Hours passed in the blink of an eye.
By now, it was evening.
The sun had already dipped below the horizon, leaving only a streak of twilight glow in the sky.
The fading light reflected off the boundless ocean, painting the sea a shimmering gold. It was a breathtaking sight.
Silently, Seimei emerged from the depths of the sea, stepping onto the stone platform.
From a distance, he caught sight of the scene and couldn't help but pause, lost in thought.
After a long moment, he snapped out of it.
Boom!
A burst of Fire Release chakra flared around him, instantly enveloping his body.
In a single breath, his clothes were dried by the heat.
With a flicker of thought, he dispelled the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
In an instant, every shadow clone on and around the island vanished. In their place, a flood of training experiences and memories surged into Seimei's mind.
Without hesitation, he sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began sifting through the influx of information.
Soon, he absorbed and processed the training insights they contained.
About fifteen minutes later, he opened his eyes again.
In that moment, Seimei could clearly feel a new understanding of how to fuse Wind Release and Water Release.
After a brief moment of reflection, he raised both hands. In his left palm, he formed a swirling mass of Water Release chakra, and in his right, a gust of Wind Release chakra.
Carefully, he adjusted their forms and properties, guiding them to harmonize with each other.
Time ticked by, second by second.
Then, in a sudden flash of inspiration, Seimei's eyes lit up. He merged the two chakra masses together.
A strange sensation washed over him. He had a gut feeling that a unique kind of chakra was about to be born from this fusion.
His focus sharpened even further.
One second, two seconds.
One minute, two minutes.
Seimei poured everything into controlling the chakra, chasing that fleeting premonition in his mind.
But after three minutes, sweat beaded on his forehead, and still, he hadn't succeeded.
Pffft!
Suddenly, a splash of water burst forth.
Seimei's expression shifted. The chakra mass he'd been holding between his palms lost control, dissolving into a harmless puddle that splashed onto the ground.
Seeing this, Seimei froze, as if hit by a petrification jutsu, stunned in place.
He couldn't believe it—he'd failed.
The frustration hit hard, and he let out a quiet curse under his breath: "Damn it!"
Still, he quickly calmed himself and tried again.
He summoned two new chakra masses, carefully adjusting and aligning them once more.
But this time, the result was even worse.
Before, he'd at least managed to turn the failed fusion into harmless water. This time, it just exploded.
Thankfully, his reflexes were sharp. He used the Flying Thunder God Technique to dodge in time, or he might've gotten hurt.
Back on the stone platform, Seimei wasn't ready to give up. He tried several more times.
But the outcome was the same—explosions, every time.
It was clear now. That one near-success had come from a moment of pure instinct, a fleeting spark of clarity.
If he'd seized that moment, he might've etched Ice Release onto his skill panel.
With just a bit more practice, he could've mastered the basics.
But sadly, he'd missed his chance.
Still, Seimei didn't let it get him down too much.
That "feeling" was just a matter of accumulated experience finally clicking. If he kept at it, that spark would come again—and next time, he'd grab it.
Inhale… exhale…
He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly, steadying his restless mind.
Reaching into his ninja pouch, he pulled out a few enhanced soldier pills and popped them into his mouth, chewing with a satisfying crunch.
A few seconds later, he swallowed, and a familiar warmth spread from his stomach.
No time to waste—Seimei was ready to dive into the next round of training.
But just as he began forming hand signs to cast Multiple Shadow Clone Technique again, a memory suddenly surfaced in his mind.
He paused, instantly recognizing whose memory it was.
Without hesitation, he dove into it.
As expected, the memory came from the shadow clone he'd sent hours earlier to scout for a new base.
And just moments ago, that clone had found the target.
For most ninja, a task like this would take at least ten days to half a month.
But not Seimei. In just half an afternoon, he'd located the perfect spot.
How? It was simple, really.
First, he already had a rough idea of where to look, so he didn't need to waste time casting a wide net.
Second, his flight ninjutsu gave him unmatched mobility, letting him zip from place to place.
And finally, the Byakugan.
With its x-ray-like vision, he didn't need to physically scout every location. A quick scan with the Byakugan, and he could assess an island and its surroundings in no time, saving him hours.
Thanks to these three advantages, he'd found a new base in record time.
After reviewing the clone's memories, Seimei thought for a moment, then nodded.
He was satisfied with the location the clone had found.
No time to waste. He decided to pause his training, stood up, and leapt off the stone platform. A few Body Flicker Techniques later, he arrived at a wooden cabin tucked in a corner of the island.
Creak.
He pushed open the door.
Inside, he headed straight to a simple bookshelf and pulled out a scroll.
Unfurling it revealed a complex array of sealing formulas.
Anyone with knowledge of such things would recognize it instantly: this was a Storage Sealing Array, used to store supplies.
Seimei didn't activate it right away. First, he gathered all the items in the cabin.
Well… there wasn't much to gather.
His days here were spent either training or sleeping. Aside from some basic furniture, toiletries, and a few books and scrolls, the cabin was pretty bare.
It didn't take long to collectyour text herecollect everything.
Once he'd gathered the items, he formed hand signs and activated the sealing array on the scroll.
The intricate, almost living seals crawled out from the scroll, guided by Seimei to envelop the items.
With a final shift of his hand signs, he called out, "Seal!"
Poof!
A puff of chakra smoke dispersed, and everything in the room vanished, leaving only a single "Seal" character on the scroll.
Seimei nodded in satisfaction, rolled up the scroll, and tucked it into his ninja pouch.
Turning back to the now-empty cabin, he felt no lingering attachment.
Not only that, but as he stepped outside, he performed Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique, spitting a massive fireball from his mouth that reduced the cabin to ashes.
It wasn't about sentimentality—or the lack of it. He just didn't want to leave any traces.
And it wasn't just the cabin. Seimei scoured the island, erasing any obvious marks left from his ninjutsu training over the past few days.
Now, even if someone found this place, they'd have no way to track him.
After one final sweep to ensure no one was around, Seimei activated Wind Release: Wings of Wind and cloaked himself in a Chakra Mantle, then took to the skies, heading northeast.
That's right—northeast.
He'd originally planned to search for a base along the route to the Land of Water, which would've been due east.
But the spot his shadow clone found was in the northeast, in the waters between the Lands of Fire, Water, and Lightning.
Wasn't he worried about ninja from those three nations spotting him?
Honestly, not really.
For one, the clone's scouting showed the island was in a treacherous stretch of sea. Most ships that tried passing through here sank, so over the years, no one bothered coming this way anymore. The three nations had marked it as a danger zone.
So, Seimei wasn't too concerned about being discovered.
But that was just a secondary reason.
The real reason he chose this island? Its unique environment, both on the island itself and in the surrounding seabed, was perfect for his physical training.
That's why he picked it.
(End of Chapter)