Two hours later.
Mid-afternoon.
After retrieving his shadow clones for the third time and assimilating their training experiences and memories, Seimei finally paused his training.
He opened his eyes and brought up the proficiency panel.
After three hours of training, both his "Four Symbols Seal" and "Self-Curse Binding Seal" had reached the entry-level proficiency of LV1.
Additionally, the S-rank forbidden technique—"Flying Thunder God Technique"—had been successfully imprinted onto the panel after repeated attempts.
Through this period of practice, he had also determined the chakra requirements for mastering these three skills.
Among them, "Self-Curse Binding Seal" consumed the least chakra, requiring only 100 chakra points to gain a single proficiency point.
The "Four Symbols Seal" came next, demanding approximately 120 chakra points for a single proficiency point.
The most chakra-intensive was undoubtedly the "Flying Thunder God Technique."
Even at the minimum requirement for gaining proficiency, it still consumed a staggering 150 chakra points to earn one point.
Moreover, because of its low level and the fact that he hadn't fully mastered it, practicing this technique took a considerable amount of time.
This limitation meant he couldn't train it too many times in one day.
Where was the time spent?
Just sensing spatial coordinates was one thing, but even the step of imprinting the chakra marker took him quite a while.
What Minato Namikaze and Tobirama Senju could accomplish effortlessly required meticulous effort on his part; otherwise, he risked failure.
In other words, he was currently incapable of using this technique in combat.
To reach that point, Seimei estimated he would need to grind its proficiency to at least LV7.
Even then, it wouldn't be suitable for intense battles.
To achieve the same level of fluid usage as Minato Namikaze or Tobirama Senju, he'd need to push the technique's proficiency to LV8 or LV9—near perfection.
Undoubtedly, this was a distant goal. For now, Seimei didn't need to dwell on it—unless he could capture a tailed beast in a short time.
That would be the only way to significantly accelerate the process.
However, while capturing a tailed beast was already on his agenda, stealing a village's "nuclear weapon"—even from a small village—was no easy task.
Shaking his head silently, Seimei pushed these thoughts aside and began contemplating how to allocate the surplus chakra gained from his recent "Constitution" attribute enhancement.
His gaze swept across the three skills, and it was clear that the "Four Symbols Seal," which was particularly effective against tailed beasts, was the most critical.
Thus, he decided to allocate the majority of his chakra to it, dedicating half of the newly acquired chakra—80,000 points—to its training.
With this allocation, he would be able to gain 660 proficiency points daily, allowing him to reach LV7 in about a month.
At that point, even if the skill wasn't fully mastered, it would still be usable.
As for the remaining chakra, he planned to split it into two parts—one large and one small.
He allocated 36,000 points to practicing the "Self-Curse Binding Seal" and 50,000 points to the "Flying Thunder God Technique."
With this setup, the "Self-Curse Binding Seal" would gain 360 proficiency points daily, while the "Flying Thunder God Technique" would earn 330 points.
At this rate, both skills would reach LV6 in about a month.
While they might still lack significant combat utility by then, they could at least be used in emergencies.
Why one month?
The reason was simple: Seimei's initial plan to capture a tailed beast was set to take place in a month.
By then, his Sharingan's evolution progress would have crossed the 40,000/50,000 mark, unlocking the fourth stage of "Susano'o."
At the fourth stage, "Susano'o" would gain a lower body and further increase in size, making it capable of going head-to-head with a tailed beast.
This would undoubtedly add a crucial bargaining chip to his plan.
At that time, he could proceed with his mission.
Of course, if possible, he would prefer not to reveal this trump card, but it was always good to be prepared, wasn't it?
Furthermore, he needed the month to investigate the details surrounding the Seven-Tails.
With this in mind, Seimei formed a hand seal and once again performed the "Multi-Shadow Clone Technique."
This time, however, he summoned an additional shadow clone compared to before.
Looking at the twelve shadow clones in front of him, Seimei skillfully assigned training tasks to eleven of them before dismissing them.
As for the remaining clone, Seimei said directly, "The investigation is up to you."
Indeed, he had decided on the spot to assign a clone specifically to handle the investigation.
As for personally conducting the investigation?
Not only did he lack the time due to his training, but even if he had time, he wouldn't go himself.
Sure, the turmoil in the village had more or less settled, but that was only on the surface.
Seimei had not forgotten that, over the past few days, someone had been watching him whenever he entered or left the village.
It was clear that someone was unhappy about him remaining at large, so they were keeping an eye on him in secret.
Seimei wasn't sure whether they had already approached this island or not, but he wasn't going to take any risks that would give them evidence against him.
As long as they had no evidence, they couldn't do anything to him.
Therefore, under no circumstances would Seimei personally go out to investigate.
Even when using a shadow clone, Seimei intended for it to act discreetly.
Ahead, after hearing his orders, the shadow clone didn't waste words. It nodded briefly, then activated "Wind Release: Wings of Wind" and "Chakra Cloak," soaring into the sky and leaving the area.
Watching the clone's retreating figure, Seimei shook his head and stopped overthinking. Closing his eyes, he returned to his meditation and training.
...
Time passed quickly, and evening arrived.
After completing the final round of practice with the "Multiple Shadow Clone Technique" and dispelling it, Seimei glanced toward the horizon.
The shadow clone he had sent out still hadn't returned, not even leaving him a message.
The only way Seimei could confirm it was still alive was through the memory-feedback effect that occurred when a shadow clone was destroyed. Since no memories had returned, the clone was clearly still active.
Beyond that, he knew nothing.
However, Seimei wasn't particularly anxious. Investigations like this couldn't be rushed; patience was key.
With this thought, Seimei stopped worrying about the clone.
After packing up his things, he made a quick hand sign and activated "Wind Release: Wings of Wind" and "Chakra Cloak," soaring into the sky and heading toward Konoha Village.
About half an hour later, he arrived back in the village.
As expected, he once again felt the probing gaze on him.
Seimei didn't go out of his way to show disdain or provoke the observers. First, it was pointless, and second, he didn't have the time for such theatrics.
Walking quickly to the village's busiest street, Seimei randomly chose a restaurant to fill his stomach before returning to his residence.
Afterward, he resumed his training to wrap up the day's work.
Finally, it was time to rest and recharge for the next day's training.
Seimei's life was both monotonous and fulfilling.