The sun set, and the moon rose.
In the blink of an eye, night had fallen.
Several hours passed, and Seimei was still fast asleep.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
*Knock, knock, knock...*
The next moment, Seimei's eyes shot open.
In an instant, his dazed look turned sharp and alert.
He spread his senses outwards, and after confirming the identity of the person at the door, he relaxed slightly.
However, he didn't rush to respond. Instead, he sat up, stretched out his arms, and took a deep, satisfying stretch.
*Crack, crack, crack...*
The sound of joints cracking filled the room.
Seimei felt utterly refreshed.
"It's been so long since I've had such a good sleep," he murmured, retracting his arms before speaking up, "Come in!"
*Creak...*
The door opened.
Uchiha Tetsuka walked in.
Seeing him, Seimei immediately asked, "What's the matter?"
Upon hearing the question, Uchiha Tetsuka didn't waste any time and responded directly, "This afternoon, Captain Kurozawa sent a message. He wants you to head to the Blackstone Outpost by 8 a.m. tomorrow."
"Blackstone Outpost?"
Seimei frowned and confirmed, "You mean the one on the central defensive line, near the southernmost point of the northern front?"
"That's right, that one," Uchiha Tetsuka affirmed.
"If I remember correctly, it's a large outpost with heavy defenses. It shouldn't have fallen, right?" Seimei asked, then suddenly seemed to remember something and added, "By the way, how many outposts did we lose in last night's battle?"
"Four," Uchiha Tetsuka answered. "According to Captain Kurozawa, the Mist Village broke through four of our outposts last night, one of which was near the Blackstone Outpost."
"Oh," Seimei nodded in understanding. "So the command is planning to retake that outpost?"
"That seems to be the case," Uchiha Tetsuka replied. "Not just you, I've heard other jonin from different outposts are being called in as well. Everyone's gathering at the Blackstone Outpost."
"I see."
Seimei pondered for a moment before asking again, "If I leave, what about this outpost? The Mist Village might not give up so easily. Does Captain Kurozawa have any plans?"
"Yes," Uchiha Tetsuka nodded, confirming Seimei's concerns. "A hundred-man squad will arrive tonight to reinforce us."
He paused before continuing, "Also, based on Captain Kurozawa's intel, it seems the village has received word that the Mist Village won't attack any more outposts. Instead, they plan to use the four they've captured as a foothold to expand their territory."
Seimei thought for a moment and agreed.
Since they'd already secured four outposts, it didn't make sense for the Mist Village to keep launching attacks. While spreading Konoha's forces thin might be a strategy, it would also stretch their own forces too much.
This was still Konoha's home turf, after all. If Konoha suddenly concentrated its forces and reclaimed the four outposts, the Mist Village's efforts would be wasted.
So it made sense for them to hold on to what they'd gained instead of continuing to spread out.
With that, the Eagle Cliffs Outpost probably didn't need to worry too much.
Even if the Mist Village still harbored ambitions to attack, they likely wouldn't send a large force.
A hundred-man squad should be enough reinforcement.
With that thought, Seimei felt completely at ease.
The room fell into silence.
After a moment, Seimei asked, "Anything else?"
Uchiha Tetsuka thought for a moment before shaking his head. "No, that's all."
"Alright, you can go."
Seimei began to dismiss him.
Hearing this, Uchiha Tetsuka nodded and started walking toward the door.
However, just as he reached the door, he stopped suddenly, turned around, and said, "Seimei, be careful."
"Hmm?"
Seimei raised an eyebrow before smiling, "Don't worry. You know my abilities by now. I'll be fine."
"Yeah, I believe in you," Uchiha Tetsuka said earnestly, nodding before turning and leaving the room, gently closing the door behind him.
Sensing his departure, Seimei shook his head with a smile. "Worried about my safety? Do I seem like the type to take unnecessary risks?"
As he said this, Seimei's actions suddenly paused.
He couldn't help but recall his actions from last night—his reckless behavior during the battle, and how he had exhausted himself healing the wounded afterward.
"Maybe... I do take risks sometimes," Seimei thought to himself.
But immediately after, he shook his head. He knew his own limits well. The reason he acted so boldly last night was simple.
First, the Mist Village didn't have any effective countermeasures against his flying ninjutsu. Second, he had the 'Heaven's Blessing' as his trump card.
With that confidence, it made sense to act a bit more daringly.
Without those two advantages, he wouldn't have taken such risks.
As for healing the wounded...
That was simply something he could do, so he did it. It wasn't a big deal.
So, Uchiha Tetsuka's concern was unnecessary.
Besides, there were some benefits to all the healing he'd done this morning. At the very least, his proficiency with several medical ninjutsu had increased significantly.
His "Mystical Palm Technique," "Chakra Scalpel," and "Delicate Illness Extraction Technique" had all gained a few hundred points of proficiency.
Especially the "Mystical Palm Technique," which had nearly gained a thousand points thanks to the practical experience. That was almost the total progress he'd made over the past four days.
Unfortunately, all that proficiency had been used up healing others.
If it hadn't, his body might've already reached the threshold for transformation.
Shaking his head, Seimei stopped thinking about it and began practicing "Mental Reflection Technique" to stimulate his brain into producing special chakra to advance his Sharingan.
After an entire afternoon of sleep, his chakra reserves were fully restored.
The Blackstone Outpost was less than 60 kilometers away. At his speed, using "Wind Release: Wings of Wind," he could get there in under 40 minutes. There was no need to rush.
Having slept enough, he could take this time to make up for the training he'd missed earlier today.
And so, time ticked by.
Night grew deeper.
Yet Seimei continued to practice "Mental Reflection Technique" over and over, as if determined to make up for every lost second of training.
(End of chapter)