In a flash, Seimei's vision shifted.
In just an instant, he crossed a vast distance, teleporting from the southern seas of the Land of Fire straight to the heart of the Land of Earth in the north.
It drained a massive amount of his chakra.
Seimei didn't even have time to check his surroundings.
Feeling the hollow emptiness in his chakra pathways, he didn't hesitate. He immediately pulled chakra from the pocket dimension in his forehead, funneling it into his body.
Only then did he start to feel a bit better.
He'd known for a while that the "Flying Thunder God Technique" had a limitation that wasn't really a limitation: during teleportation, it could only draw chakra from the caster's internal pathways.
And since the process was so ridiculously fast—practically instantaneous—it basically sucked out a chunk of the caster's chakra in one go.
Seimei had never tested what would happen if he tried teleporting too far with too little chakra, but he could guess.
Chakra was a fusion of mental and physical energy, after all. If it ran dry, the technique would start eating into those two reserves.
And what happened when those got drained? He only had to think back to the Third Ninja World War—those ninja he'd sapped dry with his "Chakra Absorption Technique" turned into husks in seconds.
Chances were, he'd end up a shriveled corpse in the blink of an eye.
That's exactly why he'd said before: if he could boost his chakra cap, he'd push it as high as possible.
This time, an unprecedented ultra-long-distance teleport, had nearly emptied the 350,000 points of chakra flowing through his pathways.
Looking back, he'd been way too hasty.
He could've just topped off his chakra first, then used the "Flying Thunder God Technique."
"No more reckless moves next time," he warned himself silently.
Only then did he shift his attention to the person in front of him.
All that had happened in just a split second.
By the time Seimei refocused, the ninja he'd used as a teleport marker was only just starting to react.
The guy turned around, spotting Seimei's sudden appearance. His eyes lit up with fanaticism, and he dropped to one knee. "My lord, you're here!"
"Yeah," Seimei replied curtly, eyeing the rogue ninja.
A month ago, when Seimei had started weaving his grand web, he'd brainwashed this guy with his Mangekyō Sharingan. This kind of reaction was par for the course.
But right now, Seimei wasn't in the mood for flattery. He cut straight to the chase. "Did you find the target?"
"Yes, my lord!" the rogue ninja answered, unfazed by Seimei's cold tone. His fervor didn't waver as he said, "Not long ago, a wandering monk showed up in the city. The second I got word, I notified you."
Hearing his hunch confirmed, even Seimei—with all his composure—felt his heart pound.
No hesitation. "Where's he at now?" he pressed.
"Black Horn Street, my lord!" the rogue ninja replied.
Seimei blinked. Black Horn Street? He'd spent a day and a half running through every major and minor city in the Land of Earth once—how was he supposed to remember some random street?
Even this city only rang a faint bell.
Glancing around, he realized he was in an inn room.
To avoid being spotted when teleporting in, he'd told his network to always find a secluded spot before activating the Flying Thunder God marker.
Looks like this guy had picked an inn.
Seimei pulled his gaze back to the rogue ninja. "Take me there," he said flatly.
"Yes, my lord!" the ninja responded instantly.
With that, he headed for the door.
Seimei quickly cast the "Transformation Technique," turning himself into an ordinary-looking young man, and followed.
Creak.
The door swung open.
The two left the inn, one after the other.
Without wasting a second, they made a beeline for Black Horn Street.
The inn wasn't far from their destination, and they got there fast.
From a distance, Seimei spotted a middle-aged man dressed as a monk.
He was sitting at a tea stall, munching on some dry rations he'd brought with him.
But the moment Seimei laid eyes on him, his stomach sank. Something felt off.
For one, the guy's face didn't match his memory.
And two, he didn't have that ninja vibe.
Seimei stopped in his tracks. With a flicker of thought, he slightly unsealed the mark on his forehead, revealing the Byakugan beneath.
Focusing his mind, he activated it.
His vision cut through his Leaf headband, zeroing in on the man.
Nothing.
No chakra in his body at all.
Clearly, his underlings had screwed up.
If he'd been buzzing with excitement before, now he was just as crushed with disappointment.
A lump of frustration lodged in his chest, leaving him speechless for a moment.
Since ninja could use the Transformation Technique, he'd deliberately avoided giving his network a description of Roshi, just to make sure they didn't miss him.
Plus, Roshi was strong. Seimei had worried his people might spook him, so he'd ordered them not to get too close.
And the result? They'd grabbed the wrong guy.
This half-baked rogue ninja hadn't even confirmed if the target was a ninja before reporting it, getting Seimei's hopes up for nothing.
"Phew…"
Seimei let out a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm.
Just then, the rogue ninja—completely oblivious—piped up, "My lord, why'd we stop?"
Seimei shot him a death glare. "You stay here," he snapped.
Ignoring the guy's confused look, Seimei flashed forward, appearing right behind the monk.
Then, he grabbed the man's shoulder.
In the end, Seimei couldn't let it go.
He had to check for himself—see if this was Roshi in disguise, if the Four-Tails was hiding in there.
But no dice. No matter how he checked, the guy was just a regular person.
At that moment, the man turned his head.
Looking at Seimei gripping his shoulder, he pressed his palms together and said gently, "Sir, can I help you?"
Seimei didn't bother with small talk. His Mangekyō Sharingan flared, wiping the man's short-term memory. Then, with a flash, he vanished.
Back in the distance, the rogue ninja's ears twitched, like he'd heard something. He flashed away too.
But he didn't go far—just back to the inn.
Creak.
The door opened again.
By the time he stepped back inside, Seimei was already waiting.
"My lord!"
The ninja finally seemed to realize something was up. Spotting Seimei, he quickly greeted him with respect.
This time, though, Seimei didn't even feel like talking. He flashed forward, stopping right in front of the guy.
His hands moved, forming seals for the "Ninja Art: Mind Reading Technique." Grabbing the ninja's head, he dove into his recent memories.
If this wasn't Roshi, Seimei needed to make sure this rogue ninja—and the others who'd flagged the target—hadn't betrayed him.
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