At the same time...
On the other side...
To the east of the Black Stone Outpost, about two kilometers from the coastline, a Mist Village warship floated on the water. Inside, the Mist Village's commanding Jonin received a distress signal from the raiding party, his brow furrowing slightly.
When he realized that a frontal attack on the battlefield wouldn't succeed, he put his backup plan into motion, ordering another team stationed at Flying Fish Town to take a land route and launch a surprise attack from the southern side of Black Stone Outpost.
However, the surprise attack failed, and now his own team was stuck.
From the intel, the losses were significant.
This left Yuki Ozawa deeply disappointed.
"Hmph, it's that Uchiha Seimei again," Yuki Ozawa muttered coldly, looking at the report in his hand.
Earlier, their plans had been exposed by Uchiha Seimei, and now their backup force had been stopped by him too. Yuki Ozawa's hatred for Uchiha Seimei reached its peak.
*Knock, knock, knock*
Just then, a knock came at the door.
"Come in!"
Yuki Ozawa quickly sensed who was outside and put away the report before speaking.
*Creak*
The wooden door to the cabin swung open, and a figure stepped inside.
"Captain, you called for me?"
The newcomer didn't waste any words and got straight to the point.
"Yes," Yuki Ozawa nodded. "Ao, the raiding party has run into trouble. I need you to handle it."
The person standing before Yuki Ozawa was none other than Ao, the ninja known as the "Byakugan Killer."
Ao furrowed his brow upon hearing this. "Wasn't Jonin Zabuza with them? What went wrong?"
"Hmph!" Yuki Ozawa snorted in frustration. "Don't mention him. He's already dead."
"What?!"
Ao was shocked.
Privately, he had a good relationship with Zabuza from the Hozuki clan and was well aware of Zabuza's capabilities. While Zabuza's strength might not have been overwhelming, his ability to survive was top-notch.
But now, Yuki Ozawa was telling him that Zabuza was dead. How could Ao not be surprised?
Quickly regaining his composure, Ao asked in a low voice, "Who killed him?"
"Uchiha Seimei," Yuki Ozawa replied without hesitation.
"Him again?" Ao frowned.
He had already felt something was off about Uchiha Seimei and was secretly investigating him. But now, to hear this name once more so soon...
Yuki Ozawa, not wanting to waste any more time, said directly, "The situation on that side is bad. Take the reserve team there immediately."
"Remember, your mission isn't just to rescue them. More importantly, you need to find an opportunity to launch an attack on the Black Stone Outpost from the south."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "And if possible, eliminate Uchiha Seimei!"
Yuki Ozawa almost spat out the last few words through gritted teeth.
Ao hesitated briefly but agreed.
The first two tasks were within his capabilities, and he was confident about completing them. But taking down Uchiha Seimei...
To be honest, he wasn't sure.
The village had already made several attempts to deal with Uchiha Seimei, but he was still alive and well. Ao didn't think he could do what an entire think tank had failed to accomplish.
Intuition told Ao that to deal with Uchiha Seimei, he first had to figure out what the strange occurrence was that Seimei noticed that night.
Otherwise, no matter how many times he tried, it could all be in vain.
However, since the captain had already given the order, he had no choice but to accept it.
So, after responding, he went to prepare.
At this moment, Seimei was still unaware that Ao had already caught a glimpse of the secret behind his Mangekyo Sharingan. Given enough time, Ao might even discover his biggest trump card.
Of course, even if the other party knew that he had activated the Mangekyo Sharingan, it didn't necessarily mean they would be able to counter its abilities.
But it would undoubtedly cause him some trouble.
For instance, if the news were to spread, he would face plenty of problems.
At that point, whether in the village or outside, those coveting his eyes would start making moves.
Although, with his current strength, he had no reason to fear these people, as long as he didn't hide anymore. However, having too many flies buzzing around would still be a major annoyance.
That's why Seimei had always gone to great lengths to hide his Mangekyo Sharingan—so as not to attract attention.
If Seimei found out that Ao had gotten this far, he would certainly strike first and eliminate him.
Unfortunately, he didn't know yet.
However, though Seimei was unaware of this, Yuki Ozawa's arrangements gave him a chance to nip the crisis in the bud.
The reason?
It was simple: not long ago, he had the thought of compensating for his weakness in reconnaissance and set his sights on Ao .
If he could take care of Ao this time, it would naturally also erase the hidden danger of his Mangekyo Sharingan being exposed.
If not, then it wouldn't be long before his Mangekyo Sharingan was revealed.
What happens next depends on Seimei's choices.
...
Time flew by, and about half an hour had passed.
On the other side of the battlefield:
With Seimei continuously taking action, the situation had completely turned in favor of Konoha, who was now overwhelming the Mist Shinobi.
It's worth mentioning that while Seimei was acting as a "firefighter" on the battlefield, he even took the time to help a Konoha special Jonin defeat their opponent.
In other words, only four Mist Jonin remained in the fight.
Seeing that the battle between the lower and middle-ranking ninjas had stabilized, Seimei planned to deal with the remaining four Jonin and secure the final victory.
But just then, a familiar voice entered his mind.
Who else could it be but Yamanaka Aoi?
He said, "Jonin Seimei, according to the latest intelligence, the Mist Shinobi recently dispatched a unit that seems to be heading this way to provide support. Captain Sano wants you to be cautious."
"Support? How many?" Seimei stopped in his tracks and asked in his mind.
"Not sure yet."
Yamanaka Aoi awkwardly replied, "They're using a reserve unit, and our people can't get close enough to make an accurate judgment."
Hearing this explanation, Seimei couldn't help but feel exasperated.
But soon, he caught onto a key point in Aoi's words: the unit coming to support the Mist Shinobi was a reserve force.
In other words, it hadn't yet appeared on the battlefield.
From what Seimei knew, Captain Sano Nobuhisa had already mobilized almost everyone available from the base to deal with the current Mist Shinobi.
In other words, they had no more reinforcements to send.
With this in mind, Seimei said in a displeased tone, "You're not telling me there's no support from the base this time, are you?"
"Of course not."
Sensing Seimei's displeasure, Yamanaka Aoi quickly denied it: "Captain Sano has already pulled some forces from the battlefield. It won't be long before they're sent over. Jonin Seimei, your mission is to stall for as long as possible."
"That's more like it."
After hearing Aoi's explanation, Seimei murmured to himself.
Then, without saying more, he replied, "Got it. Tell Captain Sano to hurry up. I'll scout the area first."
With that, without waiting for a response from Yamanaka Aoi, Seimei dispelled the mental connection.
Not wasting any time contemplating the intricacies of Aoi's Mind Transmission Technique, Seimei raised his hands, swiftly forming hand signs and casting the ninjutsu—Wind Release: Wings of Wind!
(End of Chapter)