As Seimei pondered, Minato Namikaze spoke up.
Without any unnecessary words, he commanded, "Hiashi-senpai, it's up to you to locate the weakest point in the Mist Ninja encirclement. Haiichi and Shibi will assist. Everyone else, prepare for battle."
"Yes!"
The group responded in unison and immediately began checking their equipment.
Hiashi Hyuga activated his Byakugan, scanned the surroundings briefly, then pointed to his left and said, "This way!"
Without hesitation, he moved in the indicated direction.
Seeing this, Minato followed closely, with the others right behind him.
Meanwhile, Yamanaka Haiichi spread his sensory abilities, meticulously analyzing their surroundings to assist Hiashi in detecting gaps and to act as Minato's relay for issuing commands.
Aburame Shibi released a large swarm of kikaichū insects to further secure the group's safety.
Time ticked by.
In what felt like the blink of an eye, fifteen minutes had passed.
Thanks to Hiashi's Byakugan, which offered a god-like vantage point, the group skillfully navigated the terrain, avoiding returning Mist Ninjas. Exploiting gaps and slipping through temporary blockades, they managed to escape the vicinity of Yūzu Port.
Soon after, they quickened their pace, putting considerable distance between themselves and the port.
Just as everyone began to breathe a sigh of relief, Hiashi, leading the group, suddenly came to a halt.
Minato immediately asked, "What's wrong, senpai?"
Hiashi's expression was grim as he surveyed their surroundings. "We may already be surrounded."
The group was stunned.
Seimei didn't hesitate. Using Wind Release: Wind Wings, he ascended into the sky to observe the situation from above.
Previously, he refrained from such actions to avoid drawing attention and exposing their location. But now, with their position potentially compromised, discretion was no longer necessary.
From the air, Seimei activated his Sharingan and scanned the surroundings. Sure enough, scattered Mist Ninjas surrounded them, most at a distance of around a kilometer, with only a few within that range. This explained why Hiashi only noticed them now.
It was evident that the Mist Ninja had done this intentionally.
Having once captured a Byakugan, the Mist Village clearly understood its range of detection.
Thus, they positioned themselves right at the edge of its limits.
As for how they pinpointed the group's trail?
That wasn't difficult.
In their haste to escape, they couldn't afford the time to erase all traces of their movements.
When the Mist Ninjas failed to find them within Yūzu Port, they naturally followed these traces.
After investing some effort, they inevitably caught up.
From there, it was a matter of leveraging the Byakugan's limitations to establish a containment strategy.
These thoughts flashed through Seimei's mind in an instant.
Without wasting time, he identified the area with the fewest Mist Ninjas and called down to Minato, "We can move in this direction."
Minato looked at Hiashi.
Hiashi used his Byakugan to assess the area but shook his head. "The enemies are outside my detection range. I can't determine their exact numbers or strength."
Minato deliberated briefly before decisively ordering, "Everyone, head in that direction immediately."
At the same time, he turned to Seimei. "Seimei, stay in the air and guide us."
"Understood."
Seimei nodded and took off toward the indicated direction, distancing himself slightly from the group.
If he stayed directly above them, it would inevitably reveal their location.
Though the Mist Ninjas had already roughly deduced their position, they clearly didn't know the specifics. Otherwise, they wouldn't rely on slowly tightening their encirclement to trap them.
This cautious approach gave the group a slim chance of avoiding detection.
As for communication, Seimei and Haiichi both knew the Mind Transmission Technique, which allowed for seamless long-range coordination.
Time continued to pass.
Guided by Seimei from above and Hiashi's Byakugan from below, the group avoided scattered Mist Ninja patrols and advanced steadily.
While Seimei's aerial maneuvers drew attention, his separation from the main group prevented the Mist Ninjas from pinpointing their location.
In fact, his misleading movements even sent some of the enemies searching in the wrong direction.
However, Seimei couldn't stray too far from the group.
The issue wasn't the range of the Mind Transmission Technique—Seimei had honed it to its peak, allowing communication up to twenty kilometers.
The problem was visibility.
In the dark of night, even with the high vantage point, Seimei's field of view was limited. To navigate effectively, he had to stay reasonably close to the team.
This proximity gave the Mist Ninjas a chance to use his movements as a clue.
The situation became a race against time—could Minato's group break through the encirclement before the Mist Ninjas closed in?
Unfortunately, the Mist Ninjas, with their home-field advantage, held the upper hand.
Even though they couldn't immediately locate Minato's group, they deduced their general direction and intentions.
Thus, they preemptively fortified the routes leading toward the Leaf Village's defensive perimeter, creating checkpoints and setting up barricades.
The only silver lining was the rushed nature of their preparations. Coupled with the ongoing Leaf assault that occupied most of their forces, the Mist Ninjas couldn't allocate many troops to these defenses.
From the air, Seimei observed the temporary Mist Ninja fortifications ahead.
After carefully surveying the area, he relayed the details to Minato.
Hearing his report, Minato made a swift decision—they would force their way through.
That's right—there would be no detours, no delays, only a direct frontal assault.
This path, chosen out of necessity, was also deliberate.
It was the shortest route to the Leaf defensive line.
Once they crossed this barrier, they would enter a dense forest filled with traps set by Leaf forces.
The Mist Ninjas would likely be reluctant to pursue them into such hostile terrain.
In contrast, Minato's team could use their home-field advantage to navigate quickly and safely.
Given the modest number of enemies stationed at the barricade, Minato believed that with combined efforts, breaking through was feasible.
Even if their attack drew attention, it wouldn't matter.
As long as they moved quickly and finished before reinforcements arrived, they could still escape safely.
Conversely, any hesitation—whether changing direction or delaying their assault—would only increase their peril.
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