Outside the Hidden Leaf Village.
In the forest.
Seii's figure appeared out of nowhere.
As usual, he activated his Byakugan to scan the surroundings, ensuring nothing was out of place. Only then did he trigger his Tenshi no Go technique, slipping through the village's sensory barrier and entering the Hidden Leaf.
But he hadn't been in the village long before he noticed sothing off.
By all accounts, it wasn't even nightti yet—the village should've been bustling with life.
But now…
Seii's gaze swept over the crowded streets. There were plenty of people, sure, but he picked up on an unusual vibe.
As he walked, he didn't just see lively villagers—he also noticed ninja patrol teams moving through the streets far more frequently than usual.
And in the shadows, he spotted several of the village's Anbu operatives on the move.
Their actions made it clear they were on guard against sothing.
And that gave the village an undercurrent of tension, a subtle killing intent most wouldn't even notice.
This was the anomaly Seii sensed.
"Looks like sothing's gone down in the village over the past ten days," he thought.
With that, Seii quickened his pace, heading straight ho.
The first thing he did upon arrival was dispel his Shadow Clone Jutsu, absorbing the mories of the clone he'd left behind.
Before, due to the rapid advancent of his kekkei genkai, his mind and body had started falling out of sync.
So, for a while now, he'd avoided reabsorbing this particular shadow clone.
But now, suddenly dispelling it flooded his mind with a massive wave of mories.
It gave Seii a bit of a headache.
Luckily, his ntal and physical attributes were close enough now that he recovered quickly.
Closing his eyes, Seii sifted through the mories, focusing on the last ten days to figure out what had caused this strange shift in the village.
And, wouldn't you know it, he found the answer.
Half an hour later, Seii opened his eyes.
A flicker of realization passed through them.
It turned out that just a few days ago, Obito Uchiha had shown up in the Hidden Leaf again and clashed with so Anbu ninjas.
That's why the village had beefed up security.
Of course, that was just the surface-level reason. His shadow clone suspected the deeper cause had to do with Kushina Uzumaki's impending childbirth.
It was mid-September now, and by Seii's calculations, Naruto would be born in about twenty days.
Everyone knew that when a jinchuriki gave birth, the seal holding the tailed beast weakened, creating a pri opportunity for those with ulterior motives to stir up trouble.
If Obito's movents hadn't been noticed, the village might've stuck to a low-key approach, tightening security only as Kushina's due date approached, like in another tiline.
But now, with Obito and the Hidden Leaf having clashed multiple tis, the village's higher-ups were almost certain his target was the Nine-Tails.
No way they'd stick to a subtle approach now.
With the ho-field advantage, they'd maximize it.
Increased patrols were just the start.
Seii could already picture it: as Kushina's due date got closer, the village's defenses would only get tighter.
On the day of the birth, they might even lock down the entire village.
Seii was starting to wonder if Obito could still seize the opportunity.
Going up against a whole village wasn't exactly a walk in the park.
Still, considering the power of Obito's Mangekyo Sharingan and his awakened Kamui ability, Seii figured he'd probably make a move regardless.
But unlike that other tiline, where he acted alone, this ti he likely wouldn't.
Judging by how Obito had brought Zetsu along last ti to et him, it seed he was prepared to involve Zetsu in the plan. Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought him to the Hidden Leaf.
With that thought, Seii's gaze drifted toward the Hokage's office building. He murmured, "Looks like I need to make so preparations of my own."
Sure, he knew the exact timing of Kushina's childbirth from that other tiline, but he still needed an "inside eye" to confirm the details in this one.
And Seii already had soone in mind for that role.
But first, he needed to rest. He'd deal with everything else tomorrow.
Quickly shedding his gear, Seii washed up, changed into casual clothes, and headed out to the village's "food street."
It took nearly two hours to satisfy his hunger.
After that, he hit up the hot spring inn, soaking comfortably for an hour before heading ho as night fell.
Too tired to train, Seii went straight to his bedroom and crashed.
He'd hoped to sleep through the night, but in the dead of night, soone woke him.
In his bedroom.
On his bed.
Seii's eyes snapped open.
In one smooth motion, he reached under his pillow, pulling out a gleaming kunai and gripping it tightly.
He waited silently for a mont, but no one entered the room.
After a quick thought, Seii sat up, threw on a shirt, and headed toward the door.
Creak~
The door swung open.
Seii stepped out of the bedroom.
Moonlight spilled in from the courtyard, illuminating a figure standing in the living room.
The figure wore a long robe and a single-eyed mask—it was none other than Obito Uchiha.
Hearing Seii's footsteps, Obito turned, facing him head-on.
Seii t his gaze, his expression unreadable, and said flatly, "Next ti, use the door."
Obito didn't respond to that. Instead, he said, "You've been keeping an eye on what I told you about, right?"
Seii paused, quickly piecing together what he ant.
It was about baiting him with the idea of wanting the tailed beast, luring him to keep tabs on Kushina.
But even though he understood, Seii didn't answer. Staying silent fit his persona better.
Obito didn't seem to expect a response either.
He gave Seii a quick glance, as if confirming sothing, then continued, "Rember, the opportunity's coming up soon. If you still want the Nine-Tails, you'd better keep a close eye on Kushina Uzumaki."
With that, he didn't wait for a reaction. He activated Kamui and vanished.
Seii watched him disappear without a word.
In fact, from start to finish, he'd only said that one line about the door. Nothing else.
It wasn't that he was intimidated or anything like that—he just didn't see the point in reacting.
He'd already figured out why Obito had shown up like this. Teleporting straight into his ho, when Obito knew the village had barriers that could detect spatial fluctuations, was deliberate.
It ant one thing: Obito wanted the village to suspect Seii.
And going further, Seii guessed Obito's goal was to get him sidelined from any potential guard duty.
After all, Obito had a rough idea of Seii's strength. If he was involved in protecting Kushina, it'd make Obito's plan a lot harder.
That's the last thing Obito wanted.
So, tonight's little visit happened.
But that wasn't all. Obito's other goal was likely to tip him off that he was about to make his move.
That way, whatever Seii did at that critical mont would draw attention and take so heat off Obito.
It was a two-birds-one-stone move.
But it also put Seii in a tough spot.
Just days ago, the village had caught Obito sneaking in and clashing with the Anbu. Now, him showing up like this was practically a slap in the village's face.
No way the Hidden Leaf would let this slide.
It all ca down to how precise the village's sensory barriers were.
If they could pinpoint the spatial disturbance to Seii's house…
His face darkened at the thought, but he didn't do anything. He just went back to his bedroom and went to sleep, as if nothing had happened.
Reviews
All reviews (0)