The moment he teleported away, a massive white beam, thicker than any before, crashed down from the sky, sweeping over the spot where he'd been hiding. It obliterated the ground, grass, and trees in an instant.
All that remained was a deep, smooth-edged trench several meters long, a testament to the terrifying power of Dust Release.
Too bad for them—it didn't stop Seimei's Flying Thunder God Technique.
Moments later, Onoki soared above the forest.
He stared at the devastation below, his face grim.
Soon, other Iwagakure shinobi gathered around, their expressions just as sour.
Inhale… exhale…
Onoki took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He closed his eyes, letting his chakra senses spread out, searching for the mark he'd left as a backup.
A few seconds later, his eyes snapped open. He looked west, barking an order to the shinobi below: "Tighten security!" Then, he shot off in that direction at full speed.
---
Meanwhile, in the Land of Earth, near the western border, in a small-town inn…
Seimei stood in a room.
He'd just used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport here.
The room's original occupant was already knocked out, courtesy of him.
Thinking back to the heart-pounding moment before he teleported, Seimei muttered to himself, "No wonder they call it Dust Release. That attack power is unreal!"
His close encounters with it gave him a deeper respect for its danger. Anyone else would've been reduced to ash under Onoki's attack.
Luckily, he was quick. After slipping out of Iwagakure, he'd seized the chance to teleport away.
If he'd waited for the village's war machine to fully kick into gear, escaping wouldn't have been so easy.
With his Ama no Miya (Heavenly Palace) ability, he might not have died, but his cover would've likely been blown.
Iwagakure definitely had barrier techniques to restrict his movements. Once trapped, escaping with basic tricks would've been a nightmare.
Thankfully, things hadn't come to that. Everything was still under control.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Seimei got to work. He pulled a sealing scroll from his ninja pouch.
"Release!"
With a quick hand sign and a shout, he unsealed the scroll's contents.
A pile of books and scrolls spilled onto the floor—none other than the experimental notes on Dust Release, written by the Second Tsuchikage, Mu, which Seimei had collected tonight.
His next move was to quickly scan them for any hidden traps before teleporting back to Konoha.
Poof, poof, poof!
Seimei formed more hand signs, summoning dozens of shadow clones with the Shadow Clone Technique.
Each clone grabbed a book or scroll and started flipping through it carefully.
With so many clones working at once, the process was lightning-fast.
In just a few minutes, Seimei found the problem.
He took a scroll from one of his clones, spotting a mark hidden among the experimental notes. After studying it for a moment, he said, "Yup, definitely trouble."
With a flick of his finger, he sent a small burst of chakra into the mark.
Instantly, it activated, emitting a faint but distinct chakra pulse.
That pulse traveled through some unseen connection, heading far away.
Seimei gazed into the distance, seeing nothing but knowing exactly who was likely picking up the signal—Onoki.
This mark was similar to a Flying Thunder God seal—a special marker the caster could sense. It wasn't as subtle or precise as his own technique and was easier to erase, but it was more than enough as a backup plan.
This was what had given away his movements.
Noticing where the mark was hidden, Seimei cursed under his breath. "That's sneaky as hell, hiding it in the note's annotations!"
If he hadn't been so thorough—and familiar with marks like these thanks to his Flying Thunder God Technique—he might've missed it.
But now that he'd found it, there was nothing to fear.
He channeled a powerful surge of chakra into the mark, wiping it out in an instant.
He and his clones then double-checked the other books and scrolls, finding one more mark tucked away in an obscure corner.
After erasing it, Seimei didn't waste another second. He activated the Flying Thunder God Technique again, teleporting to another nearby town.
Good thing he'd left plenty of Flying Thunder God markers across the Land of Earth—especially in towns—when he'd captured the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Roshi. Though he'd cleared some of them later, he'd kept enough to move freely.
Why not teleport straight back to Konoha?
Simple. He needed to be absolutely sure these books and scrolls were clean.
No way was he bringing trouble back to the Hidden Leaf.
Sure, based on what he'd shown today, Onoki would likely zero in on Konoha as his first suspect.
But if they dug deeper, they'd find Konoha was also investigating someone like him.
And all the clues would point to one person: Obito Uchiha.
Obito would take the fall for him.
What? You think Iwagakure wouldn't figure that out?
Don't underestimate the Five Great Shinobi Villages. If they wanted to, they could follow the trail right to Obito.
They might not uncover his true identity, but they'd know someone was out there.
And that was enough.
As long as they believed someone outside the Five Villages was involved, Iwagakure's attention would shift away from Konoha, letting Seimei train in peace.
If, by some chance, they didn't connect the dots to Obito, Seimei could nudge things in that direction himself.
Everything would still go according to plan.
What if Obito realized he was being framed?
Seimei wasn't scared of him. Even if Obito traced it back to him, so what? Worst case, they'd throw down.
More likely, Obito would confront him, maybe even fight, but ultimately back off.
Why? Because Seimei held two Tailed Beasts. Obito couldn't risk pushing him too far. If Seimei went all-in and derailed Obito's grand plan, it'd be a disaster for him.
For Obito, Rin was everything. If he could see her a day sooner, he wouldn't wait a day longer.
So, even if Obito caught wind of Seimei's scheme, he'd likely let it slide.
Of course, Seimei's confidence came from his absolute faith in his own strength.
Anyone else trying this? Obito would've crushed them already.