After finishing off the last samurai, Seimei quickly flickered back to his fellow Konoha ninjas.
Once he was there, the S-rank Uchiha ninja, Uchiha Hiroshi, patted him on his shoulder and complimented, "That was one hell of a shuriken throwing, boy. Who taught you?"
Like I can tell you. If you knew that my father copied your clan's ninja tool-throwing technique scroll, wouldn't you explode right on the spot?
Seimei thought impudently, but he showed no expression on his face.
"I trained with Uchiha Reina and Touma. They have helped me improve ninja tool-throwing skills."
"I am really grateful for their guidance."
Seimei lied straight through his teeth without hesitation. He didn't even pause or blink for a second. His facial expression didn't give away any sign of deception. His chakra was completely calm and stable, thanks to his superior chakra control skills.
In short, his acting skill was so perfect that even an experienced Uchiha Shinobi with a three-tomoe Sharingan wouldn't find anything amiss, even if he told him lie after lie.
Yet, Seimei couldn't help but lament his situation.
He was an honest man in his previous life. Honesty was a virtue. Any parent would encourage their children to become honest and hardworking citizens, contributing positively to their society.
But what about now?
After coming to this world of Shinobi, the first thing he learnt was the art of deception and lying. After all, ninjas were masters of deception.
Well, mostly.
His father, Senju Tobirama, could lie without blinking. And now he could do the same.
The deception training was brutal.
Now, Seimei could confidently say that his acting skills were far better and flawless than those of many actors in his previous world.
Tsk!
If not for the threat of chakra beasts and the horned aliens with world-destroying power looming over him, this world would have been a lot more peaceful and entertaining.
For a bright future and relaxed life, he must grind, grind, and grind some more.
Only by becoming so strong that your name would make your enemies wet their pants in fear could you live peacefully in this world.
And he still had a long way to go before he could achieve that level of strength.
At least, his bloodline and system would make sure that he would reach that level eventually, unlike most ninjas who were capped by their limited potential.
"Alright, boys. The Shimada clan bastards are coming here. Let's greet them with some fireworks before they cross the gates of their clan grounds."
Uchiha Hiroshi's voice echoed in the air, snapping Seimei out of his reverie.
Several Konoha ninjas, who were proficient in Fire Release, dashed forward until they were less than two hundred meters away from the Shimada clan grounds.
They quickly started forming several hand seals in a sequence that Seimei was very familiar with. He could instantly tell exactly which Jutsu they were about to unleash.
Snake → Ram → Monkey → Boar → Horse → Tiger
Well, the Will of Arson is about to shine brightly again. Seimei mused as he watched the ninjas completing their hand seals simultaneously.
And then, the air around them began to twist as the surrounding temperature spiked by several degrees.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique x10
Ten Konoha ninjas, standing side by side, each released a stream of flame from their mouths that condensed into a massive three-meter-wide giant fireball.
A total of ten giant fireballs formed in front of those ten ninjas, radiating blistering heat that made the grasses beneath their feet dry as the high-temperature fireballs evaporated all the moisture from them.
At the next moment, they released the fireballs high in the sky.
The fireballs moved in a parabolic path, crossed the distance between the casters and the Shimada clan grounds, and struck the structures inside the clan grounds like falling meteors.
The fireballs struck houses, stores, and even careless Shimada clan people.
And as soon as they struck, they exploded.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Buildings exploded. Roads split apart. Anything and anyone caught inside the fireballs' blast radius broke like a weak twig before being consumed by scorching flames.
The shockwaves generated by the blasts spread around their blast radius and kicked up dust, broken concrete of the ruined buildings, and chunks of charred bones of the people who were unfortunate enough to be near the explosion.
The sound of falling structures and screams of people echoed inside the Shimada clan.
"Ahhhh…take cover…"
"What's going on?"
"Enemy attack. Go to the emergency bunkers. Hurry."
"My child…my child is missing."
"Waaahh…mother, mother, please wake up. Help, my mother isn't responding…"
The scene of chaos and destruction filled the areas where the giant fireballs struck. Tens of normal civilians inside the Shimada clan were dead. More people, including some inexperienced ninjas, were injured.
But the assault was far from over.
Ten more blazing giant fireballs came crashing into different locations of the Shimada clan grounds, and the horrifying and tragic scene caused by the previous round of attacks unfolded once more.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
And then, another round of fireballs came.
This time, the round of attacks even took down a few unlucky Chunin and several Genin-level ninjas. Though the number of dead Shimada clan ninjas was fewer than ten.
However, civilian casualties and injuries had already crossed hundreds.
