166 - 170

Chapter 166: Breakthrough

After disengaging from the battle, Seimei returned the way he came and found the main force a few minutes later.

At this time, the main force had stopped advancing. Nara Shikaku and some other Jonin were gathered together, seemingly discussing something.

Seeing Seimei return, Nara Shikaku asked without waiting for him to speak, "Seimei, what's the specific situation on your side?"

The information that the whistle could convey was already extremely limited, and at the time, Seimei was being watched by dozens of Iwa-nin, so he didn't dare to blow it for too long.

Therefore, the information he transmitted was even more limited, just a few words: "Ambush ahead!"

Because of this, although Nara Shikaku and the others knew there was an ambush at Seimei's location, they didn't know the enemy's numbers or strength.

So, they didn't dare to advance rashly.

Now, seeing Seimei return, they immediately began to inquire about the details.

Seimei didn't waste any words and immediately told them that there were twenty enemies in the vanguard, with more behind them.

Hearing his words, Nara Shikaku and the others' expressions turned grim.

Seimei glanced at the Jonin present and immediately spotted the other members of the combat team. His bad feeling intensified.

So, he asked directly, "How's the situation on your sides?"

Hearing this, a member of the combat team shook his head and said, "Not good. Basically, there are enemies in every direction."

The meaning was clear: they were surrounded.

"No wonder those guys didn't care if I sent a message or not. They were so confident!"

Instantly, the doubts in Seimei's mind cleared up.

At the same time, it also confirmed his premonition. The current situation was indeed not ideal.

However, judging by the expressions of Nara Shikaku and the others, the situation shouldn't have deteriorated beyond recovery.

In fact, that was indeed the case.

After some communication, Seimei learned that apart from the Iwa-nin in his direction, the total number of enemies discovered in other directions, plus those chasing from behind, was only around four hundred.

Even if there were a hundred Iwa-nin in the direction he had just scouted, the total number of enemies was only a little over five hundred.

And on their side?

Although they had just gone through a fierce battle over half an hour ago and lost some people, the number of surviving ninjas was still three hundred and eighty-two.

In other words, the enemy's numbers were at most only one and a half times theirs. Considering the difference in average combat power between the two sides, they weren't in too bad a shape.

That's why Nara Shikaku and the others weren't too anxious.

However, they couldn't get entangled with these Iwa-nin for too long, because these five hundred were definitely just the first wave of Iwagakure's reinforcements, and more would surely follow.

After all, some of Iwagakure's strongholds were quite far from their location. Even if Iwagakure had mobilized troops in time, they wouldn't be able to arrive immediately.

Therefore, it was best for them to break through first.

And this was also the opinion of the other Jonin.

Finally, after some discussion, everyone unanimously decided to break through from the southeast direction, where the number of Iwa-nin was the smallest and the difficulty of breaking through was the lowest.

With a decision made, everyone didn't waste any time and immediately led the team forward.

This time, it wasn't Seimei and the other members of the combat team who cleared the way, but several Hyuga clan Tokubetsu Jonin.

In this situation, those with the Byakugan were undoubtedly the best guides.

This could help them avoid many battles.

...

Time passed by.

Half an hour later.

The Hyuga clan Tokubetsu Jonin scattered in front of the team stopped one after another.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Seimei looked at a Hyuga ninja beside him and asked.

"There's no way forward," Hyuga Linghuo replied.

"No way forward?"

Seimei frowned, "What do you mean?"

"All the paths ahead are blocked by the Iwa-nin. It seems they've discovered our intentions and are conducting a net-like search. We can't avoid them."

Hyuga Linghuo replied while observing the movements ahead using the Byakugan's X-ray vision.

Soon, Nara Shikaku also received the news. After confirming that there was indeed no way to avoid the Iwa-nin's search, he directly ordered everyone to charge in one direction.

Anyway, there weren't many Iwa-nin ahead. As long as they charged through, even if the Iwa-nin pinpointed their location, they would have to rearrange their encirclement.

And this had already achieved their goal of delaying the enemy's reinforcements.

At this time, the Iwa-nin ahead didn't know that Seimei and the others had already started their charge. By the time they realized something was wrong, Seimei and the others were already close.

