The sun rose and set.
In the blink of an eye, another week had passed.
A week ago, after finishing his rest in the village, Seimei returned to Moon Island to begin a new round of intense training.
With the Chakra Refining Technique leveling up and the change in training location, his progress was undeniable.
First, his chakra capacity.
In just one week, it had surged by over 50,000 points, pushing his total close to the 900,000-point mark.
While this wasn't a game-changer for someone like him, who had a sealed space for extra chakra storage, it was still a significant boost for moments requiring explosive power.
Next, his physical conditioning.
With a steady supply of chakra, he'd dived to depths of nearly 700 meters. The harsher environment accelerated his body's strengthening.
He'd estimated that switching to Moon Island would let him hit his next physical transformation by early to mid-June.
Now, he was certain: at this pace, he'd break through that invisible barrier by early June, no later than mid-month.
Finally, his progress with the Ice Release kekkei genkai.
Without Yukikaze's help, he'd relied on increased chakra input, and his development hadn't slowed at all.
In fact, as time went on, he grew more adept at blending Wind and Water Release.
Those fleeting moments of inspiration were happening more often.
Like now. Feeling the timing was right, Seimei paused the Mind's Reflection Technique and, with a thought, dispelled the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
Instantly, over 200 shadow clones—both on and off the island—vanished.
A flood of memories rushed into his mind.
Without hesitation, he closed his eyes, sifting through the information, absorbing and processing the training experiences within.
Fifteen minutes later, as he was nearly done, a sudden idea struck him, urging him to try fusing Wind and Water Release.
The feeling came out of nowhere, but Seimei didn't ignore it. He followed the impulse and began.
He extended both hands, forming a ball of Wind Release chakra in one palm and Water Release chakra in the other.
Carefully, he adjusted their form and nature, aligning their states closer together.
At a critical moment, his expression sharpened, and he called out, "Now!"
Clap!
A crisp sound rang out as he brought his palms together.
A few seconds later, he parted them.
In his palm, a faint, misty ice fog appeared.
It condensed, forming a cluster of ice crystals.
"Did it work?!"
Staring at the crystals, Seimei murmured, almost in disbelief.
He'd had a gut feeling this attempt would succeed, but a feeling was just that—a feeling.
Only when he saw the ice crystals with his own eyes did he realize he'd truly captured that elusive spark, successfully fusing Wind and Water Release to create Ice Release.
"Phew…"
Exhaling deeply, Seimei tested manipulating the ice crystals, reshaping them.
Soon, they formed a rough diamond shape.
Then, he molded them into shuriken, kunai, and senbon—various ninja tools.
But they were just for show.
At this stage, his creations were crude compared to real ninja tools—or even Yukikaze's ice-based ones.
The ice tools in his palm were rough in shape and fragile, no different from ordinary ice.
They couldn't stray far from his control either. If they did, they'd lose stability, dissolving into chakra and vapor.
Clearly, he was still a ways off from mastering Ice Release.
But since he'd pulled it off once, the rest wasn't so daunting—it was already etched onto his skill panel.
With that thought, Seimei opened his panel.
A familiar translucent blue screen appeared:
---
Name: Uchiha Seimei
Age: 14
Physique: 26
Spirit: 28
Chakra: 605,000 (811,572 → 872,244)
Bloodline:
- Sharingan · Eternal Mangekyo (10,000/100,000) → (11,250/100,000)
- Byakugan (4,353/5,000) → (4,538/5,000)
- Wood Release (60/5,000) → (82/5,000)
- Lava Release (235/1,000) → (280/1,000)
- Ice Release (1/100)
Skills:
- Chakra Refining Technique: lv7 (1/20,000) → lv7 (180/20,000)
- Chakra Control: lv8 (4,100/50,000) → lv8 (4,500/50,000)
- Mastered Skills: [List not shown]
---
As expected, a new entry for Ice Release had appeared on his panel, starting at (1/100).
Next, he just needed to grind it to (100/100) to officially master it.
That would mean he'd fully grasped the fusion of Wind and Water Release.
After that, like Wood and Lava Release, he could let it progress naturally.
No time to waste. Seimei paused the Mind's Reflection Technique and physical training, focusing entirely on boosting Ice Release's progress.
Like with Lava Release, he succeeded roughly once every ten tries at first.
But each success deepened his understanding of fusing Wind and Water Release.
This progress also fed back into his body, triggering targeted genetic mutations.
After spending most of the afternoon, he finally pushed Ice Release from (1/100) to (100/100).
Looking at the panel, with Ice Release on the verge of leveling up, Seimei took a deep breath and focused for the final push.
When he successfully used Ice Release again, a wave of clarity hit him.
Suddenly, he gained new insights into fusing Wind and Water Release.
Spurred by this power, his genes underwent a final mutation—a culmination of quantity into quality.
In that moment, every cell in his body seemed to tremble, the genes buried deep within them rejoicing.
A chilling power, like ice, radiated from him, forming a mist that spread outward.
Seimei had a faint sense that if he let it run wild, this power could engulf the entire island, turning Moon Island into a frozen hell.
Maybe this is what they call an awakening gone out of control.
The thought crossed his mind.
Quickly, he focused, containing the power's spread to a 100-meter radius.
At the same time, he carefully studied this force.
Though he didn't plan to focus on Ice Release going forward, he wouldn't pass up a chance to learn more.
And so, Seimei sat cross-legged, transformed into an ice statue, sensing the power of Ice Release while waiting for his body's transformation to complete.
During this, he couldn't fully control himself. Chakra leaked from him, creating a pressure that silenced every animal and insect on the island. Not a sound dared escape.
In an instant, Moon Island fell eerily quiet, almost otherworldly.
What Seimei didn't know was that it wasn't just the island's creatures that sensed his oppressive aura.
Others had noticed the chakra fluctuations too.
And they were closing in.
Soon enough, they'd reach the island.
But even if Seimei knew, he wouldn't care much.
Right now, his priority was waiting for his genes to finish mutating.
Everything else could wait.
(End of Chapter)