Two hours later, with everything prepared, Sano Nobuhisa officially issued the order for the counterattack.
**On the Eastern Side of the Outpost**
On the battlefield, a group of mid and low-ranking Konoha ninjas, led by upper-ranking ones, launched an assault on the Mist ninjas.
After several hours of intense fighting, both Konoha and the Mist Village had suffered heavy losses.
Although the Mist Village was well-prepared and had brought plenty of backup supplies, they were still fighting on foreign ground, which allowed Konoha to hold them off.
Now, with Konoha launching a counterattack, even though the Mist ninjas had the advantage in numbers, they began to feel the pressure.
Especially from Seimei in the sky, who ignored the battle below and flew directly towards the Mist Village warships anchored about two kilometers from the coast. The Mist ninjas became even more anxious.
And for good reason: those dozen or so warships were their escape route.
If the battle went well, they could conquer the Blackstone Outpost and plan from there.
But the key issue was that the battle wasn't going well at all.
The outpost seemed impossible to take, and if their retreat path was cut off, they'd be in serious trouble.
So, as soon as Seimei made a move, a portion of the Mist ninjas immediately received orders and rushed towards the warships.
---
**In the Sky**
Seimei saw this unfold and nodded in satisfaction.
He then used the *Heart-Linking Technique* to communicate with Sano Nobuhisa, relaying the Mist ninjas' reactions.
Upon receiving the information, Sano Nobuhisa didn't hesitate. He immediately pressed all available forces forward, aiming to crush the Mist ninjas in one fell swoop.
Meanwhile, Seimei kept moving.
Although his mission was to lure the Mist ninjas into retreating, he still aimed to destroy a few of their warships if the opportunity arose.
This would achieve two goals. First, it would reduce the Mist Village's war potential.
There was no doubt that the Mist Village would attack again, even if they failed this time. But due to Blackstone Outpost's strategic location, their only viable route for future attacks would be by sea.
And for that, they would need warships.
Though the Mist Village had plenty of warships, the ones allocated to Flying Fish Town were limited.
If Seimei destroyed several of their warships today, they would have fewer ships for their next assault, reducing the number of attackers and making the defense more manageable.
That was the first reason. The second was to apply even more pressure on the Mist ninjas at the frontlines.
If he managed to destroy several warships, it would surely affect the morale of the Mist ninjas on the battlefield.
Whether they sent more reinforcements or retreated early, it would be advantageous.
For these reasons, he wasn't merely putting on a show; he was determined to destroy their warships.
With that thought, Seimei flew even faster.
In less than two minutes, he reached the Mist Village's warships.
However, before he could get close, a Mist Village upper ninja leapt from one of the ships.
Even though Seimei didn't recognize the man, he could guess his identity. This was most likely the commander of the Mist Village's attack on Blackstone Outpost.
It was the only reason the man would be stationed here.
And indeed, it was none other than Ōzawa Yoshiki.
---
**Below**
Ōzawa Yoshiki gazed at Seimei in the sky, his expression heavy with concern.
By now, he had lost count of how many times Seimei had sabotaged their plans, and yet, they were powerless against him.
Their last attempt to take him down had failed not long ago.
Not only that, but Ōzawa had also lost his trusted subordinate, Aoi, along with the precious *Byakugan*.
Thinking of these losses made Ōzawa's heart bleed.
But there was nothing he could do against Seimei, who could fly.
If it were anyone else, he'd be confident in dealing with them, even if they knew a flying technique.
But Seimei was different. His strength was already formidable, and with the added ability to fly, he was like a tiger with wings!
Not even the village's previous efforts to target him had worked.
In this situation, what could he do?
While Ōzawa Yoshiki was lost in thought, Seimei bypassed him and moved towards the farthest Mist Village warship.
Several Mist ninjas remained on board, but none of them were particularly strong. Aside from one mid-level ninja, the others were all low-ranking.
As soon as they saw Seimei approach, they immediately hurled kunai to stop him.
But their attacks were too weak. With a simple flap of his wings, Seimei evaded the incoming kunai and shurikens.
Then, without hesitation, he formed hand seals and unleashed the *Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique*!
A stream of fire shot from his mouth, transforming into a fire dragon that roared towards the warship.
To avoid complications and save time, Seimei deliberately avoided the mid-level ninja on board.
With no one able to stop him, the fire dragon crashed into the ship.
With a loud *crack*, the dragon punched a massive hole in the ship's cabin.
In the next moment, the flames spread rapidly, turning a large section of the ship into a sea of fire.
Seeing this, the remaining Mist ninjas quickly formed hand seals and used water-style ninjutsu to summon seawater, attempting to extinguish the flames.
But Seimei didn't give them the chance.
As soon as the fire dragon disappeared, he formed hand seals again and, using a large amount of chakra, unleashed the *Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique*!
*Boom!*
The massive fireball crashed through the hole made by the fire dragon, landing in the ship's cabin.
An explosion followed, and the shockwave caused chaos inside the ship, while flames engulfed the entire cabin.
Finally, Seimei threw several shuriken, targeting the panicked Mist ninjas and disrupting their attempts to control the fire.
With no one left to suppress the flames, they roared even more fiercely.
Seimei nodded in satisfaction at the scene.
Although this all sounded like it took a long time, it happened in just moments.
Ōzawa Yoshiki had yet to catch up, and the Mist ninjas rushing to reinforce were still on their way.
Glancing at them, Seimei quickly moved again, flying to the opposite side of the ship fleet as fast as he could.
Even though the Mist ninjas on the next ship were better prepared, they stood no chance against his overwhelming strength.
Within seconds, Seimei had broken through their defenses, unleashing two more fire-style jutsu and setting the ship ablaze.
"Damn it!" cursed the Mist ninjas in the distance as they quickened their pace.
(End of Chapter)