'Wind Style: Great Breakthrough~'

The first to attack was Seimei. With a powerful Wind Style ninjutsu, he directly forced out all the hidden Iwa-nin ahead.

Next was a middle-aged Jonin. He quickly formed hand seals, opened his mouth, and spat out a stream of water.

The water touched the ground and transformed into a wave, rushing towards the Iwa-nin. The places it passed turned into a lake.

This was none other than the B-rank ninjutsu - Water Style: Water Release: Wild Bubble Wave, a high-level Water Style ninjutsu capable of altering the terrain.

Seeing the rapidly approaching wave, the Iwa-nin quickly retreated.

Only one person stepped forward. He quickly formed the "Snake - Hare - Dog" hand seals with both hands, then slapped the ground, and used the B-rank ninjutsu - Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall.

The next moment, an earthen wall over ten meters high rose from the ground, blocking the Iwa-nin.

The wave crashed against the earthen wall and quickly rebounded, then was swept up by the second wave and crashed into the wall again, rebounding once more.

In this way, the waves impacted again and again, shaking the surrounding ground, but they couldn't break through the earthen wall.

A few moments later, the middle-aged Jonin stopped using the ninjutsu.

Seeing this, the Iwa-nin standing on the earthen wall secretly breathed a sigh of relief. They were really afraid that the opponent would continue using the technique and eventually break through the wall.

"But..."

Everyone looked at the Iwa-nin Jonin in front and thought to themselves, "Fortunately, it's Jonin Nogawa. If it were any other Jonin, they might not be able to withstand the attacks from the enemy Jonin."

However, Nogawa Ki, the focus of everyone's attention, didn't show any signs of relaxation. He looked at the Konoha ninjas on the lake ahead with a serious expression.

Clearly, he knew this wasn't over. As long as the Konoha ninjas wanted to leave from here, they would definitely find other ways to break through his obstruction.

Sure enough, with a crackling sound, everyone saw a lightning bolt shoot out from the Konoha crowd, piercing straight into the earthen wall like a spear.

As everyone knew, Lightning Style had a counteracting effect on Earth Style.

Therefore, when this Lightning Style: Lightning Rod technique hit the wall created by the Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall, it immediately created several cracks about a foot wide on it.

Then, two long dragons, one water and one fire, sprang out from the Konoha team and swooped down towards the earthen wall and the Iwa-nin standing on it.

"Scatter!"

Seeing this, the Iwa-nin Jonin who was desperately maintaining the Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall immediately shouted.

At the same time, he himself also jumped back.

But at this moment, a pair of blood-red Sharingan filled his vision, quickly occupying his entire field of view.

"No! It's the Sharingan!"

Sensing the abnormality, Nogawa Ki cursed inwardly and was about to form hand seals to dispel the genjutsu. But before he could take any action, his consciousness was pulled into the illusion.

On the lake, Seimei lowered his hands.

Looking at the Iwa-nin Jonin who was directly crushed to death by the Water Dragon Bullet Technique, he muttered to himself, "As expected of Lv6 Genjutsu, its effects are truly domineering!"

That's right, what he had just used was the Lv6 Genjutsu: Sharingan.

It had to be said that when used with sufficient preparation, the effects of this technique were truly overbearing.

Even from such a long distance, he easily pulled that Iwa-nin Jonin into the genjutsu.

You know, this was a genuine Jonin. Even so, after falling for it, they had no power to resist. From this, you can imagine what would happen to other ninja if they were caught in it. The result probably wouldn't be much better than this Iwa-nin Jonin. The only pity is that it takes a few seconds of preparation to achieve this effect. And such an opportunity almost never exists in a battle with ninja of the same level.

Shaking his head, Seimei stopped dwelling on it and turned his attention back to the battlefield.

Chapter 167: The Eve

  *

Boom! Boom!

Two consecutive loud crashes echoed as the water and fire dragons slammed into the earthen wall, killing Nogawa Kei and shattering the wall.

Thanks to Nogawa Kei's early warning, most of the lower-ranking Iwa ninja escaped the blast, with only a few unlucky ones suffering minor injuries.

"Attack!"

A low shout erupted from the Konoha ranks.

In the next moment, hundreds of Konoha ninja charged towards the remaining Iwa ninja.