Seimei, who kept his Tenseigan activated, watched all the horrors they were unleashing on the people living inside the Shimada clan grounds, including the innocent civilians.
He didn't blink.
He watched them all, trying to burn these images into his mind.
The horrors their Jutsu was inflicting, the indiscriminate slaughter of the powerless human being—he would remember them all.
His hands were drenched in their blood, too, after all.
He didn't want to kill the powerless, innocent civilians.
But he had no choice.
Trying to keep them safe would mean more burden on his team, which could lead to his fellow Konoha ninjas' demise.
It was an impossible endeavor.
His enemy was not merciful.
He couldn't be merciful either.
When the Shimada clan leader chose to betray the Land of Fire and decided to side with the Land of Water's ninjas, he had already sealed his fate and the people living under him.
Now, neither Seimei nor his teammates could allow any of them to escape.
Letting them escape meant aiding their enemies, which would eventually lead to more deaths among the Konoha Shinobi.
The cycle of hatred that kept the Shimada clan from joining Konoha would probably never end.
So, all he needed to do was make sure that the seeds of hatred died before they could even take root.
Seimei only cared about his friends, family, and the people living in Konoha. As for everyone else, he didn't give a damn anymore.
The innocent people who were dying because of his actions…he would remember them.
He would remember not to be as weak as they were. He would remember to keep getting stronger. They made him remember that if the places were switched, it was his own home that would be burning.
And his enemies would slaughter innocent people living in Konoha with glee, not showing even a shred of mercy.
So, he could only end the lives of the civilians as quickly and painlessly as possible. That was the only form of mercy he could show.
This was the true nature of this world.
You could either kill your enemies, even if it meant spilling innocent blood. Or you could watch your enemies grow stronger and destroy everything you held dear.
And Seimei would choose the first option any day without hesitation.
He no longer lived for honor. He no longer cared about goodness or evil. He no longer battled for justice.
He would always fight to survive. He would always fight to win.
That was everything that mattered.
Seimei watched as the Shimada clan ninjas began to counter the chaos and started forming proper defensive lines.
He watched with amusement as his enemies tried to cast Earth Release Ninjutsu to defend themselves, only to fail miserably due to his unique Fuinjutsu Battle Formation's restrictive effects.
And he could also see a ninja with a powerful chakra signature coming toward them, which he immediately relayed to the team leaders.
Senju Tatsuya, Uchiha Hiroshi, and the ANBU leader, Crane, nodded.
It was time to switch to a different kind of attack.
Three Konoha ninjas, including two Uchiha ninjas, came forward and began to weave hand seals.
Chakra surged around them as they unleashed their Ninjutsu.
Fire Release: Blazing Stream x3
They exhaled a powerful stream of fire that blazed through the air for a few meters before turning into a sea of fire.
Seimei, who stood next to them, puffed his cheeks.
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough
He released a powerful gust of wind that blew with the intensity of a hurricane, dangerous enough to uproot thick trees and blow people back like a helpless ragdoll.
He hid hundreds of deadly and sharp wind blades inside the gust that moved forward while leaving numerous scars on the ground.
Wind and fire mixed.
The wind intensified the fire, making it blaze hotter. Meanwhile, the fire heated the wind blades and the gust, making them even more dangerous.
Fire and wind moved forward like a surging wave, ready to engulf the clan grounds.
However, before that could happen, a figure flashed forward and formed several hand seals in less than a third of a second.
Water Release: Water Formation Wall
The figure spat a large amount of water from his mouth with relentless persistence.
And within the blink of an eye, the water surged up and created a 35-meter-wide and 15-meter-tall wall of translucent water, halting the wave of flame on its track.
Sizzle! Sizzle!
A loud, sizzling sound of boiling water could be heard as the confrontation of fire and water filled the battlefield with thick mist.
Seeing this, Seimei released a gust of wind across the battlefield, revealing sight that was obscured by the mist within a couple of seconds.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
What greeted Seimei's and Konoha ninjas' views was the same persistent wall of water that blocked their joint attack.
It had thinned by a half, sure. But it still stood tall.
Seimei locked his eyes with the person responsible for blocking their joint attack and smiled inwardly.
Interesting! But who is this guy?
His features match the description of the looks of the current Shimada clan leader.
Could it be him?
Hah! What the fuck is this? Wasn't he supposed to be a normal peak Jonin-level ninja?
Then, what's with the scale of his Jutsu? His affinity with water had at least reached the peak of LV5.
So, this guy was hiding his strength, after all.
Seimei narrowed his eyes as his mind was calculating an appropriate battle plan.
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