overing high in the sky, Seimei carefully observed the village of Kirigakure below.
From above, he could see that the village covered a vast area, nestled within a massive valley. Towering mountains surrounded it, dense forests stretched in every direction, and rivers crisscrossed the land, making the village incredibly well-hidden.
However, everything comes with a trade-off.
While this environment provided Kirigakure with excellent concealment, it also meant that the village was perpetually shrouded in thick mist and heavy clouds. Sunlight rarely managed to pierce through.
Seimei speculated that the harsh personalities of Kirigakure's shinobi weren't just a result of the village's policies—its environment likely played a role as well.
After all, people and their surroundings influence each other.
Shaking his head, he dismissed those thoughts. Why am I even thinking about this? It's not like I'm the Mizukage.
What mattered now was infiltrating the village and completing the mission assigned by Minato Namikaze.
With that in mind, Seimei distanced himself slightly from Kirigakure, lowering his altitude before landing on a large tree nearby.
He then released the seal on his forehead, activating his Byakugan.
Immediately, his vision shifted. The world around him turned into shades of black and white, allowing him to see through obstacles with ease.
Not only that, but his perception of chakra-based energies became incredibly sharp.
Through his enhanced sight, he quickly noticed something—on the surface, Kirigakure seemed unguarded, but in reality, the entire village was enveloped by a sensory barrier.
If he attempted to pass through it without the correct passcode or technique, the barrier would instantly alert the shinobi inside.
Unless…
He entered through the front gate.
However, considering the current state of Kirigakure, the Land of Water had completely locked down its borders. Getting past the village's main entrance was out of the question.
Security was undoubtedly at an all-time high. It was the dead of night, making any unauthorized entry even more suspicious. But even if he tried during the day, his chances weren't much better. The odds of him slipping through unnoticed were slim to none.
His disguise techniques were limited—aside from the basic Transformation Jutsu, he lacked any advanced infiltration abilities.
So, sneaking in through conventional means was practically impossible.
Most shinobi in his situation would be stuck at this point.
At this stage, they would have two options:
1. Forcefully breach the barrier and rely on advanced stealth techniques to evade Kirigakure's patrols.
2. Find a way to blend in and improvise from there.
But regardless of the method, attracting attention from the Mist ninja was almost inevitable.
Seimei, however, was different.
Thanks to Heaven's Dominion, he could bypass the barrier without leaving a trace.
This meant he didn't have to worry about being pursued, allowing him to gather intelligence at his own pace.
Determined, he circled the village for a while, carefully studying its perimeter.
Finally, he identified an ideal entry point and approached the barrier.
The thick mist provided natural cover, preventing the stationed guards from spotting him.
He managed to get within fifty meters of the barrier—any closer, and the risk of detection would increase significantly.
It was time to use Heaven's Dominion.
Activating his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, Seimei focused his thoughts and triggered the ability within his left eye.
A silent shift occurred as Heaven's Dominion enveloped him.
In that instant, he felt as if he had been plucked from reality—his body remained in place, yet he no longer existed in the same plane as the shinobi world.
The sensation was strange, but he had long since grown accustomed to it.
Taking a few experimental steps, he wasted no time and walked directly toward the barrier.
As he neared the shimmering wall of chakra, his Byakugan revealed the intricate sealing formulas woven into the structure. They pulsed with bright energy, clearly operating at full power.
But to him, they were meaningless.
With a single step, he phased through the barrier like a ghost, seamlessly entering Kirigakure.
The sealing techniques remained undisturbed, and the shinobi controlling the barrier had no idea anything had happened.
As Seimei passed by a group of stationed guards, one of the Mist ninja briefly looked around, sensing something unusual.
But there was nothing to be seen.
Seimei paused slightly, glancing at the shinobi before whispering to himself, "Intuition, huh? Fascinating."
Then, without hesitation, he moved deeper into the village.
Getting past the barrier was just the beginning.
At the moment, he was still at the very outer edges of Kirigakure—nowhere near its core.
Much like Konoha, the village's sensory barrier extended far beyond the main residential area.
The outskirts contained training grounds, secret facilities, rare medicinal herb farms, and even beast-taming zones. It also served as the village's last line of defense.
Konoha had a similar setup, and Kirigakure was no different.
As he moved through the area, his Byakugan revealed various underground structures—artificially built facilities hidden beneath the surface.
Above ground, several strategic points were patrolled by guards.
After assessing the situation, Seimei decided to hold his position.
Finding a secluded spot behind a tree, he deactivated Heaven's Dominion, allowing his body to fully materialize.
"Phew…"
Exhaling softly, he rubbed his eyes, feeling a slight sense of relief.
Although his Mangekyō Sharingan had evolved to the Eternal level—eliminating the risk of blindness—prolonged use of such abilities still drained him.
A short rest wouldn't hurt.
Besides, he had other plans.
Before diving into intelligence gathering, he wanted to capture a few Mist ninja and extract information from them.
They might not know everything, but even basic updates on Kirigakure's situation could save him some trouble later.
And then… there was another reason for his mission.
In an alternate timeline, the revived Three-Tails had been recaptured by Kirigakure and sealed inside Yagura Karatachi.
Now, Seimei had his eyes on the beast.
If he wanted to claim the Three-Tails for himself, he needed to start preparing.
With a plan forming in his mind, he silently approached a recently returned patrol squad.
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