Outside the Hidden Leaf Village.
In the forest.
Seimei's figure appeared out of nowhere.
As usual, he activated his Byakugan to scan the surroundings, ensuring nothing was out of place. Only then did he trigger his Tenshi no Go technique, slipping through the village's sensory barrier and entering the Hidden Leaf.
But he hadn't been in the village long before he noticed something off.
By all accounts, it wasn't even nighttime yet—the village should've been bustling with life.
But now…
Seimei's gaze swept over the crowded streets. There were plenty of people, sure, but he picked up on an unusual vibe.
As he walked, he didn't just see lively villagers—he also noticed ninja patrol teams moving through the streets far more frequently than usual.
And in the shadows, he spotted several of the village's Anbu operatives on the move.
Their actions made it clear they were on guard against something.
And that gave the village an undercurrent of tension, a subtle killing intent most wouldn't even notice.
This was the anomaly Seimei sensed.
"Looks like something's gone down in the village over the past ten days," he thought.
With that, Seimei quickened his pace, heading straight home.
The first thing he did upon arrival was dispel his Shadow Clone Jutsu, absorbing the memories of the clone he'd left behind.
Before, due to the rapid advancement of his kekkei genkai, his mind and body had started falling out of sync.
So, for a while now, he'd avoided reabsorbing this particular shadow clone.
But now, suddenly dispelling it flooded his mind with a massive wave of memories.
It gave Seimei a bit of a headache.
Luckily, his mental and physical attributes were close enough now that he recovered quickly.
Closing his eyes, Seimei sifted through the memories, focusing on the last ten days to figure out what had caused this strange shift in the village.
And, wouldn't you know it, he found the answer.
Half an hour later, Seimei opened his eyes.
A flicker of realization passed through them.
It turned out that just a few days ago, Obito Uchiha had shown up in the Hidden Leaf again and clashed with some Anbu ninjas.
That's why the village had beefed up security.
Of course, that was just the surface-level reason. His shadow clone suspected the deeper cause had to do with Kushina Uzumaki's impending childbirth.
It was mid-September now, and by Seimei's calculations, Naruto would be born in about twenty days.
Everyone knew that when a jinchuriki gave birth, the seal holding the tailed beast weakened, creating a prime opportunity for those with ulterior motives to stir up trouble.
If Obito's movements hadn't been noticed, the village might've stuck to a low-key approach, tightening security only as Kushina's due date approached, like in another timeline.
But now, with Obito and the Hidden Leaf having clashed multiple times, the village's higher-ups were almost certain his target was the Nine-Tails.
No way they'd stick to a subtle approach now.
With the home-field advantage, they'd maximize it.
Increased patrols were just the start.
Seimei could already picture it: as Kushina's due date got closer, the village's defenses would only get tighter.
On the day of the birth, they might even lock down the entire village.
Seimei was starting to wonder if Obito could still seize the opportunity.
Going up against a whole village wasn't exactly a walk in the park.
Still, considering the power of Obito's Mangekyo Sharingan and his awakened Kamui ability, Seimei figured he'd probably make a move regardless.
But unlike that other timeline, where he acted alone, this time he likely wouldn't.
Judging by how Obito had brought Zetsu along last time to meet him, it seemed he was prepared to involve Zetsu in the plan. Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought him to the Hidden Leaf.
With that thought, Seimei's gaze drifted toward the Hokage's office building. He murmured, "Looks like I need to make some preparations of my own."
Sure, he knew the exact timing of Kushina's childbirth from that other timeline, but he still needed an "inside eye" to confirm the details in this one.
And Seimei already had someone in mind for that role.
But first, he needed to rest. He'd deal with everything else tomorrow.
Quickly shedding his gear, Seimei washed up, changed into casual clothes, and headed out to the village's "food street."
It took nearly two hours to satisfy his hunger.
After that, he hit up the hot spring inn, soaking comfortably for an hour before heading home as night fell.
Too tired to train, Seimei went straight to his bedroom and crashed.
He'd hoped to sleep through the night, but in the dead of night, someone woke him.
In his bedroom.
On his bed.
Seimei's eyes snapped open.
In one smooth motion, he reached under his pillow, pulling out a gleaming kunai and gripping it tightly.
He waited silently for a moment, but no one entered the room.
After a quick thought, Seimei sat up, threw on a shirt, and headed toward the door.
Creak~
The door swung open.
Seimei stepped out of the bedroom.
Moonlight spilled in from the courtyard, illuminating a figure standing in the living room.
The figure wore a long robe and a single-eyed mask—it was none other than Obito Uchiha.
Hearing Seimei's footsteps, Obito turned, facing him head-on.
Seimei met his gaze, his expression unreadable, and said flatly, "Next time, use the door."
Obito didn't respond to that. Instead, he said, "You've been keeping an eye on what I told you about, right?"
Seimei paused, quickly piecing together what he meant.
It was about baiting him with the idea of wanting the tailed beast, luring him to keep tabs on Kushina.
But even though he understood, Seimei didn't answer. Staying silent fit his persona better.
Obito didn't seem to expect a response either.
He gave Seimei a quick glance, as if confirming something, then continued, "Remember, the opportunity's coming up soon. If you still want the Nine-Tails, you'd better keep a close eye on Kushina Uzumaki."
With that, he didn't wait for a reaction. He activated Kamui and vanished.
Seimei watched him disappear without a word.
In fact, from start to finish, he'd only said that one line about the door. Nothing else.
It wasn't that he was intimidated or anything like that—he just didn't see the point in reacting.
He'd already figured out why Obito had shown up like this. Teleporting straight into his home, when Obito knew the village had barriers that could detect spatial fluctuations, was deliberate.
It meant one thing: Obito wanted the village to suspect Seimei.
And going further, Seimei guessed Obito's goal was to get him sidelined from any potential guard duty.
After all, Obito had a rough idea of Seimei's strength. If he was involved in protecting Kushina, it'd make Obito's plan a lot harder.
That's the last thing Obito wanted.
So, tonight's little visit happened.
But that wasn't all. Obito's other goal was likely to tip him off that he was about to make his move.
That way, whatever Seimei did at that critical moment would draw attention and take some heat off Obito.
It was a two-birds-one-stone move.
But it also put Seimei in a tough spot.
Just days ago, the village had caught Obito sneaking in and clashing with the Anbu. Now, him showing up like this was practically a slap in the village's face.
No way the Hidden Leaf would let this slide.
It all came down to how precise the village's sensory barriers were.
If they could pinpoint the spatial disturbance to Seimei's house…
His face darkened at the thought, but he didn't do anything. He just went back to his bedroom and went to sleep, as if nothing had happened.