Just moments after Seimei left, a squad of Cloud Hidden Jonin arrived at the scene.
They surveyed the corpses of the ANBU on the ground, their expressions darkening.
As they prepared to inspect the wounds on the Cloud Hidden ANBU, another masked ninja appeared and stepped in front of them.
"Apologies," the newcomer said. "I'll handle the examination myself."
Hearing this, the Cloud Hidden Jonin hesitated briefly before stepping back, signaling their compliance.
Indeed, had this Cloud Hidden ANBU not arrived, they could have justified examining the corpse under the pretext of quickly identifying the enemy.
But now that a fellow ANBU had appeared, they had no choice but to yield.
It was common knowledge in every village that ANBU operatives handled covert missions, often shrouded in secrecy. Each of them carried secrets on their bodies.
In such cases, whether for personal safety or the well-being of their loved ones, it was best to avoid unnecessary involvement.
Seconds ticked by.
Soon, the Cloud Hidden ANBU completed his examination.
Seeing this, the Jonin who had stepped back immediately asked, "What did you find?"
The ANBU nodded.
A deep, muffled voice came from behind his mask: "Based on the clues left by Wind Hound, the enemy is most likely from Konoha."
As he spoke, he pried open the corpse's bloodstained hand, revealing a crimson leaf-shaped mark that was slowly fading.
This mark had been forcibly formed using chakra to coagulate the blood—a message left behind in secret.
Even Seimei had failed to notice it due to the minimal chakra used.
Everyone present recognized the symbol instantly—it was the emblem of the Hidden Leaf Village.
For an ANBU to leave such a concealed mark in his dying moments, the meaning was unmistakable.
The group immediately connected this to the target of their current search.
From the target's actions, Cloud Hidden had already deduced his identity—he was highly likely a Konoha spy.
And now, another Konoha ninja had appeared in the area. It wasn't hard to guess—they had come to rendezvous with the spy.
Realizing this, the first arriving Jonin and the ANBU swiftly transmitted the information, requesting reinforcements from the village.
They also ordered the sealing team outside to closely monitor the sensory barrier—any disturbance, no matter how small, had to be reported.
Having done this, they were about to discuss their next course of action when—
A surge of powerful chakra erupted from not far away.
At the same time, the sound of explosive tags detonating echoed through the air.
Exchanging glances, the squad wasted no time and rushed toward the source of the disturbance at full speed.
However, by the time they arrived, all they found was devastation and four charred corpses.
After a quick examination, the Jonin stated grimly, "Fire Release and Lightning Release. The enemy is powerful. This squad was wiped out within seconds, without even putting up a fight."
The ANBU added, "Not just Fire and Lightning Release—there's Genjutsu as well."
As he spoke, he approached one of the bodies, formed a hand seal, and activated a secret technique.
Placing his palm on the burned face, something remarkable happened—the scorched features gradually restored to their original state, revealing a faint smile frozen on the deceased's face.
Such an expression at the moment of death could only be caused by Genjutsu.
And not just any Genjutsu—it had to be exceptionally advanced.
Otherwise, the victim's agony in their final moments would have broken the illusion, distorting their expression.
"Fire Release, Lightning Release, and expert-level Genjutsu..."
The squad mentally scanned through Konoha's known ninja, trying to determine the enemy's identity.
Unfortunately, there were too few clues to reach a definitive answer.
Still, they had gained some insight into their opponent's abilities, ensuring they wouldn't be entirely in the dark when facing them again.
They were just about to relay this information to headquarters when—
A familiar chakra fluctuation reappeared.
Without hesitation, the team set off in that direction once more.
---
Meanwhile...
Seimei stood amid the remnants of the Cloud Hidden squad he had just scattered with a single Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu.
His Sharingan spun, locking onto a surviving enemy. He swiftly formed a hand seal and unleashed—Fire Release: Scorching Embers Jutsu!
Whoosh!
Without a sound, flames ignited on the ninja's body, engulfing him in an instant.
"Aaahhh!!"
A piercing scream echoed.
"Akajin!"
Another Cloud Hidden ninja shouted in alarm, immediately moving to help his comrade.
But Seimei had no intention of letting that happen so easily.
His Sharingan tracked the ninja's movements. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled several kunai embedded with explosive tags.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of explosions erupted.
The Cloud Hidden ninja reacted quickly, halting his advance and dodging with a series of rapid flicker movements.
But Seimei was already upon him.
Sidestepping the shuriken thrown by two other Cloud Hidden shinobi, he appeared directly in front of his target.
Their eyes met mid-air—
Hypnosis.
In an instant, the ninja was caught in Seimei's Genjutsu.
Without missing a beat, Seimei executed—Lightning Release: Thunder Serpent!
With a loud crackle, a bolt of lightning shot from his palm, transforming into a serpent mid-flight.
It struck the Cloud Hidden ninja squarely in the chest, charring his torso in an instant.
The man crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
But Seimei wasn't done.
As he turned, he flung a handful of shuriken, effortlessly knocking aside the kunai and shuriken aimed at him by the remaining two enemies.
Then, with a quick set of hand seals, he inhaled—
Fire Release: Dragon Flame Jutsu!
Three massive fire dragons roared forth.
One surged toward the weaker opponent on the left, while the other two flanked the stronger one on the right.
Seimei's precision and timing left them no chance to counterattack.
Forced into evasive maneuvers, they barely avoided the flames—
That was exactly what he was waiting for.
The moment they dodged, two sharp cracks of lightning rang out.
Two lightning serpents, as thick as an arm, shot from Seimei's hands, closing the distance in a blink.
A burnt smell filled the air.
The two Cloud Hidden ninja collapsed without a word.
To Seimei, dealing with mid- and low-tier opponents like these required no elaborate tactics.
With his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, well-timed jutsu, and a few kunai, it was more than enough.
Glancing at the approaching figures in the distance, Seimei smirked.
Without lingering, he darted away, continuing his charge toward the perimeter.
Truthfully, with his abilities, he could have left the encirclement without alerting anyone.
But he deliberately chose not to.
The reason?
Simple.
Since he had decided to stir up the waters, he couldn't avoid battle entirely.
Fights had to happen.
Only by doing so could he disrupt Cloud Hidden's strategy—
And ensure that Konoha's hidden spy realized someone had infiltrated the area.
Only then could the next phase of his plan proceed.