After dinner, Seimei returned home and wasted no time, starting to nurture his Byakugan early.
Tomorrow, he'd end his break and return to Moon Island for intense training, so he wanted to get some rest soon.
Three and a half hours later, around 10 p.m., Seimei finished nurturing his Byakugan.
After a quick wash, he settled down to rest.
…
The Next Day
Morning
Seimei woke up early, packed his gear and supplies for the next ten days, and created a shadow clone.
As usual, he applied the All-Encompassing Seal to the clone, transferred some chakra, and quietly left the courtyard.
He dashed toward the edge of Konoha's sensory barrier.
After a brief scan, he skillfully activated Ama no Uki to slip through the barrier, arriving at a spot far from Konoha's watchtowers.
Seimei activated his Byakugan, confirmed no one was around, and used Wind Release: Wings of Wind and Chakra Cloak to take flight.
Then, he cast Earth Release: Ultra-Lightweight Rock Technique to reduce his weight, soaring toward Moon Island at a speed of about 1.5 kilometers per second.
That's right—this time, he didn't use the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport.
Sure, with his current chakra reserves, he could teleport to Moon Island despite the greater distance compared to his previous training spot.
But that would waste too much chakra.
Flying, on the other hand, barely used any.
As for the time it took?
At his current speed, it wouldn't take long at all.
So, there was no need to use Flying Thunder God.
Bathed in the morning light, Seimei flew almost in a straight line to Moon Island, arriving in just about thirty minutes.
Circling above the island, he activated his Byakugan to scan the area. Once he confirmed nothing was out of the ordinary, he landed.
Standing in the central clearing, Seimei pulled the Uchiha Flame Formation scroll from his ninja tool pouch and performed the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
Poof! Poof! Poof!
With bursts of chakra smoke, over two hundred clones appeared.
Looking at them, Seimei assigned most to continue developing Storm Release, leaving just over twenty to study and practice the Uchiha Flame Formation.
This ratio came from his experience with the Wood Clone Technique—it wouldn't interfere with Storm Release progress.
No need for further tweaks later.
As for when these twenty-some clones would master the Uchiha Flame Formation and register it on his status panel, Seimei wasn't too concerned.
To him, this technique was just a supplementary tool. Learning it sooner or later didn't matter much.
Still, with a solid training process, he estimated it'd take about one or two days—three at most—to master it.
Pushing aside stray thoughts, Seimei sent the clones off and began performing the Mind's Eye Technique.
…
In a flash, it was the third day.
Morning
After finishing another round of Mind's Eye Technique, Seimei dispelled the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, recalled all his clones, and absorbed their training experience from the past hour. Suddenly, his expression lit up.
Why? Because after two and a half days of practice, he'd finally registered the Uchiha Flame Formation on his status panel.
Opening his eyes, Seimei stood, used a few Body Flicker Techniques, and appeared above the sea.
Raising his hands, he formed the seals—Snake, Boar, Ram, Monkey, Tiger—at a steady pace, then clapped his hands onto the water's surface.
The next moment, a dark red flame erupted from his palms, spiraling outward along the sea's surface.
Then, it surged upward, forming a cylindrical defensive barrier about thirty meters wide and fifty meters tall.
The barrier glowed a deep red, its Fire Release chakra so dense it seemed almost solid.
Seimei tilted his head, extending his senses outward. He could clearly feel the barrier's sturdiness.
Even though he'd just learned the technique and hadn't poured much chakra into it, his senses told him it could easily withstand a B-rank ninjutsu assault.
As long as his chakra held, it'd be nearly impossible for multiple attackers to break through.
"Not bad!" Seimei said, nodding in satisfaction after sensing it for a bit longer.
With that, he stopped maintaining the technique, letting the barrier fade.
Checking his status panel, he saw the Uchiha Flame Formation's proficiency had ticked up by one point.
But that was just this time.
Based on past experience, without that initial spark of insight, casting it successfully again wouldn't be so easy.
He'd likely need to practice it thousands of times to reach basic mastery.
Fortunately, he didn't need to do it himself—his shadow clones could handle it. All he had to worry about was the chakra needed for practice.
But that would only become clear once the technique reached Level 1 or even Level 2.
For now, he'd just keep going.
With that thought, Seimei formed hand signs and cast Multiple Shadow Clone Technique again.
Another two hundred-plus clones appeared. He grouped them as before, sent them off, and resumed his own training.
For the past hour, he'd been on the island, using Mind's Eye Technique to stimulate his Sharingan's evolution.
Now, it was time to head underwater for physical training.
With a thought, he locked onto a Flying Thunder God mark on an underwater volcanic cliff, activated Lightning Release Chakra Mode to protect himself, and used the Flying Thunder God Technique.
In an instant, he went from the sea's surface to over five hundred meters underwater.
Wrapped in a Lightning Release Aura, Seimei adjusted to the pressure for a moment before swimming deeper, stopping at seven hundred meters—his current limit.
He skillfully found a relatively flat spot on the volcanic cliff behind him, then formed hand signs and used Water Release: Water Severing Wave.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
In a few quick motions, he carved out a roughly ten-square-meter platform on the cliff, cleared away the debris, and began his physical training.
(End of Chapter)