The lake that had formed behind the earthen wall was rapidly expanding as the wall crumbled. The water level dropped quickly, making the surface unstable.

However, the Konoha ninja stepped on the water as if it were solid ground, showing no signs of wavering.

They quickly caught up to the Iwa ninja.

The Iwa ninja were already outnumbered, and with their leading Jonin dead, they had no intention of staying.

As soon as Seimei and the others moved, the Iwa ninja scattered and fled.

In the end, the vast difference in numbers and strength resulted in the deaths of most of the Iwa ninja.

Seimei and the others didn't pursue the few who managed to escape. Instead, they led the team forward at high speed.

They had to put enough distance between themselves and the Iwa ninja before they could react and reestablish their encirclement.

This would give them more time to rest and better contain Iwagakure's reinforcements.

As long as they could break through again before the second encirclement was formed, they would gain another period of rest.

After doing this two or three times, they could basically complete their mission.

By then, the offensive and defensive battle at the front-line stronghold should have a result.

"I just don't know if the plan will go as smoothly as expected..."

While on the move, Seimei multitasked, keeping a close eye on his surroundings while speculating on various future possibilities and formulating countermeasures.

Time passed by.

In the blink of an eye, it was mid-afternoon.

After confirming they had broken through the encirclement, Nara Shikaku ordered everyone to rest.

The Konoha ninja immediately sat down and took out soldier pills from their ninja pouches, chewing them.

For a while, the only sound was the crunching of the pills.

After resting for about an hour, they set off again, heading towards Iwagakure's second line of defense according to the plan.

This time, Nara Shikaku didn't have them march at full speed.

There were two reasons for this. First, the continuous battles, killings, and rushing had left everyone exhausted, and their physical strength had declined significantly. To maintain their combat effectiveness, they had to slow down.

Second, they needed to make sure the Iwa ninja could catch up.

Their primary goal was not to escape but to contain Iwagakure's reinforcements.

If they ran too fast and the Iwa ninja gave up hope of catching up, their mission would be considered a failure.

Therefore, they had to give Iwagakure enough time to pursue them, to let them see hope, so they wouldn't give up.

At the same time, to ensure their own safety, they couldn't get too close.

Nara Shikaku, as the commander, needed to grasp this balance.

As a Jonin from the Nara clan, known for their high intelligence in Konoha and even the entire ninja world, Seimei trusted Nara Shikaku's abilities.

Therefore, he didn't interfere with his decisions.

Facts proved that Nara Shikaku was indeed capable.

Over the next day or so, he led the team, sometimes stopping, sometimes taking detours to avoid Iwagakure's search, and sometimes directly breaking through their checkpoints.

In short, they were neither caught nor did they let Iwagakure give up the pursuit. The mission was going smoothly.

...

Time flew by, and it was the evening of the next day.

By now, they had broken through three of Iwagakure's blockades and arrived at a camp they had captured the night before yesterday.

It was a sizable town that had been emptied of civilians due to the war, and the buildings were in ruins.

Even so, it was still better than the wilderness, at least there were places to shelter from the wind and rain.

They would rest here for the night.

According to the news from headquarters, the counter-offensive plan was progressing very smoothly, and several strongholds on the front line had made significant progress.

Some strongholds had even broken through the camps on Iwagakure's second line of defense.

Their mission tomorrow was to rendezvous with a team not far away that had already penetrated Iwagakure's second line of defense.

It could be said that their task of containing Iwagakure's reinforcements was basically complete.

After meeting up with their allies tomorrow, their safety would be greatly improved.

According to the latest intelligence, it would take Iwagakure at least until noon tomorrow to block their path again.

As long as they set off before then, they wouldn't encounter any danger.

According to their plan, they would leave here early tomorrow morning and quickly head to their allies' location.

So, theoretically, they were safe.

But for some reason, Seimei had a bad feeling that the rendezvous wouldn't go so smoothly.

Combined with the occasional feeling of being watched these days, this bad feeling became even stronger.

Unfortunately, he had no evidence and couldn't ask Nara Shikaku to change the plan just because of a feeling.

"Sigh! Looks like I'll have to be extra careful tomorrow..."

With a sigh, Seimei reminded himself and then entered a cultivation state, holding his short sword.

