Seimei's plan for these two was simple: eliminate them.
They'd witnessed tonight's battle. Even if he erased their memories of the last few minutes and had Genshi under his control, there was no guarantee they wouldn't grow suspicious when they saw the mess left behind.
Especially since, moving forward, he'd be manipulating Genshi's actions.
As Genshi's trusted aides, these two knew him inside and out. If Seimei slipped up, they might connect the dots to tonight's oddities.
That would lead to a heap of trouble.
So, why not just take them out and be done with it?
As for controlling them the same way he'd controlled Genshi?
Seimei didn't even entertain the idea.
First off, these two were just Special Jōnin. Spending that much effort to control them wasn't worth it.
Second, people controlled this way couldn't stray too far from his shadow clone. If they did, the genjutsu might not hold, and they could break free.
That ruled out sending them on missions.
Which further diminished the point of controlling them.
And most importantly, there was the limit of his shadow clones' capabilities.
A shadow clone was just a shadow clone. Sure, it could activate the Mangekyō Sharingan like Seimei's real body, but the effect was still weaker compared to the original.
Add to that the inherent fragility of shadow clones, and they simply couldn't handle the strain of controlling three people long-term.
If he insisted on controlling them, he'd either have to swap out shadow clones more frequently or increase the number of clones stationed in the Hidden Mist Village.
The first option?
This wasn't Konoha. The island where he trained was a world away. A round trip would burn through a ton of chakra.
Even with his ample chakra reserves, Seimei wasn't about to waste it on that.
The second option?
The number of shadow clones wasn't an issue.
Having mastered the Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Multiple Shadow Clone Technique) to perfection, and with his massive chakra pool, Seimei could easily handle dozens of clones.
But the real problem was that each clone consumed chakra.
This wouldn't increase how often he'd need to replace them or waste chakra on travel, but replacing them all at once would triple or quadruple the chakra cost—something he couldn't accept.
So, the best approach was to eliminate the two.
Seimei wasn't worried their disappearance would raise suspicion in the Hidden Mist Village.
They were Genshi's trusted aides.
All he had to do was have Genshi say they'd been sent on a secret mission.
Then, after some time, announce the mission failed and they'd died. Problem solved.
After all, missions often ended with a casualty or two. It was normal.
With that in mind, Seimei stepped forward, approaching the two.
They were still trapped in the genjutsu woven by his Sharingan, their faces occasionally twitching but their bodies frozen.
Seeing this, Seimei formed hand signs and performed a ninjutsu—Chakra Kyūshū Jutsu (Chakra Absorption Technique)!
He placed a hand on each of their chests and began draining their chakra.
Tonight's operations had burned through a good chunk of his chakra, and these two were the perfect way to replenish some of it.
Time ticked by.
Soon, their chakra was completely drained.
Not just their chakra, either—their mental and physical energy were siphoned dry as well.
The rapid loss of energy left them looking like skin and bones, barely clinging to life, their breaths shallow and ragged.
Not wanting them to suffer, Seimei moved his hands up and gripped their necks.
Crack! Crack!
With two sharp twists, he snapped their necks.
The fatal blow jolted their consciousness free from the genjutsu.
They stared at Seimei, at his unmistakable Sharingan. Their mouths opened and closed, as if trying to say something, but not a single word came out.
In the end, they died with faces full of resentment.
After dealing with them, Seimei nodded to his shadow clone. "I'll leave this place to you."
The clone didn't waste words. It stepped over to Genshi's side and said, "Don't worry, I've got this. You'd better get moving!"
"Alright," Seimei replied.
Grabbing the two corpses, one in each hand, he activated the Hiraishin no Jutsu and teleported to the underwater cavern.
Thud! Thud!
He dropped the bodies on the ground.
Without wasting a second, he formed hand signs and cast Katon: Suyaki no Jutsu (Fire Release: Cremation Technique) on the corpses.
Boom! Boom!
Two flames erupted.
As Seimei poured in chakra, the flames swelled, engulfing the bodies in moments.
A few minutes later, the corpses were reduced to ashes, leaving only two piles on the ground.
With a wave of his hand, a gust of wind scattered the ashes.
Once everything was handled, he focused his mind and activated the Hiraishin no Jutsu again, teleporting to a forest just outside the Hidden Mist Village's sensory barrier.
Then, he triggered the Ama no Miu (Heavenly Veil) ability, passing through the barrier and reaching the village's outskirts.
After confirming he was out of range of the perimeter watchtowers, Seimei dropped the Ama no Miu and stopped concealing himself.
He closed his eyes, sensing the Flying Thunder God seals on those outside the village tonight.
There were three in total: two together, and one alone.
These were Mist ninjas he'd marked, currently on missions.
Luckily, their mission locations were all within the Land of Water. Otherwise, it would've taken him a lot more effort.
With a thought, Seimei locked onto the closest one—the lone seal.
Then, he activated the Hiraishin no Jutsu.
Silently, his figure vanished.
When he reappeared, he was in an unfamiliar forest.
Four people were here: one Chūnin and three Genin, a standard mission team.
They were resting, and the seal was on the Chūnin.
The Chūnin seemed to be a light sleeper. The moment Seimei appeared, he stirred.
But he was too slow.
Before he could react, Seimei had already trapped him in a genjutsu.
Glancing at the three Mist Genin, still fast asleep, Seimei shifted his focus back. He formed hand signs, swiftly removing several seals from the Chūnin's body.
Then, using the power of genjutsu, he etched the Fūshin Sakkon: Keiyaku Shunshin no In (Heart-Sealing Soul-Lock: Contract Instant Body Seal) onto him.
Once he sensed the seal take hold, Seimei released the Chūnin, using genjutsu to erase the last few minutes of his memory and send him back to sleep.
As for the three Genin?
Seimei had no interest in marking them.
After confirming they hadn't noticed anything, he locked onto the other two Flying Thunder God seals and activated the Hiraishin no Jutsu.
Silently, his figure vanished once more.
(Chapter End)