By the small lake.
Seimei focused his mind, sensing the positions of all the Flying Thunder God seals within the Hidden Mist Village.
A moment later, his brow furrowed slightly.
The seals were scattered too chaotically.
Moreover, aside from the fixed teleportation points he'd etched in hidden spots around the village, the other seals—those placed on people—were mostly on the move.
Some weren't even in the Hidden Mist Village anymore; they were outside.
This put Seimei in a tough spot.
The ones outside weren't a big deal. Even if they kept moving, he could lock onto their position and teleport to them, easily subduing them.
But the ones in the village were trickier. If he acted recklessly, he might draw unwanted attention.
That would complicate things.
After some thought, Seimei decided to delay his plan again. He'd wait until the night grew deeper, when everyone was resting, before making his move.
Still, he couldn't linger here.
This small lake was a well-known training ground in the Hidden Mist Village, perfect for practicing Suiton (Water Release) ninjutsu. Someone might show up after dinner to train.
Better to leave now.
With that thought, Seimei didn't waste any more time. He locked onto the underwater cavern where he'd last read the memories of an Iwa spy and a Mist ANBU, then activated the Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique).
---
His vision shifted instantly.
In the blink of an eye, Seimei arrived in the familiar cavern.
The next moment, he activated his Byakugan (White Eye).
He scanned every inch of the cavern carefully. Only after confirming nothing was amiss did he let out a small sigh of relief.
His caution wasn't unwarranted. The ninja world was full of bizarre and obscure secret techniques.
Last time, he'd killed two people here. Though he'd burned their bodies to ash afterward, there was no telling if the Hidden Mist could trace this place with some kind of technique.
Better safe than sorry.
But now, with no abnormalities detected, he could relax a bit.
He glanced at the time. A few hours remained until the dead of night.
After a moment's thought, Seimei decided to catch some sleep.
It made sense. He'd been training all day, and for the past ten days, he hadn't gotten much rest. It was time to recharge.
With that, he formed hand signs and performed the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique), creating a shadow clone to stand guard. Then, he slipped into a deep sleep.
---
Some time later, as Seimei slept, a shout rang in his ear.
"Hey, wake up! Come on, wake up!"
Seimei's eyes snapped open.
In an instant, three pitch-black tomoe spun into view in his pupils—his Sharingan.
On high alert, he scanned his surroundings.
When he saw it was his shadow clone who'd woken him, he relaxed.
Rubbing his cheeks, Seimei asked, "What time is it?"
"Two in the morning," the clone replied.
As any ninja knew, between one and three in the morning was when people slept the deepest. Acting at this hour would minimize the risk of trouble.
Seimei perked up and asked, "Anything unusual outside in the last few hours?"
"Nope," the clone answered, as curt and efficient as ever.
Noticing the clone's exhausted expression, Seimei dispelled the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.
A flood of memories rushed into his mind.
Along with it came an overwhelming wave of drowsiness.
Seimei shook his head, pushing down the negative emotions from the clone.
After quickly reviewing the clone's memories and confirming nothing had happened, he got to work.
First, he locked onto the nearest Flying Thunder God seal, one that hadn't moved in half a day. Then, he activated the Hiraishin no Jutsu.
Silently, Seimei's figure vanished from the cavern.
When he reappeared, he was in a bedroom made of wood and stone.
In front of him lay a Hidden Mist Jōnin, fast asleep.
The ninja seemed to sense Seimei's arrival. His eyes shot open.
At the same time, his hand reached under the pillow, as if something was hidden there.
But before he could grab it, his vision was consumed by a pair of blood-red Sharingan.
His consciousness faded, and his movements froze.
With a thought, Seimei activated his Byakugan.
Through the blanket and pillow, he spotted a concealed kunai near the ninja's hand.
Clearly, the Jōnin had intended to use it to fight back.
Too bad. The moment Seimei appeared, the ninja had already lost any chance to resist, kunai or not.
Shaking his head, Seimei didn't dwell on it. He got to work, removing two Tensha Fūin (Transcription Seals) from the ninja's body.
One contained the Sashin no In (Heart-Lock Seal), the other the Jigyō Jubaku no In (Self-Karma Curse Seal).
After undoing both seals, he erased the Flying Thunder God mark he'd previously left on the ninja.
Once all traces were cleared, he formed hand signs and performed the Fūshin Sakkon: Keiyaku Shunshin no In (Heart-Sealing Soul-Lock: Contract Instant Body Seal).
Smack!
Seimei pressed his palm to the ninja's forehead.
Instantly, intricate seal patterns spread from his hand, covering the ninja's entire body.
A closer look would reveal traces of the Flying Thunder God mark and the Jigyō Jubaku no In within the patterns.
Hidden deeper still were the Sashin no In and Tensha Fūin.
The former acted like a mental stamp, while the latter served as a trigger for specific conditions.
Of course, after two transformations, the distinction between them wasn't so clear anymore. Seimei only described it this way for simplicity; in truth, they'd long since fused into one.
Truly, it was a case of "you're in me, and I'm in you."
Seimei's gaze lingered on the seal patterns before he let out a low command: "Seal!"
The patterns rapidly contracted, converging under his palm at the ninja's forehead, forming a black sun-like mark similar to the Flying Thunder God seal.
But on this black sun, two chain-like lines crossed over its surface.
This was the sign of a successful Fūshin Sakkon: Keiyaku Shunshin no In.
Though it sounded like a long process, it all happened in a flash.
And that was with Seimei deliberately slowing down for precision.
If he used his Mangekyō Sharingan, it'd be even faster.
That was his plan for the next one.
With a thought, he made the seal on the ninja's forehead vanish.
Then, he extended his senses, locked onto another unmoving Flying Thunder God mark, and activated the Hiraishin no Jutsu, disappearing from the room.
As for the Hidden Mist Jōnin on the bed…
When he awoke, he'd naturally forget this encounter.
More than that, under the influence of the Fūshin Sakkon: Keiyaku Shunshin no In, he'd subconsciously bury the memory until the day he received confirmed news of the Three-Tails' revival.
Only then would the seal activate, triggering the memory and prompting him to send a signal to Seimei.
Until that moment, he'd be no different from any ordinary Hidden Mist ninja.
Even he himself wouldn't suspect he was a spy.
Even mind-reading ninjutsu would reveal nothing amiss.
Such was the power and subtlety of the Fūshin Sakkon: Keiyaku Shunshin no In.
(Chapter End)