The Next Day.
Early Morning.
At the break of dawn, Seii led two large squads toward their destination—Blackstone Outpost.
Previously, when he and Uchiha Shisui traveled here, it had taken the entire morning for just the two of them.
Now, with two full squads comprising over a hundred people, reaching the outpost before noon would require minimal rest along the way.
Fortunately, they were all ninjas, able to rely on chakra to sustain themselves; otherwise, such a feat would have been impossible.
Still, by the ti they neared the destination, everyone was utterly exhausted.
Glancing back at the slightly disordered formation and hearing the heavy panting of the squad mbers, Seii halted the group and issued an order:
"Alright, everyone, take a fifteen-minute break."
Upon hearing this, the Konoha ninjas imdiately stopped, gathering in small groups to rest. So of the lower-ranking ninjas began consuming chakra pills to replenish their energy.
With a physique stat of 19 and a chakra reserve exceeding 130,000, the journey's toll was negligible for Seii.
After a brief pause, he used the Wind Release: Wings of Wind technique to ascend high into the air.
However, he failed to notice that as soon as he left the group, a Konoha ninja secretly placed a mark on a nearby tree.
From the skies, Seii carefully scanned the surroundings, vigilant against any potential dangers.
The unusual behavior of Nara Hikaru had raised his suspicions.
Moreover, earlier that morning, just before their departure, Hikaru had warned him that the Mist Village might cause trouble near Blackstone Outpost and urged him to remain cautious.
This essentially confird Seii's suspicions.
As a result, he had beco even more cautious, frequently flying into the sky during the journey to survey the area from above.
Yet, as they neared the outpost, the surroundings remained peaceful, making him doubt the reliability of Hikaru's information.
It wasn't out of the realm of possibility.
If the information were entirely accurate, Hikaru wouldn't have made such vague arrangents. This indicated that even he wasn't entirely sure of the intel.
Thus, Seii's mission had beco an ergency precaution.
But if Hikaru, who received the information first-hand, couldn't verify its authenticity, Seii, tasked only with execution, certainly couldn't either.
All he could do was remain vigilant.
Thankfully, his true strength far exceeded what anyone could imagine. No matter what surprises lay ahead, he had confidence in his ability to handle them.
---
Ti ticked away.
Soon, the fifteen-minute break ended.
Seii landed back on the ground, having found no signs of anything unusual.
Surveying the group, so sitting, others standing, he wasted no ti and gave a direct order:
"Everyone, regroup imdiately!"
The Konoha ninjas promptly followed, forming a defensive formation with practiced efficiency.
Satisfied, Seii nodded. "Move out!"
He led the way toward Blackstone Outpost, with the squad following close behind.
The march lasted nearly another hour.
By this ti, the sun was high in the sky, and the group had reached the outskirts of the outpost.
All they needed to do was pass through the forest ahead to enter Blackstone's defensive periter.
Oh, and by the way—
After the Mist Village's failed counterattack at Yuzushio Port, all Mist ninjas along the battlefront had adopted a defensive stance, including those stationed outside Blackstone Outpost from Flying Fish Town.
Thus, Seii wasn't concerned about his squad being blocked from entering the outpost.
Additionally, their movents had been swift and discreet. Even if Mist ninjas from nearby areas received word, they wouldn't have enough ti to respond.
Feeling reassured, Seii ordered the squad to advance through the forest, intending to head straight into the outpost's territory in one go.
But as always, surprises strike without warning.
Shortly after entering the forest, they were ambushed.
---
In the Forest.
Seii's expression darkened as he stared at the dense crowd of Mist ninjas ahead.
Clearly, these enemies had been lying in wait for quite so ti.
If they had only recently learned of his squad's movents, there wouldn't have been enough ti to assemble such a large force or set up this elaborate ambush.
The fact that the traces were so well-hidden—even Seii had fallen into the trap—left no doubt that this ambush had been preditated.
This could only an one thing: their movents had been leaked.
Now the question was, who was the real target? The Konoha squad or Seii himself?
If it was the forr, this was nothing more than a routine military operation. But if it was the latter…
A cold glint flashed in Seii's eyes.
If that were the case, he would make sure the enemy paid dearly.
And one more thing…
How had their movents been leaked?
"Nara Hikaru?"
His first suspicion fell on him.
But he quickly dismissed the idea.
If even Hikaru were a spy, then Konoha might as well surrender imdiately.
As for Hikaru targeting him specifically?
It wasn't impossible, but highly unlikely.
The Uchiha and Nara clans didn't have a particularly strong bond, but they weren't adversaries either. Hikaru targeting him seed implausible.
It was more likely that Hikaru had been kept in the dark as well.
This led Seii to question the source of the intel.
For soone to manipulate information so thoroughly, forcing Hikaru to comply and dragging Seii into the situation without leaving a trace, few individuals or organizations in the ninja world could achieve this.
"Could it be them?"
A sudden thought brought Danzo and his Root organization to Seii's mind.
This wasn't baseless speculation. Danzo had caused plenty of trouble in the past and had even targeted Seii multiple tis.
With the war nearing its end, missing this opportunity would make it much harder for Danzo to act against him later.
Given Danzo's character, eliminating an obstacle amidst the chaos of war would be entirely plausible.
What's more, Seii had recently destroyed Danzo's secret base on Oni Island. Though there was no solid evidence, Danzo might have deduced his involvent.
If so, targeting Seii would make perfect sense.
Danzo wasn't one to tolerate defiance, let alone from a young Uchiha.
These thoughts raced through Seii's mind but were quickly suppressed.
Focusing on the present, he began strategizing his next move.
One thing was certain: a head-on clash was not an option. The enemy's numbers and strength far exceeded his own.
As for retreating…
Seii glanced back.
He doubted the path they had taken was still safe.
If the enemy had ti to set up this ambush, cutting off their retreat would have been an obvious move.
"So, it cos to this after all?"
Looking at the restless Mist ninjas ahead, Seii murmured to himself.
*(To Be Continued…)*
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