Ever since the completion of the "Karma Curse Seal" and the "Four Symbols Seal," Seimei had fully relaxed. Although he had yet to obtain the Seven-Tails, he already considered it as good as his.
However, what he hadn't expected was that even after another day had passed, Takigakure still had not made a move.
Without their action, his shadow clone was unable to locate the Seven-Tails' sealing site.
As a result, he had no way to take action himself.
It was an extremely passive situation.
That said, it wasn't all bad news.
At the very least, Kumogakure had not launched another large-scale attack.
At the same time, the Cloud-nin tasked with investigating the missing infiltration team in the Demon Wailing Forest had also refrained from causing trouble.
This allowed him to focus on training without distractions.
From here on, all he needed to do was follow his plan step by step and wait for the shadow clone he had planted in Takigakure to send back intel.
He refused to believe that Takigakure would remain idle forever.
As it turned out, the information his shadow clone had gathered earlier—indicating that Takigakure would take action within a week—was quite accurate.
That Night
Seimei was still training inside his tent when a memory fragment suddenly surfaced in his mind.
Realizing that this memory was from the shadow clone stationed inside Takigakure, he immediately stopped his training and quickly sifted through the recollection.
Ignoring the mundane daily details, he focused on the events of the day.
Soon, he found the crucial piece of information.
An hour ago, Takigakure had suddenly issued a village-wide lockdown order, prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving.
At the same time, all of the village's barriers had been fully activated.
As a result, the village's shinobi were on edge. No one knew what was happening, and while many wanted to go out and investigate, they were forced to comply with the lockdown order.
However, while the others remained clueless, the shadow clone had a pretty good idea of what was happening.
Takigakure had not faced any external threats recently, so a sudden operation of this scale could mean only one thing—the village leadership was preparing to transplant the Seven-Tails and create a Jinchūriki, one of the shinobi world's "nuclear weapons."
Seizing the opportunity to slip away unnoticed, the shadow clone immediately dispelled itself, sending back the memory and intelligence.
Seimei's Immediate Response
Reading up to this point, Seimei's eyes snapped open.
Without hesitation, he quickly packed his equipment, grabbed a pre-prepared mask, and put it on.
Then, expending over a thousand chakra points, he activated the "Flying Thunder God Technique" and instantly teleported across a vast distance, arriving in the forest outside Takigakure.
It wasn't that the shadow clone hadn't left a chakra marker inside the village—it had. However, Seimei feared that teleporting directly inside would alert the enemy.
After all, the sudden disappearance of his shadow clone might have already drawn suspicion. If an unknown intruder suddenly appeared as well, the village might cancel its plans entirely.
If that happened, all his preparations would be for nothing.
So, to be safe, he chose the longer route.
One might wonder—why would the disappearance of a single shadow clone attract attention in a village full of shinobi?
The answer was simple.
The shadow clone had been posing as Mizutani Yuuichi, a Jōnin. Although he wasn't part of the village's core leadership, Takigakure was a small ninja village with few Jōnin to begin with. A major operation like this naturally required all available Jōnin to participate.
Mizutani Yuuichi had been assigned to guard the village perimeter and prevent intruders from approaching or infiltrating.
It was precisely by taking advantage of this assignment that the shadow clone had managed to slip away and dispel itself.
By now, his disappearance had likely been noticed.
This meant Seimei had to be extremely cautious.
Various thoughts flashed through his mind as he quickly reviewed his plan.
Then, forming a hand seal, he activated the "Wind Release: Wings of Wind" and "Chakra Cloak," ascending into the sky and flying toward Takigakure.
The forest wasn't too far from the village. A ninja running at full speed would take about an hour to reach it, but by flying, he could cover the distance in just two to three minutes.
Entering Takigakure
Before long, Seimei spotted the massive waterfall that concealed Takigakure's entrance.
He had to admit—it was a truly breathtaking sight, even at night.
Unfortunately, he hadn't come here for sightseeing.
Hovering above the village, he formed a hand seal and released the "Guardian Seal" on his forehead.
Then, focusing his mind, he activated his Byakugan.
In an instant, his vision penetrated the Konoha forehead protector and the mask covering his face, allowing him to see everything within a kilometer below.
Just as his shadow clone's memories had indicated, there were numerous Takigakure shinobi hidden in the vicinity. They had formed a loose perimeter around the village, ensuring its security.
At this distance, the night provided him with ample cover, allowing him to remain undetected in the sky.
However, if he descended any lower, he would inevitably be discovered.
That would be troublesome.
After considering his options, Seimei activated his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Without hesitation, he triggered his left-eye ability—Amatsunagi!
Instantly, his body vanished.
It was as if he had stepped into another dimension.
Then, as if he were simply walking through an open door, he reappeared at the base of the waterfall.
From there, he strode confidently into Takigakure, as if returning home.
Effortlessly passing through multiple checkpoints, he finally reached the village's inner area. Finding an unoccupied corner, he deactivated Amatsunagi.
Under his mask, a streak of blood trickled from his left eye, resembling a crimson tear—a sight both eerie and otherworldly.
Seimei closed his left eye, feeling the sharp pain radiating from it. He knew he had pushed the technique to its limit.
Currently, his Sharingan's evolution stood at (40,550/50,000). He could sustain Amatsunagi for a maximum of fifty seconds.
Although he had moved swiftly, Takigakure's complex entrance and numerous guards had forced him to remain phased out for over forty seconds.
That was dangerously close to his limit, putting immense strain on his eye.
If not for his exceptionally strong physique, his vision would have deteriorated significantly by now. Instead, he remained unaffected.
Still, he had to be careful.
At his current pace, it would take nearly two more months to reach (50,000/50,000) and evolve his eyes into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, permanently eliminating the risk of blindness.
He couldn't afford to mess up now.
Shaking off those thoughts, Seimei took a moment to recover.
Once his eye pain had subsided, he set off again—heading toward the location his shadow clone had identified as the most likely site for the Seven-Tails' sealing.
This time, he didn't rely entirely on Amatsunagi.
Once inside the village's barriers, it would be much harder for others to detect him.
Thus, he could afford to take a bolder approach—disguising himself as a different person while moving through the village.
If he encountered a patrol he couldn't evade, then and only then would he use Amatsunagi.
This strategy would significantly reduce the strain on his eye.
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