Seimei withdrew his hand and activated his Byakugan again, scanning the ordinary townsfolk who'd stirred at the earlier commotion.
He could see that, after so long without any further noise, some of the bolder ones were hesitating, wondering if they should step outside to investigate.
Seimei didn't want any complications, so he stuck to his plan. He activated Ama no Miu (Heavenly Veil) and slipped silently into their homes.
Then, with his Mangekyō Sharingan, he cast a genjutsu, erasing their memories of the recent events and sending them back into a deep sleep.
This step didn't take much time.
Once it was done, he formed hand signs and performed the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique), creating a shadow clone.
Together with the clone, each grabbed two corpses, and they used the Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique) to leave the small town.
---
Outside the town, in a forest.
Seimei tossed the two corpses to the ground, then dispelled the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, reabsorbing the clone. Next, he cast Katon: Suyaki no Jutsu (Fire Release: Cremation Technique), setting the four corpses ablaze.
Raging flames erupted, reducing the bodies to ashes in no time.
With a wave of his hand, Seimei channeled his chakra into Fūton (Wind Release), summoning a gust that scattered the ashes completely.
Then, he looked toward the Land of Earth.
Tonight, he wasn't just upgrading the Fūshin Sakkon: Keiyaku Shunshin no In (Heart-Sealing Soul-Lock: Contract Instant Body Seal) for his agents in the Hidden Mist Village. He also had to do the same for those in the Hidden Stone Village.
Unlike the Hidden Mist, where he had a sizable network of agents, his operatives in the Hidden Stone were few.
Most were people he'd stumbled upon while crisscrossing the Land of Earth, setting up a wide net to track down the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, Old Purple.
Their strength varied wildly—some were even Genin. Initially, he'd treated them as disposable backups, but now he'd changed his mind.
This trip, he planned to expand his network.
And while he was at it, he'd leave a shadow clone to coordinate things.
This served two purposes: one, to track the Five-Tails Jinchūriki, Han; and two, to keep tabs on the Hidden Stone's movements.
Seimei hadn't forgotten that Uchiha Obito and Black Zetsu had already guessed he had the Four-Tails.
Though he'd managed to placate them with vague words for now, they weren't guaranteed to stay quiet.
If they wanted to test his strength or stir up trouble, they might leak the intel on purpose.
If he was caught off guard, he could be in for a nasty surprise.
So, better to plant more agents.
And not just in the Hidden Stone. If he had time later, he planned to set up agents in the other major ninja villages too.
That way, he could compensate for the "plot" from his memories, which was becoming less and less reliable.
These thoughts flashed through his mind, but Seimei shook his head, setting them aside for now.
He glanced at the night sky, formed hand signs, and cast Fūton: Kaze no Tsubasa (Wind Release: Wings of Wind), Chakura Hagoromo (Chakra Cloak), and Doton: Chō Keijūgan no Jutsu (Earth Release: Ultra-Lightweight Rock Technique).
Whoosh!
Seimei flapped his wings.
In an instant, he shot into the sky like an arrow.
Locking onto the Land of Earth's direction, he flew straight toward it.
During the day, he'd take detours to avoid being spotted.
But now, under the cover of night, there was no need for that.
---
Over half an hour later, it was past 4 a.m.
Seimei soared through the skies of the Land of Waves, Land of Fire, Land of Grass, and several other nations, finally entering the Land of Earth.
He locked onto a stationary Flying Thunder God seal, roughly confirming it was in the direction of the Hidden Stone Village, and flew straight for it.
Soon, he arrived near the village.
Unlike Konoha, which sat on open plains, the Hidden Stone Village was practically embedded in the mountains, blending seamlessly with the peaks.
Its outer ridges formed the village's first line of defense.
The only ways in or out were a few valleys leading to the outside.
Due to the Land of Earth's unique geography, where rock showers were common, the village's buildings were mostly stone, with rounded or arched roofs and walls designed to deflect wind.
Compared to Konoha's boxy structures, the Hidden Stone's architecture had a fantastical flair.
But Seimei wasn't here to admire buildings. Circling high above, he took a quick look, memorizing the rough layout of the village, then landed on an outer ridge.
He activated Ama no Miu, using another dimension to bypass the Hidden Stone's sensory barrier and perimeter sentries, slipping into the village.
To avoid alerting anyone and to plant more agents, he didn't immediately teleport to his marked seals. Instead, he repeatedly toggled Ama no Miu on and off, skirting surveillance zones and moving deeper into the village.
From there, things were straightforward.
He started with a Stone ninja he'd marked long ago. After wiping out the old seals and replacing them with the stronger Fūshin Sakkon: Keiyaku Shunshin no In, he used Ninpō: Dokushin no Jutsu (Ninja Art: Mind Reading Technique) to scan their recent memories.
From those memories, he identified potential candidates to become agents.
He visited their homes one by one, screened them further, and turned some into his operatives.
Then, he picked another, read their memories, and selected new targets.
Like a virus, he spread his influence through the Hidden Stone's corners.
However, his Fūshin Sakkon: Keiyaku Shunshin no In was only at level 7, and traces of the Sashin no In (Heart-Lock Seal) were still somewhat noticeable.
Since this technique was developed specifically for the Hidden Stone's intelligence operatives, he played it safe and avoided turning anyone who might work in their classified divisions.
Even so, the intel he could now gather far surpassed what he had before.
Unfortunately, he had less than two hours.
Otherwise, he could've converted more.
Glancing at the faintly brightening sky, Seimei didn't linger.
He used Shunshin no Jutsu to reach the village's outskirts.
Then, he cast Doton: Chimyaku Yūryū (Earth Release: Earth Vein Dragon), slipping into an abandoned underground chamber.
He'd spotted this place while moving through the village, thanks to his Byakugan's X-ray vision.
He didn't know what the Hidden Stone had once used it for, but he was certain it was abandoned.
So, he decided to leave his shadow clone here.
He placed a Flying Thunder God seal in the chamber, then drew chakra from the interdimensional space in his forehead to refill his reserves.
Forming hand signs, he performed the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, creating a shadow clone.
With a nod to the clone, Seimei silently left the underground space.
He headed outward, reaching the edge of the Hidden Stone's sensory barrier.
Activating Ama no Miu once more, he passed through the barrier. After getting far enough from the village, he deactivated the ability.
Taking one last look at the Hidden Stone, he cast Fūton: Kaze no Tsubasa, Chakura Hagoromo, and Doton: Chō Keijūgan no Jutsu, soaring into the sky toward Konoha.
After only two hours of sleep tonight, he desperately needed rest.
(Chapter End)