Seimei had developed the habit of cultivating whenever he had time, no matter how tired he was.

Now, his daily chakra recovery was 21,000 points. If he didn't use it, it would be a waste, so Seimei cherished every minute and second.

Nowadays, he couldn't practice the 'Heart Reflection Technique' anymore, so he would practice the 'Genjutsu: Sharingan' whenever he had the chance.

Practicing it required less chakra and time than the 'Heart Reflection Technique', so his proficiency increased rapidly, and the progress bar was almost halfway there.

Once it reached the perfect state of lv7 (0/0), he could start developing the '幻剑术' (Illusion Sword Technique).

There was also the 'Healing Technique'...

Because of the many opportunities to practice it in recent days, its proficiency had also increased rapidly.

Currently, the progress bar had exceeded 80%. He only needed to experience one or two more battles to reach the perfect state of lv5 (0/0).

By then, he could start learning the 'Palm Immortal Technique' and 'Chakra Scalpel'.

After that, once he had leveled them up, he could try to strengthen his body.

Various thoughts flashed through his mind, and Seimei quickly calmed down and began cultivating according to his plan.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 168: Spying and Informing

Meanwhile.

Under the veil of night.

Not far from the small town, a strange insect suddenly emerged from the ground.

It was two meters long, with three pairs of sharp feet, and its entire body was covered in scales. Its pair of earthy yellow eyes were remarkably intelligent.

It looked around, then opened its mouth and spat out a human figure.

The newcomer also looked around cautiously after appearing. After confirming it was safe, he touched the insect's head and said, "Good job, Chica!"

The insect rubbed against his palm, then lay on the ground, quietly waiting for Shoji Kohara's command.

That's right, this person was none other than Shoji Kohara.

And this strange insect named Chica was his summoning animal. It not only had the ability to conceal its aura but also had an extra-dimensional space within its body.

Shoji Kohara was hiding in this extra-dimensional space, and with Chica's ability to conceal their aura, he was able to follow behind Seimei without being detected.

That's right, ever since the battle the day before yesterday, he had been following Seimei, monitoring his every move from underground.

The occasional gaze that Seimei sensed was from him.

As for why Iwa hadn't surrounded them yet, the answer was simple: Shoji Kohara hadn't given the relevant information to the other Iwa ninja.

It wasn't that Shoji Kohara planned to take on Seimei alone, but he believed that the current Iwa ninja weren't enough to stop Seimei and the others.

So, giving them the information would only increase his risk of exposure and had no other benefit.

However, things were different now.

Not long ago, he received news that an elite team sent by the village had arrived at the battlefield.

As far as he knew, this team wasn't large, but the weakest members were special jonin with unique skills. The leader was an elite jonin known as the "Steam Ninja" - Han.

Moreover, he wasn't just an ordinary ninja. Within his body was sealed the fearsome tailed beast - the Five-Tails!

Therefore, after receiving this news, he passed on the information he had to them.

Calculating the time, they should arrive tomorrow morning.

With that thought, Shoji Kohara looked towards the town in the distance, as if seeing Seimei through many obstacles, and murmured, "Soon, very soon..."

After saying that, he gently patted the insect's head and said, "Chica, let's go!"

Hearing this, the strange insect named Chica shook its body, then raised its head and inhaled, swallowing Shoji Kohara into its abdomen.

Then, it poked its two front sharp feet into the ground, and the earth seemed to soften, swallowing it whole.

A moment later, the earth returned to normal, leaving no trace behind.

...

Time flew by, and it was early the next morning.

As soon as the sky turned light, all the Konoha ninja in the town woke up.

They quickly freshened up, then ate a few soldier pills to replenish their nutrients and energy.

After that, they set off towards their predetermined destination, led by the jonin.

Seimei walked at the front of the group, protecting Hyuga Hayato. His Sharingan was fully activated, his gaze fixed on the surroundings, his expression incredibly serious.

Hyuga Hayato looked at him several times, and finally couldn't help but ask, "Seimei, what's wrong with you today? You're so cautious!"

Hearing this, Seimei glanced at him and saw a long-lost sense of ease on his face.

Not just him, but all the surviving ninja in the group were more relaxed than they had been in the past two days.

Clearly, the completion of the mission and the upcoming reunion with their allies had unconsciously made them a little lax.

