Outside the city.
On the road leading to Iwagakure.
Four figures could be seen moving rapidly.
One of them wore monk robes, had a full beard, and both his hair and beard were deep red. This was unmistakably Seimei's target, the Four-Tails Jinchūriki of Iwagakure – Rōshi.
The other three wore black cloaks and masks, the standard attire of ANBU ninja.
On closer inspection, one could see these three subtly kept Rōshi protected in the center, exceptionally alert to any disturbance in their surroundings.
The group traveled onward, soon passing through the stretches of fertile farmland outside the city and entering a wilderness region. Here, jagged rocks protruded everywhere amidst a landscape of yellowish-brown earth, looking extremely barren.
And indeed, it was.
Across the entire ninja world, apart from the Land of Fire where the climate was spring-like year-round, other regions more or less had their own drawbacks.
For instance, the Land of Earth, home to Iwagakure, was dominated by vast mountains and wastelands. While rich in ore, it lacked arable land suitable for cultivation. Consequently, its population was relatively sparse.
Similarly, the Land of Wind, Land of Lightning, and Land of Water each had their own deficiencies.
And this imbalance in resources was the fundamental reason the Five Great Shinobi Villages had repeatedly clashed in major wars, forced to use such means to fight for their respective interests.
However, none of this concerned Seimei for the moment.
At present, he was hidden behind a large, upright boulder, observing Rōshi's group from afar with his Byakugan, waiting for them to draw closer.
That's right; he had spotted Rōshi and the others shortly after they left the city.
But at that time, they were too close to the city, and there were too many people nearby. Seimei didn't want any witnesses, so he restrained himself from attacking.
And this patience had delayed things until now.
Seimei had already scouted the vicinity; no one else was around. It was a good place to make his move.
So, he had set up an ambush here.
Time ticked by, second by second.
Soon, Seimei could see the four figures even without using his Byakugan.
Once they were within a hundred meters, he immediately raised his hands to form seals, first activating the jutsu 'Chakra Cloak', creating a layer of pale blue chakra armor around himself for protection.
Only then did he solemnly perform the seals for the jutsu – 'Lightning Release: Lightning Prison'!
Although this was only a B-rank jutsu, its attack range covered a hundred-meter radius, and it had a certain advantage against the Earth Release techniques commonly favored by Iwagakure ninja.
As such, it was perfect for ambushing the four of them.
It also prevented them from escaping using Earth Release.
Just as Seimei raised his hands to form seals, dozens of meters away, Rōshi's group suddenly halted. They exchanged glances, each seeing alertness in the others' eyes.
A moment ago, an unnerving chill had simultaneously run down all four of their spines.
All four were elite ninja and trusted their instincts implicitly.
Moreover, since all four felt the danger together, they couldn't afford to ignore it.
Immediately, one of the Iwa ANBU stepped forward, preparing to use some kind of detection jutsu.
But before she could finish the seals, a tremendous "BOOM" echoed out.
The four looked towards the source of the sound.
And behind a massive boulder, they saw a beam of lightning shooting straight into the sky.
The next instant, this lightning expanded outwards, instantly covering a ten-meter area around the boulder, then twenty meters, thirty meters…
The lightning advanced incredibly fast. Even though the four started retreating the moment they realized something was wrong, the distance between them and the lightning wave was rapidly closing.
Having no choice, the four stopped retreating and employed their respective techniques, preparing to withstand the lightning's impact head-on.
Rōshi had the easiest time; he simply gathered chakra and, using his Lava Release Kekkei Genkai, created a layer of scorching hot magma around his body.
As for the three Iwa ANBU, one chose evasion, using an Earth Release jutsu to burrow underground. It wasn't that he didn't know Lightning Release countered Earth Release, but he had no better option. Now, he could only hope he could tunnel deep enough before the lightning arrived, using the earth's sheer mass to block the attack.
Of the remaining two… The female Iwa ninja, the one who was about to perform the detection jutsu, quickly executed a Wind Release technique. She created a curved barrier two or three meters in front of her for protection. As is well known, Wind Release offers some resistance to Lightning Release due to its insulating properties. Clearly, she intended to use this to block the lightning's impact.
The final ANBU member… opted not for defense, but instead unleashed a Lightning Release jutsu of their own, generating a pillar of lightning as thick as an arm and firing it directly at the rapidly approaching wave.
All four acted extremely quickly, completing their preparations before the lightning reached them.
And the next moment, the lightning wave arrived.
Their fates varied.
Rōshi, as mentioned, was unharmed; the thick lava armor withstood the lightning's impact without issue.
The female ninja's wind shield did indeed block the initial blast, but she was still enveloped within the Lightning Prison's area of effect.
No one could see the ninja underground, so their condition was unknown.
As for the Iwa ANBU who met the attack head-on, his own lightning jutsu vanished into the incoming wave like a stone dropped into the ocean, absorbed without a trace.
He himself was swiftly swallowed by the lightning.
Zzzzzzt— Crackle—
The sharp crackling of electricity filled the air.
This Iwa ANBU's hair stood on end, and patches of his exposed skin were scorched black.
However, despite his wretched appearance, he hadn't suffered a fatal injury.
Instantly, a wave of relief washed over him – the joy of surviving a catastrophe – and the corners of his mouth beneath the mask couldn't help but curve upwards.
But before a smile could fully form, an intense, dense "CRACKLE-POP!" erupted, as if countless lightning bolts were striking down from above.
No, not 'as if' – vast amounts of lightning were truly descending from the heavens.
And striking indiscriminately at everything within the hundred-meter radius.
In an instant, his body was struck.
Intense burning pain flared from his shoulder, his body seized by paralysis. He tried to form seals again, but his movements wouldn't obey.
The next moment, more lightning converged on him, completely engulfing him.
"AAAAHHH—"
A tortured scream ripped from his throat. But it didn't last long before falling silent.
When the lightning dissipated from that spot, only a charred black corpse remained on the ground.
Clearly, he was dead.
The lightning that had moved away was then directed by Seimei, striking down towards the female ninja and the location where the other Iwa ANBU had burrowed underground.
Soon, amidst their own pained cries, they too lost their lives, reduced to charred corpses.
Previously, even when he had pushed his 'Lightning Release: Lightning Prison' to perfection, he couldn't achieve such precise targeting with the falling bolts.
But now, after extensive training, his control over Lightning Release chakra had increased significantly, allowing him to do just that.
And the effectiveness of this improvement was made clear by the three corpses on the ground.