One hour later.
Deep inside the Ghost Cry Forest.
Seimei and his team were advancing cautiously.
The so-called Ghost Cry Forest was the high-mountain woodland Seimei had seen earlier on the sand table.
As the intelligence had warned, it was extremely dangerous.
In just a short time, they had already suffered no fewer than five attacks from venomous insects and fierce beasts. They had also encountered numerous traps—some still effective, others already deactivated.
However, the team Seimei had assembled was formidable. The weakest members were at the Chūnin level, while the four squad leaders were all Jōnin-level ninja.
As a result, they had not sustained any non-combat casualties.
Time continued to pass.
At one point, the Jōnin leading at the front suddenly raised his right arm, signaling for everyone to stop.
Instantly, the entire team came to a halt.
Silently, they drew their weapons, scanning their surroundings with heightened vigilance.
However, nothing happened.
Everyone then turned their gaze toward the leading Jōnin.
They saw him suddenly clasp his hands together, focusing his chakra as he activated his Byakugan to survey the area.
It turned out that this ninja was from the Hyūga clan. His sudden command to halt was merely a routine measure to gather intelligence on their surroundings.
This realization allowed the group to relax slightly.
Among them, Seimei observed these developments but remained silent.
His focus was on the Hyūga Jōnin leading the way.
Indeed, he also possessed the Byakugan and could have taken on the scouting role himself. However, because his Byakugan was acquired through illicit means, he preferred not to reveal it in front of others.
Thus, he had specifically chosen this individual to carry out the reconnaissance mission.
After scanning the area for a while and taking in everything within a one-kilometer radius, the Hyūga Jōnin resumed leading the way.
It was precisely because of the Byakugan's unparalleled ability that they were able to reach the depths of the forest within an hour.
After traveling for another thirty minutes or so, they estimated they were close to the Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud Village) unit's location. At this point, Seimei decided to separate from the group.
He instructed them to continue forward, then used Wind Release: Wings of Wind and Chakra Cloak to ascend into the sky, beginning an aerial survey of the forest.
The team members watched as he flew away, pausing momentarily before resuming their march under the Hyūga Jōnin's leadership, sticking to the original plan.
They understood Seimei's intent—he wanted to observe the Ghost Cry Forest from above to locate traces of Kumogakure's forces.
Once the enemy was spotted, they could ambush and eliminate them one by one.
However, given the density of the forest canopy, they were unsure how effective Seimei's aerial search would be.
This uncertainty left them somewhat uneasy.
What they didn't know, however, was that Seimei also possessed the Byakugan.
To him, the so-called tree cover was irrelevant.
Flying above the forest, he could easily use his Byakugan's enhanced vision to see through the canopy and observe everything happening below.
With this advantage, combined with his ability to fly, it wouldn't take long to scan the entire forest.
If Kumogakure's infiltration team was indeed in the area, there was no way they could escape his detection.
The supposed difficulty of this task simply did not exist for him.
In fact, if he weren't concerned about revealing too much, he could have led his team directly to the enemy's location the moment they entered the forest.
But now, the time was right—it was time to put an end to this meaningless contest.
With that thought, Seimei formed a hand seal, deactivating the Guardian Seal on his forehead, activating his Byakugan, and gliding just above the treetops.
Though his brain could only process so much visual information at once, preventing him from flying at full speed, scanning the entire forest was still a manageable task.
Moreover, he didn't need to search every inch of the forest.
Just moments ago, Nara Fufeng had relayed the latest intelligence. While the exact route of Kumogakure's infiltration team was still unclear, they had identified several possible paths.
With that information, Seimei only needed to prioritize searching those routes.
This wouldn't take much effort.
Fifteen Minutes Later
After surveying three possible routes, Seimei finally made a discovery.
Mid-air, he abruptly halted.
His entire focus shifted toward a specific location.
Using his Byakugan, he spotted a team of over a dozen individuals cautiously making their way through the forest ahead.
Their Kumogakure headbands made it clear they were Hidden Cloud ninja.
At this time and place, there was no other plausible explanation for their presence—they had to be part of the infiltration team.
Moreover, by analyzing their chakra signatures, Seimei confirmed that these individuals were all highly skilled. Their strength aligned with what one would expect from an elite Kumogakure infiltration squad.
With these factors combined, Seimei was almost certain of their identity.
However, he did not immediately take action.
Not because he feared them.
Even if every single one of them was a Chūnin or Jōnin, they posed no real threat to him.
The reason he held back was twofold.
First, he had yet to locate the other two infiltration teams. If he engaged prematurely, things could become unpredictable.
Second, he did not want to reveal too much about himself.
The recent conflict involving Danzō was still fresh in everyone's minds. If he stood out too much, he would inevitably attract unwanted attention.
Besides, this mission wasn't just about him—others needed their chance to contribute as well.
Thus, he decided to wait until all three infiltration teams were located before notifying his subordinates to take coordinated action.
With this in mind, Seimei changed direction and flew off at high speed.
Meanwhile, on the Ground
Deep within the forest, a Kumogakure Jōnin suddenly stopped.
The others immediately became alert.
After a brief silence with no apparent threats, another Jōnin asked, "Shiko, what's wrong?"
The female Kumogakure Jōnin, known as Shiko, retracted her sensing ability and shook her head. "Just now, I had a sudden feeling… like something was watching us."
Hearing this, the questioning Jōnin became more serious.
He knew of Shiko's abilities—while her direct combat prowess wasn't the highest, her sensory skills were the best among them.
If she sensed something, there was a high chance it was real.
He quickly asked, "Did you find anything?"
Shiko shook her head. "No. The sensation disappeared almost instantly. I'm not sure if it was just my imagination."
The Jōnin frowned. He didn't believe it was just an illusion, but without concrete evidence, there wasn't much they could do.
This left him uneasy.
However, their mission was too important to waste time hesitating.
'Since that's the case, we'll just have to be even more cautious…'
With a light sigh, he put his concerns aside, instructed the team to stay on high alert, and resumed their march.
At this moment, Seimei was unaware that his brief surveillance had made the Kumogakure ninjas even more cautious.
This would inevitably complicate the upcoming ambush.
But even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared.
After all, in the face of overwhelming strength, no amount of scheming mattered.
And in a situation where power was utterly one-sided, no level of caution would change the outcome—it would only waste a bit more of his chakra. `