"This won't do!"

Seimei suddenly stopped.

Seeing this, Hyuga Hayato thought he had discovered something and quickly looked around vigilantly, asking in a low voice, "What's wrong?"

"Oh!"

Seimei was brought back to reality by the question and replied somewhat perfunctorily, "Nothing."

Before Hyuga Hayato could continue asking, he said again, "You be careful yourself. I have something to discuss with Nara-san, I'll be back in a bit."

Hyuga Hayato was confused but nodded and said, "Okay, I understand. Go ahead!"

After all, he was a special jonin and didn't need to be protected all the time.

The only reason Seimei was walking with him was as a precaution by Nara Shikaku.

The other Hyuga ninja also had members of the combat team by their side.

Hearing his response, Seimei simply replied and was about to turn around and leave, but after thinking for a moment, he still reminded him, "Linghuo, be careful. I have a feeling today won't be so smooth."

After saying that, regardless of Hyuga Hayato's reaction, he used the Body Flicker Technique and disappeared.

Hyuga Hayato was slightly taken aback and frowned, "Not so smooth, what does that mean? Are there still enemies? That doesn't make sense!"

As Hyuga Hayato was thinking, he suddenly remembered Seimei's unusual behavior today and wondered if he had really discovered something.

With that thought, he looked at the surrounding forest, a sense of fear inexplicably rising in his heart.

'Byakugan!'

As soon as the thought arose, Hyuga Hayato activated his Byakugan. Blue veins appeared on both sides of his eyes, looking quite terrifying.

But Hyuga Hayato was used to it. He used the Byakugan's透视 ability to quickly scan the surroundings.

However, apart from the departing Seimei, a few other scouting clansmen, and their teammates, there was no one else within a kilometer radius.

After confirming this, Hyuga Hayato secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

But...

Thinking of Seimei's cautiousness, he ultimately put away his relaxed attitude and once again seriously took on the task of scouting.

...

Meanwhile.

About twenty to thirty kilometers away from Seimei and the others, a seven-person Iwa team was rapidly advancing.

Suddenly, a loud eagle's cry rang out.

All seven of them stopped and looked up at the sky.

They saw an eagle flying from the horizon, circling overhead twice before suddenly descending and landing steadily on the outstretched arm of one of them.

This person first stroked the eagle's back feathers and then took out a rolled-up note from the message tube attached to its leg.

Opening the note, this person looked at the numbers on it and quickly compared them to the codebook in his mind, translating them into words.

"What does it say?"

Another Iwa ninja asked after he finished reading.

Hearing this, the Iwa ninja rubbed his fingers together, and a small flame appeared, burning the note to ashes.

After the ashes scattered, he slowly said, "Kohara-san just sent us intel. The Konoha ninja have left the town.

Based on their route, headquarters believes they're planning to rendezvous with the Konoha unit that broke through the Tiger Mountain camp yesterday."

"So, should we intercept them on the way or go straight to the Tiger Mountain camp and wait for them to walk into our trap?"

One of the Iwa ninja asked immediately after hearing this.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 169: Each Side's Preparations

"We can't go to the Tiger Mountain camp."

Amidst the silence, one person spoke up.

His voice was muffled, as if his mouth was covered by something.

And indeed it was. The speaker was tall, wearing a red conical hat and red armor, with a red mask covering his mouth.

It was this mask that made his voice sound so muffled.

This person was none other than the leader of this seven-person team, an elite jonin of Iwagakure, the Five-Tails jinchuriki known as the "Steam Ninja" - Han.

Hearing Han's words, one of the team members agreed, "Indeed, we can't go to the Tiger Mountain camp.

Not only has it been occupied by Konoha ninja, making it easy for us to expose ourselves and cause unnecessary trouble if we go there, but also, that destination was just a guess by the headquarters.

What if those Konoha ninja aren't heading there? Wouldn't we be wasting our time?"

"In that case, let's intercept them on the way. Their direction of travel has been confirmed, and we can take a shortcut to stop them in advance," another person said.

The others thought about it and finally nodded in agreement.

"Also..."

However, one person added, "We need to inform the search teams immediately and have them move closer to us. We can't stop everyone with just the few of us."

