Whoosh—
A pair of light blue chakra wings unfurled from behind Seimei. With a gentle flap, they carried him effortlessly into the sky.
Surveying the area from above, Seimei analyzed the situation:
"If the Kirigakure reinforcements are coming, they wouldn't cross the main battlefield. Yamanaka Aoi didn't mention that either, so they're most likely taking a detour. Considering the options, the north is too far, leaving the south as the most probable route."
With this conclusion, Seimei used the Mind Connection Technique to inform the five Konoha Jōnin below about the situation, urging them to resolve the ongoing skirmish quickly and prepare for a possible ambush. As for himself, he flew northeast toward the coastline.
Initially, Seimei thought it might take some time to locate the enemy, but before he had flown far, he spotted Kirigakure forces. Or rather, the enemy wasn't even attempting to conceal themselves; their entire formation advanced swiftly in a defensive array.
A quick scan revealed three squads, totaling roughly 200 men. Seimei let out a sigh of relief.
Earlier, hearing about Kirigakure's deployment of reserve forces, he had worried about them fielding a much larger group. But now, his concerns eased.
"If their reserve force numbered several hundred, they would have already joined the front lines to break through Konoha's defenses. Their absence there confirms they lack the numbers for that."
For a 200-strong force, while inadequate to tip the scales on the main battlefield, they were still a significant threat to Konoha's fatigued southern flank.
Seimei was about to examine the enemy's composition more closely when a figure in the crowd suddenly turned his attention upward.
Dressed in a navy-blue robe, with a distinctive black cloth covering his right eye, the figure was unmistakable: it was Ao, the renowned "White-Eyed Killer."
Recognizing him, Seimei licked his lips and murmured, "A Byakugan delivered straight to my doorstep?"
Having long sought a Byakugan, this seemed like a perfect opportunity.
As he pondered, more Kirigakure shinobi below looked toward him. Hovering in the air, Seimei found himself inadvertently locked in a standoff with the group. Meanwhile, the Kirigakure forces came to a halt.
Rather than rushing in recklessly, Seimei decided to bide his time, circling above them like a hawk. Time was on his side—the longer he delayed them, the better for Konoha.
Minutes ticked by.
Eventually, the Kirigakure forces grew restless.
Ao glanced around at his comrades, thought for a moment, and issued an order: "Stay on alert and prepare for combat. Move forward!"
The Kirigakure shinobi tightened their grip on their kunai and resumed their march under the leadership of three Jōnin.
This reinforcement team, however, boasted surprisingly limited high-level combat power. Apart from Ao, the group had only three other Jōnin-level fighters—two true Jōnin and two Special Jōnin. While the Special Jōnin excelled in assassination and stealth, they fell short in direct combat compared to full-fledged Jōnin.
Seimei initially found this surprising but quickly reasoned it out. The brutal fighting on the front lines had likely drained Kirigakure of its top-tier shinobi. Even if this reserve force hadn't been deployed immediately, its Jōnin were likely reassigned early on, leaving this group undermanned.
This situation gave Seimei an opportunity.
As the Kirigakure forces pressed forward, Seimei dove for a harassment run, aiming to disrupt their formation.
Yet, on his very first descent, danger struck.
A barrage of kunai filled the air, forcing Seimei to retreat upward without hesitation. As he climbed back to a safe height, he narrowed his eyes at the Kirigakure forces below.
The kunai, laced with potent toxins, gleamed ominously with a black-purple sheen and emitted a noxious odor. Even a faint whiff left Seimei feeling slightly dizzy.
Clearly, these weapons weren't ordinary. About half the enemy troops wielded such poison-tipped kunai, leaving no doubt: this was a deliberate countermeasure against him.
Indeed, Ao had brought every anti-Seimei tool Kirigakure could muster. The delay in deploying their reserve forces stemmed from the time it took to assemble these resources, which included not only the toxic kunai but also unconventional ninja tools and shinobi skilled in binding seals.
Ao might not have absolute confidence in defeating Seimei, and capturing him wasn't his primary mission, but it was evident he intended to try.
Watching Seimei evade the initial poisonous assault and ascend safely, Ao felt a twinge of disappointment. Such strategies worked best as ambushes; once their element of surprise was lost, their efficacy dwindled.
Still, these preparations were far from futile. They bolstered the Kirigakure forces' defensive capabilities, giving them the means to fend off Seimei's attacks.
Regaining his composure, Ao ordered the troops to continue moving forward.
Above, Seimei hovered, momentarily torn.
The poisoned kunai, while dangerous, posed no immediate threat to someone with his enhanced constitution. With a Physique stat of 19, he wouldn't succumb easily, even if struck. Moreover, his Lv8 Mystical Palm Technique and Lv5 Poison Extraction Technique provided ample tools for recovery.
The real issue lay in the unknown.
Seimei had no way of knowing what other traps or strategies the enemy might have prepared for him. Rushing in blindly would be foolish.
Yet, he couldn't let them advance unchecked.
While Konoha held the upper hand in the southern battlefield thanks to his earlier efforts, the fight was far from over. If these reinforcements joined the fray, they could turn the tide.
The scattered and fatigued Konoha forces wouldn't stand a chance against this fresh Kirigakure unit. Even with additional reinforcements from Sano Nobuhisa, those would be limited in number and strength, given the strain on the main battlefield.
The only viable option was to delay this group's progress for as long as possible.
Determined, Seimei cast aside his hesitation and launched an assault on the Kirigakure forces below.
While he didn't yet know the full extent of their preparations, with Amaterasu as his ultimate trump card, there was no need to hold back.