Heart-Sealing Soul-Locking Contract Teleportation Mark," which could block targets from leaking information directly at the soul level, and placed it on them.
Unlike the strict conditions he'd set for Danzo, he didn't impose overly tight restrictions on these spies.
His goal was to turn them into his sleeper agents without them even realizing it.
Then, at critical moments—like when the Three-Tails appeared or during other key events—they'd suddenly "awaken" and relay information to him.
As for everything else? It didn't matter.
So, he avoided setting overly strict limits. If they accidentally triggered them, it might expose his presence instead.
It took about an hour, but Seimei successfully updated the marks on all the spies outside the Hidden Mist Village.
In the process, he doubled the number of spies under his control.
Seimei was very pleased with the results.
Returning to the underground cave in the Hidden Mist Village, he didn't rush to deal with the spies inside the village. Instead, he went to the spot where his Shadow Clone usually rested and took a break.
Sure, only an hour had passed, but it was still early. Most people weren't asleep yet.
Acting now could easily lead to slip-ups.
So, he decided to catch a quick nap first.
With that thought, Seimei drifted off to sleep.
About three hours later, close to midnight, Seimei woke up.
He sat up abruptly, checked the time, and let out a soft breath. "Good, I didn't miss it," he muttered to himself.
With that, he quickly gathered his gear and prepared to move.
But just then, a loud "grrr" rumbled from his stomach.
Seimei chuckled self-deprecatingly, realizing he'd been so caught up he forgot to eat.
He opened his ninja pouch and pulled out the last few enhanced soldier pills, popping them into his mouth.
The familiar dry, chalky taste hit him, and he forced himself to swallow them despite the urge to gag.
Soon, a wave of fullness washed over him.
No time to waste. Seimei locked onto a Flying Thunder God mark in the forest near the lake island in the Hidden Mist Village and activated the "Flying Thunder God Technique."
In an instant, his figure vanished from the cave.
When he reappeared, he was outside.
Glancing at the lake island beyond the forest, Seimei used the "Heart-Sealing Soul-Locking Contract Teleportation Mark" to pinpoint Genshi's location.
Then, he used the "Transformation Technique" to disguise himself as an ordinary Mist ninja and stealthily made his way over.
With the memories from his Shadow Clone guiding him, he quickly reached Genshi's residence. Using the "Heavenly Veil," he slipped in unnoticed, completely undetected.
Inside the bedroom.
On the bed.
Genshi, who had been sleeping, suddenly snapped his eyes open.
Before he could cry out, Seimei dropped the "Transformation Technique," revealing his true form.
The moment Genshi saw him, his eyes visibly glazed over, his consciousness sinking as if trapped in some kind of illusion.
And that's exactly what happened.
Genshi had indeed fallen under a genjutsu.
But this wasn't a genjutsu Seimei cast now—it was a failsafe left by his Shadow Clone, who had been controlling Genshi for a long time.
In truth, it was a genjutsu sealed into Genshi using the "Transcription Seal." The moment Genshi saw Seimei's face, it automatically triggered a Mangekyo-level genjutsu.
With that, Genshi had no chance to resist.
Seeing Genshi lost in the illusion, Seimei didn't waste a second. He immediately applied the latest version of the "Heart-Sealing Soul-Locking Contract Teleportation Mark," overwriting the old one.
Now, even if someone noticed something off about Genshi, they wouldn't be able to leak anything about Seimei—whether willingly or not.
Using his Mangekyo Sharingan again, Seimei erased the last few minutes of Genshi's memory and knocked him out once more.
With the most important target handled, Seimei moved like lightning, swiftly updating the marks on all the spies within the Hidden Mist Village.
There were a few minor hiccups along the way, but Seimei's overwhelming strength and sharp skills easily took care of them.
Once everything was done, he returned to the cave and drew chakra from the space between his brows to restore his condition to full.
Then, he used the "Shadow Clone Technique" again, creating a new clone.
Looking at it, Seimei got straight to the point. "I'm leaving this place to you for the next month."
The Shadow Clone gave him an "OK" hand sign.
Seimei nodded, then used the "Flying Thunder God Technique" to leave the cave, reappearing in a small grove just outside the Hidden Mist Village's sensory barrier.
He activated his Byakugan to scan the surroundings, then used the "Heavenly Veil" again to pass through the barrier and leave the village behind.
Once he was far enough away, he dropped the "Heavenly Veil."
Without stopping, he immediately used "Wind Release: Wings of Wind," combined with "Chakra Cloak" and "Earth Release: Ultra-Lightweight Rock Technique," to take to the skies, heading toward the Hidden Rock Village.
That's right—he planned to take advantage of the quiet night to update the "Heart-Sealing Soul-Locking Contract Teleportation Mark" on the spies in the Hidden Rock Village and swap out the Shadow Clone stationed there.
If he had time after that, he intended to swing by the Hidden Cloud Village, leave a Shadow Clone there, and recruit a few more spies.
That way, he could start gathering intel on the Hidden Cloud Village.
This had been his plan all along.
(End of Chapter)