In the blink of an eye, two more days had passed.
It had been three days since the Mist Ninja last attacked Flying Fish Town. Up until now, they hadn't made any further moves.
"I wonder if there will be any change today?"
Seimei thought to himself, recalling the strange behavior of the Mist Ninjas in Flying Fish Town the previous night.
As he was pondering this, there was a sudden knock at the door.
His heart skipped a beat. "Could I be right about this?"
Thinking this, he quickly grabbed a nearby towel and wiped the water off his face. Approaching the door, he opened it to find a familiar figure standing there: Nakagawa Ichiro, a messenger from Sano Nobuhisa.
It had to be said, Nakagawa's luck was remarkable. Despite surviving multiple battles, he was still alive and, from the way his aura felt to Seimei's Sharingan, had even grown a bit stronger.
Feeling Seimei's gaze, Nakagawa shifted uncomfortably. "Captain Sano has requested your presence in the meeting room," he announced.
The familiar opening line reminded Seimei of the scene before the last Mist Ninja attack. Back then, Nakagawa had delivered the same message.
So, Seimei asked, "What's up? Don't tell me the Mist Ninja are attacking again?"
Though the question was half in jest, he was genuinely curious.
Nakagawa nodded seriously. "Yes. This morning, Captain Sano sent scouts to investigate the unusual activity of the Mist Ninja reported last night in Flying Fish Town. It has been confirmed: they are preparing for another attack."
"Oh, I see."
Seimei thought for a moment, then waved his hand. "Got it. Go inform the others."
With a nod, Nakagawa turned and left.
Watching him disappear down the hallway, Seimei stayed at the door, mulling things over. He'd only just woken up, and his gear was still scattered. Even though it was just a meeting, he preferred to be prepared.
Given his current role in the outpost, there was at least a ninety percent chance Captain Sano would send him on a scouting mission after the meeting. He'd rather be fully equipped than have to make a second trip back.
A few minutes later, he was fully dressed and locked his door before heading to the meeting room.
The meeting proceeded as usual, with a briefing on the current situation and the assignment of tasks. Notably, scouts reported that this time, the Mist Ninja were deploying in small teams instead of a single unified force. Clearly, their intention was to harass and exhaust their enemy.
Given their similar manpower, the only effective counter was to mirror their tactics. This promised a drawn-out confrontation with sounds of battle likely to fill every hour of the day.
However, this wasn't necessarily bad news. The Mist Ninjas' choice of harassment tactics indicated they had likely given up on capturing the Blackstone Outpost. This relieved some concern about losing the outpost.
Moreover, fighting nearby had the advantage of being on home ground, making resupply easier and allowing the allied ninjas to maximize their capabilities—unquestionably good news.
When it was Seimei's turn, just as he had predicted, he was assigned the task of monitoring the Mist Ninjas' movements.
This time, though, all he needed to do was report their general movements back to headquarters.
The meeting concluded, and Seimei exited the command post, wasting no time. He immediately activated his "Wind Style: Wings of Wind," soaring southward toward the outpost.
Scouts had confirmed that this time, the Mist Ninjas weren't coming by sea but by land. Flying Fish Town lay directly south of Blackstone, so that's where he needed to head.
…
A few minutes later.
Seimei reached the skies above the valley where Sano Nobuhisa had previously ambushed Ayako Yasuda and her team.
There were already dozens of Mist Ninja teams moving through the valley, proceeding with caution—a clear psychological effect from Sano's previous ambush.
Unfortunately, their caution was in vain.
Earlier, Sano had already decided to set the battlefield around Blackstone Outpost, maximizing their home-field advantage. Thus, the route between Flying Fish Town and Blackstone was free of ambushes.
Time ticked by slowly.
Soon, the Mist Ninjas noticed Seimei's presence. But he was flying too high for them to do anything but stay wary while advancing.
As for their movements being spotted by Seimei, it didn't matter. Both sides had long since abandoned any attempts at secrecy, and as long as they avoided ambushes, their positions were open knowledge.
After following them for a few minutes, Seimei found it dull. He landed in the distance and summoned a Shadow Clone, delegating surveillance to it while he went to train.
Notably, his practice with "Earth Style: Hardening Technique" had paid off in the last few days, advancing from Level 4 to Level 5, a significant threshold. Now he could activate it quickly enough for intense combat, enhancing his safety in battle.
Still, moving from Level 5 to Level 6 required 5,000 proficiency points, which would take over a week at his current pace—too long for his liking.
After some thought, he decided to reallocate 20,000 of the 70,000 chakra points he had invested in the Hardening Technique to bolster "Fire Style: Scorch Technique." This shift would yield 200 points daily, enabling it to reach Level 2 within a day and Level 3 in about five days.
At Level 3, it could be used in moderate combat rather than only for destruction.
His "Water Style: Water Formation Wall" and "Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet" techniques were also close to leveling up. They were currently at Level 6, with Level 7 marking their peak.
Once they advanced, he would free up 40,000 chakra points, though he had already earmarked those for other purposes and couldn't divert them to further his Earth or Fire Style techniques.
However, there was a way to accelerate his progress.
Seimei cast a distant gaze at the Mist Ninjas. They were, after all, excellent sources of resources!
(End of Chapter)