In truth, it was indeed so.
After being attacked like this, Seimei no longer dared to recklessly lower his altitude to get closer to the Mist Fleet. However, this didn't mean he was ready to give up.
Glancing at the female ninja standing by Sakura Mizuki in the center of the fleet, Seimei flapped his wings and immediately flew toward the rear of the fleet.
Because Sakura Mizuki's orders had only just been issued, the Mist warships hadn't yet come to a complete stop, so there was still a considerable distance between them.
As such, when Seimei appeared on this side, he was already some distance away from the female ninja.
Even if she used the sound-based illusion technique again, he would be able to resist it with ease.
Without any hesitation, Seimei swooped down toward the last Mist warship.
However, before he could make a move, he was met with a barrage of dense wind bullets.
Looking closely, he noticed three Mist ninjas on the deck below who had appeared at some point. Judging by their aura and chakra levels, two were Special Jōnin, and the third was a full-fledged Jōnin.
It was this Jōnin who had launched the Wind Release attack against him.
In mid-air, Seimei flapped his wings continuously to dodge the incoming wind bullets.
At that moment, the two Special Jōnin attacked as well.
One unleashed a Water Release technique, spitting a column of water directly at Seimei's chest.
The other threw several shurikens, limiting Seimei's space to dodge.
If it were just this, it would be manageable.
But seeing the three Mist ninjas in action, the other Mist ninjas also joined in, launching attacks against Seimei.
In the past, facing such an onslaught, Seimei would have had no choice but to avoid it.
With his "Physical Attributes" now boosted to 19, his body's defensive and regenerative capabilities had improved significantly. Combined with his Level 8 "Mystical Palm Technique," his resilience far surpassed that of ordinary ninjas.
But, he was still flesh and blood, unable to withstand so many attacks head-on.
This time, however, things were different.
Seimei's eyes flashed as he locked onto the incoming attacks. While dodging, he raised his hands to form seals and, in the blink of an eye, activated the Earth Release: Hardening Technique.
In an instant, his skin transformed into a rocky, grayish-black hue, massively increasing his defense.
Seimei no longer evaded simple physical attacks like kunai and shuriken; they merely caused him minor pain, unable to penetrate his defense.
With his pressure greatly reduced, Seimei's adversaries were caught off guard. Seizing this opportunity, he approached the Mist warship.
He then unleashed the Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique, summoning three massive fire dragons that flew toward the Mist warship in three directions.
One of the dragons attacked the deck, targeting the Mist ninjas, while the other two struck the ship itself.
Although the Mist Jōnin reacted swiftly—dodging the fire dragon on the deck and using the Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique to counter one of the fire dragons aimed at the ship—one fire dragon still struck the vessel.
In an instant, the ship was torn open, and flames spread across a large area, forcing the Mist ninjas to leap into the water to escape.
Seimei circled the ship, then took advantage of the situation by releasing more Fire Release techniques: another Great Dragon Fire and the Great Fireball Technique.
Three fire dragons and a fireball soon followed, all landing on the warship below, intensifying the flames on the vessel.
While it didn't kill many Mist ninjas, it truly destroyed a Mist warship.
Satisfied, Seimei ascended to a higher altitude, looking down on the burning ship and the disoriented Mist ninjas scattered across the sea. Only then did his skin return to its original fair tone—the first real use of Earth Release: Hardening had proven extraordinary.
It was clear the Mist were quite diligent in protecting their fleet.
This was evident, both from the sudden appearance of the three Mist Jōnin and the failure of Sano Nobuhisa's dispatched raiding team, which had perished without causing much damage to the fleet.
Unfortunately for them, they encountered Seimei, who, undeterred by their attacks, destroyed their ship.
For this, Seimei could only say they had bad luck.
If he hadn't suddenly taken an interest in intervening, they might have reached the Black Stone Outpost's perimeter first and launched their attack.
But unfortunately, in this world, there are no "ifs."
Now that he was here, he wasn't about to let that happen.
With that thought, Seimei flew swiftly to the other end of the fleet, arriving within moments at the first Mist warship.
Originally, he intended to catch them off guard amid the chaos.
But to his surprise, they seemed to anticipate his plan.
Not only did the three Jōnin stationed on that warship reveal themselves, but two more Jōnin from the two warships behind had also moved forward in support.
In other words, a single Mist warship now had five Jōnin aboard. Although most of them were Special Jōnin with only a single specialized skill, their combined strength was formidable.
On top of that, since his Earth Release: Hardening had been revealed, it would likely fail to surprise his enemies.
Any closer would be risky.
As for the ships in the middle of the fleet...
One look showed that the Mist ninjas on board were on high alert, some even leaving the ship early to guard its surroundings and prepare for his approach.
The Jōnin stationed on each ship were also watching him intently, ready to support at a moment's notice.
This left Seimei hesitant to make any rash moves.
At the same time, the Mist ninjas were wary of making the first move.
So, the situation became a standoff.
Seimei hovered high above, flying over each Mist warship, watching them slowly gather together. He knew he couldn't wait any longer.
If they managed to regroup closely enough to support each other at close range, they would free up more hands.
When that happened, attacking would become far more difficult.
Thinking this, Seimei abruptly descended.
Seeing his movement, the Mist ninjas below immediately became hyper-alert.
Especially those on the ship directly beneath him, their hearts practically in their throats.
However, to their surprise, Seimei did not attack directly. He stopped just within their range, then paused his descent.
Suddenly, a dense white fog poured out from him, quickly spreading in all directions. In mere moments, it covered an area dozens of meters wide.
This was only the beginning.
As time passed, the white fog continued to expand.
Some Mist ninjas attempted to disperse it with various techniques, including Wind and Fire Releases, but they only managed to slow it down; the fog inevitably overtook them.
From above, the entire Mist fleet had disappeared.
A huge, cotton-candy-like mass of white fog covered the sea, spanning nearly two hundred meters in diameter.
This wasn't ordinary fog but Seimei's Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique, infused with a significant amount of chakra.
Seimei's intention wasn't to aid the Mist fleet in hiding but to prevent them from getting close.
In a fog this dense, ships risk getting lost or colliding with each other.
Ninjas are more capable than ordinary people, but Seimei's fog, rich in chakra, could still disrupt their perception.
And Seimei's goal wasn't to destroy them entirely but to buy time.
Maintaining the fog, with occasional attacks to keep them on edge, was enough.
As expected, things unfolded just as Seimei had anticipated.
*End of Chapter*