Chapter 92: Exchange

"Seimei, is something the matter?" Seeing Seimei walking straight towards him, seemingly having something to say, Uchiha Shisui immediately stood up and asked. "Yes." Seimei nodded, pointing not far away, "Over there." Seeing Seimei's behavior, Uchiha Shisui knew that the matter he wanted to discuss must not be simple; otherwise, he wouldn't have avoided the others. After thinking for a moment, he didn't refuse and followed Seimei. The others, seeing this, didn't pry too much. After all, everyone had their secrets. Moreover, both of them were from the Uchiha clan. Perhaps they wanted to discuss something related to the Sharingan. Prying rashly might lead to trouble. However, they still kept a bit of attention on them. Stopping beside a large tree, Seimei turned to Uchiha Shisui and asked seriously, "Did you encounter any unusual situations during the battle earlier?" "Unusual situations?" Uchiha Shisui's heart skipped a beat, but he still pretended to be puzzled and asked, "What kind of unusual situations?" Seimei noticed the momentary unnaturalness in his expression and immediately understood that the other party must have also been attacked by Root ninjas. However, although he sensed the abnormality, without knowing the underlying reason, he chose to conceal it for the time being. It made sense. Since Danzo had made a move on him, there was no reason to let Uchiha Shisui, an Uchiha with even greater potential, go. Unfortunately, the other party not only underestimated his strength but also underestimated Uchiha Shisui's combat power. Shaking his head inwardly, Seimei gathered his thoughts and, without beating around the bush, asked directly, "Did someone also attack you?" "Also?" Uchiha Shisui noticed Seimei's wording and, after thinking for a moment, asked, "Were you attacked too?" This statement basically confirmed Seimei's previous guess. Understanding this, Seimei didn't waste any words and quickly recounted his previous encounter, including the incredibly strange Blood Demon's Barrier. After finishing, he looked at Uchiha Shisui and asked again, "What about you?" Uchiha Shisui hesitated slightly before saying, "The Blood Demon's Barrier... I didn't encounter that, but two people did attack me. Just like your situation, they were also fearless of death." "Is that so..." Seimei pondered for a moment and then continued to ask, "Anything else? Any other peculiarities? Like their aura or something." Hearing Seimei mention the word "aura," Uchiha Shisui finally became certain that Seimei had also been attacked. The reason was simple: those people's aura was too unique, and Seimei's ability to ask about it meant he had also noticed this. At the same time, it indirectly proved that the enemies they faced were likely the same group. Various thoughts flashed through his mind, and Uchiha Shisui replied seriously, "Indeed, their aura was very peculiar. It always gave me a lifeless feeling." "As expected, it was them." Seimei pretended that his guess had been confirmed and murmured, prompting Uchiha Shisui to ask further. As expected, hearing his words, Uchiha Shisui hurriedly asked, "What do you mean by 'as expected, it was them'? Seimei, do you know the identities of those people?" Hearing his question, Seimei feigned hesitation. After a moment of silence, he said, "If I'm not mistaken, those people should be Root ninjas." "Root?" Uchiha Shisui seemed to be hearing this name for the first time and asked with a puzzled expression, "What's that?" "The training division of the Konoha Anbu." Seimei replied. "What?" Hearing this answer, Uchiha Shisui's voice rose a few decibels in surprise, immediately attracting the attention of the few people in the distance. Uchiha Shisui suppressed his inner shock and waved at them, signaling that everything was fine. After they looked away, he asked in disbelief, "Why would Anbu ninjas attack us? Was it the Third Hokage's order?" "Perhaps..." Although Seimei knew this was absolutely Danzo's order, it didn't stop him from subtly undermining Hiruzen Sarutobi's image. Although Hiruzen considered himself righteous, if not for his indulgence, Danzo wouldn't have been able to commit so many evil deeds. Therefore, in Seimei's view, Danzo's blame should at least be shared equally with Hiruzen. And there was also himself... Seimei thought of Naruto Uzumaki's future experiences and the forced suicide of Hyuga Hizashi from the Hyuga clan and couldn't help but shake his head. No matter what, he couldn't let Uchiha Shisui completely side with them. Hence, his ambiguous words. Of course, Seimei didn't forget to expose Danzo. He said, "The direct leader of Root is Shimura Danzo. The order might have been issued by him, bypassing the Hokage." "Shimura Danzo?" Uchiha Shisui, hearing this unfamiliar name, directly asked, "Who is that?" "A high-ranking elder of the village, a classmate of the Third Hokage." Seimei replied. Upon hearing this, Uchiha Shisui fell silent. After a while, he asked again, "Then why did they attack us?" "Hehe~" Seimei chuckled softly in response, not saying anything, but just pointed to his own eyes. "Sharingan?" Seeing Seimei's gesture, Uchiha Shisui murmured. Seeing him lost in thought, Seimei decided not to continue the conversation further. Finally, in a cautionary tone, he said, "In any case, be careful in the future. There are quite a few people eyeing these eyes." With that, he walked towards the group of Konoha ninjas not far away. "Wait..." At this moment, Uchiha Shisui suddenly called out to him and asked seriously, "How do you know all this?" Seimei just smiled and didn't answer his question. Honestly, Seimei didn't know how to answer either. In that case, it was better to let the other party imagine. As long as he investigated in this direction, he would eventually discover that what he said was true. At that time, how he himself knew wouldn't matter anymore. That's right, Seimei didn't expect Uchiha Shisui to immediately believe his words. The reason he told him all this was just to plant a seed of distrust in his heart. This way, in the future, whether he was dealing with the village's higher-ups or encountering Danzo, he would be more cautious. If, even then, Danzo managed to take his Sharingan, then he could only say it was his own fault. However, Seimei estimated that Danzo wouldn't live to see that day. Based on what he did today, he wouldn't give him that opportunity. Seimei was always clear about gratitude and grudges. Since the other party chose to attack him, they shouldn't blame him for being impolite. Thinking this in his heart, Seimei returned to the group. After about another hour, with no one else arriving, Tanigawa Maki announced the mission's end and then led everyone to catch up with the main force. With this, the interception battle officially concluded. On Konoha's side, they had dispatched one Jonin, two Tokubetsu Jonin, and eight Chunin, a total of eleven people. In the end, six survived, with one Tokubetsu Jonin and four Chunin killed in action, a casualty rate of 45%, nearly half. Fortunately, Seimei once again survived. (End of Chapter)