"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
"Wind Style: Wind Blade!"
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
One by one, Seimei unleashed a barrage of ninjutsu from above, targeting the clusters of Mist Shinobi below.
The Mist Shinobi, like headless flies, either scrambled to dodge, grouped together to counter with their own jutsu, or launched counterattacks at him.
However, no matter their reaction, they couldn't stop Seimei from relentlessly casting his jutsu, raining down attacks.
Thanks to most of these techniques having been trained to their peak level, Seimei executed them effortlessly. This mastery intensified the pressure on the Mist Shinobi even further.
Working in tandem with Akimichi Choza, Seimei ensured that the Mist's lower and middle-rank shinobi had no chance to interfere with the battle between the Jonin on both sides.
As a result, Minato Namikaze and his group advanced unimpeded, breaking through with incredible momentum.
After all, this was merely one defensive line, and the Mist Village couldn't afford to station too many Jonin here.
Even if they had anticipated this as the likely breakout point, assembling a large number of Jonin was implausible due to two factors.
First, they lacked the time.
Seimei's group moved quickly and maintained secrecy, leaving the Mist to chase after them blindly. Falling behind once meant they remained behind.
Second, the Mist's command structure had been disrupted by Minato Namikaze and his team, making coordination among their scattered units exceedingly difficult.
Why, then, did they attempt to block the breakout at all?
The answer was simple: they had an abundance of lower-rank shinobi. If they were willing to sacrifice themselves, they could stall Minato and his team, buying time for reinforcements to arrive.
With more Jonin in play, they could launch a concentrated attack on Minato's group.
Unfortunately for them, this plan was entirely disrupted by Seimei and Akimichi Choza. This ultimately led to the current situation.
---
Time passed.
Flapping his wings, Seimei hovered above the battlefield, launching attacks to shield Minato Namikaze's breakout. He remained vigilant, scanning the surroundings for any movements.
At one point, his eyes narrowed as he spotted a small group of Mist Shinobi rushing toward the battlefield.
It wasn't that these newcomers posed a significant threat; rather, their arrival signified that the noise of the battle had attracted nearby Mist reinforcements, and they had begun to take action.
If this dragged on, reinforcements would continue to pour in, complicating the situation.
"We must break through immediately," Seimei thought, using the *Communication Jutsu* to inform Minato of the development.
Minato didn't hesitate. Through Yamanaka Inoichi, he relayed orders to the clan leaders, instructing them to go all out to clear the path for the group.
Upon receiving the command, the clan leaders exchanged subtle glances and unleashed their full power.
Seimei watched as, within moments, the Mist Jonin were completely suppressed by Minato and his team.
Had the group not been drained by previous battles, they might have done more than suppress their opponents—they could have eliminated them outright.
But even so, this was enough.
Minato's group had already pushed to the edge of the forest during their advance. With their final burst of strength, they shattered the Mist's defenses and plunged into the dense woods.
From there, they fought as they retreated, gradually vanishing into the forest.
As for Akimichi Choza, he transformed into a rolling force of destruction, barreling into the woods before reverting to his human form and disappearing.
And Seimei?
He simply flapped his wings and joined the others, without even touching the ground.
The Mist Jonin, watching their prey vanish, were filled with frustration. They quickly organized a pursuit team and entered the forest.
However, it wasn't long before a massive explosion echoed through the trees, followed by several others, interspersed with Mist Shinobi's screams.
Realizing they had triggered traps, the Mist were forced to retreat, humiliated and battered.
---
Meanwhile, Minato Namikaze's group, aided by their familiarity with the terrain and the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan members, avoided traps as they darted through the forest.
Within half an hour, they emerged from a secluded part of the woods and entered the Leaf's defensive zone.
After a brief rest and a few food pills to replenish their strength, the group pressed on, finally returning to the Leaf camp by 3 a.m.
The camp, much like the Mist's base at Oil Port, was sparsely manned.
To support this operation, Nara Shikaku had deployed most of their forces to engage the Mist elsewhere, aiming to pin down as many enemies as possible.
That battle was still ongoing and promised to escalate.
After all, this assassination mission wasn't an isolated effort. It was part of a broader strategy.
If the mission succeeded, the next step was to exploit the chaos in the Mist's chain of command and deal a decisive blow to their forces.
This meant the frontlines couldn't afford to rest—and neither could Minato's team.
After a brief respite, they would need to return to the battlefield.
Listening to Shikaku's briefing, Seimei remained silent, focusing on replenishing his chakra.
While the night's battles had been draining, the results were clear: the Mist would be forced into a period of quiet across the entire front.
Whether Seimei stayed on the battlefield or returned to the Black Stone base, he could look forward to some peaceful time for training.
Exchanging one night of battle for several days—or even weeks—of peace was a trade Seimei gladly accepted.
Once the briefing concluded, Shikaku dismissed the group to rest.
*(End of Chapter)*