After flying several kilometers south, Seimei finally spotted the Mist Ninja.
At this moment, they had just emerged from a forest and were preparing to head toward the woods where Hyuga Maple and the others were hiding.
After crossing a valley, they would reach the outskirts of the Black Stone stronghold.
"A valley?"
Seimei muttered to himself, thinking it was a good spot, perfect for an ambush.
However, the prerequisite was that Sanosuke and his team could arrive ahead of time. Otherwise, no plan would be effective.
Suppressing the thought for now, Seimei flapped his chakra wings gently and approached the Mist Ninja team.
Before long, some of the Mist Ninja spotted him.
With the help of his Sharingan, Seimei could clearly see some of the Mist Ninja looking his way.
However, Seimei wasn't too concerned.
It was broad daylight, and without the ability to conceal himself, getting spotted was almost inevitable.
Besides, he often undertook reconnaissance missions alone, so even if the Mist Ninja noticed him, they wouldn't immediately suspect there was an ambush ahead.
Even if they did, it wouldn't make them retreat easily.
This time, the Mist Ninja had mobilized a large number of people, clearly without any intent to hide their actions. Or perhaps they simply couldn't hide them.
This also indicated that they didn't fear their movements being exposed.
In essence, both sides were playing openly, and it was a matter of who would outsmart the other.
Of course, the Mist Ninja still conducted reconnaissance.
Scanning around the Mist Ninja formation, Seimei spotted several scouting teams circling outward from the main force.
After observing for a while, Seimei suddenly changed direction and flew toward the forest ahead.
Landing on a tree branch, he deactivated the 'Wind Release: Wind Wings,' then formed hand seals and used the 'Shadow Clone Technique.'
With a puff of chakra smoke, six shadow clones appeared.
Seimei had one of the clones take over his reconnaissance duties.
After all, he wasn't planning on harassing the Mist Ninja this time, and as long as he flew high enough, they couldn't do anything to him.
A single shadow clone was sufficient; there was no need to waste all his energy here.
For the remaining time, Seimei planned to use the other five shadow clones to grind his 'Earth Release: Hardening Technique' to level 4.
It wasn't impossible—just 300 proficiency points. With five times the training speed, it would be easy to accumulate.
Although the level 4 'Earth Release: Hardening Technique' wouldn't be a game-changer, it would be practical enough for most situations.
And if he succeeded, he'd have an extra layer of protection in future battles, even though he didn't believe the Mist Ninja could actually harm him.
But in preparation, he was serious!
With that in mind, Seimei left the area with his five shadow clones.
...
On the other side.
The Mist Ninja had initially been relieved when they saw Seimei fly away, but before long, he returned, making them uneasy again.
They knew that in the battle two days ago, Seimei had harassed the support units.
Even though they had more people and were better prepared this time, they didn't want to waste time dealing with him.
Fortunately, Seimei just hovered high above them and didn't approach.
So, following the orders of the lead Mist Ninja, the group maintained formation and continued moving forward.
Minutes ticked by.
About twenty minutes later, they reached the forest ahead.
By then, it was hard for 'Seimei' to keep a clear view of them, and he didn't dare lower his altitude.
With the cover of the trees, lowering his altitude would make him vulnerable to surprise attacks.
However, he also couldn't let them stay out of sight for too long.
With that thought, 'Seimei' used the 'Mind Transmission Technique' to contact Hyuga Maple and the others, relaying the Mist Ninja's general movements to them.
From that point on, the primary scouting task fell to them, while Seimei provided support and oversight.
Receiving 'Seimei's' instructions, Hyuga Maple and his team immediately took action.
Each used their unique skills—whether it was the Byakugan's vision or insects' stealth—to monitor the Mist Ninja's every move, reporting information back to 'Seimei.'
With this intel, 'Seimei' would then lock onto the Mist Ninja's position and continue tracking them from above.
Thus, a perfect coordination was formed.
...
An hour passed in the blink of an eye.
On the other side of the forest, Seimei suddenly received a message from a shadow clone, informing him that the Mist Ninja were nearing the valley and that he should head there immediately.
Indeed, after coordinating with Sanosuke, they had chosen the valley as the site for their ambush.
Sanosuke and his team had managed to reach the valley ahead of the Mist Ninja.
Now that the Mist Ninja were about to enter the valley, the battle was imminent, and Seimei needed to be there.
With that in mind, Seimei deactivated the 'Shadow Clone Technique.'
In the next moment, the five remaining shadow clones dissolved into chakra, bringing back over an hour's worth of training experience and memories.
Seimei closed his eyes, absorbing the experiences and converting them into proficiency points on his status panel.
Minutes passed.
When Seimei opened his eyes again, a hint of joy flickered in them.
Thanks to the past hour's training, he had accumulated the 300 points needed to upgrade the 'Earth Release: Hardening Technique' to level 4.
Without rushing to leave, Seimei formed a seal and activated the technique.
Instantly, his pale skin darkened, turning a rock-like gray-black color.
He tapped his arm, feeling its newfound toughness.
Thinking for a moment, he pulled out a kunai from his pouch and slashed it against his arm.
A sharp screeching sound echoed, but his arm only had a white mark, with no actual damage.
Based on the force he had applied, Seimei felt that ordinary weapons would no longer harm him.
With a thought, he deactivated the 'Earth Release: Hardening Technique.'
As his body regained its flexibility, Seimei frowned slightly.
While the level 4 'Hardening Technique' had greatly enhanced his defense, it inevitably reduced his agility.
Moreover, with his current proficiency, it still took him 2–3 seconds to cast the technique.
In other words, unless he anticipated an attack, it would be difficult to use in the heat of battle.
This left Seimei feeling a bit disappointed.
But he quickly shrugged it off, telling himself, "An upgrade is better than none," before activating the 'Wind Release: Wind Wings' and flying toward the valley.
(End of Chapter)