Boom!
A massive explosion roared through the air.
The fireball collided with the island, erupting in a blinding flash. Crimson flames instantly banished the surrounding darkness, illuminating the entire island and the nearby night sky.
The trees on the island didn't stand a chance. They were uprooted by the shockwave of the blast, and the few with deeper roots caught fire, becoming part of the blazing inferno.
In one fell swoop, nearly all life on the island—99% of it—was wiped out.
But Seimei's main target, En Oya, wasn't among them.
High in the sky, under the piercing gaze of his Byakugan, Seimei could clearly see En Oya's move. The moment the fireball struck, En manipulated several corpse puppets from underground, joining the one already in place to form a small protective barrier around himself.
Even now, they were struggling to hold on amidst the fiery hell.
Seimei didn't hesitate. He extended his right hand, gathering chakra at his fingertips into a high-energy state. Pouring in a massive amount of chakra, he compressed it to its limit, forming a blazing beam that shot straight toward En below.
This wasn't just any ninjutsu—it was the only S-rank Fire Release technique in Seimei's arsenal: Fire Release: Focused Flame Strike! A powerful, pinpoint attack designed to break through defenses.
It didn't disappoint.
Down below, in the sea of flames, En's already strained barrier shattered into countless sparkling fragments the moment the beam hit, completely collapsing.
Thanks to En's Blood Dragon Eye and the fact that the Focused Flame Strike lost some speed and power after breaking the barrier, he narrowly escaped death. But he didn't come out unscathed—he looked utterly disheveled, and it cost him two of his corpse puppets.
Now, he was down to just four puppets, all in rough shape.
Seimei wasn't about to let him recover. Like kicking a dog when it's down, he gave En no breathing room. Three more fiery beams rained from the sky, destroying En's remaining four corpse puppets.
Of course, Seimei had aimed for En himself, but the rogue ninja used his puppets as shields. It was clear that while En's Blood Dragon Eye might not match the Sharingan's versatility, it was still impressive—dodging three Focused Flame Strikes wasn't something just anyone could do.
But that was the end of the line.
En had no way to block what came next.
Realizing this, En made a desperate move before Seimei could deliver the final blow.
Boom!
A surge of intense chakra rippled through the air.
En poured every ounce of his chakra into his Blood Dragon Eye, manipulating the blood from nearby corpse puppets and even some of his own to form a massive blood dragon. It soared into the sky, lunging toward Seimei.
Clearly, he'd locked onto Seimei's real body.
Too bad it didn't matter.
Seimei was curious about the blood dragon's power, but it was getting late, and his Byakugan still needed nurturing. He couldn't afford to waste more time.
With a thought, he activated his left eye's dojutsu: Heaven's Command.
In an instant, Seimei vanished from En's sight.
The blood dragon swept through the air, hitting nothing. Unconvinced, En lashed out again, striking the surrounding area, but still found no trace of Seimei.
"This can't be!" En roared, his face twisting in frustration as he descended into a frenzy, wildly attacking everything around him with the blood dragon.
No matter how hard he tried, Seimei remained invisible.
Finally, after exhausting himself, En gave up. With a shout of "Explode!" the blood dragon burst into a shower of blood droplets, scattering in all directions. These droplets, though small, were infused with chakra, making them surprisingly powerful.
Anyone caught nearby would be riddled with holes.
Clearly, En was trying to prevent Seimei from reappearing, assuming he was playing hide-and-seek. At the same time, it was a distraction to buy time for his escape.
That's right—escape.
After venting his frustration, En regained his composure and decided to flee. Truthfully, the moment he recognized Seimei as the infamous "Ghost Sword Seimei," he'd already wanted to run. That feeling only grew stronger after Seimei shattered his puppet barrier with a single strike.
Now, he was just seizing the right moment.
But was it really an opportunity?
Of course not.
As En fled to the island's edge, a shadow clone Seimei had stationed to block the perimeter suddenly appeared in his path.
And that wasn't all.
Before En could react, the shadow clone slapped a Flying Thunder God seal onto itself. In an instant, Seimei's real body teleported in, guided by the mark.
Seeing Seimei's true form appear out of nowhere, En froze, his voice trembling with uncertainty. "You—"
But before he could say another word, Seimei locked eyes with him. In that split second, En's consciousness was dragged into an illusion.
The difference in their genjutsu skills was nightteen
Looking at the motionless En, Seimei stepped forward and applied the Soul-Sealing Contract Instant Movement Seal to ensure he wouldn't turn on him. Then, he used the Ninja Art: Mind Reading Technique to probe En's memories.
Time ticked by.
About fifteen minutes later, Seimei opened his eyes.
He'd uncovered the final piece of the puzzle about this rogue ninja organization.
When he'd read Daiki Chikamura and Reiko Koike's memories earlier, he noticed they knew nothing about the organization's founder, which seemed odd. To avoid complications, he hadn't pressed further at the time.
Now, it all made sense.
En Oya was the founder. Using his Blood Dragon Eye's genjutsu, he'd erased their memories of him and subtly altered their thoughts to overlook the inconsistency, effectively hiding his identity.
Now, everything was clear.
As for why En created the organization? Two main reasons: money and preparing for future revenge. But, judging by how little impact they'd had, the organization likely wouldn't have lasted long even without Seimei's intervention.
It made sense. Most of its members were rogue ninjas from various villages. During the Ninja World War, the villages were too busy to deal with them, letting them run free for a while. But now, with the world stabilized, the villages would naturally start cleaning house.
Daiki and Reiko's encounter seemed like chance, but it was inevitable. As long as these rogues kept operating, they'd eventually catch the attention of the major villages. Once that happened, their days were numbered.
What about the dangers of the Misty Sea? Sure, the reefs, natural whirlpools, and storms made it treacherous—for ordinary people and ships. But if the major villages set their sights on this place, those obstacles wouldn't stop them. If Daiki and Reiko could get here safely using the Water Demon Shark, the villages could surely find better ways.
A few elite jonin teams could wipe out this base without much trouble.
Seimei figured that, in the original timeline, that's probably how they met their end.
(Chapter End)