The sky above.
Seii, seeing the situation unfold, did not hesitate. He imdiately raised his hand to form seals, casting a ninjutsu—Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!
Whoosh!
Flas spewed from his mouth, instantly transforming into three fiery dragons that surged toward the battlefield.
In the fray, two Konoha Chūnin, who had initially been rushing to rescue their fallen comrade, halted their advance at the sight of the fire dragons and quickly retreated to the side. Similarly, the four Kirigakure shinobi in the vicinity also dodged away in haste.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Seii's shadow clone slipped into the forest. After confirming that no one was watching him from behind a large tree, he dispelled the Shadow Clone Technique.
At the sa ti, the three fire dragons landed. Two of them missed their targets, but one struck its mark, incinerating the traitor into a charred husk.
This was precisely Seii's intention.
By reducing the body to ashes, even if soone wanted to extract information from the traitor's corpse or mind, it would be near impossible.
It wasn't that Seii was paranoid; he was simply cautious.
Without much thought, he could deduce that after this event, Danzo's interest in him would undoubtedly intensify.
From the way Hebi reacted at the end, it was evident that Danzo had likely already begun to suspect his Sharingan.
Otherwise, Hebi would not have imdiately recognized his Mangekyō Sharingan.
But there was nothing Seii could do about it.
Despite his ticulous care in using the Mangekyō Sharingan, traces would inevitably be left behind.
For minor individuals or small factions, these traces might not an much.
However, for a major shinobi village like Konoha, these clues could serve as glaring leads. If they chose to investigate thoroughly, they could eventually narrow down the suspects.
Initially, there might be a long list of possibilities, but as Seii used his Mangekyō more frequently, the evidence left behind would shrink that list.
Ultimately, the probability of them deducing that he possessed a Mangekyō Sharingan was almost 100%.
After this mission, Danzo's suspicions about this would undoubtedly grow stronger.
Still, to refrain entirely from using the Mangekyō Sharingan was not an option for Seii.
He sought strength precisely to act without restrictions. If he didn't dare to use his power when needed, what was the point of all his efforts?
Thus, avoiding the use of his Mangekyō Sharingan was out of the question.
For now, it was a race against ti.
Fortunately, due to his caution over the past two years, Seii still held the upper hand.
With that thought, Seii shook his head and ceased worrying. After tidying up the battlefield, he redirected his focus to attacking other Kirigakure shinobi.
About twenty minutes earlier, the Kirigakure forces blocking their retreat had finally destroyed the shadow clones Seii had left behind and reached the main battlefield.
At that ti, Seii's shadow clone stationed at the main battlefield had not yet departed.
Thus, even with the arrival of the Kirigakure forces, Konoha's morale held steady.
However, just a few minutes later, Seii's shadow clone, following the main body's summons, left the battlefield.
Although he had given so instructions before leaving, the Konoha shinobi on the field could not help but feel uneasy. Their anxiety only grew when Seii did not return after so ti, especially when the Kirigakure Jōnin intensified their assault.
Casualties among the Konoha forces began to mount. Within a re ten minutes, over thirty n fell in battle.
Just as morale was on the brink of collapse, Sano Nobuhisa's reinforcent squad arrived, stabilizing the situation.
Barely so, though.
Sano Nobuhisa's forces were small due to his hasty response.
Even with Seii now personally on the battlefield, the Konoha forces remained at a disadvantage overall.
However, Seii predicted that the Kirigakure forces would not push the battle further.
Two reasons supported his assumption:
Konoha reinforcents were still on their way. The teams stationed near the Blackstone Outpost had already received Sano Nobuhisa's orders and were converging on the battlefield. If they all arrived, it would be the Kirigakure forces surrounded instead. After the failed counterattack at Yuzuhama Port, Kirigakure's overall strategy had shifted from offense to defense along the entire front.
Given this overarching shift, even if the current Kirigakure forces achieved so short-term gains using intelligence advantages, they would eventually have to align with the larger strategic trend.
As such, Seii was confident they wouldn't prolong the battle.
Events unfolded as he had anticipated.
After another thirty or forty minutes of chaotic fighting, the Kirigakure forces, unable to break the Konoha defenders and increasingly outnumbered by reinforcents, finally chose to retreat.
A sharp whistle pierced the battlefield, signaling the Kirigakure forces to regroup and withdraw.
So Konoha shinobi attempted to pursue, but under Seii and Sano Nobuhisa's joint command, they reluctantly held back.
Their reasons differed.
Seii sought to avoid unnecessary complications.
While he had pieced together most of the situation from the minds of two Root operatives, there was no guarantee they knew everything.
If Danzo had another sche in place, things could get ssy.
Sano Nobuhisa, on the other hand, was simply cautious.
The battle itself had been abrupt and poorly explained. Were it not for Seii's direct plea for reinforcents, he might not have acted as swiftly.
Now that the enemy had retreated, his priority was to understand the situation fully rather than recklessly pursue them.
Half an hour later.
From the skies, Seii descended swiftly, dispersing his Wind Release: Wings of Wind technique as he landed steadily.
Sano Nobuhisa approached imdiately. "How is it?"
"They're likely gone for good. I left a shadow clone to trail them, so we don't need to worry about a sudden counterattack," Seii replied.
"Understood."
Sano Nobuhisa nodded thoughtfully, then said, "In that case, let's move out as well."
"Agreed."
After so brief planning, the two leaders regrouped their forces, with Sano Nobuhisa assuming unified command. They quickly cleared the battlefield and began marching toward the Blackstone Outpost.
By mid-afternoon, they arrived at the familiar sight of the Blackstone Outpost.
Seeing the buildings within, Seii felt a rare sense of comfort.
But before he could indulge in any sentintality, Sano Nobuhisa ushered him and several accompanying Jōnin into the eting room to debrief and assess the situation thoroughly.
Simultaneously, they prepared to report the incident to Nara Keiko.
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