The next day.
Early morning.
Deep in the ocean.
On the isolated island where Seimei once extracted chakra from Danzō, Yukikaze slowly stirred from unconsciousness.
"Where am I?"
A murmur escaped his lips.
Propping himself up with one hand, he sat up from the slightly damp ground, his gaze sweeping the surroundings. At first, he was disoriented, but as memories of last night flooded back, he instantly became alert.
With a quick kip-up, he sprang to his feet.
He reached for the kunai in his ninja pouch at his waist, but his hand found nothing.
Looking down, he realized his pouch had been removed at some point.
Sensing his body more closely, his expression darkened.
It wasn't just the pouch—every ninja tool he'd hidden on himself, whether obvious or concealed, was gone.
Yukikaze didn't know who'd done it, but whoever it was, their technique was impeccably thorough, leaving him no openings.
If Seimei knew what Yukikaze was thinking, he'd probably burst out laughing.
Professional technique?
No, it wasn't about technique—it was the Byakugan's near-broken x-ray vision.
No matter where Yukikaze hid his tools, Seimei's glance had seen right through it all.
How could he possibly leave any openings?
Back to Yukikaze. Realizing he'd been thoroughly stripped of his tools, he abandoned the idea of searching for them.
Raising his hand, he prepared to channel his Kekkei Genkai, forming an ice kunai in his palm.
But the moment the thought crossed his mind, an indescribable pain surged through his entire body.
It felt like it was targeting his very soul, so excruciating he wanted to writhe on the ground.
Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead, trailing down his cheeks and falling to the ground.
Yukikaze gritted his teeth, refusing to collapse, silently enduring the agony.
Time ticked by, second by second.
After about five minutes, the pain gradually faded, vanishing completely.
Huff… huff…
Yukikaze panted heavily. Even after the pain subsided, his facial muscles still twitched uncontrollably.
Clearly, this was a lingering effect of the torment.
Taking a deep breath, he pulled himself together, straightened up, and looked toward a spot to his right.
There, a figure stood.
Yukikaze had sensed their presence while enduring the pain, but only now could he focus enough to study them.
The figure didn't seem very old. Though their back was to him, Yukikaze guessed they were no older than fifteen or sixteen.
In truth, Seimei was only fourteen, but his body, tempered through multiple transformations, made him appear more mature than his peers.
That's right—the figure was none other than Seimei.
Or rather, Seimei's shadow clone.
The moment the "Heart-Sealing Soul-Locking Contract Teleportation Seal" on Yukikaze was triggered, Seimei had teleported here. He'd just been observing Yukikaze's reaction.
As for why the seal was triggered?
Simple: Yukikaze, without Seimei's permission, had thought about using Ice Release, violating the conditions Seimei set in the seal last night.
Naturally, he was punished.
The pain Yukikaze had just endured did indeed come from his soul.
In other words, this pain had no upper limit. If Seimei wished, he could make Yukikaze die from the agony alone.
This was the leverage Seimei held to ensure Yukikaze's cooperation in developing Ice Release.
What if Yukikaze refused to comply, even to the death?
Sure, in both his past life and this one, there were people who'd sacrifice everything for their ideals, and ninjas generally had higher endurance than most.
But Seimei was certain Yukikaze wasn't one of them.
He'd already judged as much when reading Yukikaze's memories last night.
So, with just a bit of pressure, it wouldn't take long for Yukikaze to fall in line and assist with his research.
And if, against all odds, Yukikaze proved unyielding to the end? No big deal.
The Yuki clan hadn't been wiped out yet, and there were still a few ninjas who'd awakened Ice Release. Seimei could just capture another one.
He refused to believe every Yuki clan ninja with a Kekkei Genkai had such an iron will.
And even in the worst-case scenario, having read the memories of multiple Yuki clan ninjas, Seimei wouldn't need their cooperation.
With a bit more time, he could master the technique of fusing Water and Wind Release himself, developing Ice Release the same way he'd developed Lava Release.
So, whether Yukikaze cooperated or not wasn't all that critical.
These thoughts raced through Seimei's mind. As he pondered, Yukikaze's voice suddenly broke the silence from behind.
His voice raspy, he asked, "Who are you? Where's the guy from last night? Or… are you him?"
Hearing this, Seimei snapped out of his thoughts and turned to face him.
In doing so, his appearance was revealed to Yukikaze.
And clearly, Yukikaze recognized him.
His pupils shrank as he exclaimed, "You're Uchiha Seimei? Why are you here? Was last night your doing? Why?"
A string of questions poured from Yukikaze's mouth as he stared at Seimei, his brow furrowed with confusion.
But Seimei didn't answer a single one.
He just looked at Yukikaze, stepping forward until he was right in front of him.
Meanwhile, Yukikaze seemed lost in thought, muttering to himself.
"You—"
Seimei paused, about to say something.
But in that moment, Yukikaze's expression turned cold, shedding his dazed demeanor.
He lunged forward, his hand shooting toward Seimei's throat.
Clearly, his earlier confusion had been a ruse.
Well… not entirely.
His initial reaction upon seeing Seimei was genuine.
But as a seasoned jōnin, how could he let something like that throw him off completely?
In an instant, he'd prepared to strike, all his feigned confusion just a ploy to wait for Seimei to get close.
Now that Seimei was near and momentarily distracted, Yukikaze seized the chance to act.
Unfortunately for him, Seimei didn't even flinch at the sudden attack.
For one, this was just a shadow clone—its life or death didn't matter.
For another, Seimei had complete confidence in the "Heart-Sealing Soul-Locking Contract Teleportation Seal."
When he'd adjusted the seal on Yukikaze's soul last night, he didn't just restrict him from using Ice Release without permission. He'd also included rules against sending messages to the outside world, leaving the island, or harming him, among others.
So, Seimei wasn't worried about Yukikaze attacking him.
Just as expected, the moment Yukikaze's hand reached his throat, intricate seal patterns erupted from his body, freezing him in place.
Not only that, an even more intense wave of soul-deep pain surged through him, shattering his will to fight.
Yukikaze's eyes turned bloodshot, his facial muscles twitching uncontrollably. Despite the overwhelming agony, the seal kept him from moving an inch.
Seimei stood inches away, watching Yukikaze suffer the consequences of defying the seal's restrictions.
(End of Chapter)