Creak.
The office door opened and then closed again as Seimei stepped out.
Unbeknownst to him, the moment he left, Minato Namikaze turned to Kakashi, who was still standing nearby, and said, "Kakashi, keep a close eye on Seimei during the mission."
"Hm?" Kakashi's exposed right eye, peering out from under his mask, flickered with confusion.
Minato caught the look but didn't elaborate. "Just make sure to submit a detailed mission report afterward," he added.
Seeing that the Hokage wasn't going to explain further, Kakashi, still weighed down by his own past sorrows, didn't press the issue. He simply nodded, said, "Got it," and left the Hokage's office.
Once both were gone, a heavy expression settled on Minato's face. Though the Nine-Tails incident had happened six months ago, and his wife had miraculously survived, that didn't mean he'd stopped digging into the lingering questions from that night. Over the past few months, he'd been quietly investigating the mysterious figure who appeared that evening.
While Uchiha Shisui, for various reasons, hadn't reported that Seimei was the mysterious figure, Minato had pieced together enough clues to zero in on him. He wasn't 100% certain—maybe 70 or 80%—but that was enough. For now, though, there were still things he couldn't quite figure out, so he wasn't ready to confront Seimei directly.
Still, keeping tabs on him was necessary.
Seimei, meanwhile, was unaware that his identity had been compromised. But even if he knew, he wouldn't have cared much. For one, his current strength was enough to ensure his safety and squash any unrealistic schemes against him. For another, the ninja world only had so many top-tier players—someone popping up out of nowhere just wasn't plausible. He'd never expected his identity to stay hidden forever after that night's events.
So, whether his identity was exposed or not? Didn't bother him much.
Besides, he wasn't the one who tried to steal the Nine-Tails. In fact, he'd indirectly saved Kushina Uzumaki's life. He had no reason to worry about Minato coming after him.
---
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Back to Seimei. After leaving the Hokage Tower, he returned home, quickly packed his gear, and left the village.
He hadn't gone far when Kakashi's ANBU team caught up, trailing him discreetly. They didn't meet face-to-face, instead maintaining a silent one-in-the-open, one-in-the-shadows formation as they headed toward their destination: the northern border.
The sun set, and the moon rose.
By evening, Seimei decided it was time to rest. He found a clearing in the woods and settled down. Seeing this, Kakashi and his team, still hidden, also stopped to rest. The two groups still hadn't made direct contact.
In the forest, the sounds of chirping insects and birds filled the air.
Seimei downed a few enhanced soldier pills to fill his stomach, then began channeling chakra into the interdimensional space at his forehead. As for training? Not happening. In this environment, the only training he could do was break down Body of the Extreme and focus solely on strengthening his Byakugan. But that would mean unsealing the Byakugan at his forehead.
His Konoha headband hid it from normal eyes, but Seimei hadn't forgotten that Kakashi also had a Sharingan, which could detect chakra flow. If Kakashi noticed the Byakugan in his forehead, it'd stir up a mess of trouble.
So, for now, he'd just stockpile chakra.
With that in mind, Seimei swiftly directed his chakra reserves. Soon, he'd stored most of it away. Wasting no more time, he settled in to rest.
The night passed quietly.
---
The next morning, Seimei woke early, ate a few more soldier pills to fuel up, and set off again.
The journey was uneventful, and by late morning, he reached the rear camp at the northern border. After exchanging information with the ninja stationed there, he moved to a designated outpost closer to the front.
This outpost, near the Land of Rice Fields, was remote—a prearranged route for the diplomatic envoys between Konoha and the Hidden Cloud Village. No Konoha ninja were stationed there now. Seimei stood atop a watchtower, gazing into the distance, unmoving.
After some time, a group of figures appeared on the horizon. As they drew closer, Seimei could make out a team of thirty to forty people, their headbands marking them as Cloud ninja. Given the timing and location, they could only be the Cloud Village's envoy team.
Soon, they reached the outpost, and Seimei stepped forward to meet them.
The mood, however, was anything but friendly.
The thirty-plus Cloud ninja formed a semicircle, surrounding Seimei. Their faces were etched with hostility, some looking ready to attack and kill him on the spot.
Seimei, hands in his pockets, stood calmly, unfazed by their aggressive reaction. Maybe it was because, over the past half-month, he'd taken out a good number of their skilled ninja. That'd explain why they weren't exactly thrilled to see him.
The moment he appeared, before any formal introductions, they'd encircled him. Some even seemed eager to take him out right then and there.
But Seimei wasn't worried.
His gaze swept over the group before settling on the lead Cloud jōnin. "I'm Uchiha Seimei," he said evenly. "I'm here to escort you to Konoha."
He fell silent, waiting for their部分
System: their response.
The Cloud ninja's lead jōnin seemed to sense Seimei's resolve. After a brief hesitation, he waved a hand, signaling his team to lower their weapons. Some of the Cloud ninja were reluctant, but under his stern glare, they complied.
It was clear that, despite the Fourth Raikage, Ai, unifying the village's stance, there were still some Cloud ninja with their own agendas. But that wasn't Seimei's concern.
He looked at the lead Cloud ninja and asked, "Do you need to rest, or are we good to head out now?"
"No rest needed," the lead ninja replied curtly.
"Alright then," Seimei said with a nod, taking the lead and starting the journey.
---