Seimei glanced back at the direction the kunai was thrown from and saw that, on the previously empty rooftop, there was now a ballista and two figures.
Of course, what made him feel an opportunity had arisen wasn't just the sudden discovery of these figures.
Even before they appeared, Seimei had sensed something off with his Sharingan.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have initiated the attack.
The reason he felt there was a chance was that only two people were manning the ballista.
Normally, the Hidden Mist Village would station three ninjas around each ballista: one to defend against his attacks and two to operate the ballista, coordinating strikes against him.
Now, with one person missing, it would be much harder for them to launch a counterattack.
With this thought, Seimei quickly scanned his surroundings, confirming that the other ballistae had not yet locked onto him. Without hesitation, he seized the opportunity, turning 180 degrees and charging toward the rooftop again.
Seeing him suddenly double back, the Hidden Mist chunin, who had just thrown a kunai to intercept him, turned pale and quickly hurled more kunai.
However, such "slow" attacks were of no threat to Seimei.
His Sharingan spun slightly, and with a light flap of the chakra wings on his back, he dodged the kunai like a butterfly weaving through flowers.
When he was close enough, Seimei's hands quickly formed seals, and in an instant, he unleashed his ninjutsu—Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!
Whoosh~
Seimei opened his mouth, and a torrent of fire-style chakra mixed with air spewed forth.
The next moment, a fire dragon appeared, crossing several meters and burning toward the two Hidden Mist ninjas and the ballista.
"Ahhhh!" ×2
Two anguished screams echoed.
The two Hidden Mist ninjas were engulfed in flames, turning into human torches and writhing in agony.
At the same time, the ballista was also caught in the blaze and began to burn rapidly.
But Seimei was still not satisfied.
He pulled another kunai from his ninja tool pouch and threw it.
The kunai pierced through the flames, striking the ballista.
The next moment, a violent explosion sounded.
In an instant, the ballista was reduced to a pile of scrap metal, completely destroyed.
Only then did Seimei nod in satisfaction, flying upwards.
However, the time he had spent here had already given the other Mist ninjas enough time to react.
From the tops of surrounding buildings, several ballistae shed their disguises and began launching explosive-tagged bolts at him to prevent his escape.
Seimei's Sharingan continuously spun, tracking the incoming bolts and calculating their trajectories.
With a flap of his wings, he deftly dodged them.
Though the shockwaves from the exploding tags occasionally shook him, overall, he remained relatively unharmed.
After evading one volley of attacks, Seimei ascended to higher ground, scanning the ballistae below.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up.
Several of the ballistae only had two ninjas stationed nearby, for some reason.
Seimei looked toward their surroundings and saw that Mist commanders were hastily gathering reinforcements to bolster those positions.
"An opportunity!"
Without much thought, Seimei arced through the air, charging toward the ballistae with fewer operators.
"Shoot!"
"Keep shooting!"
"—"
Down below, the Mist ninjas, seeing Seimei daring to turn back, shouted loudly.
However, loading a ballista took time.
Seimei had already moved out of range of the ballistae, and the Mist ninjas had barely ceased firing. Now, to suddenly resume, was too much for them.
Seizing the chance, Seimei pushed his Wind Style: Wings of Wind to the limit, closing the gap in less than three seconds, stopping within 20 meters.
Without hesitation, he pulled out several kunai and scattered them toward the nearby ballistae.
Sparks flashed on the kunai.
A closer look would reveal that each one had an explosive tag attached.
It wasn't that Seimei had predicted this opportunity, but rather that he had been prepared for such a situation for days.
Today just happened to be the day to use them.
Seeing the kunai flying toward them, the Mist ninjas preparing to operate the ballistae abandoned their weapons, grabbing kunai and shuriken to intercept them.
Seimei smirked, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
In the next moment, his hands moved swiftly, forming seals. He opened his mouth and unleashed another ninjutsu—Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!
In an instant, dozens, if not hundreds, of small fireballs shot out from his mouth, raining down like flower petals upon the Mist ninjas.
Under this attack, the Mist ninjas no longer had time to operate the ballistae.
Seizing the opportunity, Seimei unleashed Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu and Wind Style: Blade of Wind, destroying three ballistae in the blink of an eye.
Additionally, one more ballista nearby was significantly damaged, rendering it unusable for the time being.
Thus, the Hidden Mist's operational ballistae were reduced to sixteen, a quarter of their firepower lost.
With the density of firepower now significantly lowered, Seimei flapped his chakra wings lightly, dodging a few more incoming bolts. With a burst of speed, he closed in on yet another ballista.
This time, however, the ballista was guarded by a standard three-man team, with two operating the ballista and one already preparing to attack.
Before Seimei could launch an assault, the third ninja unleashed a fire-style ninjutsu.
A narrow flame shot from his mouth, like a laser, rapidly streaking toward Seimei.
Seimei narrowed his eyes, forming hand seals and summoning Water Style: Water Wall!
Instantly, a wall of water appeared in front of him, blocking the flame.
Sizzle~
As fire met water, a sharp hissing sound filled the air.
Just then, a bolt was fired directly at him. Without hesitation, Seimei sidestepped to avoid it.
Taking advantage of the enemy's reloading time, Seimei swiftly formed new seals and unleashed Wind Style: Blade of Wind!
A transparent wind blade appeared, slicing through the air toward the enemy with incredible speed.
"Watch out!"
The Mist ninja who had just used a fire-style jutsu sensed danger and shouted a warning.
But it was too late.
*Swish*
The wind blade cut through the ballista and the two Mist ninjas, slicing them cleanly in half.
"Hiroshi! Haruna!"
Seeing his two comrades fall, the remaining Mist ninja cursed under his breath, quickly forming seals to unleash Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu at Seimei.
As the fireball hurtled toward him, Seimei's eyes flashed with interest.
(End of Chapter)