So yes, they were evacuated outside of Kiri, as currently, Kiri wasn't the safest place, and their Tailed Beasts were crashing the fuck out.

Like—have you ever seen a Bijū crash out so hard? The Bijūdama spam was crazy.

Seijuro had also set up explosive tags on plenty of boats—even his own—making the chances of leaving Kiri smaller and smaller.

Why he did that? Well, simple.

He was mimicking the Root style—self-sacrificing play. By now, his shadow clone had probably already sacrificed itself and blown up a couple of Kiri-nin before summoning the beasts.

Going by Root behavior, they would 100% do some stupid shit like that in order to make sure no one escaped.

But Seijuro's squad escaped... why, you may ask?

Because a competent Kiri-nin noticed the paper bomb—virtue of Eagle falling off the boat and the ninja having to rescue him.

Eagle had fallen in such a spot that, while rescuing him, the Kiri-nin saw the seals. Apparently, the seal had a timer on it, which meant if they had found it five minutes later, it would have blown up.

It wouldn't have. That was just Seijuro's illusion speaking.

Luckily, the Kiri-nin was able to toss the explosive tag away before it "detonated," saving everyone's life. Truly, a lucky coincidence.

Hours Later — Land of Hot Springs, Secluded Shore

The group had broken off from the civilians and gone inland—into the forested cliffs of the northern coast. It was quiet here. The air smelled of pine and salt.

And Seijuro's smile vanished the moment they were clear.

He told his squad to establish contact with each other... and once that was done, he used a long Shunpo—and I do mean a very long Shunpo.

We're not talking the average distance here...

He moved roughly a mile away from all five seals.

Or basically, he Shunpo'd a wide distance—not too far, but far enough to be suspicious.

Yet he didn't seem that down about it.

He noticed how the Aburame already seemed ready for battle.

"Hikaru... open your Byakugan, and look over there for me."

Hikaru listened to the order, activating his Dōjutsu and scanning in the direction his captain had indicated.

"Something's wrong," Hikaru said, Byakugan still active.

Seijuro didn't answer at first.

He took five seals out of his bag.

"Those... are... the... seals... you showed us," Shikaku said.

Yup. That confirmed it. Which meant what Seijuro was planning had come to fruition.

"The emergency escape tags I gave you before the mission," he said softly. "I told you they were contingency safe-zones in case we were separated."

Everyone nodded.

He flicked a final, fifth tag onto the ground. It glowed purple.

"That one? The one I gave to Moth?"

A pause.

He looked toward Shiran, the Aburame—who, before he could act, felt a seal on his chest flare to life.

He couldn't move.

Nor could he scream.

TL;DR: He was fucked.

"I showed him a location that no one knew. A false fallback point, one with zero operational value." Seijuro's eyes narrowed. "Just now, I sensed over a dozen chakra signatures waiting there. ANBU. Hunter-nin. All Kiri."

The Hyūga nodded. There were, in fact, a dozen Kiri-nin camping that spot.

The squad tensed.

Choza clenched his fists. Inoichi raised a brow.

Shikaku just frowned. "So... you baited a rat."

Seijuro gave a slow, calm nod.

"I had to be sure."

And right then—

Shiran stirred.

He gasped, blinking awake.

For a moment, he played dumb. Confused. Shaken.

Then, he bit down—aiming to kill himself.

But nothing happened.

Not even a spark.

He froze.

Seijuro looked down at him blankly. "You really think I'd let a spy keep his fail-safe?"

He crouched, leaned close.

"Don't insult me. I'm a seal master, not a tourist."

Shiran's eyes trembled.

Seijuro stood and gestured to Inoichi.

"Pull the memory. Now."

As to why the man couldn't kill himself—see, while the original seal was set to explode his head...

Seijuro had implemented a seal of his own.

What the seal did was simple.

{NULL}

Yup. That was the new code/seal added to the man's seal, and that was mostly all it took.

He had planted that seal fairly early on, in order to bypass all of the later defense mechanisms.

POV Shift – Inoichi Yamanaka: Mental Dive

Inoichi's fingers formed the seal.

