Grind is My Ninja Way

Watching the battle below, Seimei felt that the pressure he exerted still wasn't enough.

At the very least, the Mist Ninja hadn't mobilized large reinforcements from other areas.

After a brief consideration, he targeted a region behind the Mist Ninja lines and descended there.

Almost the moment his feet touched the ground, several nearby Mist Ninjas rushed at him.

However, the place Seimei had chosen was deliberate—there were hardly any high-ranking ninjas around.

As a result, among the ones who charged at him, only one was a Chūnin; the others were all Genin.

It was unclear whether they were following orders or simply acting impulsively, but they charged nonetheless.

In any case, Seimei didn't even bother to take them seriously.

With a single glance from his Sharingan, he caught all their movements. Then, he swiftly drew the long sword at his waist.

A flash of green light flickered around his body as he unleashed the Instant Sword Technique.

In the next instant, his entire body turned into a blurred shadow, counterattacking the group.

"Watch out!"

The Mist Chūnin quickly shouted in warning upon seeing this.

However, the gap in strength between the two sides was too vast, and by the time he spoke, it was already too late.

Swish, swish, swish!

Blades of light flashed, and the throats of all the Mist Genin were slashed open.

Finally, Seimei stopped in front of the Mist Chūnin.

As their eyes met, Seimei activated Genjutsu: Sharingan, dragging the Chūnin's consciousness into an illusion.

Then, with a swift, imaginary slash across the opponent's neck, he used the Chakra Scalpel to sever the Chūnin's throat in reality.

The intense sensation of choking brought the Mist Chūnin out of the genjutsu.

Ignoring the mixture of fear and hatred in the opponent's eyes, Seimei sidestepped a few incoming kunai and shuriken. Taking advantage of a momentary lull, he formed a hand seal and used Shadow Clone Jutsu.

Poof!

A puff of chakra smoke exploded.

In an instant, three identical figures appeared on the battlefield.

This caused several Mist Jōnin closing in to pause briefly, their eyes scanning the clones as if trying to determine which one was real.

But Seimei didn't give them time to think. Sharing a glance with his clones, they each picked a direction and charged into the crowd.

Screams echoed again in no time.

Even with his chakra divided among four, Seimei was still far superior to these Mist Chūnin and Genin.

As such, even when he and his clones were eventually blocked by several Mist Jōnin, they had already inflicted over a dozen casualties in the blink of an eye.

Moreover, in subsequent battles, Seimei showed no concern for his chakra reserves. Whenever an opportunity arose, he unleashed powerful jutsu without hesitation.

These jutsu might not have been able to harm the Mist Jōnin fighting him, but they were a real threat to the surrounding Mist Ninjas.

The locations Seimei and his clones chose were also strategic—they were key areas on the path of Konoha's offensive and critical points in the Mist's defense. The surrounding Mist Ninjas didn't dare stray too far.

Thus, they had no choice but to remain nearby, enduring the danger.

In such a situation, it would have been manageable if Seimei had been quickly taken down or driven away. The losses would have been acceptable.

But the problem was that Seimei and his clones were far too strong. The few Mist Jōnin who had rushed over were no match for him.

Forget capturing him—even forcing him to retreat was impossible.

To make matters worse, Seimei and his clones deliberately shifted the battlefield to more crowded areas, further hampering the Mist Ninjas.

As a result, the situation in the western part of the city was completely thrown into chaos.

The Konoha forces that had been feigning an attack on the outskirts took advantage of Seimei's intervention to break into the city. With so many Mist Ninjas tied down by him, their progress naturally became much smoother.

Yūhi Shinku, being a sharp strategist, immediately sent reinforcements upon assessing the situation, making it appear as though the western front was their main assault point.

The Mist commander couldn't take the risk.

Reluctantly, they were forced to redeploy troops from other areas to bolster the defense.

As time ticked by, the Mist reinforcements finally began to pressure Seimei.

One of his shadow clones, caught off guard, fell victim to a Mist Jōnin's attack and was destroyed by another ninja bursting up from the ground.

Seimei absorbed the memories of the fallen clone, memorizing the appearance of the Mist Jōnin responsible.

Then, he seized an opportunity to use Mind Link Jutsu to contact Yūhi Shinku outside the city.

"Jōnin Seimei?"

Yūhi Shinku's voice echoed in Seimei's mind.

"It's me," Seimei replied.

He then asked, "How many Mist Ninjas have shifted positions? Have we achieved the desired effect?"

Quick to grasp Seimei's intent, Yūhi Shinku wasted no time. "Hold on a moment!"

A few seconds later, he confirmed, "One-third of the troops from the north and east have been redeployed, and half from the south. It's enough!"

Hearing this, Seimei nodded. "Good. I'll head over shortly. You can begin the next phase of the plan."

"Understood. Be careful out there!"

Yūhi Shinku acknowledged and added a word of caution before cutting the connection.

Back on the battlefield, Seimei dodged the combined assault of two Mist Jōnin and raised his hand, forming a massive Rasengan over a meter in diameter.

Having witnessed the destructive power of the Rasengan multiple times in the past few minutes, the two Jōnin instinctively hesitated.

Whether Genin, Chūnin, or Jōnin, anyone hit by it was either killed or gravely injured. And those were just smaller versions—this larger one was even more daunting.

Capitalizing on their hesitation, Seimei used Water Release: Hidden Mist Jutsu, enveloping the area in thick fog.

This technique, perfected to its peak, hadn't been used much because it limited Seimei's Sharingan as well.

Caught off guard, the two Mist Jōnin reacted a moment too late. By the time they threw kunai into the mist and dispersed it, Seimei had already used Wind Release: Wings of Wind to lift off the ground.

"There he is! Attack!"

A sharp-eyed Mist Jōnin spotted Seimei emerging from the dissipating fog and immediately threw a kunai, calling out to others for support.

But it was too late.

Seimei's Sharingan rotated slightly, locking onto the kunai's trajectory. With a gentle flap of his wings, he evaded it.

As for the other attacks, he was already beyond their range in the blink of an eye, needing no further effort to avoid them.

After escaping danger, the remaining two shadow clones, still under attack on the ground, suddenly vanished, returning their chakra and recent memories to Seimei.

Circling the battlefield a few times for effect, Seimei suddenly accelerated, flying away from the western city.

Seeing his retreat, some Mist Ninjas were visibly unwilling to let him go.

But most of them were relieved.

After all, to the majority of Mist Ninjas, Seimei's overwhelming strength was terrifying—fear was only natural.