Swish, swish, swish—
Figures darted swiftly through the forest.
After reaching a certain spot, they came to a halt.
Looking around, one of them muttered in frustration, "We lost him!"
However, neither the squad leader—a high-ranking Jonin from the Hidden Cloud Village—nor the Anbu ninja who had been accompanying them paid him any attention.
After a brief silence, the Cloud Jonin finally spoke, "Was it him?"
Hearing this, the Anbu ninja hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "It shouldn't be wrong."
Their exchange left the others puzzled or deep in thought.
Finally, the same Chunin who had complained earlier asked, "Captain, do you already know who the enemy is?"
After a brief pause, Noda Ryu cautiously answered, "If I'm not mistaken, that person should be Uchiha Seimei."
"Uchiha Seimei? The Demon Blade Seimei?!"
Noda Ryu's answer left Nishikawa Yuuhiro and the rest of the squad visibly shocked, mixed with a hint of curiosity.
Their reaction was understandable. In the past two years, Seimei's reputation had grown considerably—many had heard of him.
However, since Seimei's activities were mainly concentrated on the battlefields of the Land of Rain and the Hidden Mist Village, most had only heard of him but had never seen him in person.
This was their first time encountering him up close.
It felt like a legendary figure from a story suddenly stepping into reality—how could they not be amazed?
But after the initial surprise came a growing sense of dread.
After all, his name carried weight like the shadow of a towering tree.
Over the past two years, Seimei had killed numerous Jonin. For these relatively weak ninjas, they knew they likely wouldn't stand a chance against him. It was natural to feel fear.
Thinking back on the two squads that Seimei had completely wiped out moments ago, a wave of cold dread swept through them. Fortunately, they had stuck close to their captain—otherwise, they might have shared the same fate.
As their thoughts raced, a familiar chakra fluctuation suddenly rippled through the air.
This time, however, the group didn't move immediately; they waited for Noda Ryu's command.
Noda Ryu exchanged a glance with the Hidden Cloud Anbu and gave a small nod.
Then, under Noda Ryu's lead, the squad resumed their pursuit of Seimei, while the Anbu went off to contact others and report their latest findings to the command center for further instructions.
Their caution was justified—Seimei's overwhelming presence demanded it.
In truth, Noda Ryu's team wasn't planning a direct confrontation. Their mission was simply to keep Seimei within sight and prevent him from slipping away.
Noda Ryu knew all too well that Seimei's strength was far beyond what their small team could handle. Without proper preparation, engaging him directly would be suicide.
Seimei, of course, was aware of this strategy.
So, his "breakthrough" attempts became increasingly brazen.
It wasn't just Chunin squads anymore—even Jonin squads weren't spared if the situation allowed it.
Seimei wasn't trying to kill every Cloud ninja he encountered; his goal was to spread news of his arrival as widely as possible.
Only by doing so could he force any Hidden Leaf spies lurking in the shadows to respond.
---
Time ticked by, second after second.
In the blink of an eye, Seimei had already spent half an hour in the mountains.
During that time, leveraging the advantage of his Byakugan, he continuously ambushed Cloud search squads, throwing the entire Hidden Cloud operation into chaos.
The Cloud Village had tried several times to encircle him, but each time Seimei evaded them using his Byakugan's clairvoyance and his Mangekyō Sharingan's Heavenly Shield.
The frustration among the Cloud ninjas grew unbearable.
Still, they had no choice but to keep chasing after him.
Seimei's strikes were precise, ruthless, and fast—any opening, no matter how small, would result in devastating losses to their search teams.
Even so, retreating wasn't an option.
Not only were Seimei's attacks negligible compared to their overall force, but even if the casualties multiplied several times over, they wouldn't consider pulling back.
Why? Because they feared Seimei might rendezvous with a Hidden Leaf spy and escape together.
They hadn't forgotten that Seimei also possessed a flying jutsu—if he found his target, he could escape from the skies.
Such an outcome would mean a catastrophic failure on their part.
So, no matter the cost, they had to keep up the pressure.
Even if they couldn't capture him, they had to ensure Seimei couldn't stay in one place for too long, preventing him from linking up with any spies.
---
Their strategy was surprisingly effective.
Seimei was indeed forced to keep moving.
Time continued slipping away as the two sides engaged in this deadly game of cat and mouse.
As the sun dipped toward the horizon and the forest grew dim, Seimei finally noticed something unusual.
Next to a large tree, he spotted a mark carved into the bark. His eyes narrowed.
"It finally appeared," he thought.
The mark wasn't random—it was a signal described in the mission scroll, a secret code used by the spy for identification and contact.
Without hesitation, Seimei dashed toward the direction indicated by the mark.
Several Cloud ninjas tried to intercept him along the way, but each attempt was thwarted by his Heavenly Shield technique.
Following the signs, Seimei soon reached the mountainside without a hitch.
The area was naturally shrouded in mist, and as the sun set and temperatures dropped, the fog thickened.
Visibility was reduced to barely three meters, making it increasingly difficult for Seimei to spot new markers.
Thankfully, the mist wasn't infused with chakra, so his Byakugan remained effective.
Otherwise, he might have wandered straight into the Hidden Cloud's trap before even finding the next mark.
Indeed, the Hidden Cloud had stationed plenty of search squads here.
The thick fog made this area ideal for hiding, and while the Cloud Village's leader might not have been the sharpest strategist, his subordinates certainly weren't fools.
This area had become a primary search zone.
In fact, after confirming Seimei's identity, many Jonin squads specializing in hunting him were redirected to this region by the Hidden Cloud command center.
Their objective was clear: the moment a battle began, they would rush to the scene and pin Seimei down.
Seimei noticed their presence but didn't want unnecessary complications now that his mission was nearly complete.
Instead of his usual aggressive tactics, he took advantage of the fog to launch guerrilla-style movements, staying hidden from their view while continuing his search for the spy's marks.
Following the signs, Seimei gradually confirmed that the spy was indeed hiding in this area. The only question now was how to make contact.