"Maybe... I can use his identity to my advantage."
Looking at the Mist Anbu lying on the ground, Seimei muttered softly to himself.
Then, stepping forward, he quickly formed a series of hand seals and cast Mind-Reading Jutsu.
This time, there were no unexpected disruptions. Carefully avoiding memories sealed with barriers, he managed to extract useful information.
And he was not disappointed.
First, there was the matter of Yagura Karatachi locking down the entire Land of Water. Contrary to the widespread rumors of a coup, the true reason behind this move, as understood by the Mist Anbu, was to suppress any resistance that might arise due to sudden policy changes.
After verifying this information twice, Seimei finally felt at ease. This meant his mission could proceed smoothly.
Next, he uncovered the identity of the middle-aged Mist ninja beside him.
According to the Mist Anbu's investigation, this man was highly likely to be a spy from Iwagakure.
This revelation confirmed Seimei's earlier suspicions.
Finally, he learned of the Mist Anbu's mission.
His task was to track this Iwa spy, identify his contact, and eliminate them all in one strike.
As for how they would achieve this? Simple. Three Mist Anbu squads were stationed nearby, ready to act upon receiving a signal.
The moment the signal was sent, a dozen elite Mist Anbu would converge on the rendezvous point.
Upon acquiring this intelligence, Seimei's heart tensed for a brief moment before excitement took over.
His original plan was to stir up chaos and take advantage of the confusion to strike against the Mist Anbu.
Now, these squads were already positioned nearby.
A little commotion from him would be enough to lure them in.
This would save him an enormous amount of effort.
With this in mind, Seimei wasted no time. He immediately cast Shadow Clone Jutsu, forming a duplicate of himself.
Then, he turned to his clone and pointed at the Iwa spy. "You're going to disguise yourself as him and carry out tonight's rendezvous."
Indeed, he planned to assume the identities of the two fallen men, complete their mission, and strike at the perfect moment.
His shadow clone, sharing the same memories, understood the plan without the need for further explanation. Without hesitation, it nodded and cast Transformation Jutsu, morphing into the Iwa spy.
Next, Seimei opened the ninja tool pouch on the spy's body and retrieved a sealed scroll.
This scroll contained intelligence meant for tonight's exchange. A special seal was placed on it—if not opened in the correct manner, it would instantly self-destruct.
As for the correct way to open it?
That knowledge was buried deep in the spy's memory, beyond what Seimei had accessed.
Thus, the clone refrained from tampering with it and simply stored it in its pouch.
Seeing this, Seimei said nothing more. He carefully examined the Mist Anbu's features and attire before using Transformation Jutsu to assume his form.
He then picked up the fallen Anbu's mask and placed it on his face.
Thanks to the inherent secrecy of Anbu operatives, as long as he kept silent and avoided direct interaction with his supposed comrades, his disguise would hold.
At the very least, the Iwa spy's contact would not recognize him.
And that was all he needed.
With his disguise complete, Seimei used a sealing scroll to store away his personal ninja tools.
Then, he opened the Mist Anbu's pouch, carefully inspected its contents, and reorganized them according to his habits before securing them to his waist.
As the saying goes, the devil is in the details.
If he was going to maintain his cover, he needed to pay attention to the smallest elements.
Even the ninja tools he used had to be swapped.
Although ninja tools across villages were largely similar, there were distinct differences in their finer details.
By making this adjustment, he ensured that even in battle, as long as he disappeared before the outer Mist squads arrived, his identity would remain safe.
With all preparations in place, Seimei wasted no time.
He quickly formed hand seals and activated Fire Style: Scorching Ash Jutsu.
Fwoosh—Fwoosh—
Two bursts of flames erupted, instantly engulfing the two corpses on the ground.
Once they were reduced to ashes, Seimei nodded toward his shadow clone.
Then, together, they both activated Flying Thunder God Jutsu and teleported back to a secluded path.
The moment they arrived, Seimei activated his Byakugan and scanned the surroundings.
As expected, his assumptions were correct. During their brief delay, the three Mist Anbu squads on the outskirts had started moving in.
Fortunately, they were proceeding cautiously to avoid alarming their targets. Combined with Seimei's swift and decisive actions, little time had been wasted.
As a result, there was still enough distance between them.
The plan could continue.
With that in mind, Seimei exchanged a glance with his shadow clone.
Then, just as the real Mist Anbu and the Iwa spy had planned, one took the lead cautiously while the other followed attentively, heading toward the rendezvous point.
Along the way, Seimei left subtle markings, just as the Mist Anbu would have done according to his memory.
This effectively reassured the three Mist squads, preventing them from advancing too quickly.
Thus, playing their roles seamlessly, Seimei and his shadow clone spent over half an hour traveling. By the time the moon reached its peak, they finally arrived at the rendezvous site.
A secluded lake within the forest, not far from the heart of Kirigakure.
Seimei remained hidden, while his shadow clone, disguised as the Iwa spy, stepped into the designated meeting spot, silently awaiting his contact.
Meanwhile, Seimei stayed concealed in the darkness, keeping a watchful eye on his clone while staying alert to any movement in the surroundings.
To avoid alerting their target prematurely, he had deactivated his Byakugan long before reaching the area.
As a result, he was unaware if the contact had already arrived or where they might be hiding.
All he could do was wait.
Fortunately, the final meeting time was near. If the contact intended to show up, they wouldn't stay hidden for long.
Seconds ticked by.
The lake remained eerily silent.
Seimei's clone, perfectly imitating the veteran Iwa spy, remained calm and composed, gazing at the water's surface as if he were merely an observer.
A true spy should always behave this way.
A few minutes later.
As the final meeting time approached, the clone finally moved. Turning around, he started to walk back the way he came.
At that moment, a faint ripple of chakra stirred beneath the ground.
Abruptly, the shadow clone stopped in his tracks.