As night deepened, the rocky shoal was silent, save for the faint sound of waves.
Qing Ming was focused on his training when, suddenly, a shadow appeared in the distance.
At first glance, the figure was far away, but within moments, it closed the distance, landing gracefully before him.
Opening his eyes, Qing Ming recognized the newcomer—it was the shadow clone he had sent earlier to monitor the movements of the Kirigakure fleet.
"What's the situation?" Qing Ming asked.
"Nothing unusual," the clone replied, shaking its head. "You'll see for yourself."
With that, the clone dispersed, releasing a puff of chakra-laden smoke.
Instantly, a surge of chakra and a flood of memories rushed into Qing Ming's mind.
Closing his eyes, he sifted through the scenes, which were mostly uneventful moments of travel.
The final segment depicted the Kirigakure forces returning to Fish Harbor.
There wasn't much noteworthy information in the memory stream, and Qing Ming quickly processed it.
Satisfied that everything matched his expectations, Qing Ming finally relaxed.
A glance at his interface showed a slight increase in the proficiency of his Wind Style: Wings of Wind. Letting out a deep breath, he refocused, surveying the area around him.
Nearby, the eight other shadow clones he had created were diligently continuing their training.
Qing Ming calculated that they would finish this round soon and decided not to dispel them just yet.
Retracting his gaze, he returned to his own training.
With a few hand seals, he activated both Mystical Palm Jutsu and Mind Reflection Jutsu, alternating between strengthening his body and advancing his Sharingan.
Time passed steadily.
Soon, twenty more minutes had gone by, marking the end of their one-hour training session.
Qing Ming opened his eyes and saw the other clones gradually stopping their practice. With a hand sign, he dispelled them.
In the next instant, the clones vanished, leaving behind an immense influx of training experience and memories.
Qing Ming closed his eyes, quickly digesting this information and converting it into increased proficiency on his interface.
After about a quarter of an hour, he reopened his eyes.
"Huuh..." He exhaled deeply and massaged his temples to ease the slight pressure.
Without lingering further, Qing Ming activated Wind Style: Wings of Wind, ascending into the sky to head back to the Blackstone Base.
Although training was vital, he reminded himself that he was technically still on a mission. Now that the task was complete, it was time to report back.
Determined, he increased his speed, flying at over 100 meters per second. While the Kirigakure fleet had taken over an hour to reach their location, it took Qing Ming just ten minutes to return.
Upon reaching the base, he noticed that the Konoha shinobi were still on high alert following the battle.
His appearance initially caused a stir, but once his identity was confirmed, everyone relaxed.
With no time to waste, Qing Ming descended and headed straight for the command post.
About fifteen minutes later, Qing Ming exited the command post.
He had reported the Kirigakure movements to Sano Nobuhisa and received a summary of the battle's outcomes and casualties.
In general, considering the ambush on the land-bound Kirigakure forces before the main battle, the casualty ratio between the two sides was roughly 1:1.2.
Though the difference seemed minor, it was a hard-earned result for Konoha's forces. Without the initial ambush to bolster their success, the ratio would have been worse.
The Kirigakure's frontline strength had exceeded Konoha's in this engagement.
In the end, battles like this boiled down to raw power. Even the best strategies could only provide temporary victories if the fundamental strength was lacking.
Shaking his head to dismiss these thoughts, Qing Ming turned and walked toward his quarters.
A few minutes later, he entered his room.
Wasting no time, he found a spot, sat cross-legged, and began practicing Mystical Palm Jutsu and Mind Reflection Jutsu again.
Despite feeling a bit fatigued from the back-to-back battles, Qing Ming was determined to stick to his training plan.
For hours, he focused on honing his techniques.
When the time approached late into the night, and he had completed his scheduled practice, Qing Ming finally allowed himself to rest, falling asleep soon after.
The Next Morning.
As sunlight streamed through his window, Qing Ming woke, stretched lazily, and sat at the edge of his bed, lost in thought for a moment before heading to the washroom.
While washing up, he began contemplating his next steps.
After their defeat last night, it was unlikely that the Kirigakure forces would launch another attack in the next day or two.
This meant he had at least a day or two of relatively free time.
Though training was a straightforward option, Qing Ming had other plans.
Drying his face with a towel, he returned to his bedroom and retrieved a scroll from the bedside.
This wasn't just any scroll but a sealing scroll containing an eye—the Byakugan he had taken from Ao.
From the moment he acquired this eye, Qing Ming had been pondering how best to use it.
Up until now, the timing hadn't been right. But things were different now.
"Body modification..." he murmured, his gaze shifting toward the southeast as if piercing through walls and landscapes to focus on a distant country.
That country was the Land of Sea, a nation composed of islands.
Without its own ninja force, it relied on mercenaries from the Land of Water for security and governance.
Qing Ming's interest in this country wasn't because of its ties to Kirigakure but rather because of a place within it—Ghostly Shell Island.
If his memories from his previous life were correct, Orochimaru had set up a secret laboratory there during the early days of the Third Shinobi War.
The lab was dedicated to researching cellular fusion and creating amphibious ninja to gain an advantage over Kirigakure forces.
Though the experiment remained unfinished even after a decade, it held valuable knowledge on body modification.
Qing Ming wasn't interested in the experiment's results or its flawed "perfect specimen," Amachi.
What he sought were the theories and techniques related to human modification.
Rather than replacing one of his own eyes with the Byakugan, he aimed to create an entirely new organ and integrate the Byakugan into his visual system.
This ambitious plan would require expertise in body modification, and Orochimaru's lab on Ghostly Shell Island offered the best opportunity to acquire it.
With the enhanced speed and agility of his recently upgraded Wind Style: Wings of Wind, Qing Ming was confident in his ability to infiltrate and retreat undetected.
The time to act was near.
plz support me if you can.
patreon.com/Mano99
all the fanfic is 30 chapter a had and you will get 1 chapter everyday.