Just as Seimei had expected, the two figures watched him leave without making a move.
As he dashed through the forest, Seimei glanced back with his peripheral vision, then shifted his focus forward, no longer paying them any mind.
He picked up his pace, heading straight for the camp.
The distance—less than two kilometers—didn't take him long to cover.
But when he arrived, the camp was already shrouded in a thick, misty haze.
Sensing the chakra laced within the white fog, Seimei instantly recognized it as the Hidden Mist Village's signature technique: Water Release: Hiding in Mist Jutsu!
Clearly, the Mist's Anbu were using the environment to their advantage, compensating for their smaller numbers.
Seimei's first instinct was to cast Wind Release: Great Breakthrough to blow the fog away.
But just as he was about to weave the signs, something made him pause. He lowered his hands, drew the long sword at his waist, and stepped into the mist.
The moment he entered, a heavy, oppressive atmosphere hit him—the kind of tension that hangs between predator and prey.
Who was the predator and who was the prey? That didn't need explaining.
Without hesitation, Seimei joined the "hunt."
That's right—he planned to turn the tables, using his superior sensory skills to exploit the Mist's foggy cover and take out their Anbu as quickly as possible.
---
Inside the mist.
A Leaf chunin and two genin stood in a triangular formation, each clutching a kunai, eyes darting warily around them.
Their faces were pale, and bloodstains marked their bodies—clear signs they were already badly injured.
Every now and then, faint noises echoed from the surroundings, piling on the pressure.
Time ticked by, second by second.
The trio's nerves grew tauter by the moment.
Then, the hidden figure in the mist seemed to sense the timing was right. A voice rang out: "Not bad. Three of you managed to hold off an attack from a full-fledged jonin like me."
The voice came from all directions, echoing in the ears of the three Leaf ninjas, weighing heavily on their minds.
Hearing that their enemy was a jonin made their faces go even paler.
Instinctively, they froze, bracing themselves for whatever the enemy might say next. They knew it could be a psychological tactic, but they didn't dare move.
But then, a scream pierced the air from their right rear.
"What was that?"
The three exchanged glances.
In that moment, the invisible pressure surrounding them seemed to vanish.
Their minds cleared, and they could think straight again.
Panting heavily, they shared a quick look. The chunin took the lead, cautiously moving toward the source of the scream.
Soon, they reached the spot.
All that remained was a shriveled corpse, as if all the moisture had been drained from its body.
Next to the head lay a familiar mask.
The chunin carefully inspected the area, ensuring there were no traps, before gingerly picking up the mask.
After examining it, he confirmed it belonged to the Mist Anbu who'd left several wounds on them earlier.
"This…"
The chunin froze, unable to wrap his head around it. How had a jonin like this just… died out of nowhere?
And from the looks of it, they hadn't even put up a fight.
Is there someone on our side with that kind of power?
The thought had barely crossed his mind when an image of a young man popped into his head.
If anyone on their side could pull this off, it had to be the Uchiha prodigy known as "Ghost Blade."
And sure enough, the corpse had been pierced through the abdomen with a single sword strike.
That only solidified the chunin's guess.
He was spot-on. The one who'd struck was none other than Seimei.
The moment Seimei had entered the mist, he'd spotted the Mist Anbu toying with the three Leaf ninjas, applying psychological pressure to create an opening for a killing blow.
So, he acted without hesitation.
The result was obvious. The Anbu was caught completely off guard, with no chance to resist. Seimei's sword pierced their abdomen, and he drained their chakra in an instant.
That's right—even now, Seimei didn't pass up the chance to siphon chakra.
Sure, the amount he could take from them was small, but every bit counted. Seimei was used to being frugal, and if the opportunity was there, he wasn't about to let it slip.
Plus, it didn't take him any extra time.
Before the three Leaf ninjas could even get close, he was already gone.
As for sticking around to meet them?
No point.
In that time, he could take out a few more Mist Anbu and put an end to this farce sooner.
That was his plan, and he stuck to it.
In the minutes that followed, he moved like a phantom through the dense fog created by the Mist Anbu, swiftly cutting down their numbers.
Maybe because he was too fast, it wasn't until only half the Mist Anbu remained that someone finally caught on and dispelled the Hiding in Mist Jutsu.
But it was too late. The tide had turned, and even without the fog, they couldn't stop Seimei's onslaught.
Not to mention, the other Leaf ninjas were closing in, too.
In just over ten minutes, all seventeen Mist Anbu—sent by Obito Uchiha—were wiped out.
The surviving Leaf ninjas gathered around Nara Mitsuhiko and Seimei, awaiting their next orders.
Seimei discreetly glanced at a tree in the distance, then nodded to Mitsuhiko.
Seeing this, Mitsuhiko let out a sigh of relief and started organizing the group to clean up the battlefield.
Seimei flickered away, reappearing on a tree branch at the camp's perimeter.
Perched there, he gazed into the distance.
He could clearly sense that Obito Uchiha and Zetsu had left.
That's right—they hadn't slipped away until every last Mist Anbu was dealt with.
Clearly, Obito was still reluctant, trailing Seimei to this point. But after some internal struggle, he'd chosen to back off.
Seimei wasn't surprised.
After all, Obito's ultimate goal was to create a world with Rin. Everything else—starting a ninja war, sowing chaos, getting revenge on the Leaf—was secondary.
Since there was no opening now, he'd naturally given up.
Still, to make sure things didn't spiral out of his control, Seimei decided he'd head to the Hidden Mist Village soon. He'd link up with the wooden clone stationed there and exchange intel ahead of schedule.
Only then would he feel at ease.
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, the night grew late, and the Leaf camp settled back into silence. Seimei let his mind go quiet.
Leaning against the branch, he closed his eyes, drifting into a light doze.
---