A day later, the rest period ended.
Under Ōmura Yuito's orders, Seimei led his team to carry out their assigned tasks.
The Wind Willow Town stronghold was situated at the base of a mountain. To the west and north, less than 200 meters away, were towering mountains, making this an extremely important strategic high ground. The south led to the plain that connected to the main base, and to the east was where the bulk of Iwa ninja forces were stationed.
Thus, their missions outside the base were mainly threefold. First, they were tasked with receiving reinforcements arriving from the southern plain. Second, they had to monitor the movements of the Iwa ninja forces to the east, ensuring that any attack was reported as soon as it began.
As for the third task, it involved engaging in skirmishes with small Iwa ninja squads in the western and northern mountains, preventing them from seizing these key strategic points.
To ensure he could collect enough chakra daily, Seimei didn't hesitate and directly requested the third mission.
Ōmura Yuito had no objections and readily agreed.
It wasn't that he was particularly easygoing, but after reviewing the details of Seimei's journey over the past few days, Ōmura realized that Seimei's strength far exceeded that of a typical jōnin. The fact that their group had made it to the stronghold in one piece was largely due to Seimei's exceptional combat abilities.
So when Seimei requested the third mission, Ōmura immediately approved.
Thus, Seimei found himself stationed at the western mountain outpost and soon encountered small infiltration squads of Iwa ninja.
The battles were hardly worth mentioning. Given Seimei's current strength, it would take quite the mishap for him to fail. As expected, he successfully absorbed the chakra he needed.
With ample chakra at his disposal, Seimei wasted no time. Almost every moment was spent using Yang Release chakra to enhance his body. Fortunately, training the Mystical Palm Technique didn't require a quiet environment, allowing him to strengthen his body even during missions.
While this might have seemed odd to some, Seimei didn't care. After all, by the time this war was over, few people around him were likely to survive, so he didn't worry about his peculiar behavior being spread.
Even if word got out, it wouldn't matter. Ninja training methods were generally private matters, and few would be brazen enough to inquire directly.
As for secret investigations? Once he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, his power would skyrocket to Kage-level, at which point minor concerns like that wouldn't matter at all.
In fact, it was this confidence that allowed Seimei to openly practice the Mystical Palm Technique in front of his team. The only thing he concealed was his method of absorbing chakra.
Chakra was the most fundamental energy source for any ninja. If someone found out that Seimei could extract chakra so efficiently from others, even if they didn't express it outwardly, they'd naturally become more cautious around him.
To avoid unnecessary complications, Seimei preferred to keep this ability hidden. Luckily, his Chakra Absorption Technique had already reached level 5, allowing him to absorb 1,000 points of chakra per second. It only took seven or eight seconds to drain a mid-level ninja's chakra, making it relatively easy to remain discreet.
Thus, Seimei navigated through various challenges and stuck to his plan to strengthen his body.
Seven days quickly passed.
That afternoon, as Seimei once again used the Mystical Palm Technique, circulating Yang Release chakra to strengthen his body's cells, a sudden surge of power erupted within him.
It felt like a long-dormant volcano finally erupting, racing through his body and accelerating the process of enhancing his physical form.
Seimei's expression shifted slightly, and he abruptly stopped in his tracks.
The few Konoha chunin accompanying him thought he had noticed something unusual and quickly raised their guard.
After a brief silence, one of them cautiously asked, "Captain, is something wrong?"
Seimei, suppressing the discomfort in his body, waved his hand and replied, "Pause here for now, and stay alert."
Without waiting for their reaction, Seimei flashed to a nearby boulder, sat down cross-legged, and closed his eyes.
In an instant, everything around him seemed to fade away.
He concentrated almost entirely on his body, calming the surge of energy and softening its impact.
Seimei hadn't expected this evolution to come so suddenly or so intensely, catching him somewhat off-guard.
Fortunately, this power came from his own accumulation of chakra, so there was no risk of it harming him.
As he gradually focused his mind, the changes in his body became more manageable, and soon enough, Seimei began to experience the same pleasant sensation of physical enhancement as before.
Time passed quickly.
An hour later, just as the Konoha chunin were growing impatient, Seimei finally opened his eyes.
"Captain?"
They immediately spoke up, ready to ask questions, but Seimei raised a hand to silence them.
He then glanced toward a specific spot in the forest and spoke in a calm voice, "Now that you're here, why not show yourselves?"
"What?"
The chunin were startled, quickly drawing their kunai and turning their attention to the direction Seimei had indicated.
But there was no sign of movement.
The chunin began to doubt Seimei's judgment. They had been on high alert while watching over him, so if an enemy had approached, they should have noticed something.
Just as confusion was spreading among them, a slow clapping sound broke the silence.
"Clap, clap, clap~"
Then came a creepy laugh, followed by the sound of approaching footsteps.
"Hahaha~! As expected of the Ghost Sword Seimei—your perception is truly sharp!"
A figure appeared from the shadows. The man was emaciated, his clothes tattered, and though he was laughing, his expression was eerily twisted—like that of a corpse.
No, he was a corpse.
Not only him, but the group behind him also lacked any sign of life.
It was for this reason that Seimei's team hadn't detected them.
Seimei, on the other hand, had sensed faint mental waves, alerting him to their presence.
Glaring at them, Seimei frowned and asked, "Who are you, and why are you looking for me?"
Indeed, these people weren't Iwa ninjas—they bore no symbols of Iwagakure, or any other ninja village, for that matter.
Considering the way Ōnoki and Iwagakure operated, Seimei began to form some guesses.
As his thoughts raced, the shriveled figure spoke again.
"Hehehe, who are we? Hahaha~ It doesn't matter if I tell you. We are the great Ghost Corpse Clan! Hahaha~!"
The first part was spoken by the leader, but the latter half was echoed by the others in perfect unison.
Even their laughter sounded eerily synchronized.
In an instant, the area was filled with unsettling laughter.
Suddenly, as if realizing something, Seimei shouted, "Everyone be careful! Block your hearing—this is genjutsu!"
"What?"
The chunin were shocked, only then realizing that without noticing, they had started smiling themselves.
Alarmed, they quickly plugged their ears.
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