"So that's how it is."
With a thoughtful hum, Seimei instructed Yukikaze to stop directly converting Ice Release chakra. Instead, he had Yukikaze form a ball of Water Release chakra in one palm and Ice Release chakra in the other.
Then, he asked Yukikaze to combine the two, fusing them into Ice Release.
However, Yukikaze, who had previously been able to produce Ice Release, failed this time.
This caught Yukikaze off guard.
He was well aware that his Ice Release kekkei genkai wasn't like the Kaguya clan's Shikotsumyaku, the Uchiha clan's Sharingan, or the Hyuga clan's Byakugan, which required specific bloodlines to awaken. His Ice Release could be awakened by fusing Wind Release and Water Release.
But now, he couldn't do it.
This left him a bit stunned.
Seimei, however, wasn't surprised.
The reason was simple. The night before last, when Yukikaze was unconscious, Seimei had used the "Mind Reading Technique" to access his memories. He learned that Yukikaze was a genius who had awakened his Ice Release kekkei genkai at a young age, all on his own.
This meant Yukikaze had never gone through the process of fusing Wind and Water Release.
As a result, he had a blind spot in his thinking.
For him, fusing Wind and Water Release to create Ice Release was far less intuitive than directly channeling chakra through his bloodline instincts to produce it.
It was like someone used to lighting a fire with a lighter—while they might know about rubbing sticks together to make a fire, they wouldn't necessarily be able to do it.
What Seimei needed now was exactly that "rubbing sticks" process.
Luckily, for someone already skilled at using a lighter, learning to rub sticks wasn't too hard.
And so, under Seimei's guidance, Yukikaze tried a few times and quickly got the hang of it.
Seimei estimated that within a day or two, Yukikaze would master this step and be able to produce Ice Release chakra the old-fashioned way.
Compared to the nearly three months it took Seimei to develop his Lava Release kekkei genkai, Yukikaze's progress was leagues faster.
But Seimei wasn't jealous.
Yukikaze was reaping the benefits of his bloodline awakening, working backward from the result to the cause, which made the process much smoother. Ordinary people couldn't replicate that.
What Seimei needed was to closely observe and feel Yukikaze's process of redeveloping Ice Release, so he could find his own path.
Everything else was just minor details!
Time ticked by, second by second.
About an hour later, Seimei called a halt to the visibly tired Yukikaze. "Alright, take a fifteen-minute break. Here, have some soldier pills to restore your energy."
As he spoke, he tossed a few soldier pills to Yukikaze to keep him from collapsing.
Then, he turned and left the area.
Watching Seimei's retreating figure, Yukikaze popped the soldier pills into his mouth, chewed a few times, and swallowed, quietly recovering his strength.
Meanwhile, once out of Yukikaze's sight, Seimei dispelled his Shadow Clone Technique.
Poof!
With a puff of chakra smoke, his clone dissolved into a burst of chakra, carrying the memories of the past hour and returning to his main body through an unseen connection.
---
Land of Fire, Southern Seas
On that island…
Seimei, who was in the middle of using the "Mind Reflection Technique" to stimulate his Sharingan's evolution, suddenly paused.
A new set of memories appeared in his mind.
With a quick scan, he knew exactly whose they were.
He immediately began reviewing them carefully.
At first, nothing stood out.
But moments later, his eyes snapped open, brimming with excitement.
Thanks to his shadow clone's memories, Seimei had made a judgment: with Yukikaze as a reference, he could develop Ice Release at least a month faster than expected.
This was a massive improvement.
No wonder he was thrilled!
"Looks like capturing Yukikaze was the right move!"
With that thought, Seimei stood up and glanced at the shadow clones training across the island, particularly those scratching their heads while trying to develop Ice Release.
Seeing their frustrated expressions, Seimei shook his head and, with a thought, dispelled the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
Poof! Poof! Poof!
With bursts of chakra smoke, all 150 shadow clones vanished.
At the same time, a flood of memories poured into Seimei's mind.
He quickly processed them, absorbing all the training experience he needed.
Then, he immediately performed the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique again, summoning 151 shadow clones.
Of them, 150 were split into two groups as before—one practicing the "Spiritualization Technique" and the other developing Ice Release kekkei genkai.
The Spiritualization Technique group continued their steady progress, building proficiency as usual.
But the Ice Release group was different.
Right from the start, Seimei could feel the difference.
If his shadow clones had been like headless flies buzzing around aimlessly before, now they had a clear target.
This made their training far more efficient, and the entire process felt much smoother.
It wasn't an instant success, but they were definitely on the right track.
Pulling back his thoughts, Seimei turned to the final shadow clone and said, "Alright, things are good here. Go."
"Got it."
The clone nodded without hesitation, locked onto the distant island in the ocean, and activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
That's right—Seimei was using the Flying Thunder God Technique to shuttle his shadow clones between this island and the one where Yukikaze was.
Sure, it "wasted" a bit of chakra, but it was manageable.
After all, he couldn't bring Yukikaze here, so this was the best way to save time.
Truth be told, it wasn't much of a waste. Seimei had already planned to siphon chakra from Yukikaze to offset his own losses.
As a jonin—and one with an awakened kekkei genkai—Yukikaze had plenty of chakra, easily surpassing one koku's worth. His chakra recovery rate was impressive, too.
Seimei figured that with enough soldier pills, Yukikaze could demonstrate his Ice Release fusion techniques and still have 20,000 to 30,000 points of chakra left each day.
That chakra was Seimei's target.
It might not fully cover the cost of using the Flying Thunder God Technique, but it would help.
Focusing his thoughts, Seimei stopped daydreaming and sat back down on the stone platform, resuming the Mind Reflection Technique to push his Sharingan's evolution.
Every hour, the shadow clone on the distant island would dispel itself, sending its experiences and insights from Yukikaze back to Seimei's main body.
Seimei would then combine those insights with the past hour's training from his other shadow clones, using them as a new starting point for the next round of practice.
Step by step, Seimei grew more confident in how to fuse Wind and Water Release to create Ice Release.
And just like that, his training was back on the right track.
(End of Chapter)