Mind Transfer Jutsu.

The forest around him vanished.

He dropped into a swirling void—Shiran's mindscape.

A pulsing fog awaited him, shaped like tangled webs of thought.

He pressed through. Pushed deeper.

Until—

Flash.

An office.

Shadowed walls. A screen door.

And behind it, a figure wrapped in bandages.

Danzo.

Sitting with one hand on his cane.

Across from him—Shiran, kneeling.

Danzo's voice was low.

"Ensure Seijuro's squad is marked for death. Leak the mission. The Mist will do the rest."

"If they survive... report their capabilities. If they die... less trouble for the elders."

Shiran bowed.

"And if I'm caught?"

Danzo's voice sharpened.

"Then activate the seal. I trust Kurama's pride won't see it coming."

Back in Reality

The flames from their small camp crackled quietly. The sea's rhythm tapped the shore like a second heartbeat.

Inoichi's body jerked—suddenly, violently—before he stumbled back from the unconscious form of Shiran.

His breath hitched. His fists were clenched.

Face pale. Jaw locked.

He turned to Seijuro. And whispered:

"It was Danzo."

Everyone froze.

The air thickened like fog in a sealed room.

"Danzo ordered it. The entire squad was supposed to die."

Even the tide seemed to hold its breath.

Seijuro didn't move.

Didn't blink.

Just slowly turned his eyes to the spy.

For a fleeting second, something flared across his face.

Not anger.

Not shock.

Something... colder. Calculating.

Then it vanished.

Replaced by thoughtful calm.

"Reporting it to Konoha won't do anything," Seijuro said aloud, tone as even as still water.

"The hell do you mean?" Inoichi's voice cracked—equal parts rage and disbelief. "Danzo sent someone to kill us. That's treason—he attacked Konoha shinobi!"

"Which is exactly why it won't work," Seijuro replied smoothly. "Because if he had the gall to do it this openly, this probably isn't the first time."

He folded his arms, gaze drifting toward the stars overhead.

"You don't take a gamble like this unless you're confident. And confidence like that?" He tapped his temple. "It's earned. From experience."

A beat passed. Shikaku's eyes narrowed.

"You think the Third... would go easy on him."

"Not because he's weak. Because he's human." Seijuro glanced down now, speaking more softly. "Imagine... an old friend. One you've fought beside since the days of war. You've trusted them with your life. Now imagine they betray you."

"You punish them," Inoichi said sharply.

"You bury the bastard," Choza added, seething.

But Shikaku?

Shikaku sat still, eyes shadowed beneath his hair.

"You... make it look like punishment," he murmured. "Strip a title. Reassign duties. Something visible, but not lethal. A slap on the wrist... enough for the village to calm down."

No one responded immediately.

But they all understood.

This wasn't justice. This was politics.

"And that," Seijuro said slowly, "is the safest bet."

He crouched beside Shiran's unconscious form.

"We don't need a bet. We need evidence."

Inoichi tilted his head. "What are you suggesting?"

Seijuro's gaze hardened.

"We plant the proof."

The others leaned in.

"I'll place Shiran under Genjutsu," Seijuro continued. "You—Inoichi—will implant false memories. Painful ones. Ones where we were attacked by numerous Root operatives. The more, the better."

"Why fake it at all?" asked Hikaru, arms folded, brow furrowed. "Isn't a confession enough?"

Seijuro met his gaze.

Then opened his mouth and said:

"He can deny it. At worst, he might just shift the blame altogether, saying it was enemy ninja, or that we were trying to overthrow him. And he's an Elder. Doesn't take a genius to figure out who's more likely to get away."

...

Seijuro was subtly shifting the blame away from Hiruzen—not because Hiruzen was this almighty guy who could do no wrong.

No. Fuck that.

It was all because of Seijuro's current image—he was a Hiruzen loyalist. Wouldn't he, out of everyone, try and find an excuse to keep the Lord Hokage's popularity intact?

He then deeply apologized to his team. If he hadn't been the team captain, they wouldn't have been targeted.

Truly out here being targeted for being too good.

Damn.