As Seimei walked out of the Grand Elder's courtyard, he saw Uchiha Jiren again and asked in confusion, "You haven't left yet?"
"I was waiting for you," Uchiha Jiren replied.
"Waiting for me?" Seimei's eyes showed his puzzlement.
Uchiha Jiren nodded and then solemnly said, "Thank you."
Hearing this unexpected gratitude, Seimei was even more confused.
Then, Jiren explained, "I had a younger brother with great talent. At a young age, he awakened the double tomoe Sharingan. But during a mission, he unexpectedly lost his life.
The village's investigation concluded that he was too reckless, fell into an ambush, and was killed by enemies working together.
I didn't believe it. I knew my brother's personality—he was naturally cautious and would never act recklessly. So, I suspected that there was something wrong with the report.
I decided to investigate on my own.
In the end, I discovered that he wasn't killed by enemies but was ambushed by his own people.
After further investigation, I found that the culprits were likely members of the Anbu—more specifically, Root operatives.
So… thank you for killing Danzo and avenging him."
'So that's the reason!'
Seimei finally understood why Jiren had looked at him with such a complicated expression when they had come to see the Grand Elder earlier.
It seemed that he had always wanted to avenge his brother but lacked the strength, so he had no choice but to endure it.
Now, upon learning from the Grand Elder about what had happened, his heart must have been filled with mixed emotions.
However, even so, Seimei couldn't admit to it.
So, he simply said, "You're overthinking. I had nothing to do with Danzo's death."
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Jiren looked at him intently. After a long pause, he finally said, "It doesn't matter. Either way, thank you."
With that, he disappeared in an instant.
The direction he left in was toward the Uchiha clan's burial grounds.
Seimei shook his head and stopped dwelling on it. He immediately set off toward his home.
On his way, Seimei remained wary of anyone else approaching him.
Fortunately, no one did.
The journey went smoothly, and Seimei quickly returned home.
However, he didn't rest. After briefly washing his face, he resumed practicing the Mind Reflection Technique.
He had already completed the remaining training for the Mystical Palm Technique earlier that day while at Uchiha Fugaku's house—he had even exceeded his target.
Now, only the Mind Reflection Technique was left, so he needed to make good use of his time.
Before he knew it, another hour and a half had passed.
It was now well past midnight.
After finishing his last session of the Mind Reflection Technique, he had finally completed his planned training for the day.
Fortunately, when he had eliminated the four Root ninjas from Team Red Rain earlier, he had drained their chakra, replenishing his own reserves.
Otherwise, with the amount of energy consumed in that battle, he might not have been able to complete his training on time.
Yawning, Seimei sensed his surroundings.
Aside from a few Uchiha clan members stationed nearby to protect him, there was no one else.
That's right—just a short while ago, the Grand Elder had arranged for several Uchiha members to guard him.
Of course, while it was labeled as "protection," it was more about sending a message to the village—warning them not to try any tricks.
For example, secretly abducting him.
But with his strength, who could possibly force him to do anything?
Still, since it was a gesture of goodwill from the Grand Elder, he didn't refuse.
At the very least, it allowed him to sleep a little more soundly, leading to better rest.
After washing up, Seimei quickly returned to his bedroom and fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.
Within seconds, faint snoring could be heard in the room.
The night passed without incident.
At dawn, Seimei followed his usual routine: waking up, washing, eating breakfast, and gathering his belongings before leaving the village once again.
After walking a certain distance and ensuring there was no one around, he prepared to activate Wind Release: Wings of the Wind and Chakra Cloak to leave.
But just as he was about to do so, a presence suddenly appeared.
Seimei instantly became alert, turning toward the direction where the aura had come from.
The sound of grass and leaves being stepped on echoed in the air.
From behind a large tree not far away, a figure emerged.
The figure had long black hair, pale skin, and a pair of golden, slit-like pupils, exuding an exceptionally cold and sinister aura.
Indeed, it was none other than Orochimaru.
He looked at Seimei as if sizing up prey.
After taking a few steps closer, he licked his lips and said, "Seimei, you truly remain still most of the time, but when you do move, it's astonishing. Even Danzo has fallen at your hands."
Upon hearing this, Seimei's expression remained unchanged. He responded seriously, "Lord Orochimaru, you must be joking. How could I possibly have that kind of ability? Elder Danzo's death has nothing to do with me."
However, Orochimaru merely chuckled indifferently at his denial.
His sharp gaze swept over Seimei from head to toe, and with a hint of envy in his tone, he said, "What a young and vibrant body you have!"
Ignoring this comment, Seimei got straight to the point and asked, "Lord Orochimaru, are you waiting for me here for a specific reason?"
Orochimaru nodded slightly. Newest update provided by novｅlfire.net
Then, his legs suddenly transformed into a snake's tail, and his speed skyrocketed. At an almost imperceptible pace, he lunged toward Seimei.
The distance between them had already been minimal, and even while speaking, Orochimaru hadn't stopped advancing.
Thus, his sudden burst of speed brought him within striking range in an instant.
At that moment, if it had been anyone else, they likely wouldn't have been able to react in time.
But Seimei was different. Thanks to his exceptionally high "physical" and "mental" attributes, his reaction speed far surpassed that of an ordinary person, even without activating his Sharingan.
So, in almost a split second, he pushed off the ground with his feet, propelling himself backward to avoid the attack.
While retreating, he activated his Sharingan.
With the enhanced perception provided by the Sharingan, Seimei saw that Orochimaru had already opened his mouth wide, seemingly aiming to bite his neck.
Of course, Seimei didn't believe that Orochimaru had already developed the Curse Mark technique and was attempting to implant it in him. This seemed to be nothing more than a straightforward attack.
If bitten, Orochimaru would likely inject venom instead.
Unfortunately for Orochimaru, this plan was doomed to fail.
Locking onto Orochimaru's movements, Seimei swiftly drew the long sword at his waist and activated a jutsu—Lightning Release: Lightning Blade!
In an instant, a burst of lightning flashed, disrupting Orochimaru's vision. At the same time, Seimei abruptly stopped retreating and lunged forward, swinging his blade straight at Orochimaru's neck.
However, Orochimaru's sensitivity to danger far exceeded Seimei's expectations. Despite his vision being impaired, Orochimaru managed to twist his neck at an unnatural ninety-degree angle, narrowly avoiding the strike.
The two figures crossed paths in that moment. `