As evening fell, time slipped by quietly.
At the heart of the island, atop a massive stone platform, Seimei paused his use of the Mind Reflection Technique. With a single thought, he dispelled the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. In an instant, every shadow clone, both on and off the island, vanished without a trace.
A flood of memories and information poured into Seimei's mind. His expression remained steady as he closed his eyes, carefully sifting through the influx, absorbing and processing the cultivation experiences they contained.
Time ticked by, second by second.
About fifteen minutes later, Seimei opened his eyes again. A flicker of disappointment crossed his face. Despite preparing himself mentally, after several rounds of training, he still had no clue how to fuse Wind Release and Water Release to achieve Ice Release. The frustration was hard to shake.
"As expected, I need a reference," he muttered.
Seimei's thoughts drifted to the report from his shadow clone stationed in the Hidden Mist Village. If he left now, he could likely capture a ninja from the Yuki Clan, who had awakened the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, by tonight. But after some consideration, with tomorrow set aside for rest, he decided against immediate action.
Packing up his gear, Seimei stood, activated Wind Release: Wings of Wind and cloaked himself in a Chakra Mantle. He took to the skies, heading toward the Hidden Leaf Village.
Half an hour later, just outside the village, Seimei landed in a wooded area. Releasing the All-Encompassing Seal at his brow, he activated his Byakugan to ensure no one was nearby. Then, he swiftly moved toward a spot not far from the village's perimeter wall.
Using the Heaven's Command ability, he slipped past the Leaf's sensory barrier and patrol routes with ease, entering the village undetected. From there, he made his way home.
Seeing the shadow clone waiting for him, Seimei didn't waste words. He dispelled the Shadow Clone Technique instantly. A torrent of memories flooded his mind, which he quickly reviewed.
From the clone's memories, he confirmed that nothing noteworthy had happened in the Hidden Leaf over the past two weeks.
"Phew," Seimei exhaled, finally relaxing.
After shedding his gear, he took a quick shower, changed into casual clothes, and headed straight for the "Food Street." Satisfying his hunger and washing away his distaste for soldier pills was a ritual he followed every time he returned to the village.
At the Food Street, the rich aromas overwhelmed him. Unable to resist, Seimei dove into a feast, eating heartily for two hours straight. By the time he was done, his stomach was full, and the sky had grown dark.
Back home, Seimei didn't rest. He went straight to his training room and began his final task of the day—nurturing his Byakugan. Unlike usual, he spent three and a half hours on it, pushing his eyes to their current limit before stopping.
Opening his status panel, Seimei checked the progress on his Byakugan—it had gained 18 evolution points. That was six more than usual. It wasn't a huge jump, but if he kept up this intensive nurturing during every rest period, the small gains would add up over time.
"Not bad," he murmured.
Yawning, he covered his mouth, left the training room, washed up briefly, and headed to bed. Soon, soft snoring filled the room.
The night passed quietly.
---
The next day, like most times he returned to the village, Seimei spent his time wandering, relaxing, or indulging in more food to satisfy his cravings. It was a carefree, leisurely day.
But such moments were always fleeting, especially with a plan in mind. Instead of waiting until the next morning to leave, Seimei set out from the Hidden Leaf that very night.
His reason was simple: he needed to head to the Hidden Mist Village to capture a Yuki Clan ninja who had awakened their Kekkei Genkai, as part of his preparations for developing Ice Release.
Outside the Hidden Leaf, Seimei gazed into the deep night. Forming hand signs, he activated Wind Release: Wings of Wind and the Chakra Mantle. With a flash of cyan light, he soared into the sky, heading toward the Land of Water.
Since he didn't use Earth Release: Ultra-Lightweight Rock Technique to lighten his weight, and the Hidden Leaf was quite far from the Land of Water, the journey took over an hour. Finally, he arrived just outside the Hidden Mist Village.
Using his Byakugan to scout the terrain ahead, Seimei prepared to use Heaven's Command to slip into the village. But something made him pause. Hiding in a nearby forest, he formed hand signs and activated the Mind Connection Technique.
His 26-point mental attribute gave him formidable mental strength, allowing him to easily link with the shadow clone stationed in the Hidden Mist. They began to exchange information.
After the conversation, Seimei couldn't help but feel his caution had paid off. According to the clone, the Yuki Clan ninja he'd targeted had taken a mission and left the village just yesterday. If he'd rushed in, it would've been a wasted trip.
Of course, he could target another Yuki Clan ninja, but that would introduce too many variables. Seimei preferred to keep things clean and stick to his plan—capturing the specific ninja he'd chosen.
Learning the target's whereabouts from his clone, Seimei cut off the Mind Connection Technique and immediately set off for the new location.
How did the shadow clone know the ninja's movements? Simple—his network of spies. Over time, Seimei had built a large, well-distributed group of informants in the Hidden Mist, spread across various departments. Tracking a somewhat notable ninja's movements was child's play with their combined efforts.
In truth, the shadow clone hadn't even needed to work hard. Using the Heart-Sealing Soul Contract: Instant Teleportation Mark, it had subtly influenced a Hidden Mist ANBU ninja to monitor the target's movements, effortlessly uncovering their destination. ANBU privileges made it that easy.
Refocusing, Seimei cleared his mind. He mentally reviewed the map of the Land of Water and flew toward the target's location, following the intelligence.
Why not use the Flying Thunder God Technique? While Seimei had left several Flying Thunder God markers across the Land of Water from past visits, they were sparse compared to the country's vast size. Unfortunately, there wasn't a marker near the target's current location.
So, flying it was.
But it didn't matter much. With his current speed, as long as the target hadn't left their mission site, he wouldn't miss them. Even if he did, he could always return to the Hidden Mist, sneak in, and take them down.
Seimei wasn't in a rush.
(End of Chapter)