Seeing his comrade killed, the Root ninja, who had just dodged the shark missile, didn't hesitate and immediately ran into the distance. It wasn't out of fear or cowardice. Root ninjas, who undergo rigorous "self-erasure" training, don't even comprehend the concept of fear deep within.
He fled only to deliver the intelligence he had gathered here.
Unfortunately for him, he was fast—but not as fast as Seimei.
Almost as soon as he made his move, Seimei executed his "Instant Sword Technique," surpassing him and blocking his escape.
Facing Seimei, who had appeared abruptly, the Root ninja wasted no time, immediately swinging his kunai, aiming to slit Seimei's throat.
The strike was swift and urgent, something that would be difficult for an average ninja to evade.
But Seimei, with his Sharingan, easily tracked his opponent's movements, slightly tilting his head to dodge.
Seeing this, the Root ninja jumped back several times to increase the distance between them. Meanwhile, he threw multiple kunai toward different parts of Seimei's body.
Seimei activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan to the fullest, making the oncoming kunai appear to approach in slow motion. He effortlessly dodged two and prepared to evade the rest. But then, he noticed something: thin, nearly invisible wires attached to the kunai.
These wires, treated with a special coating, had no shine even under sunlight. On closer inspection, he also sensed a faint poisonous scent emanating from them.
Such a trap would have been hard to notice without the extraordinary perception of his Sharingan.
If he hadn't seen it in time, he would've been in trouble. These wires, controlled by the tension of the kunai, had formed a massive net. If he charged into it, his speed would be severely hindered.
If that happened, no matter how fast his Instant Sword Technique was, he would be like a "fish in a net, a bird in a cage" with no way to escape.
"Well, well, quite the trap," Seimei muttered to himself, beginning to devise a plan.
By all logic, now that he had spotted the trap, he should avoid it. But Seimei wasn't interested in taking that route.
After quickly scanning his surroundings to confirm he was alone, he unhesitatingly charged straight into the trap.
Even the Root ninja was stunned by this. He hadn't expected Seimei to fall for it; after all, with the Sharingan, Seimei should have easily seen through his setup. His only intent was to buy himself some time to escape.
But here was Seimei, charging into the net like a fool.
"Could he be onto something?" the Root ninja wondered suspiciously.
However, this was his moment to strike.
Almost instinctively, he reacted immediately. Gripping the wires tightly, he pulled hard, causing the poisoned net to shrink by half, leaving no gaps for an ordinary person to slip through.
Seimei was now completely trapped.
To escape, he would have to break the steel net, and this time was all the Root ninja needed for a final attack.
He quickly stabbed two kunai into the ground, securing the net's origin points. Then, raising his hands, he swiftly performed hand seals and unleashed a powerful Fire Release technique.
In an instant, flames spewed from his mouth, engulfing the area covered by the steel net and consuming Seimei within.
One second, two seconds...
After several breaths had passed, there was still no sign of movement within the flames—as if there was no one there at all.
A sense of dread crept into the Root ninja's mind.
Without hesitation, he halted his jutsu. When the flames dissipated, the steel net was empty.
Seeing this, his pupils contracted, and he immediately turned to flee.
But just as he turned, he was met by a strange pair of eyes—dark and brilliant, like black suns.
The next moment, an overwhelming spiritual force pulled him into an illusionary realm.
The Root ninja struggled, but it was futile against the illusionary technique powered by the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Yes, the Mangekyo Sharingan.
When Seimei first noticed the poisoned net, he had two options: to retreat or to counterattack.
He chose the latter.
It wasn't that he enjoyed using the Mangekyo Sharingan in front of others, as it increased the risk of exposure. But when necessary, he wouldn't hesitate.
If he had chosen to retreat, he could still have taken down the Root ninja, but it would've taken more time—and time wasn't on his side. He hadn't forgotten the underground base on the island, nor did he know how many other ninjas might be inside.
So instead of gambling or wasting time, Seimei decided to lure the Root ninja into attacking, using the opportunity to activate his Mangekyo Sharingan and the "Heaven's Domain" ability, allowing him to phase through the poisoned net and flames, appearing behind the Root ninja.
By the time his opponent realized what was happening and tried to flee, it was too late.
With just a single "Sharingan Genjutsu," Seimei immobilized him.
Wasting no time, Seimei delved into his captive's mind, guiding him to reveal his memories, searching for the information he wanted.
Minute by minute, time slipped by.
After about seven or eight minutes, Seimei stopped the probing.
Reopening his eyes, he glanced at the headless body in the distance, then at the figure still entranced, muttering, "So it's connected to Danzo after all."
He had suspected as much when he identified the pair as Root operatives; it was likely that the experiments being conducted here were related to Danzo.
Now, he was sure of it.
From the Root ninja's memories, Seimei confirmed that Danzo had dispatched these two to protect the base—and to capture test subjects.
As for why Danzo would have people stationed at Orochimaru's secret base?
The answer was simple. Orochimaru was still tied to the Root organization, so his experiments couldn't be hidden from Danzo. And, with Orochimaru overseeing affairs in the Land of Rain, he didn't have much time to monitor this base himself.
Thus, they had joined forces.
However, Seimei had no interest in their scheming. All he cared about was that his trip hadn't been in vain.
Though this Root ninja wasn't a researcher and lacked knowledge of human experimentation techniques, Seimei found hints that what he needed could indeed be found in the base.
He had also identified two hidden entrances—one on the island and one underwater.
In addition, he now had detailed information on the security layout, trap locations, and overall structure of the base.
With this intelligence, sneaking into the base would be a breeze.
*(Chapter End)*