Hearing his words, the Iwa ninja who had checked the intel earlier nodded, "Yamae, you're right. We need to get them here quickly!"

As he spoke, he took out a small piece of paper from his pocket, quickly wrote a long string of numbers on it, then rolled it up and stuffed it into the messenger hawk's leg pouch.

Then, he stroked the messenger hawk's back feathers, raised his arm, and said, "Go!"

Hearing this, the messenger hawk flapped its wings and shot into the sky like an arrow.

It circled overhead twice, let out a loud cry, and then flew off into the distance.

Afterward, the Iwa ninja discussed some details of their operation, adjusted their direction, and continued forward.

...

On the other side.

Seimei quickly returned to the main group after separating from Hyuga Hayato and found Nara Shikaku.

"Seimei, did something happen?"

Seeing Seimei rushing back, Nara Shikaku quickly asked.

"Not yet,"

Seimei shook his head.

However, hearing his words, Nara Shikaku didn't relax but became even more serious.

"What do you mean 'not yet'? Did you discover something?"

He looked at Seimei and asked.

"Yes."

Seimei nodded and then recounted his premonition and the occasional feeling of being watched over the past two days.

Hearing this, Nara Shikaku fell into deep thought. He didn't dismiss it just because it was Seimei's feeling.

This kind of sixth sense was very mysterious, sometimes allowing people to skip the process and see the result directly.

And the stronger the person, the more accurate this feeling was.

Was Seimei a strong person?

The answer was definitely yes.

Coupled with his three-tomoe Sharingan, Nara Shikaku didn't think this was Seimei's illusion.

If the gaze he sensed was real, it meant their movements were being monitored by an unknown enemy.

If this person was a ninja from another village, it wouldn't be a big deal, just an increased risk.

But if it was an Iwa ninja, then it was a big problem.

They hadn't encountered any large-scale encirclement in the past two days.

At first glance, this seemed to prove that Seimei's senses were wrong and there was no hidden enemy.

But thinking about it from another perspective, the reason the enemy hadn't surrounded them precisely, allowing them to break through layers of blockades, might be to lull them into a false sense of security and then deliver a fatal blow.

If that was the case, it meant the enemy was ready and could attack them at any time.

And two days was enough time for Iwagakure to prepare.

In other words, today was very likely the day Iwa would take action.

And this coincided with Seimei's vague premonition.

Various thoughts flashed through his mind, and in an instant, Nara Shikaku thought of a lot.

What could he say?

As expected of a Nara clan ninja, he had roughly deduced the whole situation based on the little information Seimei provided.

And after thinking about all this, Nara Shikaku broke out in a cold sweat and immediately called a meeting with several jonin who had decision-making power.

Once everyone was gathered, he didn't waste any time and immediately shared Seimei's premonition, his sense of an unknown enemy, and his own deductions.

Hearing this, the jonin all frowned.

It wasn't that they didn't believe Seimei. The ninja world was full of strange techniques and summoning animals, and it wasn't impossible for someone to hide nearby without being detected.

The key was, if Seimei's senses were correct and Nara Shikaku's deductions were accurate, their situation wasn't optimistic, and they had to make changes.

And this was the reason for their frowns.

Finally, one jonin spoke first, "So what do we do now? Stop moving forward and search for the hidden enemy?"

"No!"

"That won't work!"

Before he could finish, two other Konoha jonin rejected his suggestion.

One of them said, "Seimei-san must have already investigated after discovering the anomaly, right?"

"Yes."

Seimei nodded and confirmed, "That's right. After sensing someone watching us, I investigated several times but found nothing."

Hearing this, the person continued, "You all know Seimei-san's abilities, plus the Uchiha clan's Sharingan. If even he couldn't find anything, it's most likely a waste of time for us to continue investigating."

"Perhaps Aoyama-san could try," someone suddenly interrupted.

Hyuga Aoyama shook his head and denied the suggestion, "No, if this enemy truly exists and has been able to hide nearby for so long without being discovered, they're likely aware of our clan's Byakugan abilities.

In that case, they might only briefly approach us at specific times to gather information.

And we can't stay here forever, waiting for them to appear. So even I wouldn't be able to find them."

"Then what if we change our route and don't go to the Tiger Mountain camp? We could go somewhere else," another person suggested.

