Half an hour later, Seimei arrived in a dense forest on the eastern outskirts of Konoha.
From what he knew, just ahead was one of the Hyuga clan's secret training grounds.
But instead of pressing forward, he stopped.
Sure, every clan's private training grounds were an open secret—nobody would casually disturb them—but that didn't mean they weren't heavily guarded.
In fact, the defenses were quite thorough.
After all, the ninja training in these places often practiced their clan's secret techniques or other specialized skills.
If an outsider learned them, a knowledge leak would be the least of their worries. The real trouble would come if someone figured out how to counter those techniques.
So, even though the clans had an unspoken agreement to respect each other's space, they remained extremely vigilant.
In this situation, strolling in openly would almost certainly get him caught.
And that was something Seimei absolutely couldn't afford.
So, he needed another way.
With that thought, Seimei activated his left eye's dojutsu—Ama-no-Mikado!
In an instant, he vanished from the spot.
Hidden within the dimensional space created by Ama-no-Mikado, Seimei scanned his surroundings, nodded in satisfaction, and started walking deeper into the forest.
He wasn't worried about his eyes giving out mid-way. With his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, which had already undergone a minor evolution, maintaining Ama-no-Mikado for over half an hour was no issue at all.
Of course, half an hour wasn't nearly enough to fully learn the Hyuga clan's method for awakening the Byakugan.
But that wasn't his goal anyway.
This trip was mainly about scouting—confirming that everything here matched his expectations.
As for secretly learning their techniques?
Seimei planned to leave that to his shadow clones, letting them take their time.
That way, he wouldn't have to worry about a thing.
With this thought in mind, Seimei refocused and pressed forward.
He hadn't gone far when he spotted a Hyuga clan Jonin perched in a tree. The ninja seemed relaxed, but his attention was sharp, locked onto every rustle in the surrounding area.
Any hint of movement—be it a breeze or swaying grass—prompted him to crane his neck or even activate his Byakugan to check.
Seeing how cautious the Jonin was, Seimei wasn't alarmed. If anything, it thrilled him.
Why? Because it confirmed he was in the right place.
Carefully skirting the Jonin's alert range, Seimei slipped into the Hyuga clan's secret training ground.
From a distance, he heard shouts and the sounds of combat.
Getting closer, he saw a group of Hyuga clan teenagers sparring, practicing their signature Gentle Fist style.
Nearby, younger kids were in a wooded area, guided by a Hyuga Special Jonin, practicing a peculiar set of movements.
Seimei watched for a bit and realized the moves were slow, almost like the tai chi he'd seen old folks doing in parks in his past life—seemingly useless for actual combat.
Yet, his instincts told him this was exactly what he was looking for.
Of course, the movements alone wouldn't trigger the Byakugan's awakening. The real key was the accompanying chakra manipulation method.
How did Seimei know? Because after suspecting this was his target, he'd activated his Byakugan.
Through its X-ray-like vision, he could clearly see that as these kids practiced the movements, their chakra flowed and gathered in specific patterns.
And ultimately, most of that chakra poured into their eyes.
The scene was strikingly similar to how he nurtured his own Byakugan.
So, Seimei was certain—this was his target.
That said, the kids were young, and their movements were sloppy, often incorrect. Plus, he wasn't sure if this was the only method the Hyuga used to awaken the Byakugan.
So, learning it today was definitely out of the question.
Good thing he'd never planned to master it in one go.
After observing a bit longer from the shadows of the trees, Seimei felt his eyes starting to ache and decided to stop. He retreated from the forest.
From there, he dashed back home at full speed.
Once inside his training room, Seimei sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began recalling everything he'd just seen.
After a long while, he let out a deep breath.
All in all, the trip had been a success.
He'd confirmed his suspicions, and now it was up to his shadow clones to handle the rest.
Pushing stray thoughts aside, Seimei focused and began running his Chakra Refining Technique.
His next task was to get fully accustomed to it, making it run automatically again.
Only then could he ensure it wouldn't interfere with his training tomorrow.
…
Time ticked by, second by second.
The training room was dead silent.
Before he knew it, several hours had passed.
It was nearing evening.
When Seimei opened his eyes again, his Chakra Refining Technique was already running passively.
As expected, with his mastery of Level 6 as a foundation, getting the hang of Level 7 was a breeze.
Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle~
A familiar sound rumbled from Seimei's stomach.
Clearly, he was hungry again.
Sure, he'd eaten plenty at lunch, but running the Chakra Refining Technique for hours had taken a toll.
So, even though it wasn't quite evening yet, his stomach was already protesting.
But his gains were just as significant.
Besides mastering the Level 7 Chakra Refining Technique again, his chakra cap had jumped by over a thousand—nearly two thousand—points in just one afternoon.
That speed was leagues beyond what it used to be.
Seimei was pretty pleased with that.
Closing his status panel, he washed up quickly and stepped outside.
What followed was a feast of epic proportions.
By the time he got back home, it was past 8 PM.
Without wasting time, he headed straight to the training room and started nurturing his Byakugan.
Even though he'd seen part of the Hyuga clan's method for awakening the Byakugan earlier, he had no plans to try it or dive deeper just yet.
Instead, he stuck to his usual routine: channeling chakra, compressing it twice through a seal, and injecting it into his Byakugan to create the ideal environment for its evolution.
In a flash, three and a half hours passed.
At one point, Seimei felt a familiar swelling sensation from the Byakugan at the center of his forehead.
He knew instantly—he'd hit his limit.
Wasting no time, he opened his eyes.
"Ha~~~"
Sitting there, Seimei yawned and checked the time. It was already past midnight.
Rubbing his sore shoulders, he got up, left the training room, did a quick wash, and headed to his bedroom to rest.
Soon, soft snores echoed from the room as Seimei slipped into a deep sleep.
(Chapter End)