Grind is My Ninja Way

A few minutes later, the Mist Ninja forces on the battlefield began to retreat in an orderly fashion.

At the same time, news arrived from Nara Keiko's side. The Mist Ninja unit they were pursuing had changed course and was no longer heading toward Port.

Combining these developments, Seimei quickly deduced the Mist's intentions. It seemed they realized they couldn't hold their position here and had decided to retreat.

However, to confirm, Seimei flew into the sky to observe the situation from a broader perspective.

As it turned out, the Mist Ninja weren't executing some kind of deceptive strategy. They genuinely planned to withdraw.

Hovering over the eastern skies of Port, Seimei gazed into the distance.

He could see several Mist Hidden warships speeding toward the shore across the sea.

It was clear these ships were meant to evacuate the Mist Ninja here, along with the forces that had failed to breach the Leaf camp.

Judging by their timely arrival, it was evident the Mist had planned this in advance.

In recent times, to prevent sabotage from Leaf infiltration squads, their warships had been stationed at a port on the opposite side of the strait in the Land of Waves.

This port, which housed a forward base constructed by the Leaf, served as a safe harbor for their large ships.

However, even traveling from there, the warships would have taken considerable time to arrive. Their promptness here was no coincidence.

Clearly, the Mist warships had been waiting nearby and only surfaced after receiving orders.

This precaution highlighted the Mist's lack of confidence in launching this decisive battle. If they had been certain of victory, such preparations wouldn't have been necessary.

Nonetheless, this contingency plan spared them from complete annihilation.

Seimei reported his observations to the acting team leader on-site and Nara Keiko at the camp, asking whether he should sabotage the ships.

Given his strength, destroying a few warships with minimal resistance wouldn't have been difficult.

Ultimately, both the acting leader and Nara Keiko rejected the idea.

Their reasoning was simple: they feared a cornered enemy.

With the warships intact, the Mist Ninja retained a glimmer of hope. If the ships were destroyed, they'd have no choice but to fight to the death, significantly increasing the Leaf's casualties.

This was an outcome neither the village nor the command center wanted.

Thus, they decided against it.

Instead of prioritizing the eradication of more Mist Ninja, they chose to preserve their own forces, ensuring they'd be prepared for any unforeseen crises.

Moreover, this battle, labeled a "decisive confrontation," was primarily about securing leverage for the final negotiations between the Leaf and the Mist. It did not touch upon core interests.

At this stage of the war, both sides' higher-ups had reached a consensus: the war must end.

All that remained was to establish the victor—there was no need for unnecessary bloodshed.

Setting aside his thoughts, Seimei crossed his arms and hovered in the air, leisurely watching the Mist Ninja retreat from Port.

While neither the acting leader nor Nara Keiko permitted him to destroy the warships, that didn't mean the Mist Ninja would be allowed to leave without resistance.

The warships merely served as a glimmer of hope to prevent a desperate fight to the end. Pursuit and skirmishes along the way were inevitable.

Clang! Boom!

The sounds of intense combat continued.

Seimei quietly observed from above when he suddenly sensed something. Turning his gaze to the southwest, he felt a surge of powerful chakra.

After a moment's hesitation, he raised his hands and performed the cross-shaped "Ram" seal, activating the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

Poof!

With a burst of chakra smoke, a clone with wings appeared beside him.

Nodding to the clone to stay in place, Seimei himself flew toward the source of the chakra surge.

Thanks to the speed of his Wind Release: Wings of Wind technique, he arrived at the location in under a minute.

The area had transformed into a vast expanse of water.

Seimei's Sharingan spun rapidly, and he soon spotted a familiar figure in the middle of the water.

It was none other than Kisame Hoshigaki.

A month ago, Kisame's massive chakra absorption during the Mist Ninja's operations had drawn Seimei's attention. At that time, Seimei had defeated one of Kisame's shadow clones.

To encounter him again today was unexpected.

Once again, Kisame was dressed in his Mist Anbu uniform—a black cloak and mask—exuding an aura that warned others to stay away.

But why was he here?

Seimei scanned the artificially created water surface, the Mist Ninja surrounding Kisame, and the somewhat battered Leaf pursuit unit ahead of them.

It all became clear.

If Seimei guessed correctly, Kisame had come to assist his comrades in retreating, with the vast water surface being his handiwork.

As Seimei studied Kisame, the latter noticed him.

Without hesitation, Kisame began forming hand seals and unleashed the Water Release: Thousand Feeding Sharks technique.

In an instant, a thousand ferocious sharks emerged, charging relentlessly toward the Leaf pursuit unit.

Caught off guard, the Leaf forces were forced into defensive positions.

Seizing this moment, Kisame shouted, "Retreat!"

Without hesitation, the Mist Ninja, led by several jonin, sprinted across the water toward the shoreline.

Seeing this, Seimei flapped his wings, swiftly moving to intercept them from above.

Though the Leaf hadn't intended to annihilate the Mist Ninja, Seimei was free to disrupt their plans.

Dodging incoming shuriken, he quickly performed hand seals and unleashed Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu.

A massive fireball descended, radiating intense heat and light as it hurtled toward the fleeing Mist Ninja.

Unlike the Mist forces at Port, these survivors were both stronger and more mobile.

Within moments, multiple Mist Ninja retaliated with Water Release techniques, neutralizing the fireball.

One after another, seven or eight jutsu struck the fireball, causing it to explode.

Firey debris rained down, but the Mist Ninja evaded it skillfully.

Not only that, but they also launched a counterattack against Seimei.

Kisame himself fired a Water Shark Bullet at Seimei, forcing him to retreat to avoid the barrage.

Taking advantage of this opening, the Mist Ninja pressed forward.

Seimei briefly cooperated with the Leaf forces to pursue them before eventually returning to the Port battlefield.

By then, calling it a "battlefield" felt inaccurate.

With the Mist Ninja gone, peace had returned.

All that remained were injured Leaf shinobi and the ruins of the port.

From a distance, Seimei observed a scene further east, where the older jonin and his Leaf unit continued to chase the fleeing Mist Ninja near the coastline, close to the Mist warships.

Choosing not to intervene further, Seimei transformed into a medical ninja and began treating the injured left behind at the port.