As it turned out, the defense around Yujin Harbor by Kirigakure was even more rigorous than they'd expected.
Despite Seimei and his team trying to avoid any Mist ninja units they had encountered over the past few days, they hadn't made it far before they were discovered.
They weren't the only ones; other allied units also struggled to make progress.
Seimei's ears perked up, and with a quick listen, he could hear sounds of battle breaking out in the distance.
"Perhaps it's time to take the next step," he thought.
At that moment, Junji Kobayashi approached him, anxiety in his voice. "Captain, the Mist ninjas are gathering around us in greater numbers. Should we keep moving forward?"
Indeed, though their position was compromised, Seimei had ordered them to continue advancing, determined to reach Yujin Harbor despite the growing obstacles.
This decision left Kobayashi and the others restless, prompting them to repeatedly ask if they should stop. Fortunately, this time Seimei didn't say no.
The second step of the plan was to disrupt the battlefield.
In other words, if they couldn't proceed closer to Yujin Harbor, they would halt, set up a defensive position, and engage the Mist ninjas to create chaos on the battlefield.
Only by doing this could Seimei and the other jonin attempting a decapitation strike create enough confusion to slip through the chaos.
Now was the time.
He nodded his approval to halt.
Relieved, Kobayashi immediately signaled the Konoha ninjas to split into small squads and prepare defenses as previously discussed.
The surrounding Mist ninjas, seeing them stop, wasted no time and launched an attack.
The battle was now underway!
At the center of their formation, Seimei didn't act immediately. Instead, he took out a kunai wrapped with a special charm from his ninja pouch. Faintly visible on it were the words: *Blade of Shinobi Love.*
Indeed, the kunai he held was one marked by Minato Namikaze himself.
Just recently, it had been handed to him by Akimitsu Nara.
This confirmed to Seimei that Minato Namikaze would be joining the mission here, reinforcing his suspicion that the recent leaks within their camp were linked to Uchiha Madara.
Their enemy's objective was clear: to draw Minato here, making Rin Nohara vulnerable to an attack designed to push Obito Uchiha into awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan and following the path they had laid out for him.
Seimei wanted no part in this scheme and kept silent about his suspicions.
Standing in place, Seimei monitored the battlefield, waiting for Minato's arrival.
Now, all that was left was for Minato to be ready and then teleport the assembled jonin together with the *Flying Thunder God Technique*.
He didn't wait long. Just as the Mist jonin seemed ready to strike, Minato appeared suddenly.
The name *Yellow Flash* carried a much stronger reputation than Seimei's own, drawing wary glances from many.
However, Minato merely glanced across the battlefield before nodding at Seimei. He then gripped Seimei's shoulder and used the *Flying Thunder God Technique* again.
With a flash, both disappeared.
No need to worry about Seimei's absence leaving the Konoha ninjas leaderless and causing a rout.
Not only was Kobayashi, a special jonin, ready to assume command, but additional leaders would quickly arrive to support them.
This was part of the plan all along.
While Akimitsu Nara had kept the plans tightly guarded, he wouldn't leave the lower-ranked ninjas defenseless.
As the operation progressed, command teams consisting of Yamanaka and Nara clan members joined the battlefield.
These teams paired off, either taking command directly or coordinating remotely through the *Mind Link Technique* to control the fighting from afar.
The goal was simple: to minimize casualties among the lower-ranked ninjas.
This was Konoha. No other village would dare employ such a costly strategy.
Meanwhile, as Seimei appeared in an unfamiliar location, he quickly scanned his surroundings to get his bearings.
Noticing his reaction, Minato raised an eyebrow slightly.
Usually, others experienced disorientation after being transported with the *Flying Thunder God Technique*, but not Seimei.
The moment he arrived, he scanned his surroundings, showing no sign of discomfort.
This indicated that Seimei's reflexes were far beyond those of typical jonin.
Indeed, with his physical enhancements and the awakening of his Mangekyo Sharingan, his reflexes were exceptional.
In the past, back during the Rain Country battles, even with his three-tomoe Sharingan, he had found Minato's teleportation disorienting.
But now, that disorientation was gone.
More than that, during the teleportation, he even sensed spatial fluctuations.
This would've been impossible before.
Previously, his lack of familiarity with sealing arrays and slower reflexes had prevented him from perceiving these shifts in space.
But now, with his Mangekyo Sharingan active and his heightened reflexes, he could detect them.
This realization made Seimei certain that, given the chance to learn, he could master the *Flying Thunder God Technique*.
Unfortunately, as an S-rank forbidden jutsu, the *Flying Thunder God Technique* wouldn't be easily accessible.
Could he use his Sharingan to copy it from Minato?
Nearly impossible.
Even if his Sharingan could replicate the technique, Minato's mastery was so advanced that he executed it almost instantaneously.
With no visible process to observe, there was nothing to copy.
It's not like he could ask Minato to perform the technique slowly for him to study.
And even if Minato wanted to teach it to him, the village likely wouldn't allow it—after all, it was a forbidden jutsu recorded in the Scroll of Seals.
"If I want to learn this jutsu, I'll need another way," he thought to himself.
And indeed, a plan was forming in his mind.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on it.
Steadying himself, Seimei looked back toward Minato.
Minato, showing no signs of his previous surprise, nodded once more before disappearing with another flash of his *Flying Thunder God Technique*.
Judging by Minato's chakra usage, Seimei surmised that short-distance teleportation put little strain on him.
After all, Minato barely consumed any chakra—a small amount relative to his immense reserves.
For a regular ninja, a few uses of this technique would drain them completely.
But Minato, a ninja with the potential to master Sage Mode, had chakra levels unmatched by most.
As these thoughts passed through Seimei's mind, he turned his gaze to several figures standing silently to his right.
It appeared others had already gathered here, though he didn't know if Minato had brought them or if they had arrived on their own.
In any case, several figures now stood assembled.
*(End of Chapter)*