"No."

One person shook his head, "If we're truly being monitored, it doesn't matter where we go. As long as Iwagakure is ready, they'll attack us. We can't panic and change our plans."

"So what do we do next? Continue to the Tiger Mountain camp?"

"..."

Everyone spoke one after another, discussing their next move.

In the end, they unanimously decided to continue towards the Tiger Mountain camp.

However, they would increase their speed and send out more people to scout the surroundings, guarding against a sudden Iwa ambush.

In addition, they also informed their allies at the Tiger Mountain camp to move towards them, aiming for an earlier rendezvous.

Of course, they didn't give up on searching for the hidden enemy. Hyuga Aoyama was specifically responsible for this.

He and several other Hyuga clan ninja roamed around the group, occasionally activating their Byakugan to observe and search for any potential enemies.

Meanwhile, as various orders were issued, Seimei could clearly feel the change in the ninja's morale.

They were no longer lax as before; everyone had become extremely vigilant.

This pleased Seimei greatly.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 170: Discovery

After discussing the plan, Seimei returned to Hyuga Hayato's side and briefly recounted the content of the meeting.

After hearing his account, Hyuga Hayato realized the seriousness of the situation and understood why Seimei had rushed back earlier.

If his premonition came true, it would indeed be a terrifying event.

This also made him even more cautious while carrying out his scouting duties.

Almost every minute, he would activate his Byakugan and use its eye ability to observe everything within a one-kilometer radius.

Fortunately, until mid-morning, during a short break, they didn't find anything unusual.

However, their luck only lasted until then.

After the break, they had just set off for half an hour when Hyuga Hayato's expression suddenly changed as he routinely activated his Byakugan to observe the surroundings.

Seimei, who had been closely watching him, immediately noticed the change in his expression and asked, "Linghuo, did you find something?"

Hyuga Hayato turned his head towards the front right and said in a serious tone, "At three o'clock, about six hundred meters away, there's an Iwa ninja team."

Hearing this, Seimei immediately looked in that direction, but the distance was too far, and he couldn't see anything. So he continued to ask, "How many people? What's their strength like?"

"Seven."

Hyuga Hayato first stated the number of people in the team.

"And their strength?"

Seimei asked again.

Although a ninja's strength couldn't be entirely determined by the amount of chakra they possessed, there was no doubt that those with more chakra wouldn't be weak.

Therefore, judging the enemy's strength based on their chakra levels was a basic tactic, and Seimei often did so.

Compared to his Sharingan's accuracy in observing chakra, the Hyuga clan's Byakugan was undoubtedly more precise.

Thus, their judgment would be more accurate.

Sure enough, after a while, Hyuga Hayato said, "Four of them are average, with chakra levels about a quarter of yours."

"A quarter of mine?"

Seimei murmured and glanced at his status panel.

Currently, his maximum chakra was 24,724 points. During missions, he usually maintained his chakra around 24,000 points.

A quarter of that was 6,000 points, which was the level of a special jonin.

In an instant, Seimei had a rough estimate of the strength of these four people.

Then, he heard Hyuga Hayato continue, "The other two are stronger, with chakra levels about half of yours."

"Half?"

Seimei frowned slightly. Half was 12,000 points, even exceeding the level of "one card" (likely referring to a specific measurement unit in the story).

'Could these two be elite jonin?'

Seimei was filled with doubt.

But he wasn't too nervous because at this level, it wasn't just about chakra quantity but also a ninja's combat skills.

In fact, the latter was even more important.

Even with sufficient chakra, one couldn't become an elite jonin without adequate combat skills.

If ordinary jonin were the pillars of the village, then elite jonin were the thickest among them.

In peacetime, they could even compete for the position of Kage.

This showed that there wouldn't be too many elite jonin in each village.

So, it was unrealistic for Iwagakure to send two at once.

Thinking of this, Seimei secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, he continued to ask, "And the last one?"

"The last one..."

Hyuga Hayato hesitated for a moment, not speaking for a while, just staring intently in that direction, as if struggling to observe something.

"Ah!"

Just as Seimei was getting impatient, Hyuga Hayato suddenly cried out, closed his Byakugan, and started gasping for air. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and he looked as if he had been frightened.

