In the forest, the sounds of battle continued.

Seimei surveyed the Mist Ninjas surrounding him, pondering whether to slow his pace of killing slightly. This would allow him some time to absorb their chakra.

Don't be fooled by his ability to absorb 2,000 points of chakra per second—he could drain a person dry in mere seconds. But in the heat of battle, even a single second could disrupt the flow of combat.

Thus, if he chose to absorb the chakra of these opponents, the time required to finish them off would inevitably increase severalfold. In the current battlefield environment, this was far from ideal.

Out of the corner of his eye, Seimei glanced at Hyuga Yamacha in the distance. He considered lifting the protective seal on his forehead to use the Byakugan and scan the surroundings. However, he hesitated, fearing his secret would be exposed.

At this moment, revealing that he possessed the Byakugan was not an option. Besides, the Byakugan's range of vision was only about a kilometer. For a ninja, a distance of a mere kilometer was nothing—once located, anyone could close the gap within a minute or two.

So, he stuck to his original plan: end the battle quickly. Any deviation could lead to unnecessary complications, which was not a good choice.

Having made up his mind, Seimei decided to stop overthinking and immediately moved to eliminate the Mist Ninjas.

Just then, a sharp whistle echoed through the forest.

Seimei froze mid-step, turning toward the source of the sound.

He saw an injured Mist Jonin, none other than the one being attacked by two Leaf Jonin. Holding his injured left arm, the Mist Jonin clenched a whistle in his mouth, rhythmically blowing it as he retreated deeper into the dense forest.

Although Seimei didn't understand the code in the whistle, he could infer its meaning from the reactions of the surrounding Mist Ninjas.

Upon hearing the whistle, the Mist Ninjas began seeking opportunities to disengage from the battle, scattering as they retreated into the depths of the forest.

It was clear: the whistle was a signal for the Mist Ninjas to retreat.

Since that was the case, there was no need for Seimei to rush to finish off his enemies.

With this in mind, he pursued one of the retreating Mist Chunin, severely injuring him within a few moves.

He then formed a hand seal, using the Chakra Absorption Technique to drain the enemy's chakra while continuing his pursuit into the forest.

Yes, Seimei had shifted his strategy—he now began to absorb the chakra of these retreating enemies.

Thus, a chase unfolded in the forest.

Ahead, the Mist Ninjas fled in all directions. Behind them, the Leaf Ninjas gave chase at full speed. The clashing sounds of battle echoed through the forest, startling flocks of birds into the sky.

---

About Fifteen Minutes Later

The chase came to a halt! Seimei, along with two other Leaf Jonin, began gathering their subordinates and preparing to return to the battlefield.

They quickly assigned tasks: some were tasked with retrieving ninja tools and erasing traces, while others attended to the wounded.

Everyone followed orders without hesitation, and the battlefield operated in an orderly manner.

Seimei hurried to the side of a severely injured comrade. After a brief assessment of his condition, he began using several medical ninjutsu techniques to stabilize the injuries.

Once the first patient was stabilized, Seimei moved on to another critically injured individual and repeated the process.

Several Leaf Ninjas assisted him in silence, afraid of disturbing him during the treatment process.

In about fifteen minutes, Seimei's exceptional proficiency in medical ninjutsu stabilized the conditions of the critically injured.

"Phew..."

He exhaled lightly, wiped the nonexistent sweat from his forehead, and reassured the last patient on the ground. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. Just rest up."

"Thank you..."

The injured Leaf Ninja croaked in a hoarse voice, his eyes filled with gratitude as he looked at Seimei.

Indeed, he had every reason to be grateful.

Under normal circumstances, even if the team ultimately won this skirmish, his injuries would likely have been fatal. The same was true for the other critically injured comrades.

Not every capable team leader possessed Seimei's expertise in advanced medical ninjutsu.

Hearing the thanks, Seimei nodded without further comment.

He then approached the two Leaf Jonin and said, "The wounded are stable. We can move out now."

"Understood!"

The two Jonin, not ones to dawdle, quickly confirmed the safety of their teams and began leading their squads back to camp.

Seimei and his ten surviving subordinates didn't separate from them, choosing to travel together for added safety.

---

This battle had been won, but not without significant losses.

Seimei's reinforcement team initially consisted of four squads, totaling seventeen members, including himself. Now, only eleven remained.

Among the six casualties, two had fallen during an ambush by Mist reinforcements, while the other four perished in the recent battle.

These numbers would have been even worse if not for Seimei's swift action in eliminating one Jonin and two Special Jonin from the enemy side, significantly demoralizing and distracting them.

This painted a grim picture of how many Leaf Ninjas had fallen before Seimei's arrival.

For this reason, Seimei chose to travel with the others to maximize their safety. Having saved these lives, he wasn't about to let them be ambushed by Mist Ninjas again.

---

Reputation can be a burden, but at times, it can also serve as protection.

After the war, Seimei intended to confront Danzo. While Danzo's reputation within the village wasn't stellar, he was still a high-ranking official.

Taking action against him would undoubtedly provoke backlash, potentially inciting public opinion against Seimei.

Although he wasn't overly concerned about public opinion, maintaining a stable environment for training was essential. Avoiding unnecessary trouble was the better choice.

His battlefield contributions and his consistent efforts to treat the wounded were calculated steps to build a protective reputation.

This way, if anyone attempted to manipulate public opinion against him, they would face greater resistance.

As for hiding his involvement in actions against Danzo, that was nearly impossible.

Seimei never underestimated the intelligence-gathering capabilities of the Five Great Ninja Villages. Ninja training revolved around this fundamental skill, and it was implausible that they would overlook evidence entirely.

Once the village began investigating, even circumstantial evidence would be enough to cast suspicion. And given his history of conflicts with the Root Division, Seimei would undoubtedly become a primary suspect.

Therefore, he needed to prepare thoroughly. Seimei had no desire to sever ties with the Leaf Village.

It wasn't fear of their power or allegiance to their cause but simply a preference for the familiarity of his current environment.

For him, watching the "protagonist" of his memories grow while he continued his own training was a form of leisure.

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