The next day.
Early morning.
The sky was just starting to brighten.
Seimei sought out Yukikaze.
It was clear Yukikaze hadn't slept well. Dark circles hung heavy under his eyes, and he looked drained, as if he'd taken a major blow.
And, well, he had.
Yesterday, after Seimei explained what Yukikaze needed to do and the rules he had to follow, then pretended to leave, Yukikaze had spent the night testing every possible way to escape the island or send a message.
But every method he tried? Seimei had already accounted for.
Not only did Yukikaze fail to find any loopholes, but his repeated attempts to break the seal's restrictions triggered wave after wave of agonizing punishment.
It had nearly broken him.
Seimei's shadow clone, watching from the shadows as Yukikaze writhed in pain, had actually worried he might give up entirely.
Then start slacking.
Which would slow down Seimei's training progress.
Luckily, as someone who'd awakened a Kekkei Genkai and risen to jōnin, Yukikaze's will was pretty solid. Even without finding a way out, he hadn't completely given up.
That let Seimei breathe a small sigh of relief.
But not giving up didn't mean Yukikaze got any rest.
Last night, he'd tossed and turned, unable to sleep, his mind racing with thoughts of what Seimei would make him do today.
And that led to the "wrecked" look Seimei saw now.
Ignoring Yukikaze's state, Seimei got straight to the point. "You ready? If you are, let's get started."
Yukikaze nodded weakly.
Seeing that, Seimei turned and headed outside.
Oh, by the way—Yukikaze was staying in the same underground chamber Seimei had once used to hold Danzō and Shigesumi. It'd be his resting place for the foreseeable future.
Watching Seimei's back, Yukikaze's "defeated" expression shifted. A sharp glint flickered deep in his eyes.
But it vanished quickly.
He stepped forward, following Seimei out of the underground space.
The two emerged onto the island. A sea breeze swept through, sending a shiver down their spines.
Seimei casually adjusted his clothes, then stopped on a relatively flat patch of ground. He turned to Yukikaze. "Alright, here's good."
Yukikaze stopped silently, standing a couple of meters away.
Seimei nodded, satisfied, then said, "Next, I'm going to lift some of the restrictions on you. You'll follow my orders and use your Ice Release."
At the mention of lifting restrictions, Yukikaze's eyes lit up briefly before he quickly hid it. "Got it," he said.
"Good."
Seimei responded as if he had no defenses up, nodding and forming hand signs to partially release the "Heart-Sealing Soul-Locking Contract Teleportation Seal" on Yukikaze.
Instantly, Yukikaze felt a weight lift from his chest, like a shackle had been removed.
Almost instinctively, he knew he could use Ice Release again.
And even… attack Seimei!
He stole a glance at Seimei, just a few meters away, but held back the urge to strike.
He didn't believe Seimei, who controlled the seal, would overlook something so obvious.
Not yet, Yukikaze thought to himself.
Meanwhile, seeing Yukikaze hesitate, Seimei felt a twinge of disappointment.
He'd half-hoped Yukikaze would try another sneak attack.
It would've given him an excuse to put more pressure on him.
But, sadly, Yukikaze wasn't that impulsive.
Oh well, Seimei thought.
He could've sealed Yukikaze's ability to attack him while allowing Ice Release, but he didn't.
Not because he was looking for a thrill, but because leaving that small window gave Yukikaze a sliver of hope—enough to keep him from giving up entirely.
As for when Yukikaze might try to exploit that opening? That was up to him.
All Seimei needed was his cooperation in developing Ice Release.
With that in mind, Seimei didn't waste any more time. "Alright, first, form a ball of Ice Release chakra for me to see."
Yukikaze didn't object. He raised his right hand, and with a thought, a misty orb of chilling Ice Release chakra formed in his palm.
It radiated a cold so intense it seemed to pierce the soul.
Seimei studied it for a moment, then shook his head. "No good. You're converting the chakra too fast. Slow it down."
"Slow it down…" Yukikaze muttered, pausing to think. He dispersed the chakra in his palm and formed a new orb of icy mist.
Seimei shook his head again. "Still too fast."
Yukikaze didn't show any frustration. He dispersed the chakra and tried again.
"Still too quick," Seimei said.
Yukikaze formed the chakra a fourth time.
"Nope, slower," Seimei insisted.
Yukikaze dispersed it a fifth time, then formed another orb of Ice Release chakra.
Seimei observed for a moment, then shook his head. "Slower!"
Yukikaze prepared himself and tried again, even more deliberately.
This time, it was noticeably slower.
Under Seimei's relentless demands, Yukikaze pushed himself to his limit, forming the Ice Release chakra at the slowest possible speed.
Seimei studied the chakra in Yukikaze's palm, recalling the entire process of converting regular chakra into Ice Release. His expression grew a bit grim.
Why? Because he still hadn't gained much insight.
And judging by Yukikaze's strained effort, slowing the process any further wasn't realistic.
Gotta find another way, Seimei thought.
With that, he spoke up again. "Alright, at that speed, form another ball of Ice Release chakra."
Yukikaze, though puzzled, complied.
But as he began converting the chakra, a powerful sense of being watched washed over him.
In that moment, he felt utterly exposed, as if his entire being had been laid bare.
That feeling…
"It's the Byakugan!" Yukikaze blurted out, instinctively looking at Seimei's eyes.
But he didn't see the telltale white eyes he expected.
Still, he was certain of that familiar sensation.
During the Third Great Ninja War, he'd fought a Hyūga clan jōnin to the death. When that ninja had fully activated their Byakugan, Yukikaze felt this same sense of being completely seen through.
But isn't Seimei from the Uchiha clan? How could he have the Byakugan?
And where are his Byakugan eyes?
A jumble of thoughts flooded Yukikaze's mind, causing him to pause mid-formation of the Ice Release chakra.
Seimei noticed the change and guessed Yukikaze had figured out what he was using.
But so what?
Yukikaze couldn't escape the island, and even if he knew some secrets, he had no way to tell anyone.
So, Seimei calmly said, "Why'd you stop? Keep going."
"Oh…" Yukikaze snapped out of it.
Not daring to ask more, he kept his eyes locked on Seimei's, warily continuing to form the Ice Release chakra at the same slow pace.
This time, with the Byakugan's piercing vision, Seimei finally started to grasp the trick.
(End of Chapter)