"Don't worry, Captain. We'll hold out until you return."

Hearing Seimei's words, the captains of Teams Three and Four immediately responded in unison.

In truth, that was already their plan.

After all, among the four Mist Ninja squads attacking their allies, one was an elite squad composed entirely of Chūnin.

And on their side?

Even after regrouping into four squads, they were all standard teams.

To make matters worse, one person was already dead, another gravely injured, and the remaining members, in both skill and numbers, were no match for the Mist Ninjas. If they didn't fight with their lives, their only option was to buy time.

Thus, they didn't hesitate to agree.

Sweeping his gaze across the two captains, Seimei nodded and immediately gave the order: "Move out!"

"Yes, Captain!"

The group answered in unison before splitting into two formations, heading towards the right and straight ahead, respectively.

Teams Three and Four moved toward the right, while Seimei, Hyūga Sanchi, and the others from Teams One and Two advanced straight ahead.

The two Mist Ninja Jōnin reinforcement squads were coming from the left. By moving straight ahead at full speed, they could intercept them just in time.

Swish, swish, swish

The forest on both sides blurred as they sped forward.

Seimei and his team leapt across tree branches, maintaining their pace.

Thanks to Hyūga Sanchi's Byakugan, they took a direct route with no detours.

Finally, less than fifty meters from the battlefield's left flank, they intercepted the two Mist Ninja Jōnin squads rushing to provide reinforcements.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh

Using the Sharingan's superior perception, Seimei accurately predicted the landing spots of the two Mist Jōnin and their six Chūnin teammates. He threw several kunai in their direction.

Sensing the threat, the two Mist Jōnin's expressions shifted. They dodged to the side while shouting a warning: "Watch out!"

To their credit, the six Chūnin accompanying them weren't ordinary fighters.

Almost simultaneously with their captains' warnings, they reacted decisively.

As a result, all of Seimei's thrown kunai missed their marks.

However, Seimei's face showed no disappointment.

Because he had a second plan.

Raising his right hand, with his index and middle fingers aligned, he uttered a low command: "Detonate!"

The next moment, a series of loud explosions erupted.

The kunai ignited with brilliant flames before bursting into fiery balls that engulfed everything nearby.

Shockwaves rippled outward, causing the surrounding trees to tremble violently.

Broken branches and leaves rained down, obscuring everyone's vision.

At that moment, Hyūga Sanchi seemed to notice something and quickly warned, "Captain, be careful!"

Even without the warning, Seimei had already sensed the danger.

The two Mist Jōnin were seasoned fighters. As soon as they dodged the initial ambush, they locked onto Seimei's position.

Using the visual chaos caused by the explosive tags, they launched their counterattack.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh

Several kunai flew toward him, each affixed with burning explosive tags.

Without hesitation, Seimei flipped his hand to retrieve an equal number of kunai from his pouch and threw them in response.

Clang, clang, clang

Metal clashed mid-air, sparking with each collision.

The next instant, more explosions shook the battlefield, further intensifying the chaos.

Snap!

Seimei swatted aside a branch hurled by the shockwave.

His Sharingan scanned the area, locking onto the Mist Chūnin.

Forming hand signs, he prepared to unleash a jutsu.

But suddenly, a dense mist rose, spreading rapidly and obscuring the surroundings.

"The Hidden Mist Technique?"

Seimei instantly recognized it.

Adjusting his hand signs, he used Wind Style: Great Breakthrough.

Whoosh!

A powerful gust erupted from his mouth, akin to a coastal summer tornado, shaking the trees violently.

The mist churned under the force of the wind, dissipating within seconds.

With the field of view cleared, Seimei ceased his technique.

But just then, several kunai shot at him from the side.

Seimei turned his head sharply to the right.

In his view, the kunai rapidly enlarged as they closed in.

"Hah."

Seimei chuckled coldly.

He leapt backward, dodging the attack.

Without pause, he hurled a shuriken and quickly formed hand signs for the Shadow Shuriken Clone Technique.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh

The single shuriken multiplied in mid-air, becoming two, then four, then eight, filling the sky in an instant.

The two Mist Chūnin who had just launched the ambush saw this and paled.

They tried to evade, but it was too late.

One was struck fatally by two shuriken and died instantly.

The other took a hit to his arm. Though not life-threatening, the injury severely limited his ability to form hand signs, significantly weakening his combat effectiveness.

In a sense, their sacrifice wasn't in vain.

While Seimei was attacking them, the two Mist Jōnin seized the opportunity.

They formed hand signs at high speed, simultaneously unleashing a Water Style jutsu.

Four water whips shot from their hands, like arrows, and bound Seimei's limbs before he could dodge.

Almost immediately, the remaining Mist Chūnin threw a barrage of kunai affixed with explosive tags.

Seimei's gaze swept over them before falling on the water whips restraining his wrists and ankles.

Feeling the tension in the water, he confirmed he couldn't break free through brute strength. Moving was nearly impossible, let alone forming hand signs.

Yet even now, Seimei's face remained calm.

It wasn't just because of his trump cards, "Heaven's Imperial" and "Susanoo," which ensured his safety, but also because these water whips didn't completely immobilize him.

No hand signs, no jutsu?

Ridiculous!

Seimei concentrated, channeling chakra to perform the Chakra Scalpel technique.

He had mastered performing it without hand signs when he reached Level 7. After treating numerous injuries in high-pressure situations, his proficiency had reached new heights.

With a mere thought, a chakra blade extended from his right hand, slicing through the water binding his wrist.

In the next instant, he formed a single hand sign and unleashed Wind Style: Great Breakthrough again.

This entire sequence took only moments.

The kunai flying toward him were still mid-flight.

The powerful gust blew them off course, embedding them harmlessly in nearby trees.

Boom, boom, boom!

Explosions rang out, but none harmed Seimei.

The Mist Chūnin who witnessed this faltered and prepared for another attack.

But Seimei's eight teammates weren't idle.

Initially, they were ready to assist Seimei when he was restrained.

But seeing him escape on his own, they turned their focus on the Mist Chūnin instead.

(Chapter End)