In his line of sight, several figures in high-collared coats, wrapped up tightly, stood quietly. It was nightti, yet they all wore sunglasses, their silent presence casting an eerie stillness.
Seii instantly recognized their identities—the Abura Clan, known for their use of insects.
As one of the founding clans of Konoha, this clan was known not only for their strength but also for their aura of mystery. Whether it was the fad Shino Abura from the "Konoha 12" or the figures before him, all shared an enigmatic vibe.
Of course, there was danger, too.
The Abura Clan mbers present were all at least of Special Jonin level. At the front stood none other than Shibi Abura, the clan head. Seii had made a point of rembering the notable figures of the village, so he was sure he wasn't mistaken—the man leading the Abura mbers was indeed Shibi.
Noticing Seii's gaze, Shibi returned his look. Even through the sunglasses, Seii felt a discerning scrutiny. After a mont, Shibi nodded without saying a word.
"Indeed, very Abura-like," thought Seii.
However, what Seii didn't realize was that, beneath Shibi's calm exterior, a storm of surprise raged. As known, the weaker a creature, the keener its senses for danger. The Abura's insects had a similar instinct but to a greater extent, a common way they gauged an opponent's strength.
Just monts ago, when Shibi tried sensing Seii, his insects sent a strong warning signal. Such a high level of danger was sothing Shibi had only sensed in a select few.
Shibi shook his head, trying not to dwell on it. He couldn't be certain yet, but Shibi knew that Seii's strength wasn't as simple as he had let on. Even though Seii had displayed impressive power before, enough to exceed the limits for his age, it hadn't reached the level that would alarm Shibi's insects. In other words, Seii was hiding a significant portion of his strength.
This realization unsettled Shibi. He signaled his clan mbers discreetly to keep a close eye on Seii in the upcoming battle and, if necessary, to rally toward him for support. Although they made no obvious reaction, Seii noticed that more eyes seed to be focusing on him. He wasn't too concerned, though. Not only were these people currently his allies, posing no threat, but even if they weren't, he would still be unbothered.
In the end, strength rules the ninja world. As long as his fist was hard enough and his power strong enough, there was no need to worry about minor matters.
While Seii mused, two more figures appeared—Minato Namikaze, accompanied by a familiar face, Shisui Uchiha, who had arrived with him from the Black Stone outpost.
Seii's gaze swept over Shisui, noting his montary daze, a side effect of the teleportation. This confird Seii's suspicion that Shisui had yet to awaken his Mangekyou Sharingan. As the "eye reflecting the heart," Shisui's awakening of the mind-controlling "Kotoamatsukami" only happened when he foresaw the rift between his clan and the village. Right now, in the heat of war, he had no ti for such reflection. Without that painful awareness, his Sharingan wouldn't evolve.
With these thoughts flashing through his mind, Seii nodded at Shisui as he watched Minato disappear again.
In the following monts, more and more familiar and unfamiliar figures appeared. Seii felt increasingly stunned as the gathering grew. He realized he had underestimated the determination of Sarutobi Hiruzen and the other village leaders.
This ti, the village had indeed pulled out all the stops. Clan heads from the Inuzuka, Moonlight, Kurama, Yamanaka, Nara, Akimichi, Hyuga, and Uchiha clans, among others, were all here. Adding their elite clan mbers, the assembled force was formidable.
Seeing the magnitude of this lineup, Seii could only imagine the challenge of gathering these people without affecting other battlefronts. "No wonder this took so long," he thought.
But was it truly worth it to deplete a Kage-level fighter like Minato Namikaze just to transport everyone?
Seii glanced at Minato and could sense that his chakra had dropped to less than a quarter of what it had been monts ago. Even with Minato's mastery of the Flying Thunder God technique, such repeated usage had nearly drained him. These people had arrived nearby to minimize the distance, or else, no matter how skilled Minato was, it would be impossible for him to manage.
Still, this was impressive. Seii roughly counted over fifty people present—not just any fifty shinobi but a group where most were Jonin or Chunin with unique talents. With this kind of power, even a fortified Kirigakure stronghold would struggle to hold up.
Looking back on Kirigakure's intel for this front, there didn't seem to be anyone on their side that would require Minato's personal intervention. In that case, sacrificing so personal power to boost the overall team strength made sense.
Seii pondered over this as Minato clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention. Once they looked his way, he got straight to assigning tasks. This mission's objectives had already been mapped out before the decapitation operation, so he was rely reiterating the plan.
Interestingly, the mission commander this ti wasn't the Nara clan's intellectual leader, Shikaku Nara, but rather the "youngster" Minato Namikaze. It was obvious that Sarutobi Hiruzen was paving the way for Minato. Knowing he might not be able to continue as Hokage after this war, he had started grooming his successor.
Minato's character and strength made him widely accepted, and thus, no one openly objected. Many were even willing to support him. anwhile, in unseen corners of Konoha, several clans were already aligning themselves politically. With their keen sense for shifts in power, these clans' early moves had made it possible to gather such a powerful force here.
(End of Chapter)
Reviews
All reviews (0)