Meanwhile, high in the sky.
Seimei spotted the Mist ninja rushing to provide backup. Narrowing his eyes, he quickly confirmed these were the same Mist ninja who'd been fighting the Leaf ninja—and him—earlier. Now, their numbers had dwindled to fewer than seventy, and they were speeding toward his location.
Looking further, Seimei saw five Leaf Jonin hot on their trail, accompanied by roughly a hundred surviving Leaf Chunin and Genin. It didn't take a genius to figure out they'd been drawn by the commotion here.
But now wasn't the time for an all-out clash.
The earlier skirmish with the Mist ninja below had looked intense, but in truth, it was mostly them attacking while Seimei dodged. He'd had little chance to counter, so the Mist's casualties were minimal. If the two Mist squads joined forces, their strength would spike dramatically.
On the Leaf's side, however, the reinforcements promised by Nobuhisa Sano hadn't arrived. The hundred or so Leaf ninja left were no match for the Mist—unless Seimei went all out.
But that was risky. To keep Ao and the others at bay and test their trump cards while draining their stamina, he'd already taken a gamble. He was even injured now. Though the wounds weren't life-threatening, he wasn't keen on fighting while hurt.
After some thought, Seimei used the *Tōshin no Jutsu* (Mind Transmission Technique) to order the approaching Leaf ninja to fall back for now. The Leaf Jonin, though puzzled, followed his command and led their forces in a retreat.
Seimei directed them to a spot about one and a half kilometers south of the Blackstone Stronghold's gate. That would be the stage for the decisive battle.
For now, the Mist ninja hadn't noticed the Leaf's subtle withdrawal. Ao and his group were still debating their next move. The main reason they hadn't caught on was the short time frame—and Seimei circling overhead, drawing most of their attention.
In other words, he was bluffing.
But such a trick wouldn't fool them for long.
When Ao activated his *Byakugan* for a routine scan of the surroundings, he noticed something off. Their forces had already regrouped, but the Leaf ninja they'd been talking about were nowhere to be seen—not even within a kilometer.
Doubt crept into Ao's mind. While ordering his team to stay wary of Seimei above, he sent a few ninja to scout toward the Blackstone Stronghold.
Up in the sky, Seimei saw a handful of Mist Chunin break off from the group and realized his ruse was up. Wasting no time, he flapped his wings and dove toward the Mist ninja one last time.
This time, he didn't get too close. From a distance, he unleashed a ninjutsu—*Fūton: Daitoppa!* (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough). A familiar, ferocious storm roared to life, and the Mist ninja below paled, scrambling to counter the gale with their own techniques.
For a moment, their formation was thrown into chaos. The howling winds made it impossible to even open their eyes, let alone defend properly. Only a few Mist Jonin, along with a dozen capable Chunin, managed to cast defensive ninjutsu, barely holding their ground.
Seeing this, Seimei shifted his hand signs, descending slightly as he unleashed a technique the Mist knew all too well—*Suiton: Kirigakure no Jutsu!* (Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique).
In an instant, thick white fog rose, blanketing an area hundreds of meters wide. Using the chakra dispersed in the mist, Seimei pinpointed the Mist ninja's position. Without hesitation, he followed up with *Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!* (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique).
Fireballs rained down like meteors, crashing into the Mist's ranks and causing significant casualties and chaos. Outraged by Seimei's brazen assault, the Mist Jonin and some Chunin launched a counterattack.
The best way to clear the fog was *Fūton* (Wind Release). But their wind techniques couldn't dispel the *Kirigakure no Jutsu* Seimei had poured so much chakra into. After some probing, they opted for a different tactic—fighting fire with fire.
They cast their own *Suiton: Kirigakure no Jutsu*, thickening the fog while diluting Seimei's chakra within it. This made it harder for him to track their movements using the mist's chakra.
Plus, the Mist ninja, accustomed to living in fog, had sharper senses in this environment, even without mastering the *Mūon Satsujin Jutsu* (Silent Killing Technique). Meanwhile, Ao's *Byakugan*, though affected by the chakra in the fog, still saw clearer than Seimei's *Sharingan*.
Under Ao's guidance, Seimei's ninjutsu became less effective, while the risks he faced skyrocketed. Sure enough, a moment of carelessness cost him—two poison-laced kunai struck him. If he hadn't reacted quickly, he'd have been ensnared by steel wires shot by a few Mist Chunin.
Given the situation, Seimei abandoned his attack and pulled back, flying toward the direction the Leaf ninja had retreated.
A few breaths later, as he neared his destination, he spotted a lone Mist Chunin skulking below—one of the scouts Ao had sent to track the Leaf's movements.
"Well, look at that. A bonus," Seimei muttered, swooping down.
At first, the Chunin didn't notice anything. But when Seimei was right above him, he sensed something and looked up. The moment he saw Seimei, his face twisted in panic, and he reached for a kunai.
Too late. As their eyes met, Seimei activated *Genjutsu: Sharingan*. The Chunin froze, his pupils losing focus as his mind was dragged into an illusion.
Seimei wasn't surprised. With his current skill, taking down a lone Chunin with a sneak attack was a sure thing.
*Swish.* Seimei landed in front of him. Forming hand signs, he used *Chakura Kyūshū Jutsu* (Chakra Absorption Technique), grabbing the Chunin's neck and draining his chakra.
Seconds later, Seimei released his grip, letting the body collapse. Feeling the fresh chakra in his system, he nodded in satisfaction. Without lingering, he confirmed his bearings and used *Shunshin no Jutsu* (Body Flicker Technique) to catch up with the Leaf ninja.
(fix!)