Before Seimei could ask, he shouted anxiously, "Run!"

Hearing this, Seimei didn't waste any time. He immediately grabbed Hyuga Hayato's arm and rushed towards the main group at high speed.

It took more than ten seconds for Hyuga Hayato to recover.

He broke free from Seimei's grip and explained as they moved, "The last guy isn't an ordinary ninja. If I'm not mistaken, he's the Five-Tails jinchuriki."

"What?"

Seimei stopped in his tracks, unable to believe it, and asked, "Are you sure?"

Although he had already guessed from Hyuga Hayato's reaction that the last person was definitely not simple, he didn't expect it to be the Five-Tails jinchuriki.

Moreover...

'Iwagakure is actually willing to send out such a powerful weapon?'

Seimei was puzzled.

But after thinking about it carefully, he felt it wasn't that surprising, after all, it was the Five-Tails jinchuriki who had come out this time.

Compared to other jinchuriki, the Five-Tails jinchuriki, Han, was much more stable, and there was basically no need to worry about him losing control.

Besides, this wasn't the first time Iwagakure had sent him out.

Otherwise, how did he get the title of "Steam Ninja"? It was earned through battles!

Thinking of this, Seimei didn't find it strange anymore.

But...

'That's a jinchuriki! If I can turn him into a 'chakra battery', I won't have to worry about chakra for a long time.'

As soon as this thought popped up, Seimei couldn't help but feel tempted.

What?

He wasn't strong enough?

Indeed, with his current strength, it was unlikely he could capture the Five-Tails jinchuriki. But don't forget, his Sharingan's evolution progress was at (9999/10000).

Once he evolved his three-tomoe Sharingan into the Mangekyo Sharingan, his strength would definitely increase significantly.

At that time, with Mangekyo-level瞳力 and his 'Genjutsu: Sharingan' at level 6 with over half progress, controlling a mere jinchuriki wouldn't be a problem.

Even if the jinchuriki fully transformed into the tailed beast, Seimei was somewhat confident in dealing with it.

If the ocular jutsu he awakened was even more powerful, the process might be even simpler.

However...

After some internal struggle, he still gave up on this idea. There were three main reasons: first, he didn't want to disrupt his plan and rashly awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan.

Second, capturing a tailed beast at this time would be too high-profile. Uchiha Madara wasn't dead yet, and if he attracted his attention, it would be a big problem.

If Madara thought he had potential and captured him to control and use him to further the "Eye of the Moon Plan," that wouldn't be good.

Seimei didn't want to get entangled with someone who was about to die.

As for the third reason...

There were too many people around, not only Konoha ninja but also Iwa ninja.

If he chose to attack the Five-Tails jinchuriki, Han, and couldn't resolve the situation quickly, it would inevitably turn into a large-scale battle.

At that time, his Mangekyo Sharingan would definitely be exposed.

And once his Mangekyo Sharingan was revealed, it would cause even more trouble, which completely went against his plan.

So, after careful consideration, he ultimately decided to hold back.

Of course, such a good opportunity couldn't be wasted.

Although he couldn't capture the jinchuriki this time, observing his combat habits and power level would be quite beneficial.

Even though he might not target this tailed beast in the future, it was always good to be prepared, right?

"Seimei? Seimei?"

While Seimei was brainstorming, Hyuga Hayato's anxious voice suddenly brought him back to reality.

Seeing that he had regained his senses, Hyuga Hayato anxiously asked, "Why did you stop? When I was observing him with my Byakugan just now, the tailed beast noticed me. The jinchuriki is already heading this way. We need to hurry and meet up with the main group."

However, before he could finish speaking, a "whooshing" sound like a train moving at high speed suddenly came from the distance, growing louder and louder.

Hearing this sound, Hyuga Hayato immediately activated his Byakugan and looked in the direction of the sound.

The next moment, his face changed drastically, and he shouted, "Run! He's coming!"

In fact, even without him saying it, Seimei had already seen the newcomer through the gaps in the forest.

He was wearing red armor, a conical hat, and emitting white steam all over his body, rushing towards them at an extremely fast speed.

He ignored the thinner trees along the way, directly crashing through them, only slightly changing his direction when encountering thicker trees.

This kind of power was terrifying.

(End of Chapter)