*Camp Command Center.
Inside an Office.*
Seimei looked at Nara Shikou, and Nara Shikou looked back at him.
This was their second meeting.
In the past, Seimei had only seen Shikou once when he first arrived at this battlefield. Since then, he had been rotating at the front lines.
Now, seeing him again, it felt like just yesterday.
After a brief silence, Nara Shikou spoke first, "I heard you were ambushed on the way here?"
"Yeah."
Seimei responded simply, but he didn't say much more. He just stared intently at Shikou, seeking answers.
He didn't believe that his experience was unique, nor did he believe that Shikou would ignore the intelligence leak from the Mist Village. Surely an investigation was underway.
Otherwise, how could they reassure their troops? Without a clear explanation, who would dare trust their backs to the village?
As expected, Nara Shikou hesitated for a moment, then pulled a file from his drawer, placing it on the desk and pushing it toward Seimei.
Seimei looked at the file, hesitating to reach for it, and asked, "What's this?"
"Take a look."
Nara Shikou didn't explain, simply gesturing for him to open it.
Without wasting words, Seimei picked up the file and began scanning its contents quickly.
As he read, his expression grew darker.
The file detailed over a dozen cases of intelligence leaks. Some were minor, others severe, with varying degrees of loss.
Yet, none of these cases had been solved.
Seimei found it unbelievable.
In such a short time, continuous leaks? Even in a world without extraordinary powers, it would be easy to uncover the truth. The more someone acts, the more mistakes they make, leaving behind traces that accumulate into clues.
With someone as clever as Nara Shikou in charge, it was surprising that they hadn't made any progress.
Seimei furrowed his brow, his mind racing to understand what was happening.
But no matter how he analyzed it, he couldn't make sense of it.
Seeing Seimei's troubled expression, Nara Shikou tapped the desk lightly, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"You've seen the file. The plan to summon you for support was likely leaked the same way. So…"
He trailed off, but Seimei understood the implication.
Clearly, Nara Shikou was showing that the leak wasn't intentional on their part. It was also his way of regaining their trust.
Seimei had to admit, it was effective.
While he remained concerned about the intelligence system, he no longer felt the looming threat of betrayal.
As for the possibility that someone from the village leaked the information?
It was nearly impossible. Even with the limited cases he'd seen, the involved details were extensive, let alone the cases beyond his reach.
This level of sabotage was something even Danzo wouldn't risk.
With Nara Shikou's intelligence, he'd surely considered and investigated that possibility. Since the leaks persisted, it suggested little to no involvement from them.
Otherwise, Shikou would have reported to Sarutobi Hiruzen to suppress Danzo.
After all, this was a matter of the frontline war, and even Nara Shikou wouldn't turn a blind eye.
'So, who is it then?'
Seimei wondered, distracted even as Shikou assigned him a new task.
Leaving the office, Seimei shook his head, pushing his thoughts aside. He had orders to head directly to the front lines.
Yes, there wasn't even time for a break. After their conversation, Nara Shikou immediately sent him to a battlefield.
As for Uchiha Shisui…
He had reported in before Seimei and was already dispatched to another battlefront.
This showed just how critical the situation was.
Even though Seimei expected it, he still frowned upon reaching the front lines.
He had assumed that, fighting on home territory, they wouldn't face logistical issues, even if the defense line had weak spots due to a lack of combat power.
Yet, the reality was that even the logistics had problems.
It wasn't that there was a shortage of supplies; rather, transport teams were frequently attacked, preventing the supplies from reaching the front-line ninjas.
As a result, Konoha's forces were forced to keep fighting with limited resources.
Especially over the past two days, Konoha had been caught off guard, and the battle lines shifted drastically, further complicating supply issues.
Suddenly, Seimei recalled the files he had just read. Several of the leak cases involved the routes of these transport teams.
"They're really brazen!"
He couldn't help but exclaim, setting his thoughts aside and turning his attention to his new team.
For the next period, these would be his comrades. While Seimei didn't expect them to provide much assistance, he still needed to understand them.
The Konoha ninjas welcomed his arrival without any resentment; in fact, they were overjoyed.
The name "Ghost Blade Seimei" had spread over the past months, and even if they hadn't looked into it deliberately, they'd heard of him.
With such a powerful ninja joining them, they felt more confident, with no complaints whatsoever.
In these conditions, even those with reservations about the Uchiha clan kept quiet.
Thanks to this, Seimei quickly integrated into the team.
---
*Sunrise and sunset.*
Three days passed.
On the night he arrived at the battlefield, fighting erupted.
Since then, he'd already fought over a dozen battles, large and small.
The Mist ninjas here were stronger and more numerous than those in Feiyu Town.
On the first day, he had managed to overpower two Mist Jōnin with sheer strength.
But by the next day, more Mist Jōnin targeted him directly, each one skilled.
If he fought at full power, he was confident he could injure or kill them.
But given the delicate situation, Seimei didn't want to draw too much attention, so he held back.
Once he felt he'd drawn enough attention, he engaged in a stalemate.
The command didn't object to his choice; in fact, Nara Shikou seemed to prefer this approach, as they needed time.
So, Seimei wasn't the only one stalling; other Konoha Jōnin who had arrived for support were also holding off the Mist's advances as best they could.
Now, they just waited for the village's long-prepared plan to be deployed to drive the Mist back for good.
And they didn't have to wait long.
*(Chapter ends)*