Half a minute earlier, a seven-man team of Iwa ninja were swiftly moving through the forest. Abruptly, Han, their leader, halted, prompting the others to stop as well.
"What's wrong, Han?" one of them inquired.
Han raised a hand for silence, closed his eyes, and focused on the chakra within him. Seconds later, a wisp of crimson chakra emerged, its ominous aura causing the others to step back. The four special Jonin even prepared to use sealing techniques designed to counter the Five-Tails.
However, the crimson chakra vanished as quickly as it appeared. Han reopened his eyes, discreetly glancing at the four who were about to perform hand seals, and said, "Someone was spying on me, angering the one within me."
Ignoring his teammates' reactions, Han activated his Boil Release, raising his chakra to its boiling point. Using the steam to propel his armor, he rapidly moved towards where Seimei was. He had sensed the source of the spying gaze through the Five-Tails' chakra and was now charging towards it.
The other six ninja exchanged glances before following Han. Their mission was not only to assist Han and prevent Seimei and the others from escaping but also to keep a close watch on Han himself. Although Han's condition was stable and he bore no ill will towards the village, he was still a jinchuriki and could not be left unsupervised.
Moments later, Seimei observed the approaching figure enveloped in steam and thought, "So this is Boil Release. Truly formidable!"
He assessed his and Hyuga Hayato's speed and their distance from Han, concluding that they couldn't reach their main force before being caught. There was no point in mindlessly running. He wanted to test Han's strength.
"His speed is too great. I'll stay and delay him. You go back and report this," Seimei told Hyuga Hayato.
Hyuga hesitated but was cut off by Seimei, "Go, don't waste time."
Seeing Seimei's resolve and glancing at the approaching Han, Hyuga reluctantly agreed, "Alright, don't fight him head-on. There are six others behind him. I'll bring reinforcements quickly."
With that, he used the Body Flicker Technique to distance himself.
Seimei cracked his neck and said, "Let me see the power of the Five-Tails jinchuriki!"
He began forming hand seals, his Sharingan spinning rapidly, seemingly preparing to cast a genjutsu.
Han, now less than thirty meters away, lowered his hat to obscure his vision upon seeing this.
Seimei smirked, abandoning the hand seals. He swiftly threw six kunai at Han in two groups.
The first three kunai reached Han before he could react. Unfazed, he raised his right arm to block them. The kunai were deflected with a metallic clang, leaving sparks on his armor.
Seimei's eyes narrowed slightly. He hadn't expected the armor to be so tough.
'It seems simple kunai attacks won't work... Good thing I was prepared!'
Three nearly invisible wires appeared in his hands. He channeled chakra through them, controlling the second group of kunai.
Han was puzzled as the kunai flew past him. But his expression changed in the next moment.
The three kunai crossed behind him, then crossed again, and finally tightened, trapping him. He wasn't worried about the wires harming his armor, but Seimei was already forming hand seals for a jutsu.
Without hesitation, Han activated Boil Release, releasing a surge of chakra. The steam expanded his armor, creating gaps between it and the wires. He then stopped the chakra flow, causing the armor to shrink back.
Seizing the opportunity, Han used the Substitution Jutsu, replacing himself with a rock and escaping the wire trap.
Just as he escaped, Seimei unleashed his jutsu: Fire Style - Dragon Fire Technique!
Three fire streams raced along the wires, engulfing Han.
However, Seimei stopped the jutsu almost immediately.
A whooshing sound came from the side, followed by a sharp gust of wind. A large, red figure charged towards Seimei with terrifying force.
If the attack landed, Seimei could be killed.
But was that possible?
Seimei had locked onto Han's movements the moment he used the Substitution Jutsu. He wouldn't be caught off guard.
He swiftly jumped back, leaving only an afterimage for Han to crash into.
As Han passed by, Seimei drew his short sword. His Sharingan spun, targeting a gap in the armor. He thrust the sword.
If it hit, Han would be severely injured, if not killed.
Sensing the danger, Han instinctively used Boil Release, ejecting a large amount of chakra from his armor's gaps.
Hissing steam rushed towards Seimei's face.
Seimei's face paled. He couldn't withstand it. He quickly retracted his sword and jumped back.
Even so, he was still partially hit by the high-temperature steam, causing blisters to form on his face and arms.
Feeling the burning sensation, Seimei frowned. Han was more difficult than he anticipated.
(End of Chapter)