**Half an hour later, outside the Blackstone Stronghold**
In a dense forest on the southwest side, Seimei and Uchiha Shisui carefully moved through the trees, skillfully avoiding the patrolling Mist Shinobi and active battlefields. To keep their presence concealed and to accommodate Uchiha Shisui, Seimei didn't fly directly out of the stronghold this time. Instead, he decided to cross the battlefield perimeter with Shisui.
For ordinary people, this would be risky. But neither Seimei nor Shisui were ordinary; their exceptional sensory abilities allowed them to avoid the Mist Shinobi with ease.
Though it took some time, they successfully exited the battle zone. Without hesitation, they sped up, following the map straight to Yutsuhama Port.
Hours passed in a flash.
By noon, Seimei and Shisui were sprinting across fields under the gentle midday sun, quickly approaching another dense forest. After crossing this forest and traveling for another half hour, they would reach the assembly point.
Upon entering the forest, a light mist covered the area. Sunlight filtered through gaps in the leaves, creating beams of light due to the Tyndall effect—a beautiful sight. Yet neither Seimei nor Shisui had any interest in this beauty.
They paused abruptly, exchanging a look and instantly understanding each other's intentions. Standing back-to-back, they scanned their surroundings. Seimei extended his sensory ability, picking up a faint, familiar chakra signature within the mist.
"Mist Concealment Technique?"
In a flash, Seimei identified the technique. Suddenly, kunai rained down from all directions, targeting them like a deadly downpour.
"Watch out!" Shisui shouted, activating his Sharingan as he stepped forward, deflecting the kunai coming from behind with his own kunai. Seimei, however, remained motionless.
Just as the kunai were about to hit him, his skin transformed from pale to a rocky, coarse texture, making him appear impenetrable. Indeed, he was. After three days of practice, his *Earth Release: Hardening Technique* had advanced from level 5 (3500/5000) to level 6 (200/10000). His speed and effectiveness in using the technique far surpassed the previous level, making the kunai strikes produce only harmless clinking sounds.
Spotting where the kunai had been thrown from, Seimei kicked off the ground, propelling himself forward like a missile. The Mist Chunin who saw him charging forward panicked, attempting to dodge, but their Jōnin leader kept them under control.
"Keep attacking!" one of the Mist Jōnin ordered. The Chunin resumed their attacks, throwing more kunai at Seimei, some of which were armed with explosive tags. But such a trick was futile against Seimei. Activating his Sharingan, he easily identified the tagged kunai. While his Hardening Technique could likely withstand the explosion, he decided to dodge to save chakra.
With a powerful step to the side, Seimei shifted his movement, letting the kunai fly past his afterimage and embed into the ground behind him. An explosion erupted, sending shockwaves through the forest, making the surrounding trees sway.
In return, Seimei threw several shuriken, which flew through the trees, hitting their targets with precision.
"Argh!" came the pained cries. Seimei, listening carefully, formed a seal and unleashed *Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique*. Fireballs burst from his mouth, raining down on the Mist Shinobi like meteors.
"Disperse!" ordered a voice from the trees, and the Mist Shinobi abandoned their cover, scattering to either side. Seimei's Sharingan tracked them, then he changed his hand seals to switch from *Phoenix Sage Fire* to *Fire Release: Dragon Flame Jutsu*. Three large fire dragons burst from his mouth, each charging toward a different direction.
The Mist Shinobi on the left and right managed to dodge, but those in the center weren't as lucky. Seimei controlled the left and right fire dragons to close in, trapping the central Mist Shinobi.
At the last moment, three Mist Chunin stepped forward, simultaneously casting *Water Release: Water Formation Wall*. A water wall rose, intercepting the fire dragons, which struck it with enough force to nearly break through but ultimately failed.
"Not bad," Seimei remarked with a cold smile.
He dodged the incoming kunai and shuriken, forming hand seals to use a new jutsu: *Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears*! In the past three days, Seimei had extracted over 300,000 chakra points from Mist Shinobi, dedicating nearly half to mastering this technique, now at level 4—enough to deploy effectively.
In an instant, he stomped on the ground, channeling earth chakra into the soil. Sharp earth spears emerged rapidly from the ground, shooting toward the Mist Shinobi with precision.
His Sharingan allowed him to anticipate their movements, and his level 6 *Chakra Control* enabled him to control each spear's exact location, hitting his targets with pinpoint accuracy.
This seemingly simple skill was anything but; it affected every jutsu he cast. Thanks to the level 6 *Chakra Control*, his *Earth Flow Spears* held devastating power.
*(End of Chapter)*