"Flying Thunder God no Jutsu?!"
That's right—what appeared before him wasn't just any jutsu. It was a seal he knew all too well—the marking of the Hiraishin no Jutsu.
In Konoha, only one person came to Seimei's mind who could leave such a mark and had the power to do so: Namikaze Minato.
Which meant... this was very likely a backup plan—or a trap—left behind by Minato himself.
Realizing this, Seimei didn't hesitate. He immediately dispelled his Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, retrieving the two shadow clones he'd stationed outside.
Then, he activated the power of Ame no Mikage once again, completely hiding himself from view.
Almost the very instant he vanished, a figure appeared in the room.
It was none other than Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage.
He held a kunai in hand, his sharp gaze scanning the surroundings. His eyes paused on the open Scroll of Seals on the table, then locked onto the exact spot where Seimei had just been standing.
Minato's eyes were filled with alertness. Even though there was nothing in sight, he didn't dare look away.
Seeing this, Seimei thought to himself, "His instincts are terrifyingly sharp."
Minato's actions made it clear: he must have sensed something. That's why he was staring at that spot so intently.
Seimei was secretly glad he hadn't used the Flying Thunder God to escape just now.
If he had, with Minato's incredible perception and familiarity with the jutsu, he might've figured out that Seimei had mastered it as well.
And once that secret was out, it would be much harder for Seimei to use Hiraishin discreetly for his own plans.
Even if he wasn't caught this time, Minato would definitely strengthen Konoha's surveillance against space-time techniques from here on out.
He had to be extra cautious moving forward.
Whoosh—
Suddenly, while Seimei was still lost in thought, a kunai came flying toward him.
But instead of dodging, he simply stood still, staring directly at the incoming kunai without even blinking.
The kunai reached him—only to pass straight through.
Or rather, it passed through the space where he was standing.
Thunk—
A dull sound rang out as the kunai embedded itself in the wooden door behind him.
Minato's eyes narrowed in confusion.
His instincts told him the enemy hadn't left the room and was most likely standing right there. But his attack hadn't hit anything.
"Was it just my imagination?"
Minato frowned, scanning the room again. He still couldn't see or sense anything. Yet, his gut told him he was right.
Then, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—he threw several more kunai, forming a net in mid-air, sealing off the space in front of him.
He was clearly trying to force the enemy out of hiding.
Unfortunately for him, Seimei had no intention of dodging.
Maybe a high-level shinobi could notice slight clues with sharp instinct, but breaking through the protection of Ame no Mikage and harming Seimei? Impossible.
It was a power Seimei himself called "invincible." No way it would be so easily cracked.
So Seimei stood there, unmoving, while Minato tried every trick he could think of.
He even attempted genjutsu and sealing jutsu, but none worked.
Eventually, when Minato stopped, the sound of footsteps echoed outside the door. With a creak, it opened—and three figures rushed in.
It was the ones who had been chatting with Minato earlier in the meeting room: Sarutobi Hiruzen, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado.
They stared at the mess in the room, then looked at the tense Minato.
"What happened, Minato?" Hiruzen asked.
Minato shook his head without replying, still keeping his eyes locked on the doorway, clearly expecting something—or someone—to appear.
But there was nothing.
Seeing this, the three elders instinctively backed away from the door.
They each drew a kunai and stood in a half-circle formation, watching the doorway and the hallway beyond it.
Seconds ticked by.
Eventually, Hiruzen spoke again: "Minato, what exactly did you see? And…"
He glanced around at the damage in the room, noting that only one side showed signs of combat.
"Who were you fighting just now?"
Minato finally put away his kunai and replied, "Third Hokage-sama… to be honest, I don't know. I didn't actually see anyone. I just felt that someone had been here."
At that, Hiruzen scanned the room again. Still nothing.
"You're sure someone was just here?" he asked.
Minato nodded firmly.
He then crouched beside two unconscious ANBU shinobi. Upon checking their condition, he found they were under a genjutsu.
He quickly formed a seal, gathered chakra, and dispelled it for both of them.
They jolted awake instantly, leaping up and scanning the room in alarm. Upon seeing Minato and Hiruzen, they relaxed a little.
Before Minato could say anything, Hiruzen stepped forward. "What happened? Why were you caught in a genjutsu?"
The two glanced at Minato. When he nodded slightly, they began explaining what had happened in detail.
When one mentioned that the intruder possessed a Mangekyō Sharingan, Hiruzen couldn't help interrupting, shocked:
"You're saying the enemy had a Mangekyō Sharingan? One of the Uchiha clan's?"
Utatane and Mitokado both looked grim.
As high-ranking members of the village, they were well aware of the Mangekyō Sharingan's existence. But they never expected to hear about another one besides Uchiha Madara's in their lifetime.
Well… not see another, but hear of one.
The ANBU confirmed with a nod. "I've encountered intel about this before. There's no mistake."
"Previous mission?" Hiruzen caught on immediately and looked to Minato.
Minato realized he couldn't keep it a secret anymore. He told them about Seimei's encounter with Uchiha Obito and Zetsu.
Of course, he didn't reveal everything. He specifically mentioned that Obito had a Mangekyō Sharingan and used a space-time ability.
Minato summarized, "Based on what 'Snake' described, the intruder wore a mask, only one eye visible—just like the one Seimei described. He also used some sort of space-time ability."
He was implying that the masked intruder used that jutsu to enter undetected, avoid Minato's attacks, and escape afterward.
But in truth, Minato still had doubts.
He hadn't sensed any space-time fluctuations. If the intruder really was who he suspected, he should've picked up on something.
Then again, Mangekyō abilities varied. Who knew if his had detectable spatial signatures or not?
To confirm, he would need to face the user directly.
While Minato was deep in thought, Hiruzen felt overwhelmed by the sudden revelations.
Through various secret operatives, he'd known Minato's ANBU were investigating something. But he never expected it to be tied to the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan.
Wait—
Suddenly, Hiruzen had another thought.
If the intel came from Seimei—and he survived an encounter with a Mangekyō user—then… could he also have awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?
Going further, could Seimei have been the one responsible for Danzo's mysterious death?
At the time, he'd only had suspicions. Seimei's strength didn't quite match the kind of overwhelming force needed to quietly eliminate someone like Danzo, who was always surrounded by guards.
But if Seimei had a Mangekyō all along, then… maybe it was possible.
Hiruzen's face darkened at the thought.
And he wasn't the only one—Koharu and Homura were clearly thinking the same thing.
In an instant, the three elders silently reached a decision: they had to investigate and uncover the truth.
But none of them realized—Seimei had already left the room long before they arrived.
At this very moment, he was moving at full speed toward his home, making sure not to leave any trace behind.