"Attack now!"
Seeing Seimei closing in again, the leading Mist Shinobi Jonin immediately shouted.
As he gave the order, he began forming hand seals, preparing to unleash a Water Release technique.
He opened his mouth wide, spitting out a series of water bullets the size of a baby's fist, which shot toward Seimei with the density of a hailstorm.
His aim was to slow Seimei's approach, buying time for the other Mist shinobi to launch their attacks.
However, Seimei could only think, *futile effort*.
With his Sharingan fully activated, the attacks appeared to him as if played in slow motion, utterly devoid of threat.
Coupled with the agility provided by his **Wind Release: Wind Wings** at level 6, he evaded every single attack effortlessly.
During this, his speed was barely affected.
As a result, aside from the four Special Jonin and a handful of quick-reacting Chunin, the rest couldn't launch their attacks in time.
The hurriedly cast ninjutsu and thrown tools by those few were beneath Seimei's notice. He merely activated **Earth Release: Hardening Jutsu** and **Chakra Cloak**, enduring them head-on.
The former mainly countered physical damage, while the latter offered protection against both ninjutsu and tools.
Of course, with his **Chakra Cloak** only at level 1, its defensive power was rather limited.
But Seimei wasn't using it to fend off attacks entirely; he was more concerned about protecting his clothes from being torn apart.
The previous wave of attacks, though mitigated by his **Hardening Jutsu**, had already left his clothing riddled with holes. Another wave or two, and Seimei feared he'd end up fighting naked.
Sure, his storage scroll in the ninja tool pouch held several spare uniforms, but that required time to change—something the enemy wouldn't likely give him. Fighting while unclothed was not an appealing option.
Thus, adequate protection was necessary.
Yet what he considered practical protection appeared to the Mist shinobi as an exotic new jutsu.
In the current ninja world, no one had seen anything like Naruto's glorious Tailed Beast Cloak in the future.
Seimei had modeled his **Chakra Cloak** on memories of that design. While the wind-style chakra he used gave his cloak a faint cyan hue, making it less dazzling, the streamlined form and full-body coverage were still striking.
When several attacks struck him, causing the **Chakra Cloak** to ripple violently, Seimei exerted himself to maintain its stability.
With a flap of his wings, Seimei broke free from the range of the enemy's ninjutsu.
By now, the Mist shinobi no longer had time to launch a second wave of attacks.
Spotting an Aburame clan ninja hidden among their ranks, Seimei raised his hand and unleashed **Fire Release: Pure Flame Jutsu**!
With the jutsu at level 6, both its power and stealth had been greatly enhanced.
Yet even so, the Aburame ninja sensed it in time and dodged the attack with a flicker of movement.
Not only that, but Seimei's sharp Sharingan detected an unusual glint in the Aburame's eyes when he cast the jutsu.
Suddenly, a flash of insight hit Seimei.
He realized what he had overlooked.
Over the past half month—or even longer—he had never hidden his use of **Fire Release: Pure Flame Jutsu**.
Although this wasn't a forbidden technique, it was an exclusive secret technique of Konoha's Anbu, nearly impossible to obtain through ordinary means.
If Danzo took notice and investigated how Seimei acquired it, he might discover that it seemingly came out of nowhere.
Given the Sharingan's ability to copy techniques and the fact that one of the two Root operatives stationed at Ghost Island knew this jutsu, it wouldn't take a huge leap of imagination to connect the dots.
While most wouldn't tie these unrelated events together, Danzo, with his inherent malice toward the Uchiha, might think differently.
It was akin to how Seimei instinctively associated his misfortunes with Danzo—no matter how tenuous the connection, the imagination could fill in the gaps.
Once Danzo linked Seimei to the destruction of the Ghost Island base, targeting him would naturally follow.
Although there was no direct evidence yet, Seimei's intuition told him he'd uncovered the truth.
Still, even if Seimei realized this chain of events was likely caused by his own actions, he had no intention of letting his enemies off the hook.
Not only did he need confirmation for his suspicions, but as long as he encountered Root operatives, he wouldn't hesitate to strike.
This resolve had been set ever since Danzo's Root ambushed him after the Chunin Exams.
Moreover, Danzo's forces had targeted him multiple times since then. Although Seimei had always turned the tables and even profited, he was still the victim.
Thus, under no circumstances would he let Danzo and his Root go unpunished.
With thoughts racing through his mind, Seimei flapped his wings, accelerating and evading a second wave of attacks, then dove into the ranks of the Mist shinobi.
The moment his feet hit the ground, he deactivated **Wind Release: Wind Wings**.
He kicked off with force, creating spiderweb-like cracks on the ground as his body shot forward like a cannonball, knocking several Mist Chunin out of his way before stopping in front of the Aburame ninja.
Originally, Seimei intended to use **Genjutsu: Sharingan** to subdue him.
However, the Aburame reacted swiftly, shutting his eyes while leaping behind a nearby Mist Chunin for cover.
*Clang!*
The sound of a blade being unsheathed.
Seimei slashed with his wind-chakra-enhanced blade, cutting through the Mist Chunin's body and severely injuring him in an instant.
Sensing kunai flying toward him, Seimei tilted his head, dodging them with ease, and once again charged at the Aburame ninja.
This time, his blade struck directly.
The Aburame raised a kunai to block.
*Clang!*
A sharp metallic sound rang out.
Staring at the Aburame, Seimei spoke coldly, "Root?"
The Aburame's pupils dilated in shock.
Clearly, he hadn't expected Seimei to recognize his affiliation.
Despite rigorous training, the ninja's surprise caused a momentary lapse in composure, all caught by Seimei's Sharingan.
With a smirk, Seimei wasted no time, thrusting a level-8 **Rasengan** into the Aburame's chest while he was distracted.
Through the Byakugan hidden beneath his forehead protector, Seimei observed the Aburame's insects rushing to his chest to block the blow, sparing him a fatal injury.
Even so, the Aburame was gravely wounded.
Seimei sheathed his blade, dodging incoming attacks from the other Mist shinobi, and appeared behind the Aburame. A swift strike to the neck rendered him unconscious.
Grabbing the limp body, Seimei leaped several times to escape the Mist shinobi ranks.
By the time the Mist Jonin arrived, it was already too late.
Seimei formed hand seals, activating **Wind Release: Wind Wings**, and ascended into the sky with his captive.
As he soared out of range, the Mist Jonin exchanged confused glances.
Seimei's behavior was bizarre.
He had targeted an otherwise unremarkable Chunin with such precision and determination that it was hard for the Mist shinobi not to overthink.
This moment of hesitation had cost them dearly, allowing Seimei to escape.
Yet even without their hesitation, Seimei wouldn't have been fazed.
With his current strength and abilities, annihilating the entire Mist team was entirely within his capability.
In just a brief skirmish, he had already taken down seven or eight of their thirty-man squad.
His concern wasn't whether he could win but rather preventing them from scattering and becoming a future nuisance.
At least now, their hesitation had saved him some effort.