"What is that?"
Flying Fish Town.
Inside the sealed barrier.
Ao watched as Seimei flew away, his eyes flickering.
Just moments ago, using the x-ray vision of the Byakugan, he suddenly saw an unusual energy on Seimei's body.
Although it was concealed by the "Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu," he could confirm that it was definitely not something the Sharingan should possess.
"Ao, this wasn't your fault."
Beside him, Mei Terumi noticed Ao staring intently in the direction Seimei had left, his expression serious and silent, so she spoke to comfort him.
Clearly, she misunderstood, thinking Ao was unwilling to let Seimei leave unharmed, and thus offered words of consolation.
It made sense; Ao was in charge of this mission, and since the target escaped, he naturally had to bear the primary responsibility.
Unfortunately, she didn't know what Ao had seen, otherwise, she wouldn't have thought this way.
As for Ao, he wasn't ready to reveal what he saw just yet.
After all, just words alone wouldn't be enough.
He planned to investigate further after returning and figure out what exactly was going on with Seimei before saying anything.
However, what Ao didn't know was that this would be his last chance to expose Seimei's awakening of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
...
On the other side.
While flying, Seimei recalled the night's events and his responses.
No need to mention the ambush. Kirigakure had carefully set up this trap, so it was normal for him to get caught off guard.
As for his response...
Despite the interference of the "Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu," Seimei guessed that Ao might have noticed something.
The chakra dispersed in the mist might affect the senses of ordinary ninjas, but it couldn't completely block the Byakugan's vision.
Judging from how Ao could accurately state his location at the end, he was likely using the Byakugan the whole time.
In that case, Seimei's use of the Mangekyō Sharingan should have been noticed as well. The chakra flow of the Mangekyō is distinctly different from that of a regular Sharingan.
"Byakugan, huh."
Seimei muttered to himself, thinking back to a few days ago when he was on a mission to scout Kirigakure's reinforcements.
At that time, his shadow clone had considered acquiring a Byakugan to make up for the Sharingan's shortcomings in long-distance reconnaissance.
Coincidentally, the target was Ao.
"Maybe it's time to make some plans," Seimei thought as he unknowingly arrived at the place where his shadow clones were training.
In the past few hours, he had already been here several times, and the reset time hadn't arrived yet, so he didn't disturb the clones' training.
He found a random spot to sit down and glanced at the wound on his shoulder.
Along the way, he had already removed the shuriken.
Now, the wound had disappeared entirely.
It's worth noting that during this time, he hadn't used any healing jutsu, only gathered a bit of chakra around the wound.
Yet, in just about ten minutes, his wound had fully healed.
It was obvious: after this transformation and raising his "physique" attribute to 19 points, his body's healing ability had significantly improved.
"Not bad!"
Seimei nodded in satisfaction.
Then, without further delay, he quickly formed hand seals and performed a medical ninjutsu—**Mystical Palm Technique**.
A dense surge of Yang Release chakra appeared, reinforcing his body under his control.
Once, twice, three times...
After about fifteen repetitions, Seimei felt his chakra was nearly depleted and stopped using the technique.
However, it was now the perfect time to practice the **Shadow Clone Technique**.
Frequent use of the Shadow Clone Technique consumes a significant amount of chakra.
To maximize his chakra efficiency and make the best use of the 15,000 points of chakra he had, he needed to practice when his chakra reserves were low.
After using up chakra during the Mystical Palm Technique, combat, and flying, his chakra was now in that ideal state.
"It's time to practice!"
With that thought, Seimei raised his hands, formed the "Ram" sign, and performed the **Shadow Clone Technique**!
*Poof*
With a burst of chakra smoke, a shadow clone appeared in the field.
Seimei and the clone stood still for a moment, sensing their chakra, then dispelled the technique and immediately cast it again.
After repeating this about twenty times, he finally stopped practicing.
He opened his skill panel and saw that the proficiency for the Shadow Clone Technique had increased by twenty points.
Without expression, Seimei closed the panel, checked the time, and confirmed that an hour had passed. He then dispelled the other ten shadow clones that had been training nearby.
In an instant, the chakra containing their training experiences and memories surged back into him.
Seimei closed his eyes to carefully absorb it.
After about ten minutes, he had successfully transformed those experiences and memories into corresponding skill proficiencies.
Without hesitation, he used the Shadow Clone Technique again, creating ten clones.
These clones inherited his current state, their understanding of the relevant skills reaching their peak.
Now, with further training, it was like climbing even higher from this solid foundation.
This is what Seimei referred to as the "reset state."
He waved his hand, sending the ten clones back to training.
As for himself, he used **Mental Image Technique**, beginning to guide the evolution of his Sharingan.
Half an hour passed quickly, and Seimei's chakra reserves were running low again, so he resumed training the Shadow Clone Technique.
After completing the practice, another hour had passed, and he absorbed the experiences and memories from the shadow clones once more.
Thus, another hour went by, marking the completion of another cycle of relentless training.
Undeniably, this routine was tedious.
However, Seimei relished it.
Watching the skill proficiencies on his panel rise continuously, he felt his efforts were paying off.
So, he trained with even more enthusiasm.
...
Time passed, second by second.
Before long, over two hours had passed.
The moon had dimmed, and dawn was approaching.
After absorbing the latest experiences and memories from the shadow clones, Seimei performed the Shadow Clone Technique one last time.
Then, he stood up, used **Wind Style: Wind Wings**, and flew towards the Blackstone Stronghold.
Now, it was time to submit his mission report—there was no room for delay.
As for the ten shadow clones he left behind…
Once they finished an hour of training, they would naturally dispel.
At that point, Seimei, even within the stronghold, would receive the related experiences and memories.
Afterward, his focus would shift entirely to mastering the **Mystical Palm Technique** and the **Mental Image Technique**.
(End Chapter)