In the blink of an eye, two more days had passed.
The events of that night, whether in Konoha or the Mist Village, didn't cause much of a stir.
There was no need to mention the Mist Village; a failed operation didn't need much publicity. As for Konoha, they might have even hoped for more incidents like that to keep the Mist Village's attention occupied.
Unfortunately for them, after that night's lesson, Seimei became much more cautious. Although he had the "Heavenly Imperial" technique to ensure he wouldn't be trapped, charging headfirst when he knew the enemy was targeting him wasn't bravery—it was foolishness.
Thus, even though the commanding jonin at the Black Stone outpost—Sano Nobuhisa—had hinted at him several times, Seimei pretended not to understand.
Sano Nobuhisa couldn't force him into such actions. After all, others didn't know about Seimei's "Heavenly Imperial" and would just see it as sending him to his death. If Sano Nobuhisa really pushed it, others would surely feel uneasy because it would be no different from being sent on a suicide mission.
While they might sacrifice themselves for the village, it wouldn't be for nothing.
Therefore, even as the commander, Sano Nobuhisa couldn't go too far. Not that he could if he wanted to—neither Seimei nor the Uchiha clan would allow it.
After all, Seimei was a talented Uchiha ninja. Forcing him on a death mission would surely damage the Uchiha's pride.
So, after some probing, Sano Nobuhisa gave up on that idea.
Seimei, meanwhile, continued his routine—flying to Feiyu Town daily, observing the Mist Village's movements, and reporting back.
After these days of observation, he could clearly feel that the Mist Village was becoming restless. Konoha was about the same.
It was obvious that both sides had been preparing, and soon, this war would break out.
However, Seimei wasn't too concerned about the upcoming battle. He was more interested in improving himself than in fighting.
...
Another night passed.
Late into the night, after finishing his reconnaissance task, Seimei arrived at the rocky shore.
Just as he completed a round of training, his eyes lit up.
It was nothing special, really. Thanks to his shadow clones, he had successfully developed Earth Release chakra.
Looking at the chakra in his palm, while it seemed ordinary, Seimei knew it was Earth Release chakra. This marked another significant step forward on his journey toward mastering all elements.
Suppressing his excitement, Seimei dispersed the chakra. Developing Earth Release chakra was just the first step; mastering its shape and nature transformations was the real challenge.
Most jonin, if they put in the time, could develop various chakra natures. However, mastering shape and nature transformations was another story. These were essential to fully unleash a technique's power—without them, it was just a trick.
That's why most jonin specialize in two or three elements instead of dabbling in too many.
But Seimei was different. He didn't need to practice shape and nature transformations.
By leveling up corresponding jutsu enough, he would naturally grasp them.
It's a process of starting from the end result and working backward. While others can't master jutsu without understanding these transformations, Seimei can max out a technique's level and naturally learn them afterward.
Quite the cheat ability!
But Seimei loved it.
Reflecting on his progress, Seimei recalled the training methods for "Earth Release: Earth Spears," "Earth Release: Earth Wall," and "Earth Release: Hardening Technique."
He then formed hand signs and performed the Shadow Clone Technique.
This time, he created twelve clones.
Nine continued training other skills as before, while the remaining three began practicing the three Earth Release techniques.
Time passed, and two hours later, Seimei dispelled his clones and absorbed their experience. A new skill appeared on his status screen—**Earth Release: Earth Spears Lv0 (1/100)!**
Looking at the newly added skill, Seimei smiled.
Though it was still at level 0 and hadn't fully begun, he was genuinely happy.
As long as the proficiency meter acknowledged it, he was on the fast track. All he had to do was supply enough chakra, and he could easily level it up without any bottlenecks.
How could Seimei not be pleased?
The only slight regret was that "Earth Release: Earth Wall" and "Earth Release: Hardening Technique" hadn't been recorded yet. Despite providing enough chakra over the last two hours, he hadn't succeeded.
Seimei wasn't too bothered. "Earth Spears" was a C-rank technique, while the other two were B-rank—naturally more difficult to learn.
But now that he had a foundation with "Earth Spears," it was only a matter of time before the other two were added to his status screen.
So he wasn't in a hurry.
After contemplating the key aspects of training for "Earth Spears," Seimei formed hand signs again, created twelve clones, and resumed his training.
...
Another hour passed.
As dawn broke, it was almost time for Seimei to return to the Black Stone outpost.
Just then, several black dots appeared on the horizon above the sea.
Woken by his clones, Seimei immediately activated his Sharingan and looked towards the horizon.
"Are those... ships?"
Seimei was unsure.
He quickly formed hand signs and used the **Wind Release: Wings of Wind** technique.
In the next moment, he flew into the sky, rising hundreds of meters to avoid alerting the enemy. He flew toward the black dots.
Soon, the ships came into view.
As he had suspected, they were warships from the Mist Village.
Recognizing the familiar Mist Village ninjas on the decks, Seimei realized they were likely the same ones stationed in Feiyu Town.
"If that's the case..."
Suddenly, a thought struck Seimei, and his expression changed. He muttered, "Not good," and immediately flew toward the Black Stone outpost.
If his guess was correct, the Mist Village was probably planning a sea attack on the Black Stone outpost.
While an attack by land would've been easier given the proximity of Feiyu Town, the Black Stone outpost's defenses had been designed to face the sea. After the fall of Feiyu Town, however, its defenses shifted toward land.
The Mist Village was now exploiting that weakness.
This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. The timing was too precise.
Based on the speed of the ships, they had set off just as Seimei finished his reconnaissance and left.
Seimei didn't believe this was a coincidence. Clearly, the Mist Village had planned carefully, knowing his usual schedule and timing their attack to avoid him.
But what they didn't expect was that he always stayed behind to train on the rocky shore after his reconnaissance.
This meant their movements had been exposed.
"Well, well…" Seimei thought, unsure whether to call himself lucky or the Mist Village unlucky.
Either way, this was a major credit to his name.
(End of chapter)