Grind is My Ninja Way

High in the sky, Seimei gazed down at the group of Mist Ninja below. With a calm, deliberate motion, he brushed the dust from the corner of his robes, his expression exuding an effortless composure. 

This wasn't pretense—it was genuine confidence. 

True, his appearance was somewhat disheveled, but the reality of his situation was far better than the Mist Ninja below could imagine. 

Protected by the *Earth Release: Hardening Technique* and *Chakra Cloak*, the residual force from the explosive tags had not inflicted any serious injuries. 

As for the minor wounds, his body's natural regeneration, bolstered by his 20 points in constitution, ensured rapid recovery without the need for medical ninjutsu. 

Thus, Seimei was truly at ease. 

However, his unflustered demeanor placed an even heavier psychological burden on the Mist Ninja below. 

For several seconds, both sides stood locked in silence. 

Once Seimei felt his internal injuries had sufficiently healed, he spread his wings and dived straight toward the group of Mist Ninja. 

The Mist Chūnin directly facing him instinctively stepped back half a step, while the others, intimidated by his aura, hesitated to launch an immediate attack. 

At that moment, a voice pierced the tension. 

"Attack! All of you, now!" commanded Hozuki Muzuki. 

The sound snapped everyone out of their stupor. In unison, they hurled kunai armed with dozens of explosive tags toward Seimei. 

But this time, Seimei feinted. His figure carved an arc through the air before ascending once more into the skies. 

The Mist Ninja below sighed in relief, though tinged with regret. 

Their relief was short-lived. Seimei suddenly pivoted, accelerating to his maximum speed in an instant. In a mere blink, he was among the Mist Ninja. 

**Shing!** His blade was drawn. 

A faint blue glow enveloped Seimei as he activated the *Blinking Blade Technique*. Before the Mist Ninja could fully register what was happening, Seimei was already closing in on one of the Chūnin. 

In a single, swift motion, he swung his blade. 

**Whoosh~** 

The blade's glint cut through the air. 

The targeted Chūnin, startled by Seimei's abrupt proximity, barely had time to react. He hastily raised his kunai to block. 

But Seimei had another trick up his sleeve: *Illusory Blade Technique*. 

In the Chūnin's eyes, Seimei's single strike transformed into three overlapping attacks, each seemingly coming at a different moment in time. 

Panic set in. Unable to discern which strike was real, the Chūnin could only gamble and block the first blade. 

Unfortunately, he guessed wrong. 

His defense came too early. 

Seimei instantly adapted, switching his vertical slash to a horizontal sweep. His blade neatly avoided the kunai, slashing deep into the Chūnin's chest. 

**Screech~** 

The blade's wind-enhanced edge tore through the Mist Ninja's uniform and cut deeply into flesh, leaving a wound so severe that bone was visible. 

Had Seimei already mastered the *Wind Release: Vacuum Blade*, the strike would have cleaved the Chūnin in two. 

But killing wasn't his intent. 

**Thud!** A kunai flew toward him. 

Seimei stepped back, evading the projectile. 

**Whoosh~** A figure appeared before the injured Chūnin. 

Seimei's Byakugan revealed the newcomer's chakra reserves—a bona fide Jōnin. 

Without hesitation, Seimei redirected his focus, using the *Blinking Blade Technique* to close in on another nearby Chūnin. 

The Mist Jōnin, keen and experienced, immediately sensed Seimei's intent and activated the *Body Flicker Technique*, intercepting him. 

Yet Seimei was unfazed. Locking eyes with the Jōnin, he channeled intense mental focus. His *Sharingan Illusion* hovered, a threat not yet unleashed. 

Faced with Seimei's crimson, three-tomoe Sharingan, the Jōnin felt an ominous surge of mental power and immediately retreated, eyes tightly shut to avoid falling into a genjutsu. 

But Seimei had no intention of using a full illusion. Without activating the Mangekyō Sharingan, any cautious Jōnin could resist his basic genjutsu. His goal was only to force a retreat. 

And it worked. 

The moment the Jōnin backed off, Seimei reached another Chūnin and unleashed his *Sharingan Illusion*. 

The Chūnin froze mid-motion, kunai raised but completely immobilized. 

In the blink of an eye, Seimei sidestepped a volley of kunai and reappeared behind the incapacitated ninja. 

The other Mist Ninja hesitated, their attacks faltering for a brief moment. 

Seizing the opportunity, Seimei formed seals, instantly activating the *Chakra Absorption Technique*. 

He grabbed the Chūnin's shoulder, draining their chakra while dragging them away. 

**Clink!** A kunai landed where Seimei had just stood. 

**Sizzle~** A burning sound erupted as the kunai's attached explosive tag ignited. 

**Boom!** 

A massive explosion cratered the ground. 

Clearly, the ninja who threw that kunai—a perceptive special Jōnin—had no regard for the Chūnin's life. 

Seimei took note of the cold-blooded thrower, filing away the information for later. 

He continued dodging kunai and shuriken while draining the Chūnin of their chakra, along with their physical and spiritual energy. 

In moments, Seimei replenished his own depleted reserves, fully recovering from the strain of his earlier shadow clones. 

With his objective achieved, Seimei unceremoniously discarded the now-lifeless body. 

Amid the chaos, he quickly formed seals and activated *Wind Release: Wings of Wind*. 

His speed surged as he soared diagonally out of the Mist Ninja's range. 

The entire exchange—his descent, confrontation, and escape—lasted no more than twenty seconds. 

By the time the Mist Jōnin regrouped at Seimei's last location, he was already hovering high above them, far out of reach. 

Looking up at Seimei's calm figure, a deep sense of helplessness settled over the group. 

read more inpatreon

belamy20