"Alright, it's time to go."
After absorbing all the Mist Ninjas' chakra, Seimei looked at the exhausted Leaf Village team and spoke. Hearing this, the Leaf Ninjas didn't waste time; they immediately followed behind him and his eight shadow clones, heading toward their base.
Though a fierce battle was inevitable, they needed to return first. After confirming each person's assignment, they would set out again. This was the best way to maximize everyone's strength.
As expected, the situation developed just as Seimei had anticipated. He had just returned to the base when Sanada Nobuhisa summoned him.
However, there was no time for a full meeting this time. Over the past week, everyone's tasks had become fairly fixed, so the need for a lengthy briefing was gone.
Seeing him, Sanada quickly assigned Seimei his duties. As usual, he would tend to injured allies at night and, as a mobile unit, support various battlefields as needed. For the past week, this had been his role, taking advantage of his superior mobility.
Once briefed, Seimei headed to the first battlefield without delay. Several squads were already engaged in combat there. The Leaf teams, caught off guard like the recon squad earlier, were at a disadvantage, outnumbered by the Mist Ninjas.
However, Seimei's arrival quickly turned the tide. This time, instead of diving into close combat, he used his airborne advantage to launch various jutsu from afar, bombarding the Mist Ninjas.
His shadow clones on the ground also avoided close combat, using frequent long-range attacks. His strategy was simple: to seize every moment to improve his skills.
Certainly, he couldn't always use the minimum chakra for each jutsu in battle to gain mastery. Such a practice would waste some chakra, but it would also save him training time in the long run. For Seimei, who could grow through battle, it was worth the trade-off.
Therefore, he held nothing back, using high-powered jutsu when needed without hesitation.
The battle soon ended, with some Leaf and Mist Ninjas falling and others temporarily retreating. Seimei returned to the base, training in healing and mind techniques when he had no tasks and moving swiftly to assist wherever needed when called.
Each day passed filled with growth and combat, just as he had planned. This battle was indeed the sign he expected: the Mist Village's renewed assault on Feiyu Town.
For the next three days, the Mist Ninjas repeatedly attacked the Blackstone Base in squads, just as they had a week earlier. Sanada Nobuhisa responded in kind, dispatching squads to confront them. On this small battlefield, the Leaf and Mist Ninjas clashed as if they were mindless machines, following orders to fight and wear each other down endlessly.
...
The fourth day dawned.
Seimei quickly swallowed a few food pills to fill his stomach and rushed to the meeting room to check if there were new orders for the day. Initially, he assumed it was just a formality, but to his surprise, there were indeed new orders.
In a small meeting room at headquarters, Sanada Nobuhisa looked at Seimei and Uchiha Shisui. "This is the situation. Captain Nara just sent word—you both need to head to Yutsuhama Port immediately."
Just now, Nara Keiko, the commander of the entire Leaf front line against the Mist Village, had issued a new order, directing Seimei and Uchiha Shisui to support Yutsuhama Port.
Seimei had suspected such an order might come if the southern front struggled, with Nara likely pulling Jonin from various bases. But he didn't expect that he and Uchiha Shisui would be among the first selected.
With so many Jonin to choose from, the fact that they were picked made Seimei suspicious. He wondered if there was something more to this. Still, given their strength among the Jonin, it was understandable they were chosen.
After a moment's thought, Seimei dismissed his suspicions. With his current power, even if there was some hidden scheme, he wasn't afraid. It was best to take things one step at a time.
With that mindset, he refocused on the present and turned to Sanada Nobuhisa. "When do we leave?"
"Right now," Sanada replied.
Seimei frowned slightly. "Is it that urgent?"
"Yes," Sanada said with a serious nod, then shared some confidential information with Seimei. "The Mist may have picked up on some parts of the village's plans. Starting yesterday, they intensified their attacks, catching us off guard and causing significant losses. The southern front now needs reinforcements urgently to buy time."
Seimei finally understood. Until now, the southern front had been intense, but it hadn't required reinforcements from other bases. Now, with such a sudden shift, it was clear something unexpected had happened.
It was not only they who would be sent; other bases would also need to dispatch reinforcements. But with the Mist attacking these locations, pulling too many Jonin could risk these bases falling. So, unless it was absolutely necessary, Nara wouldn't issue such orders.
Seimei's previous doubts were now resolved. "It looks like the leak of our plans tipped off the Mist Village, leading to this situation."
At ease now, he felt ready for the coming action. After discussing a few more points with Sanada, he and Shisui left the meeting room to prepare for their departure to Yutsuhama Port.
Yutsuhama Port was the southern front's breach point, where the Mist's main force was targeting the Leaf. Seimei had a hunch that this battle might be a turning point in the entire war. After this, perhaps the conflict would finally reach its end.
*(End of Chapter)*