Time ticked by, second by second.
Soon, Seimei and Yukikaze left the city, one trailing the other.
Feeling the relentless presence tailing him, Seimei's lips curled into a faint smirk. He suddenly picked up speed, darting toward a nearby forest.
Behind him, Yukikaze sensed something was off but gritted his teeth and followed.
Not long after entering the woods, Seimei came to a stop. Seeing this, Yukikaze halted as well.
He stared at Seimei, who had turned to face him, and said gravely, "Who are you? Why did you lure me here?"
In that brief moment, Yukikaze had pieced it together. The person before him wasn't after the noble he was assigned to protect—his real target was Yukikaze himself, the ninja on guard duty.
Seimei hadn't expected his spur-of-the-moment plan to draw Yukikaze out would fool him for long. As long as Yukikaze followed, that was enough. The rest didn't matter.
With that thought, Seimei extended his senses, confirming no one else was nearby. He prepared to make his move.
But Yukikaze seemed to sense his intent and struck first. His hands flew through seals, conjuring dozens of icy kunai that he hurled at Seimei in a single wave.
Seimei raised an eyebrow, his body flickering as he effortlessly dodged every icy projectile. His movements were fluid, almost like a dance.
Seeing this, Yukikaze's already serious expression grew even grimmer. Without hesitation, he unleashed his clan's secret technique—Ice Release: Ice Storm!
In an instant, fierce winds roared to life. The surrounding moisture was drawn in, merging with Yukikaze's Ice Release chakra to form countless tiny, crystalline shuriken. Under his control, they spun like a deadly storm, closing in on Seimei.
Faced with this familiar technique, Seimei's first instinct was to do what he'd done on the battlefield before: use Wind Release: Wings of Wind to soar above the storm's reach, then unleash Wind Release: Great Breakthrough to scatter it. But considering how distinctive Wings of Wind was, he scrapped the idea.
Besides, hadn't he just started mastering Lava Release yesterday? This seemed like the perfect moment to test it.
Acting on the thought, Seimei channeled a surge of chakra, converting it into Lava Release chakra. He shaped it into flowing molten rock, which he manipulated to coat his body like armor.
A terrifying heat radiated from him. The icy shuriken barely got close before melting into puddles of water.
Yukikaze's composure cracked. "Lava Release? How is that possible?" he blurted out.
As far as he knew, the only person in the ninja world with Lava Release was the Hidden Stone Village's Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Old Purple, who had gone missing months ago.
Could this guy be Old Purple? Yukikaze wondered. But why would he come after me?
His mind spiraled into confusion.
Seimei hadn't anticipated that his impromptu use of Lava Release would throw Yukikaze so off balance. Not that he would've cared if he knew.
With the ice storm neutralized by his molten armor, Seimei wasted no time and charged toward Yukikaze.
As an elite ninja trained by his clan, Yukikaze quickly regained his composure despite the initial shock. Seeing Seimei rushing at him, he formed hand signs without hesitation and unleashed another clan secret technique—Ice Release: Ice Wall!
Crack, crack, crack! With the sound of crystallizing ice, a wall over twenty meters long and ten meters high formed in front of Yukikaze, blocking Seimei's path.
But Seimei, as if unable to control his Lava Release power, didn't stop in time and crashed headfirst into the ice wall.
Lava Release met Ice Release, heat clashing with cold. A sizzling hiss filled the air as steam billowed from the collision, spreading thick white mist around them.
Yukikaze, with his wealth of combat experience, seized the moment. He cast Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique, effortlessly taking control of the steam with minimal chakra. As a true Hidden Mist ninja, he was all too familiar with fighting in such conditions.
He'd even developed a unique combat technique combining his Kekkei Genkai with the mist. All he needed was to pinpoint Seimei's location, and then—
Wait. Yukikaze's expression shifted. Where is he?
In his senses, Seimei's presence had vanished.
Without hesitation, Yukikaze manipulated the chakra in the mist, searching for Seimei. But no matter how hard he tried, he found nothing. The molten lava where Seimei had stood was rapidly cooling under the ice wall's suppression, turning into useless rock.
What's going on? Yukikaze's mind raced with anxiety as he frantically searched.
Then, a voice came from behind him: "Looking for me?"
The familiar positioning sent a chill down Yukikaze's spine. He immediately lunged forward to put distance between himself and the voice.
But it was too late.
Before he could move, countless ribbon-like seals appeared, binding his body and locking him in place.
Self-Binding Curse Seal. Though less powerful than the All-Encompassing Seal, it was quick to deploy and could be cast instantly with preparation. Using Heaven's Command, Seimei had slipped behind Yukikaze and restrained him with ease.
However, the seal's power was limited, and with a burst of Ice Release chakra, Yukikaze broke free.
He spun, ready to counterattack, but Seimei was already one step ahead. He activated Heart-Sealing Soul Contract: Instant Teleportation Mark. In an instant, a seal far denser and more complex than the previous one enveloped Yukikaze, crushing any thought of resistance.
"It's over," Yukikaze thought, despair sinking in.
He tried to struggle, but his limbs wouldn't obey. Moments later, the seal was complete. With a single thought, Seimei sealed Yukikaze's consciousness.
Thud. Yukikaze's body collapsed to the ground, and the surrounding mist dissipated.
Seimei's expression didn't change. With his current strength, taking down a Jonin like Yukikaze was almost too easy. Mist or no mist, without knowing the effects of Heaven's Command, Yukikaze never stood a chance.
From start to finish, Seimei's only concern was avoiding too much attention. Now, his goal was accomplished.
Sure, the commotion in the forest—especially Yukikaze's final chakra burst—might draw some eyes. But no one would connect it to Seimei.
That was enough.
With that thought, Seimei quickly cleaned up the battlefield, hoisted Yukikaze, and took to the skies, flying toward the island.
(End of Chapter)