Grind is My Ninja Way

Withdrawing his gaze, Seimei turned his attention toward the nearby Mist Chūnin. 

Caught under his sharp stare, the Mist Chūnin immediately snapped to his senses. Without hesitation, he flung the kunai in his hand. Not waiting to see if it hit its mark, he spun on his heel and fled toward the main battlefield. 

But before he could take more than two steps, Seimei appeared in front of him. 

Startled, the Mist Chūnin didn't stop. Instead, he swung his kunai directly at Seimei's neck. 

Unfortunately, such an attack posed no threat to Seimei. 

Just as the kunai was about to hit, Seimei subtly sidestepped, evading the strike effortlessly. 

Seeing this, Miyazaki Tomohisa's eyes lit up. Twisting his wrist, he aimed to slash Seimei's throat. 

But in the next moment, a sharp pain struck. 

Miyazaki felt a numbing jolt from his right flank before being sent flying. 

Seimei calmly retracted his right leg, unhurriedly walking toward him. 

Cough~ 

Seeing Seimei approach, Miyazaki coughed violently while struggling to his feet. 

However, before he could fully rise, Seimei used a "Body Flicker Technique" and appeared right in front of him. 

Miyazaki's pupils dilated in fear. Overwhelmed by terror, his adrenaline spiked. 

"Die!" 

With a roar, he thrust his kunai toward Seimei's heart with all his might. 

But what greeted him was Seimei's "Leaf Strong Whirlwind". 

Boom~ 

Crack~ 

A dull thud accompanied by the sound of bones breaking resounded. 

Miyazaki crashed heavily to the ground. 

This time, before he could rise again, Seimei was already in front of him. 

In the next moment, their gazes locked, and Seimei activated the "Genjutsu: Sharingan" he had prepared earlier. 

Instantly, Miyazaki's consciousness was dragged into a genjutsu. 

His body froze in place, motionless. 

Without wasting time, Seimei immediately manipulated the illusion to extract the memories he needed. 

Moments later, Seimei withdrew his hand, reviewing the information he had just obtained. 

As he suspected, the four individuals had no connection to the Root organization. 

Their presence was purely coincidental—drawn by the commotion caused by Seimei's earlier battle with Kuja and the others, prompting the Mist commander to send them to investigate. 

Moreover, two other teams were assigned similar tasks. 

However, Seimei had no intention of seeking out those teams. 

After confirming they were unrelated to Root, there was no need to waste time on them. 

Sanou Nobuhisa's reinforcement troops had already arrived, turning the battlefield into chaos. This was the perfect opportunity to deal with the traitor, and any unnecessary distractions would jeopardize that chance. 

Yes, Sanou Nobuhisa was here. 

His shadow clone, walking among the reinforcements, had informed him via the "Telepathy Technique." 

It was time to act. 

With that thought, Seimei used the "Chakra Scalpel" to sever Miyazaki's heart muscle before setting his body ablaze. Without waiting for the flames to consume him entirely, Seimei used "Wind Release: Wings of Wind" to leave the scene. 

Seconds later. 

Seimei arrived at the battlefield, dramatically joining the fray. 

Soon after, another figure entered the fight—bearing the exact appearance of Miyazaki Tomohisa. 

This, of course, was Seimei's shadow clone in disguise. 

Why not disguise as Akihara Shinnosuke instead? 

Simple—Shinnosuke's exceptional strength might intimidate the traitor. 

The traitor, after all, was merely a Chūnin. Even a Tokubetsu Jōnin like Shinnosuke would appear as an overwhelming force. 

This was precisely why Seimei aimed to eliminate the traitor during the chaos. 

If the target were a Jōnin—or even a Tokubetsu Jōnin—handling them discreetly on a battlefield would be far more complicated. 

Battles rarely allowed for clean one-on-ones. A strong opponent could easily call for backup. 

In such a scenario, Seimei risked being outnumbered, increasing the chance of an unexpected outcome. 

But with just a Chūnin, the situation was different. 

Given the right opportunity, even a shadow clone could dispatch the traitor in an instant, leaving them no time to summon help. 

This ensured no loose ends. 

Having resolved his plan, the "Seimei" clone actively engaged in the battle while moving toward the target. 

Before entering the field, Seimei had already pinpointed the traitor's location using his Byakugan. 

From his vantage point in the sky, the target had no place to hide. 

Soon enough, the clone found the traitor. 

At the time, the traitor was teaming up with two Konoha Chūnin to fend off four Mist-nin. 

However, his performance was lackluster—his frequent distractions placing great pressure on his teammates. 

Why was he so distracted? 

Judging from the occasional glances he cast toward the real Seimei in the sky, the clone could guess. 

Though the traitor likely didn't know the Root's full plans, the orders given, the sudden appearance of Mist ambushers, and Seimei's earlier vanishing act were enough to piece things together. 

Now, with Seimei's return half an hour later, the traitor was visibly unsettled. 

Even without the Sharingan, the clone could see the anxiety in his eyes. 

Seizing the moment, the "Seimei" clone deflected an attack from a Konoha Chūnin and feigned an encounter with another Mist-nin, subtly directing the foe toward his teammate. 

Then, as if noticing the battle on the traitor's side for the first time, he joined in seamlessly. 

The Mist-nin, believing him to be one of their own, didn't question his presence. 

And so, the clone blended into the fight. 

It didn't take long for him to target the traitor directly. 

In their initial exchanges, the clone displayed only the skills of an average Mist Chūnin. 

Once the traitor began to relax, the clone signaled the real Seimei to approach slightly. 

Immediately, the traitor grew tense. 

Seeing this, the clone smirked coldly. A guilty conscience indeed. 

Timing his move perfectly, the clone accelerated when the traitor glanced toward the sky, closing the distance in an instant. 

"Huh?" 

The traitor was startled and instinctively tried to retreat. 

But in that instant, the clone's Sharingan flashed briefly, momentarily disorienting the traitor. 

When he regained his senses, a kunai was already piercing his heart. 

Clutching his chest, Shunji Oda coughed violently, his eyes filled with disbelief. 

How could this Mist-nin have the Uchiha clan's Sharingan? 

Yet, as he took in the clone's calm expression, he seemed to understand. 

With a bitter smile, Shunji Oda collapsed, lifeless, as the clone withdrew the kunai. 

(Chapter End)