"Could they really be sending them to die as cannon fodder?"
The thought flashed through Seimei's mind.
No village would use their elite Anbu as disposable pawns—unless…
Suddenly, a possibility hit him.
Focusing his attention, Seimei scanned the group with his Byakugan.
Soon, he noticed something off about one of them.
Under his Byakugan's vision, the chakra flow in this person's body was irregular. A foreign chakra was concentrated in their eyes and brain.
It was a clear sign of being controlled by a genjutsu.
"As I thought—something's up!"
Just moments ago, he'd suspected these people might not even be Mist Village Anbu, which would explain why they were being used as sacrificial pawns.
But now it was clear: they were Mist Anbu, but someone was manipulating them, forcing them to act against their village's interests.
So, the question was: Who's pulling the strings?
Considering how the Leaf and Cloud Villages would react to this botched evacuation, Seimei already had an answer.
"Uchiha Obito," he muttered under his breath.
He wasn't jumping to conclusions. Obito had plenty of motive to sabotage the peace talks between the Leaf and Cloud.
For rats like him, who thrived in the shadows, the more chaotic the ninja world, the safer they were—and the easier it was to stir trouble.
But that wasn't the only reason.
Seimei had solid evidence pointing to Obito.
First, the genjutsu on the Mist's lead jōnin was unmistakably the work of Genjutsu: Sharingan.
Seimei was no stranger to the technique and recognized it instantly.
Moreover, he could tell the caster's Sharingan was at the Mangekyō level.
Only a Mangekyō Sharingan had the ocular power to control a jōnin's mind so precisely and for so long.
In the entire ninja world, only three people had a Mangekyō Sharingan: Obito, Seimei himself, and Shisui Uchiha.
Seimei obviously wasn't the culprit, and Shisui had no reason to do this. That left Obito as the only suspect.
Second, in another timeline, Obito had targeted the Mist Village after the Third Great Ninja War.
He had a track record of controlling the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi. These Anbu were from the Mist, so it wasn't a stretch to suspect him.
Of course, Obito likely hadn't taken control of Yagura yet.
If he had, Seimei's wood clone, deeply embedded in the Mist Village, would've reported it.
After all, among the Mist, Cloud, and Stone Villages, the Mist was where Seimei had the deepest infiltration. Any hint of Yagura acting off would've reached him.
This incident was probably just a test run by Obito, with the added bonus of disrupting the Leaf-Cloud peace talks.
With this in mind, Seimei scanned the surroundings, trying to pick up any trace of Obito.
If his guess was right, these dozen Mist Anbu were just pawns to test the waters. If Obito was going to make a real move, he'd have to show up himself.
So, he was likely nearby.
Even if Obito himself wasn't here, he'd at least have a spy watching.
Sure enough, after a thorough sweep, Seimei spotted something unusual.
Trailing behind the Mist Anbu was a single figure.
Their presence was so well-hidden it was almost undetectable, moving swiftly underground.
It immediately reminded Seimei of Zetsu and his Mayfly Technique.
Focusing harder, the figure's chakra felt faintly familiar.
Just as Seimei was about to probe further, the figure stopped, as if sensing his gaze.
This only confirmed his suspicions.
After a moment's thought, Seimei used the Telepathy Technique to contact Mitsuhiko Nara at the rear camp, informing him that the attackers were a group of Mist Anbu.
Then, he headed straight for the figure's hiding spot.
This was a bold move—most people, even if they knew the enemy's location, wouldn't approach alone.
They'd at least bring backup.
But Seimei wasn't most people. He had absolute confidence in his strength.
So, he went alone.
It had been nearly ten months since the Nine-Tails incident, and he was curious about Obito's current status. This was also a chance to gauge his reaction.
If Obito was indeed making moves on the Mist Village, Seimei needed to prepare early. No matter what, he couldn't let Obito control Yagura.
Sure, in his memories, Obito's control over Yagura only caused internal chaos in the Mist without destabilizing the broader ninja world.
But memories were just that—memories.
With Seimei's presence as a butterfly effect, there was no guarantee Obito wouldn't cause trouble beyond the Mist if he controlled Yagura.
Judging by this probing move, the odds of that were high.
If it came to that, the ninja world's peace could be shattered again.
And that would definitely disrupt Seimei's training.
So, no matter what, he couldn't let this happen.
"Man, I'm really breaking my back for the sake of peace in the ninja world," Seimei sighed to himself.
With a flicker, he used the Body Flicker Technique and dashed toward the spot where he suspected Zetsu was hiding.
The distance—less than two kilometers through the forest—took him no time at all.
Soon, he arrived at his destination.
He stood in front of a large tree, silent.
Time ticked by.
At some point, the sound of exploding tags echoed in the distance.
No need to guess—Seimei knew that was Mitsuhiko Nara and the others clashing with the Mist Anbu.
But he didn't focus on that. Instead, he stared at the tree ahead and said, "What, still not coming out?"
Whoosh.
A night breeze rustled the leaves.
But the tree remained unchanged.
"Heh."
Seimei let out a cold chuckle, ready to destroy the tree.
Just then, a half-black, half-white figure emerged from the trunk.
If it wasn't Zetsu, who else could it be?
Seeing him, Seimei felt a slight relief.
His guess was right.
But his expression stayed neutral. He sneered, "So, you finally decided to show yourself?"
Zetsu ignored the taunt, glancing to the side.
The next moment, a ripple of distorted space appeared.
Then, Uchiha Obito, wearing his spiral mask, materialized.
Seeing him, Seimei opened his mouth to say something.
But before he could, Obito snapped, "You've got some nerve showing your face in front of me!"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Seimei asked, genuinely confused.
Obito's face twisted with anger beneath the mask, his chakra surging as if he was ready to fight at any moment.
Despite the hostility, Seimei's expression grew serious, but he didn't budge. He stood calmly, watching Obito.
And it was that calm demeanor that made Obito hesitate.
The pressure radiating from Seimei was overwhelming. Obito's instincts screamed that if he made a move, the consequences would be dire.
After a tense standoff, Obito finally reined in his chakra.