Moving swiftly through the mist, Seimei activated his Byakugan from time to time—both to search for the marks left by the Konoha spy and to avoid being cornered by the Cloud ninja.
Just as he began to wonder how much longer luck would elude him, he suddenly froze, his whole body stiffening in place.
In an instant, he spun around and looked behind him.
Through the thick fog, his sharp eyes spotted a Cloud ninja.
The ninja's appearance was unremarkable, with nothing distinctive about him, but he had separated from his team and was carefully carving something into the trunk of a large tree.
Once he finished, Seimei focused on the mark. Sure enough, it was the symbol left by the Konoha spy—both a sign of their identity and a guidepost for Seimei's direction.
"Could this be the spy?"
Seimei's mind raced as he focused all his attention on the man.
The next moment, the ninja's body gave a sudden shiver just as he was about to leave, glancing around nervously as if sensing something was wrong.
That reaction confirmed Seimei's suspicions.
Indeed, the most dangerous places are often the safest.
For someone to infiltrate the Cloud Village for so long and gain access to secret research, they had to be highly skilled. It wasn't surprising, then, that he had managed to slip into a search team unnoticed.
This also explained how the spy managed to leave marks all over the mountains unnoticed.
Various thoughts flashed through Seimei's mind, but he shook them off. Since his target had been found, there was no need to hesitate—he'd take his men and leave immediately.
With that decision made, he stopped wasting time, deactivated his Byakugan, and sprinted directly toward the spy's location.
A few minutes later, Seimei found his target.
At that moment, the spy was blending in with a small search squad, combing through the area under the Cloud Village's orders.
With his target in sight, Seimei didn't hesitate—he attacked immediately.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Several kunai flew out at once, aimed at all four members of the squad.
Yes, even the ninja who was likely the disguised Konoha spy wasn't spared.
Only by treating them equally could Seimei avoid raising suspicion among the other three.
As expected, faced with the sudden attack, the four split up and instinctively formed a defensive formation, focusing their attention on Seimei.
At the same time, a signal flare shot into the sky, illuminating the thick white mist around them.
Seimei wasn't surprised.
Ever since the reinforcements from the Cloud Village arrived, every squad he ambushed had immediately sent out distress signals.
It was troublesome, but manageable.
Before reinforcements arrived, Seimei was confident he could take down the three enemies before him.
With that thought, he darted forward, drawing the longsword from his waist, ready to strike down his first target.
But just then, something unexpected happened.
The three Cloud ninja, who had just formed a defensive stance, suddenly turned their weapons toward the supposed Konoha spy.
Their decisive actions made it clear—they had already identified the spy.
The shock on the spy's face made it obvious he had no idea his cover was blown.
Seimei couldn't help but sigh internally. "Seriously? This guy was supposed to be good?"
He had expected more from someone who'd managed to stay undercover for so long.
In reality, the Cloud Village had known all along. They were simply using the spy as bait.
To be fair, Seimei was misjudging the situation.
The spy had likely been exposed because his hiding place had already been compromised. And the marks he left behind, though subtle, weren't entirely undetectable given how much manpower the Cloud Village had committed to the area.
All it took was one person's suspicion, and with so many search teams deployed, the truth was bound to surface eventually.
In fact, the Cloud Village probably discovered his identity around the same time Seimei did.
The three Cloud ninja in the spy's squad had played their roles convincingly, giving nothing away.
Pressed for time, the spy likely hadn't noticed the subtle changes in their behavior.
Now, it was Seimei who was in trouble.
Initially, he could have swiftly eliminated the three ninja and taken the spy away.
But with the sudden shift in circumstances, things had gotten complicated.
The three enemies were clearly determined to prevent their escape and, knowing they couldn't defeat Seimei, focused all their efforts on the Konoha spy instead.
And since the Cloud Village had set up this trap, Seimei was sure they had more reinforcements ready to close in.
Activating his Byakugan again, his worst fears were confirmed—Cloud Village jonin were closing in from all directions, with the nearest one less than 200 meters away.
In these dense forests, that distance meant nothing to a skilled jonin.
"I need to end this quickly!"
In a flash, Seimei made up his mind.
His Sharingan activated, locking onto a target. With a subtle adjustment of his posture, he unleashed Instant Blade Technique, moving faster than the eye could follow to appear at his opponent's side.
Then, combining Shadow Blade Technique and Illusion Blade Technique, he sent six slashes—three real and three illusory—slicing toward his enemy from different angles.
Feeling a surge of danger, the Cloud ninja instinctively blocked two of the slashes with his kunai and retreated swiftly.
Even as he withdrew, he didn't stop attacking—throwing a kunai directly at Seimei's chest, aiming to delay him rather than kill.
Seimei, forced to respond, deflected the kunai with a quick slash of his blade.
Without hesitation, he raised his left hand, forming seals in an instant and unleashing a jutsu: Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!
A massive fireball, over three meters in diameter, roared toward his enemy, radiating intense heat.
Without waiting to see the outcome, Seimei turned toward the remaining two opponents.
His Sharingan spun rapidly, locking onto another target. With swift hand seals, he cast another fire-style jutsu—Fire Style: Scorching Ash Technique!
The attack was subtle and perfect for overwhelming slow-reacting opponents.
His target, though stronger than an average chunin, didn't stand a chance—especially since Seimei had predicted his movements and launched a sneak attack.
"Ahhh!"
A pained scream echoed as flames engulfed the Cloud ninja, sending him thrashing on the ground.
Seimei didn't spare him a second glance, instead dashing toward the Konoha spy, blocking an attack aimed at him with a swift sword strike.
Clang!
The sound of metal striking metal echoed as his blade collided with a kunai.
Without looking back, Seimei barked, "Go!"
The Konoha spy didn't hesitate—he turned to retreat immediately.
But just then, a loud shout echoed from the distance.