Two hours later.
The sun had completely set, and a bright moon had risen in the east.
Somewhere in the forest.
Seimei slowly opened his eyes.
He checked his chakra reserves by opening the status panel.
After two hours of combined effects from the active ability of **"Chakra Refinement Technique"** and the passive regeneration of his body, he had gained over 25,000 points of chakra.
Adding this to the chakra he had left earlier, he had more than enough to continue today's practice of **"Wind Style: Wings of Wind."**
Wasting no time, Seimei confirmed his chakra reserves were sufficient and immediately performed **"Shadow Clone Technique"** to create a clone specifically for practicing the technique.
Watching the shadow clone spread its wings and fly away, Seimei turned his attention back to practicing **"Palm Healing Technique"** and **"Reflecting Heart Technique."**
After days of training, Seimei could clearly feel his body strengthening.
According to his calculations, in about a month, his body would undergo a new transformation.
This was the critical step of pushing his **"Physique"** attribute from 19 to 20, a leap that promised changes far beyond any he had experienced before.
Seimei couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation.
Then there was his **Mangekyō Sharingan.**
Its evolution progress had now surpassed **(15,000/50,000)**, and the next milestone of **(20,000/50,000)** was within reach.
Reaching this milestone would not just extend the duration he could use the techniques **"Amaterasu"** and **"Tsukuyomi."**
Based on the changes at the **(10,000/50,000)** mark, Seimei anticipated that once his Mangekyō Sharingan evolution hit **(20,000/50,000),** it might allow his **Susano'o** to progress to the second stage.
At that point, his **Susano'o** would gain musculature, flesh, and a chakra-infused armor.
This wouldn't just significantly enhance its defensive capabilities but would also grant the universal long-range attack of Susano'o—**Yasaka Magatama.**
This technique, in terms of power, was on par with an A-rank ninjutsu and was definitely worth looking forward to.
Of course, while it wasn't suitable to rely on Susano'o's power in the short term, it was an excellent trump card that Seimei wanted to make as strong as possible.
These thoughts flashed through Seimei's mind as he quickly refocused, fully dedicating himself to practicing **"Palm Healing Technique"** and **"Reflecting Heart Technique."**
---
Time ticked by.
About an hour later.
The shadow clone practicing **"Wind Style: Wings of Wind"** returned.
Seimei opened his eyes and looked at it, noticing that instead of depleting chakra, the clone had accumulated more.
Glancing toward the direction the clone had come from, Seimei immediately guessed what had happened.
Raising his hand, he dispelled the **"Shadow Clone Technique."**
*Poof!*
A puff of chakra smoke appeared, and the clone vanished.
Simultaneously, Seimei's mind was flooded with training experiences and memories.
Skipping over the training insights for now, Seimei quickly reviewed the clone's memories.
As expected, the shadow clone hadn't just practiced **"Wind Style: Wings of Wind"** but had also engaged in some "jungle training."
Under the cover of darkness, the clone had silently ambushed a Hidden Mist patrol squad at Yujin Port, draining the chakra of all four members.
This was why its chakra reserves had increased instead of decreasing.
Seeing this, Seimei shook his head and thought to himself, *"As expected of my clone, it really thinks just like me."*
Previously, Seimei had considered using Hidden Mist shinobi as a supplementary source of chakra to further develop his **"Shadow Sword Technique."** The clone had gone ahead and acted on that very idea.
Still, this was convenient—it saved him the trouble.
As for drawing Hidden Mist's attention and investigation?
*Come on, this is a battlefield!*
The death of a few people meant nothing, especially when they weren't high-ranking jonin but just mid- to low-level shinobi. This wasn't enough to alarm Hidden Mist's higher-ups.
At most, they would tighten their security.
As for retaliation?
Even less likely!
Hidden Mist was currently preoccupied with reestablishing command in this battlefield. They had neither the time nor resources to counterattack.
They were even worried about potential escalations from the Leaf Village.
So, killing a few mid- to low-level Hidden Mist shinobi wouldn't cause any significant ripple effects.
However, this train of thought meant that Hidden Mist's mid- to low-level shinobi were in for a rough time.
But all of that was for later.
For now, Seimei's priority was to absorb and process the shadow clone's training experiences.
With this in mind, he closed his eyes again.
---
About fifteen minutes later.
Seimei opened his eyes once more.
Checking his status panel, he saw that the proficiency of **"Wind Style: Wings of Wind"** had increased by over 70 points, though it still wasn't enough to reach level 6.
Wasting no time, Seimei performed **"Shadow Clone Technique"** again, this time creating two clones.
Yes, two clones this time.
One would continue practicing **"Wind Style: Wings of Wind."**
The other was tasked with researching **"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique"** as a foundation for developing the **"Shadow Sword Technique."**
With an additional source of chakra now secured, Seimei was determined to accelerate his plans.
Watching the two clones leave, Seimei closed his eyes once again, fully immersed in practicing **"Palm Healing Technique"** and **"Reflecting Heart Technique."**
Time flew by as his skills steadily improved, and the increasing proficiency on his status panel made the repetitive training feel anything but tedious.
In fact, the continuous progress made time pass even faster.
Before he knew it, another hour had gone by.
This time, the shadow clone practicing **"Wind Style: Wings of Wind"** returned without engaging in any "jungle training."
Indeed, while Hidden Mist's higher-ups didn't care about the loss of a few mid-level shinobi, repeated incidents would be seen as a provocation.
Such actions would force them to respond, escalating the situation.
Seimei wasn't reckless enough to invite unnecessary trouble.
His only goal was to harvest extra chakra, not to stir up Hidden Mist.
Thus, unless absolutely necessary, he had no intention of overstepping.
Naturally, the shadow clone, inheriting his thoughts and memories, understood this and avoided causing further problems.
Given his current chakra needs, replenishment every one to two days was sufficient. There was no need to alarm Hidden Mist unnecessarily.
These thoughts briefly flickered through Seimei's mind as he quickly refocused, processing the shadow clone's latest training experiences and memories.
That was it for today.
---
*(End of Chapter)*