After a good night's sleep, Seimei woke up the next day and got straight to work, focusing on testing how long it would take for his next physical transformation.
The testing took a full week, but the results didn't let him down. Based on his estimates, it would take about seven months—around early September—for his body to reach the critical point for transformation.
That might sound like a long time, so why wasn't he disappointed? Simple. This was just a rough estimate based on his current progress speed. Don't forget, he was currently dedicating six hours a day to evolving his Sharingan. If he redirected that time to strengthening his body, the process would speed up significantly, cutting the timeline well below seven months.
As for exactly how long it would take? Thanks to the boost in physical aptitude from the advancements of his Ice Release, Storm Release, and Lava Release, Seimei figured he could probably complete the transformation in under five months. And if Dust Release advanced in two months as expected, that timeline might shrink even further. So, no reason to feel let down.
Clearing his mind, Seimei stopped overthinking and dove back into training with renewed focus.
---
Two months later, in the dead of night, deep in the primal forest in the northeastern part of the Land of Fire, Seimei wrapped up his final round of the "Mind Reflection Technique" and opened his panel. His Sharingan's evolution had reached (69650/100000), just under 400 points shy of the breakthrough threshold (70000/100000).
He decided not to actively push those last few points. They'd naturally accumulate as he worked on strengthening his body, and even if he came up a bit short, his next physical transformation would cover the difference in one go. No need to waste time and energy on it now.
Instead, he'd stick to his plan and shift the six hours he'd been spending on the Mind Reflection Technique to training "Body of the Extreme" to enhance his physique. With that change, his body-strengthening speed was bound to skyrocket. Exactly how much, though? He'd need to test it to find out.
So, the next day, Seimei went all-in on Body of the Extreme, pouring his effort into strengthening his body. By the end of the day, he had his answer: with those extra six hours, his body-strengthening speed had jumped by nearly 50%. That slashed the time needed for his transformation from five months to just over three. Instead of early September, he'd hit that point by mid-July. Seimei was thrilled.
Of course, that speed came at a cost. Before, he only needed 37 million chakra points daily to meet his body-strengthening needs. Now, going full throttle with Body of the Extreme, he was burning through 51 million points—a million more than his initial estimate of 50 million. Even after pausing his Sharingan training, which saved him 3 million points a day, he still had to dip into his reserves for an extra 11 million to cover the difference. That stung a bit, no question.
But with a daily chakra surplus of 18.368 million points, even pulling out 11 million left him with 7.368 million to spare—plenty to keep him in the black. So, after a brief moment of wincing, Seimei shrugged it off and turned his attention to Dust Release.
After two months of passive progress, its evolution had hit (4987/5000), just 13 points shy of advancing. At most, it would take two or three days to cross that line. Once it advanced, his aptitude would improve, and his transformation timeline would likely shift even earlier. Seimei was pumped about that.
Not wasting any more time, he took a quick break before diving into another round of training.
---
Two days later, in the morning, Seimei finished another training session and returned to Moon Island. He dispelled his Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, reabsorbing all his clones and digesting their hour's worth of training experience. A strange sensation rippled through his body. Without even checking the panel, he knew—Dust Release had advanced.
The supernatural powers of the ninja world were something else. It was just training experience, but once Seimei fully absorbed it, it actually influenced his body, triggering its evolution. Maybe that was the magic of mental energy.
Savoring the feeling for a moment, Seimei opened his eyes and instinctively raised his hands. In a flash, he formed hand signs, then pulled his hands apart, creating a palm-sized transparent cubic barrier between them. Inside, it was brimming with Dust Release chakra.
"Go!" Seimei called softly, pushing his palms forward.
In an instant, the cubic barrier shot out at a speed too fast for the naked eye, stopping dozens of meters away before expanding into a massive cube with 10-meter sides. The Dust Release chakra inside detonated, and a blinding white light flared. In a split second, everything within the cube—grass, trees, dirt, rocks, even insects and small animals—was broken down into atoms, leaving only a perfectly edged, massive pit in its place.
Seimei wasn't surprised by the result. Ever since he'd maxed out his "Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Technique," he'd been able to control its size at will. What he was really focused on was the casting process. He could feel it clearly: this time, the technique used less chakra and flowed much more smoothly, almost like he had a little divine help.
That was the perk of a bloodline advancement—less chakra for more power. It's why so many ninja with Bloodline Limits in the ninja world could surpass the lifelong efforts of regular ninja just by tapping into their bloodline's potential. Seimei didn't have much to say about it. After all, the ninja world was all about bloodlines.
Shaking his head, he pushed those thoughts aside and focused on sensing the changes from Dust Release's advancement. Unlike Ice Release, Storm Release, and Lava Release—where his experience let him gauge the results without much testing—Dust Release was different. He'd need to carefully test and feel it out to understand its full impact.
With that in mind, Seimei didn't waste another second and jumped right back into training.