Chapter 369: Hidden Hand

"What's this?"

Yukikaze stared at the palm of Seimei's left hand, his pupils suddenly dilating.

He saw a giant shuriken, formed from condensed chakra, rapidly spinning there, tearing the surrounding air and creating a whistling sound.

This familiar scene made Yukikaze's hair stand on end.

However, it was too late to retreat now.

Gritting his teeth, Yukikaze controlled the ice dragon to extend its claws, grabbing directly at Seimei.

Seimei didn't hold back either. He stretched out his left hand and collided with the dragon's claws.

Compared to the massive dragon claws, Seimei's hand wasn't even as big as one of its fingernails.

However, even with this exaggerated difference in size, Seimei didn't retreat even half a step.

The moment they made contact, the "Wind Release: Rasenshuriken" coiled in Seimei's palm started to take effect.

That's right, what Seimei unleashed wasn't any other ninjutsu, but the S-rank forbidden technique - Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!

The giant shuriken exploded, transforming into countless microscopic chakra needles that were invisible to the naked eye, piercing through the ice dragon's claws.

Tiny ice chips fell like rain, and the dragon's claws almost disappeared in the blink of an eye.

That wasn't all!

The "Wind Release: Rasenshuriken" continued forward, eventually making contact with the ice dragon's body, instantly leaving a massive hole in it.

Yukikaze continuously poured chakra into the ice dragon, trying to repair the breach.

However, the hole was too large, and the internal structure of the jutsu had been destroyed, making it impossible to repair.

In the end, the ice dragon let out a mournful cry and crumbled into pieces.

Seimei dodged the falling ice blocks with a few flashes.

No longer paying attention to Yukikaze and the other three Kiri-nin Jonin, Seimei scanned the entire battlefield and shouted, "Retreat!"

Hearing this, the Konoha ninjas, who were already prepared, immediately gathered together and retreated towards Eagle's Beak Cliff according to the predetermined plan.

The Mist ninjas were caught off guard by this scene. Except for a few stronger and quicker individuals who managed to stop their opponents, the rest couldn't hold back their enemies.

And once they regrouped, they wouldn't be so easy to deal with.

However, the Mist ninjas didn't want to give up so easily.

So, someone immediately ordered a pursuit.

However, they hadn't run far before they encountered resistance from the Konoha ninjas left behind at Eagle's Beak Cliff.

Countless kunai rained down from the sky, mixed with many explosive tags, forcing them to dodge.

In addition, ninjutsu and genjutsu cast by some Konoha ninjas also caused a lot of trouble for their pursuit.

After one round of attacks, seeing that they were about to launch a second round, a Kiri-nin Jonin couldn't stand it anymore and immediately raised his hands, forming seals and performing the jutsu - Water Release: Hiding in Mist Technique!

In the blink of an eye, the surroundings were shrouded in mist.

This way, the Konoha ninjas on the clifftop didn't dare to attack recklessly.

On the other hand, due to the geographical environment of their village, Kirigakure ninjas were accustomed to dealing with thick fog all year round. Moreover, the "Water Release: Hiding in Mist Technique" was one of Kirigakure's signature techniques.

Therefore, even if they weren't proficient in the "Silent Killing Technique," they could still discern the enemy's movements in the dense fog through subtle sounds.

This way, they could completely turn the disadvantage into an advantage.

Just as this Kiri-nin Jonin was about to order a free hunt, a gust of wind suddenly swept in, instantly dispersing the mist.

He focused his gaze and saw Seimei slowly closing his mouth and lowering his left hand.

Obviously, the gust of wind was his doing.

With the concealing mist gone, the Konoha ninjas, who had slowed down their escape, immediately sped up again.

Seimei glanced in their direction and basically confirmed that they should have no problem escaping back to Eagle's Beak Cliff, so he stopped paying attention to them.

Next, he had to run away himself.

With this thought, Seimei's body flickered with green light, and he was about to use the "Instantaneous Body Flicker Technique" to leave.

However, in the next moment, an invisible sound wave once again rushed into his ears, causing him to stumble and almost fall.

It was the same auditory genjutsu he had encountered not long ago.

However, this time it was much stronger than the last.

Seimei forced himself to focus, instantly dispelling the mental energy and chakra that had invaded his mind, and turned to look at a Kiri-nin Jonin not far away.

It was this person who was casting the genjutsu.

However, this person seemed to be afraid of being controlled by his Sharingan genjutsu, so even though he was casting the genjutsu on him, he didn't look at him at all.

Helplessly, Seimei could only step forward and charge towards him.

Swish~ Swish~

Two familiar figures suddenly appeared, protecting the person in front. They were the two Kiri-nin Jonin who had fought with him earlier.

Seimei looked at them, his footsteps never stopping, and continued to sprint forward.

However, before he could get close, the two of them simultaneously raised their hands and formed seals, performing the jutsu - Water Release: Water Severing Wave!

In the next moment, two waterfall-like streams of water shot out from their mouths, aiming straight at Seimei.

Seeing this, Seimei's expression remained unchanged. He raised his hands, swiftly completed hand seals, and once again performed the jutsu - Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Technique!

A giant shark appeared, swallowing all the water streams, its size visibly increasing. Then, carrying an unstoppable force, it charged towards the two of them.

Seeing this, the two immediately stopped their jutsu and dodged to the sides.

Boom~

The shark crashed onto the sea surface, creating waves over ten meters high, but it didn't injure anyone.

That's right, even the Kiri-nin Jonin who was standing behind the two earlier wasn't hurt.

At some point, an ice wall over ten meters high had appeared in front of him, just in time to block the impact of the giant wave.

Undoubtedly, this was Yukikaze's doing.

Looking at the four people coordinating seamlessly, Seimei slowed down, his body suddenly turning ninety degrees, and he ran straight towards Eagle's Beak Cliff.

He didn't necessarily have to kill the Kiri-nin Jonin who specialized in auditory genjutsu. As long as the opponent didn't hinder his departure, it was fine to let him go.

His previous actions had already attracted everyone's attention, and now was the perfect opportunity to leave.

However, before he could take two steps, his footsteps suddenly halted.

In the next moment, a blue barrier abruptly appeared in front of him, with ripples on its surface, as if it could be broken with a single poke.

However, Seimei knew that was just an illusion.

This barrier was no simple thing. If he wasn't mistaken, it should be a barrier jutsu.

Looking to his left, right, and behind, similar barriers had also risen at some point.

Then, these four barriers connected with each other and closed from top to bottom, ultimately forming a cubic cage about thirty meters long, wide, and high.

Swish, swish, swish~

Four figures appeared.

They were cloaked in black robes and wore masks. They were clearly four Anbu ninjas from Kirigakure.

These four Kirigakure Anbu each occupied a corner of the cage, silently maintaining the operation of the barrier.

All of this happened in an instant, leaving Seimei no time to escape. Otherwise, he wouldn't have remained indifferent.

From this, it could be seen that these four Kirigakure Anbu must have been prepared beforehand.

Otherwise, how could their timing be so perfect?

Seimei truly didn't expect that Kirigakure would be so well-prepared for a mere probing attack.

It was almost as if they were deliberately targeting him.

(End of Chapter)