Grind is My Ninja Way

Aburame Ryōma's secret meeting with Orochimaru was unbeknownst to Seimei.

At that moment, he was on his way back.

Although headquarters urged him to return as soon as possible, Seimei was in no hurry. He took his time along the way, setting aside some time each day for training.

So, it wasn't until the afternoon of the third day that he finally returned to headquarters.

Returning to this familiar place after months away, Seimei couldn't help but feel a bit dazed.

He remembered when he first graduated and arrived at the Land of Rain battlefield, his first stop was here, carrying out some logistical patrol tasks.

Unconsciously, more than a year had passed. His strength had improved significantly, but the teachers and classmates who had accompanied him were long buried on the battlefield.

"Sigh."

With a light sigh, Seimei didn't linger and immediately walked deeper into the headquarters.

Along the way, he encountered several patrol teams, verified his identity multiple times, and passed through several lines of defense before finally reaching the central headquarters.

Arriving at the mission center and completing the registration, they didn't immediately assign him a new mission but instead gave him a three-day vacation.

During these three days, as long as he didn't leave the headquarters area, he was free to do as he pleased.

Walking out of the mission center, Seimei looked back at the sign and muttered, "Three days off... Why does it feel like a last meal?"

Shaking his head, Seimei stopped dwelling on it.

Since they gave him three days off, he would use them. As for what happened after... he would deal with it later!

Of course, he couldn't waste these three days. He still needed to continue his training.

However, before training, there was one more thing he had to do.

*Clang*

Seimei drew the short sword from his waist.

He glanced at this unremarkable weapon, then sheathed it back into his waist and walked straight towards the Uchiha clan's residence at the headquarters.

It had been almost two months, and there was still no news about the support he had requested from the clan. Now that he was back at headquarters, he would go and see what was going on.

Soon, he found the person in charge of the Uchiha clan on this battlefield - an elderly elder.

Well...

Calling him elderly was a bit of an exaggeration. He was only in his early fifties.

However, in the ninja world where the average lifespan was less than thirty, fifty was considered quite old.

Coupled with the hidden injuries left from years of fighting on the battlefield, his appearance seemed older than his actual age, so calling him elderly wasn't too far off.

Seeing Seimei approach, the Uchiha elder smiled and said, "Oh, it's Seimei. You're back?"

Hearing this, Seimei's eyes narrowed, and he asked, "Elder, you knew I was coming back?"

"Hehehe~"

The Uchiha elder chuckled.

Then, he said meaningfully, "Seimei, don't underestimate the clan's intelligence capabilities. We have our people in the mission center too. I knew about your transfer order the moment it was issued."

Seimei thought about it and realized it made sense. Although the Uchiha clan was subtly excluded and suppressed by the Konoha leadership, as one of Konoha's prominent clans, they still had the necessary intelligence and connections.

Since that was the case...

Seimei's eyes flickered. He didn't rush to ask about his support request but instead looked at the elder and asked respectfully, "Then, Elder, do you know why headquarters called me back this time?"

Hearing Seimei's question, the smile on the Uchiha elder's face quickly faded, and he said, "It seems you've also sensed it."

"Sigh!"

The Uchiha elder sighed lightly and said, "This is probably another attempt by Konoha to suppress us."

'Konoha... us'

Just from these two words, Seimei knew that this elder was probably a member of the Uchiha clan's radical faction.

His words directly separated the Uchiha clan from Konoha and subtly included Seimei in his faction as well.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have used the pronoun "us."

In an instant, many thoughts flashed through Seimei's mind, but he didn't say anything to refute. He just quietly waited for the elder to continue.

It seemed like the elder knew something.

Sure enough, he continued, "It's not just you. Shisui... uh, you know Uchiha Shisui, right?"

"Yes."

Seimei nodded. "We crossed paths during the Chunin Exams."

"That's right, it's him!"

The Uchiha elder replied and continued, "Not only you, but Uchiha Shisui has also been asked to return to headquarters as soon as possible.

Based on various intelligence analyses, it's highly likely that you'll be joining the support troops and heading to the Kirigakure battlefield this time."

"The Kirigakure battlefield?"

Seimei appropriately expressed a hint of surprise.

As he had said before, both the Kirigakure and Sunagakure battlefields were not favorable for Uchiha clan ninjas.

The former was known for their proficiency in the 'Hiding in Mist Technique,' which was a significant limitation for Uchiha ninjas who relied on their Sharingan in combat.

Furthermore, the Kirigakure battlefield was mainly located in the southeastern coastal areas of the Land of Fire, and battles often involved going out to sea.

This geographical environment was also a limitation for Uchiha ninjas who were generally skilled in Fire Release.

With all these factors combined, the danger was self-evident.

As for the Sunagakure battlefield...

Although it wasn't as dangerous as the Kirigakure battlefield, Uchiha ninjas still had a tough time there. The puppeteers of Sunagakure Village were also a counter to them.

It wasn't just because they didn't fight with their own bodies, limiting the effectiveness of the Uchiha's Sharingan.

It was also because puppeteers were generally skilled in using poison. Even a minor injury, if not treated in time, could lead to death from poisoning.

Of course, one could argue that these dangerous places weren't exclusive to Uchiha ninjas. If others could go, why couldn't Uchiha ninjas?

Uchiha ninjas could certainly go!

But the key issue was that eighty percent of the Uchiha clan's ninjas were assigned to these two battlefields. The targeting was blatantly obvious.

Thus, it wasn't hard to understand why the Uchiha clan later rebelled.

With this kind of differential treatment, it would be strange if the Uchiha clan didn't have any objections!

Of course, these things were temporarily unrelated to Seimei. He only knew that he would be heading to the Kirigakure battlefield next.

He wasn't afraid.

With his current strength, even the perilous Kirigakure battlefield was nothing to him.

But he was just a bit annoyed.

Because the Uchiha elder's words almost confirmed that someone was indeed plotting against him. And who was this person?

Seimei had an answer in his heart.

After all, there were only a few people who could influence Orochimaru's decisions.

And among them, Danzo, the old schemer, was the most suspicious.

Seimei hadn't forgotten that Danzo had sent people to ambush him on the road after the Chunin Exams.

"Damn it, should I just take this guy out?"

This thought suddenly popped into Seimei's mind.

But in the end, he shook his head.

It wasn't that he couldn't do it or had any qualms. It was just that Danzo's whereabouts were too secretive.

He probably had done too many bad things and was afraid of retaliation, so only the Root ninjas knew his movements.

And the Root ninjas had the 'Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal' on them, preventing them from revealing anything about Danzo, whether actively or passively.

This made it impossible for Seimei to even obtain information from them.

So, for now, he could only give up.

However, Seimei remembered this grudge. In the future, if he had the chance, he would eliminate Danzo without hesitation.

As for whether he could win...

That was a joke!

If it were the Danzo of the future with the Sharingan arm, he might have to put in some effort, as both 'Izanagi' and Wood Release were formidable.

But the current Danzo...

He was insignificant!

(End of Chapter)