Just as Seimei was about to escape the battlefield, a blinding white light shot down from the sky, aimed directly at his back.
This white light was none other than Ohnoki's Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu, unleashed once again!
However, with his Byakugan already activated, Seimei kept a sliver of his focus on Ohnoki in the sky.
The moment Ohnoki made his move, Seimei reacted.
The white light passed through the afterimage he left behind, drilling into the ground and leaving a deep, circular hole.
Seimei glanced at the hole, then back at Ohnoki floating above, before continuing his dash toward the outskirts of the Stone Village.
Along the way, Stone ninja teams kept rushing to intercept him, but he anticipated their positions. Those he could avoid, he dodged effortlessly; those he couldn't were easily broken through.
During this, Ohnoki launched several more attacks, but Seimei evaded them all.
This made Ohnoki stop wasting chakra on futile strikes.
And so, Seimei charged forward, reaching the outskirts of the Stone Village.
But this was exactly what Ohnoki wanted.
From his "God's-eye view" above, Ohnoki had long figured out Seimei's plan. He hadn't intervened earlier because fighting within the village restricted not only him but the other ninjas as well.
Once outside, they'd have no such limitations.
That meant they could go all out.
So, Ohnoki had been waiting for Seimei to leave the village.
As for Seimei escaping? Ohnoki had already stationed a large number of ninjas to form an encirclement around the village's perimeter.
In a way, Seimei's so-called "breakout" was more like being herded out by the Stone ninjas.
Did Seimei not notice this at all?
Of course not.
With his Byakugan, he had a clear view of the Stone ninjas' movements within a one-kilometer radius.
Yet, he chose to go along with it.
Why? Because he needed a suitable opportunity to make his exit.
And out here, in the chaos beyond the village, was the perfect chance.
With these thoughts flashing through his mind, Seimei left the Stone Village and entered a valley to the west. From here, he could escape the Stone Village's territory.
But before he could get far, a large number of Stone ninjas appeared on both sides of the valley.
Their gazes held caution, mockery, curiosity, and killing intent.
For an ordinary person, being stared down by so many hostile ninjas would shake even the strongest resolve.
But Seimei was different. His confidence in his own strength kept his gaze calm and steady.
Seeing this, the Stone jonin leading the group frowned slightly, thinking, "No wonder the Tsuchikage specifically warned us about this enemy. He's no ordinary foe!"
Still, he wasn't overly worried.
Given the sheer numbers on their side, he didn't believe Seimei could escape.
Plus…
He glanced up at Ohnoki floating in the night sky.
His presence was their greatest assurance.
Pushing aside his thoughts, the Stone commander shouted, "Attack!"
At his command, the ninjas on both sides sprang into action.
The first wave Seimei faced was a barrage of countless ninja tools.
Among them were several explosive tags.
After a moment's thought, Seimei cast a ninjutsu—Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!
He swiftly formed hand signs, slammed his palm into the ground, and channeled a surge of Earth Release chakra into the earth, connecting with the terrain's ley lines to reshape the landscape.
With a rumbling roar, four earthen walls rose from the ground, forming a square that shielded Seimei in the center.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The ninja tools struck the walls, failing to harm Seimei inside.
Even the explosive tags mixed in with the tools were blocked by the walls.
But the four walls didn't hold for long, quickly crumbling under the Stone ninjas' relentless attacks.
The next moment, a wave of long-range ninjutsu from the rear Stone ninjas descended.
Seimei's gaze swept over the incoming attacks.
This time, he didn't use a ninjutsu to block them. Instead, he leveraged his physical prowess, dodging left and right, weaving through the attacks with agile movements.
After these two waves, the close-combat Stone ninjas reached him.
Without a word, a chaotic melee erupted.
Seimei split his focus three ways: searching for an escape opportunity, keeping an eye on Ohnoki's movements in the sky, and dealing with the Stone ninjas in front of him.
Though these ninjas had been sent to the outskirts earlier, Seimei's speed was so great that they hadn't had time to form a detailed strategy.
This gave Seimei a breather, allowing him to rely on his overwhelming individual strength to break through their ranks.
For a moment, screams filled the air.
But ninjas were ninjas, after all. Their reaction speed and adaptability far surpassed ordinary people, and with the aid of various support ninjutsu for communication, it didn't take long for their teamwork to become more coordinated.
Soon, they'd likely devise a complete strategy to counter him.
When that happened, escaping without revealing more of his strength would be impossible.
Seimei didn't want to be forced into such a passive position, so he urgently searched for a way out.
Time ticked by.
Suddenly, Seimei's eyes lit up. He unleashed his Wood Release ability toward a group of Stone ninjas blocking his path.
His right arm extended instantly, sprouting countless vines that tore a gap through the enemy ranks.
Seizing the moment, he surged forward, weaving through the Stone ninjas and darting into the nearby forest.
This briefly took him out of the Stone ninjas' line of sight.
The surrounding árboles also blocked Ohnoki's view.
This was the opportunity Seimei had been waiting for.
Before the pursuing Stone ninjas could catch up, he swiftly formed hand signs and cast a ninjutsu—Earth Release: Dragon Vein Burrow!
The next moment, the rocky ground beneath him softened,"swallowing" him whole.
Among the Stone ninjas were sensory types who immediately reported his location.
Several ninjas promptly used various Earth Release techniques, trying to force him out.
But with his Byakugan, Seimei easily dodged their attacks.
In the end, using this technique, he broke through the first layer of the Stone ninjas' encirclement.
Yes, during this brief window, Ohnoki had already alerted other Stone ninja units, forming a second encirclement outside.
For anyone else, this would mean charging headlong into the next blockade.
But Seimei was different. He only wanted to avoid Ohnoki recognizing his Flying Thunder God Technique. There was no need to slug it out with the Stone ninjas here.
With that in mind, before the Stone ninjas could close in, Seimei activated Flying Thunder God Technique.
His mastery of the technique allowed him to pull off deceptive maneuvers.
For instance, during the teleportation, he deliberately amplified and adjusted the spatial fluctuations to mimic those of Uchiha Obito's Kamui teleportation as closely as possible.
With this disguise in place, he teleported away from the scene.