Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions ripped through the air one after another.
Around Seimei, within a ten-meter radius, countless fiery petals shattered under attack, unleashing a series of blasts. Surging flames erupted, rushing straight at the approaching Stone ninja.
These guys hadn't expected that what looked like a defensive technique would automatically counterattack once hit.
Caught off guard, they were thrown into chaos.
But these were Stone Village elites—quick on their feet. The moment they saw the flames coming, they scattered in all directions.
"Watch out! Use long-range ninjutsu!" one of them shouted.
At that, the attacking Stone ninja split into two groups.
Half of them dug into their gear pouches, pulling out handfuls of kunai and shuriken wrapped with explosive tags, hurling them at Seimei.
Clearly, they aimed to pin him down with this barrage, keeping him from escaping or pulling off any other techniques to fend off their next wave of attacks.
Thing is, they were wasting their effort—Seimei didn't budge, even as the other half started forming hand signs.
Right now, his focus was razor-sharp, locked on monitoring the defense of "Fire Release: Crimson Lotus Prison Fire." He had no intention of fighting back.
After all, he'd kicked this off to test the technique's defensive limits—why would he mess that up?
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Kunai and shuriken slammed into the fiery lotus encasing Seimei. The explosive tags went off, sending deafening blasts echoing through the air.
Blinding firelight followed.
At the lotus's center, Seimei squinted, watching crimson fireballs get blocked outside one by one, a strange calm settling over him.
But then, in the next instant, a flurry of attacks hit.
Iron-hard earth spikes burst from the ground, aiming to pierce through the lotus beneath his feet and skewer him.
A scorching pillar of fire shot in from a distance, looking to smash through his protective lotus and burn him to ash.
And from above, icy, bone-chilling rain poured down, trying to exploit chakra attribute weaknesses to shatter the fiery shield around him.
These were ninjutsu from the other half of the Stone ninja, the ones who'd held back earlier.
You could tell they'd thought this through—their coordination was tight.
Too bad it didn't matter.
Amid a massive explosion, the lotus around Seimei lost two layers.
Even the third layer's petals took a hit, cracking in spots.
But in the end, their attacks didn't touch him.
Seeing this, the Stone ninja encircling him couldn't help but tense, their pupils shrinking.
They obviously hadn't expected this outcome.
Still, they didn't panic.
Why? They'd already set up a backup plan.
As Seimei mentally gauged how many simultaneous ninjutsu "Crimson Lotus Prison Fire" could block based on its current state, a razor-sharp wind blade suddenly shot toward him.
It zeroed in on the spot where the most petals had been blasted away, clearly aiming to punch through the third layer's weakest point.
Seimei almost laughed.
Sure, that spot had taken the heaviest damage and was the flimsiest, but it wasn't something a single ninjutsu could just plow through.
Before he could crack a smile, though, a crackle of thunder snapped through the air.
Then, a bolt of lightning overtook the wind blade, striking the weak spot at a speed no normal person could react to.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A cascade of fiery petals shattered, explosions ringing out.
Finally, a gap opened in the lotus shielding Seimei.
Right on cue, the wind blade sliced through that gap, cutting diagonally across his body.
In the flare of firelight, Seimei eyed the blade— inches away but firmly blocked by his "Chakra Cloak." The grin he'd almost let slip faded.
True, their attack hadn't hurt him. Even if it broke through the "Chakra Cloak," his reaction speed and tricks meant it wouldn't touch him.
But he had to admit—their teamwork was starting to pose a real threat.
Good timing, too. He'd tested what he needed to. Time to wrap this fight up.
With that thought, Seimei burned through a chunk of chakra. In a flash, he rebuilt a three-layered lotus from the remnants, blocking the Stone ninja's follow-up barrage.
Yeah, the lightning and wind blade combo wasn't their finale.
After that came a fierce joint assault from the Stone ninja who'd attacked up close earlier.
Too bad for them—Seimei's rebuilt lotus stopped it cold.
And this time, he wasn't just going to sit there and take it.
Amid the dust of exploding petals, Seimei's Byakugan—hidden under the Leaf headband at his forehead—shifted slightly, locking onto one of the Stone ninja.
Then, with hand signs complete, he unleashed a third technique: "Fire Release: Flame Gathering Strike!"
It wasn't maxed out yet, but at Level 9 proficiency, he wielded it like second nature.
Whoosh!
A thumb-thick beam of fire streaked through the air.
A muffled grunt followed as one of the Stone ninja took the hit.
He got lucky—his heart wasn't pierced, but a gaping, charred hole in his chest meant he'd die without quick help.
Seimei didn't bother finishing him off. Instead, he used the distraction to drop "Crimson Lotus Prison Fire" and leaped onto a nearby tree branch.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The second he landed, a dozen shuriken flew his way.
His three-tomoe Sharingan flared to life as he gripped the long blade at his waist.
Confirming no explosive tags or tricks were on the shuriken, he swung his sword, knocking them aside one by one.
Before the other Stone ninja could strike, he wiped his palm across the blade, coating it with "Wind Release: Vacuum Blade" for extra bite. Then, with a "Flash Sword Technique," he lunged at another Stone ninja ahead.
Clang!
The guy he targeted wasn't slow. Sensing danger, he raised a kunai just in time to block the strike.
The clash of sword and kunai rang out with a sharp metallic note.
Feeling the force through the kunai and staring at Seimei up close, the Stone ninja was on the back foot but secretly thrilled.
All he had to do was hold Seimei here. Once his teammates jumped in, they'd take him down.
That's what he thought—and what he tried.
But before he could act, a faint crack sounded, slow at first, then rapidly picking up.
"What's that?"
The pinned-down Stone ninja frowned, puzzled.
He glanced toward the noise.
His pupils dilated in shock.
Somehow, cracks had spiderwebbed across his steel kunai, like it could shatter any second.
"Crap!"
Realizing the danger, he moved to pull back.
Too bad—he was just a hair too slow.