Chapter 568: The Unexpected 

Boom! 

A thunderous explosion echoed through the area. 

It didn't take long for Seimei to arrive at his destination. 

However, what he saw was quite different from what he had expected. 

Initially, he thought the area would only have Six-Tails and Minato Namikaze. 

To his surprise, besides them, there were also four Konoha shinobi and five Mist jōnin and special jōnin. 

The explosion just now had been the result of the clash between Minato and the five Mist shinobi. 

As for the Six-Tails, it was being restrained by the four Konoha shinobi. 

Four chakra chains, as thick as an arm and covered with intricate patterns, extended from the hands of the four Konoha ninja, binding the Six-Tails' neck and three of its tails. Despite its frenzied roars, the beast couldn't break free. 

Even though Seimei wasn't particularly skilled in sealing techniques, he could tell that the four were using a restraining-type seal. 

Clearly, neither Konoha nor the Mist had intended for Minato or the tailed beast to face the enemy alone. 

Konoha had sent sealing experts to assist, while the Mist deployed high-ranking combatants for support and cover. 

This approach made perfect sense. After all, letting Minato face a tailed beast alone or allowing the tailed beast to rampage unchecked in the Land of Fire would not align with either village's interests. 

Thus, some level of cooperation and strategic assistance was necessary. 

In hindsight, when Nara Akihiko had asked him to assist in dealing with the Six-Tails, he should have anticipated this situation. 

Unfortunately, at that time, he was too preoccupied with his own concerns to think it through. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been caught off guard now. 

But... it didn't matter! 

Whether it was the five Mist shinobi or the four Konoha sealing specialists, they didn't significantly affect the overall situation—or his plan to test the "Chakra Absorption Technique." 

So, their presence or absence made little difference. 

However, while Seimei dismissed them as inconsequential, they couldn't afford to ignore him. 

Almost the moment he appeared, the five Mist jōnin locked their gaze on him. 

Seimei's current presence wasn't overwhelmingly intimidating. After all, he still had four shadow clones active elsewhere, and even after absorbing the chakra of several Mist shinobi in the earlier skirmish, his chakra reserves were only around 90,000 points—barely two-thirds of his full strength. 

But his reputation preceded him. 

The moment the five Mist shinobi recognized Seimei, they tensed up. 

Dealing with the "Yellow Flash" alone was already a headache, and now this troublesome prodigy had joined the fray. Their frustration was palpable. 

Despite their dismay, they had no choice but to allocate resources to confront him. 

Without exchanging a single word, two shinobi—a jōnin and a special jōnin—immediately broke off and charged toward Seimei. 

By now, Seimei had already landed on the ground. 

Aerial combat was less effective against jōnin, and with Minato moving so swiftly, the risk of friendly fire was too high. 

Thus, Seimei had dispelled the Wind Style: Wind Wings technique early on. 

Even so, a mere jōnin and special jōnin were no match for him—not even to serve as a distraction. 

Before they could close in, Seimei quickly formed a hand seal and unleashed a jutsu: Fire Style: Simple Scorch Technique, targeting the special jōnin. 

His speed was remarkable. With just one seal, the jutsu was cast. 

The Mist special jōnin was startled but managed to dodge the attack at the last moment. However, Seimei's keen eyes caught that the edge of the shinobi's robe had been singed, indicating average sensory abilities. 

Noting this information, Seimei hurled a kunai mid-air to intercept another kunai thrown by the Mist jōnin aiming for a sneak attack. 

Clang! 

A sharp metallic clash rang out as the kunai collided and deflected in opposite directions. 

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!" 

A low voice echoed as the Mist jōnin, immediately after his failed sneak attack, began weaving signs for a B-rank jutsu. 

A massive water dragon formed and surged toward Seimei with the force of an avalanche. 

Faced with this, Seimei remained calm. He leapt back slightly to create some distance and then quickly formed seals for Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall. 

After over two weeks of practice, his proficiency in the technique, while not yet at level 7 mastery, was nearly complete. 

With ease, a sturdy earth wall, approximately 20 meters long and 7 to 8 meters tall, rose to block the water dragon. 

Boom! 

The water dragon collided with the wall, causing the ground to quake, but failed to penetrate the barrier, let alone harm Seimei behind it. 

Of the five chakra elements, Earth naturally countered Water. Seimei's Earth-Style Wall was no random choice. 

This confident reaction stemmed from recognizing the opponent's jutsu. Had it been Tobirama Senju's Water Style: Water Severing Wave, Seimei wouldn't have dared rely on the earth wall. 

Their exchange lasted mere moments. Before Seimei could catch his breath, several shuriken suddenly flew toward him from the side, targeting his vital points. 

Turning to look, Seimei saw the special jōnin had maneuvered to his flank and launched the sneak attack. 

Unfortunately for the attacker, such a move was of little threat to Seimei. 

With a quick glance, Seimei assessed the shuriken's trajectories and sidestepped them effortlessly. 

In return, he hurled a single shuriken at the Mist special jōnin. 

However, just as he threw it, Seimei formed seals at high speed to activate Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique. 

The lone shuriken multiplied into hundreds in an instant, swarming toward the special jōnin in a calculated pattern that left no room for escape. 

Faced with the storm of shuriken, the special jōnin's face turned pale. He drew a kunai, desperately retreating and deflecting the projectiles. 

Clang clang clang! 

A rapid series of metallic clashes resounded as he barely managed to block most of the shuriken. 

But not all. 

Under Seimei's precise control, a few shuriken slipped past the defenses, leaving several shallow cuts on the Mist shinobi's body. Blood seeped out, staining his clothes. 

Breathing heavily, the special jōnin glared at Seimei with wary eyes, ignoring his injuries. 

Seimei smirked, unsheathing the long blade at his waist, ready to press his advantage. 

Before he could strike, the Mist jōnin who had cast the Water Dragon Bullet Technique intervened, stepping between Seimei and the injured special jōnin. 

The battle raged on.