Just like that, one side chased while the other fled, quickly approaching the walls of the Hidden Leaf Village.
However, just as they were about to leave the village, Seimei suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Seeing this, Uchiha Shisui, who had been hot on his trail, also halted his pursuit. From a distance of about ten meters, the two locked eyes.
By some coincidence, both of them were the real deal—no clones here.
The silent standoff lasted a few seconds before Seimei broke the silence. "You're chasing me so hard. Let's see what you've got."
As he spoke, just like before, he stretched out his right arm, summoning a dozen vines that spread out like a giant net, aiming to ensnare Uchiha Shisui.
Shisui didn't waste words. He swung his short sword, infused with Wind Release chakra, and in the blink of an eye, sliced through every vine coming his way.
"Not bad!" Seimei said with a nod of approval, then stomped his right foot on the ground.
The next moment, more vines burst from the earth. Some coiled toward Shisui, others lashed out like whips, and a few shot up like spears, striking at him from all angles with lightning speed.
Faced with this barrage of attacks from every direction, Shisui didn't dare let his guard down. His three-tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly, its sharp perception allowing him to dodge the vines while counterattacking, cutting down the ones that got too close, all while keeping an eye on Seimei's movements.
This was a clash of raw skill.
Seimei wasn't going all out, and neither was Shisui. They were testing each other's basics—observation and chakra control.
Seimei had to manipulate each vine through his chakra, while Shisui had to maintain the Wind Release chakra on his blade, precisely cutting through the vines Seimei controlled.
Truth be told, without activating his Sharingan or using other abilities, Seimei was struggling to keep up with Shisui. The Uchiha had closed the distance several times, coming within a hair's breadth of landing a hit.
But every time, Seimei unleashed a surge of chakra, summoning a mass of vines to block Shisui's advance.
Time ticked by.
As if sensing something, Seimei suddenly retracted all his vines and said with a hint of impatience, "Alright, I'm done fighting."
Shisui froze, confused by Seimei's words.
But from his tone, Shisui confirmed his suspicions—this was indeed Seimei.
This left Shisui torn, unsure of what to do.
He'd been wrestling with this dilemma for a while now.
Seimei's sudden move threw him off, leaving him grasping for answers.
So, Shisui cut to the chase. "What are you really after?"
He avoided saying Seimei's name, instead asking directly about his intentions.
Even now, he was cautious, not wanting to take any risks that might reveal Seimei's identity to others.
This was both to protect Seimei and to keep whatever he was up to from dragging the Uchiha clan into trouble.
Seimei appreciated his caution. With a smirk, he said, "Nothing much. Just trying to snag a Tailed Beast."
"No way!" Shisui shot back before Seimei could finish, his voice firm. "The Nine-Tails belongs to the village. You can't take it. It'll cause too much chaos."
"Oh, really? No way at all?" Seimei's eyes narrowed, his three-tomoe Sharingan activating almost unnoticed.
Across from him, Shisui didn't back down. He activated his Mangekyo Sharingan and said firmly, "Absolutely not, Seimei. Don't push me."
Shisui's expression was dead serious, his tone icy. He was so focused that he didn't even care about slipping Seimei's name.
Seimei didn't respond, just stared at him quietly.
Time dragged on.
Just as the tension in the forest grew suffocating, Seimei suddenly dropped his intimidating aura, deactivated his Sharingan, and said, "Fine. If you want it that bad, it's yours."
"What?" Shisui couldn't believe his ears.
But in the next moment, a figure darted out from the forest, approached Seimei, and handed him a metal orb.
Instantly, Shisui's attention locked onto the orb.
He clearly remembered that the Nine-Tails had been sealed inside that same orb before.
But now, the orb's surface was free of the intricate sealing formulas.
This calmed Shisui down a bit.
Still, his gaze toward Seimei was laced with suspicion.
It just didn't add up. There was no way Seimei would so easily hand over the Nine-Tails after going through all that trouble to get it.
Shisui couldn't help but wonder if Seimei was pulling a fast one—handing him a fake orb while planning to slip away.
Seeing Shisui's doubtful look, Seimei shrugged and casually dispelled the seal on the orb.
The next instant, an angry roar echoed from within—it was unmistakably the Nine-Tails.
A surge of dark red chakra poured out of the orb, coalescing into the form of the Nine-Tails.
"ROAR!"
Another furious roar rang out.
The Nine-Tails immediately locked eyes with Seimei, its gaze burning with hatred and rage, as if Seimei had done something unforgivable to it.
And, well, he kind of had.
But Seimei wasn't about to coddle it. The moment it glared at him, he activated his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
In an instant, he used his "Genjutsu: Sharingan" to take control of the Nine-Tails' mind.
Seimei glanced at the stunned Shisui and said in a tone like he was tossing out trash, "Here, it's all yours."
With that, he commanded the Nine-Tails to attack Shisui.
Feeling the overwhelming pressure from the Nine-Tails, Shisui snapped out of his shock.
He dodged the beast's attack with a quick Body Flicker.
But the Nine-Tails seemed fixated on him, relentlessly pressing the assault.
While Shisui's attention was tied up, Seimei dispelled his Wood Clone Technique, causing the clone that had handed him the orb—and another one nearby—to crumble and vanish.
Then, seizing the moment, Seimei used the "Flying Thunder God Technique" to cloak himself and head straight for the Hidden Leaf's walls.
Along the way, he passed several Leaf Village patrol teams rushing toward the battlefield where Shisui and the Nine-Tails were clashing.
They crossed paths without incident.
Soon, Seimei reached the outskirts of the Hidden Leaf Village.
Standing atop a large tree, he glanced back at the battlefield. The Nine-Tails had stopped rampaging, standing still as if under someone's control again.
"Heh, not bad," Seimei chuckled.
With that, he locked onto a forest in the northeastern part of the Land of Fire, activated the Flying Thunder God Technique, and teleported away.