A little over a minute later, nearly a hundred Konoha reinforcement troops arrived.
With their entry into the battlefield, the entire situation shifted dramatically.
Centered around Uchiha Shisui and several Konoha jonin, multiple battle formations appeared. The shinobi from both sides were now intertwined, with no clear advantage on either side.
But to Ao, this was unacceptable.
It wasn't just his opinion; the task assigned to him by Daisuke Yuki was to find a way to launch an attack on the south gate of the Black Stone Outpost to coordinate with the main force's offensive on the eastern front.
If these Konoha shinobi were allowed to hold them up here, the mission would undoubtedly fail.
So, they couldn't afford a stalemate here.
However, leading the remaining Mist shinobi around the battlefield to attack the south gate was also impossible.
Not only would their small number have little impact, but the oppressive presence of Seimei in the skies made it impossible for them to leave easily.
"So, the only option is to win this battle first."
With that thought, Ao stopped ordering the nearby Mist shinobi to defend against Seimei and instead led everyone to join the fight.
Seeing this, Seimei hesitated briefly but chose not to intervene.
As a result, the Konoha side felt the pressure once more.
However, with a skilled fighter like Uchiha Shisui acting as their savior, there was no immediate risk of defeat.
Thus, Seimei calmly circled above the battlefield, waiting for the right opportunity.
…
Time passed, second by second.
As the battle raged on, the situation grew increasingly intense. Many of the smaller battle formations were reaching a fever pitch.
This intensity meant that neither the Konoha nor Mist forces had the energy to pay attention to Seimei's presence.
Especially since Seimei had been attacking less frequently.
Some Mist shinobi even began to speculate whether he had been too severely injured in the earlier fights to fight at full strength.
While Seimei appeared fine on the surface, it was known that many of the weapons used against him had been coated with poison.
And after being poisoned, the effects often weren't immediately visible.
This suspicion led some Mist shinobi to quietly breathe a sigh of relief.
Ao might have noticed something, but with the chaotic battlefield and the need to maintain morale, he couldn't reveal his observations to everyone.
So, he allowed his subordinates to speculate freely.
All of this gave Seimei a better chance.
At one point, while Ao led dozens of his men in fierce combat with over ten Konoha shinobi, Seimei suddenly swooped down.
The Mist shinobi were caught off guard and didn't react in time, allowing Seimei to close in within 30 meters.
By the time they tried to respond, he was already 20 meters away.
This distance was more than enough for Seimei to launch a large-scale attack.
Without hesitation, he quickly formed hand seals and, after taking a deep breath, unleashed a powerful Wind Release jutsu—**Great Breakthrough**!
In an instant, a fierce gale erupted from his mouth, resembling a natural disaster, blowing straight toward the Mist shinobi.
Caught off guard, they had no time to defend and were forced to endure the attack.
But there was no way they could withstand a Wind Release jutsu that Seimei had poured so much chakra into.
Just like before, they were blown off balance, unable to fight back.
Not only them, but even the Konoha shinobi entangled with them were sent flying.
Taking advantage of the moment, Seimei flapped his wings and descended, reaching out to grab Ao.
However, the nagging sense of unease had kept Ao alert to Seimei's movements. His jonin-level strength allowed him to narrowly evade the attack.
Missing his target, Seimei felt a slight disappointment.
Still, he quickly adjusted his mindset. Capturing Ao alive had always been the ideal scenario, not something guaranteed.
It wasn't surprising that he failed this time.
Luckily, he had a backup plan.
With that thought, Seimei retracted his chakra wings, dispelling his **Wind Release: Wings of Wind**, and drew the long blade from his waist, attacking once again.
Seeing Seimei rushing at him, Ao wasted no time, immediately raising his kunai to prepare for battle.
*Clang, clang, clang!*
The sharp sound of metal clashing filled the air, as frequent as raindrops hitting the ground.
In an instant, the battle between the two intensified.
Seimei activated his **Three-Tomoe Sharingan**, fully analyzing and predicting Ao's movements, launching continuous attacks.
Meanwhile, Ao, disregarding the chakra expenditure, kept his **Byakugan** fully active, using its insight to monitor Seimei's chakra flow, predicting his next moves.
For the time being, he managed to hold off Seimei's relentless assault.
The fight between the two was so fierce that nearby lower and mid-level shinobi, both from Mist and Konoha, didn't dare to interfere.
Several jonin on both sides tried to intervene to help their respective leaders, but each time they were blocked by enemy jonin.
This left Seimei and Ao locked in one-on-one combat.
Which was exactly what Seimei wanted.
Using his peripheral vision, Seimei observed the surrounding shinobi and subtly maneuvered Ao toward the edge of the battlefield.
For Seimei, who held the upper hand, this wasn't difficult.
Whether Ao realized it or not, the two inevitably moved toward the battlefield's outskirts.
Along the way, a few Mist chunin foolishly tried to rescue Ao, but Seimei swiftly dealt with them.
Finally, after several minutes, Seimei and Ao reached the battlefield's edge.
By this time, Ao had sensed that something was off but didn't pay it much mind. After all, his Byakugan had already scanned the area, confirming there were no hidden traps.
Based on Seimei's combat performance thus far, Ao felt that while he was at a disadvantage, he could at least stall for time, even if it drained his chakra.
Without Seimei as a threat, Ao was confident his subordinates could secure victory.
Then, they could come to his aid, allowing him to escape danger.
In his mind, the plan was flawless.
That is, as long as he could hold off Seimei.
Suddenly, a strong sense of danger flooded Ao's mind.
His heart raced, and without thinking, he focused all his attention on Seimei.
But instead of an expected attack, all he saw in Seimei's eyes was something strange.
They looked like a black sun, reflected in crimson pupils.
Just looking at them filled him with fear.
**(End of Chapter)**