Boom!
A massive fire dragon surged forward, aiming directly at the Mist Chunin.
Feeling the intense heat bearing down from above, the Mist Chunin's face twisted in panic. He tried to evade the fiery attack, but it was too late.
Meanwhile, due to his recent attempt to disengage from combat, he had distanced himself from the other Mist ninja, leaving them no time to help.
"No—"
Realizing his fate, the Mist Chunin let out a desperate roar.
But it was no use.
In an instant, the fire dragon crashed into him, pinning him against the ocean's surface. As seawater surged around, attempting to drown him, the fire dragon's flames surged and evaporated the water while incinerating the Mist Chunin.
Sensing his opponent's life force quickly fade, Seimei muttered, "Who said fire jutsu couldn't kill? There's one down."
"Seimei Jonin?!"
The Leaf ninjas nearby saw Seimei suddenly appear and swiftly eliminate a Mist Chunin. They gasped in excitement.
Seimei, however, paid them no attention.
After a brief mutter, he focused his mind, deactivating "Wind Style: Wings of Wind," allowing himself to descend onto the water's surface.
True, attacking from the air kept him safer, but it limited the damage he could inflict.
His goal was to free the Leaf ninjas here; mere harassment wouldn't do.
This required direct combat.
With a thud, his feet touched the water's surface, and he drew his longsword, using "Instant Sword Technique" to close the gap with another Mist Chunin.
Swish!
The blade flashed.
Seimei swung directly for the enemy's neck.
Seimei's approach while activated his Sharingan and unleashed the "Phantom Sword Technique."
In the Mist Chunin's eyes, Seimei's strike turned into three slashes, all from the same direction but in quick succession.
Unable to tell which slash was real, the Mist Chunin hesitated slightly in his block.
That moment's hesitation was all Seimei needed to slash across his chest.
Slick—
The sound of blade slicing flesh echoed.
A deep, bone-revealing wound appeared across the Mist Chunin's chest.
Blood surged forth, spilling onto the ocean, staining a wide area red.
"Agh!"
The intense pain jolted the Mist Chunin awake, and he let out a scream of agony.
Unfortunately, his scream was cut short.
In that instant, Seimei twisted his wrist, and with a flick of his longsword, he slashed the Chunin's throat.
Thud!
The Mist Chunin's kunai dropped.
He clutched his neck, staggered back a few steps, and finally collapsed into the sea.
The battlefield fell silent.
Every Mist and Leaf ninja stared at Seimei in shock.
No one had expected that the moment Seimei arrived, he'd take down two Chunins with such ease.
These Mist Chunins, handpicked by Oze Yuki to counter the Leaf's harassment squad, were formidable, despite being only Chunins.
Yet here, Seimei cut them down like chickens.
Shock turned to divided reactions: the Leaf side was thrilled, while the Mist ninja were on guard.
Seimei, however, ignored their thoughts.
He glanced at the dozen or so Mist ninja rushing over from a distant ship and thought, *I need to end this quickly!*
With that thought, he wasted no time, immediately using "Shadow Clone Technique."
Boom!
With a puff of chakra smoke, Seimei split into six identical figures.
Before the Mist ninja could tell who was real, two of Seimei's clones charged toward the approaching Mist reinforcements, aiming to intercept them.
Meanwhile, Seimei, with his three remaining clones, advanced on the nearby Mist ninja.
The battle erupted again.
This time, with Seimei's support, the Leaf ninjas felt their pressure lighten significantly.
Likewise, having the Leaf ninjas as backup allowed Seimei to find more openings in the Mist ninjas' defenses.
In mere seconds, he saw an opportunity.
He was fighting alongside a Leaf special Jonin against a Mist Jonin.
Seeing the Mist Jonin launch an attack, Seimei swiftly dodged, retreating just in time.
Seizing the chance, the Leaf Jonin attacked from the side.
The Mist Jonin was forced to block with his kunai.
At that moment, Seimei stomped the water with his right foot.
In an instant, he was in front of the Mist Jonin, swinging his longsword.
Sensing danger, the Mist Jonin turned, only to see Seimei's Sharingan glow briefly. A subtle light flashed along his blade as he unleashed the "Phantom Sword Technique."
For a moment, the Mist Jonin's focus wavered, his senses affected as Seimei's sword appeared to blur in his vision.
But this was a Jonin, with far superior mental fortitude, reflexes, and battle experience compared to the earlier Chunins.
The moment he realized the illusion, he knew he couldn't take the strike head-on.
Breaking free from the illusion, he quickly leapt back.
But Seimei had been waiting for this.
"Now!"
With that command transmitted through the "Mind Link Technique,"
One of Seimei's clones ignored the Mist Jonin's attack, forming hand seals to release "Wind Style: Blade of Wind."
But this Wind Blade wasn't for his opponent; it was aimed at the retreating Mist Jonin.
An intense sense of danger made the Jonin, Akiryo Yosuke, duck instinctively.
The Wind Blade grazed his head, slicing off a few strands of hair.
Akiryo's heart pounded in terror.
But before he could feel relief, a shadow appeared before him.
Akiryo looked up.
It was Seimei.
Seimei looked him in the eye, opened his mouth slightly, and said, "Goodbye."
A screech filled the air as a fierce wind surged forward. Akiryo glanced at Seimei's hand to see a massive, chakra-formed shuriken spinning furiously, ripping through the air and creating the deafening noise.
"This is…"
Akiryo's eyes widened as he recognized the "Wind Style: Rasenshuriken" in Seimei's hand.
"No—"
His voice, like the Mist Chunin who had first died to Seimei's "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Technique," was filled with despair.
But it changed nothing.
In an instant, Seimei thrust forward, pressing the Rasenshuriken into Akiryo, engulfing him in a vortex of energy.
Within, countless microscopic chakra needles tore through him at a cellular level, ending his life completely.
*(End of Chapter)*