The next day.
Morning.
As the first rays of sunlight peeked through the cracks in the window, Seimei opened his eyes.
With a thought, he opened the proficiency panel and looked at the proficiency of "Heart Reflection Technique" and "Immortal Palm Technique." Satisfied, he nodded slightly.
After a night of effort, he had finally made up for the progress he had missed on the "Heart Reflection Technique" from the day before.
Not only that, but he also used the "Immortal Palm Technique" to enhance his body. Although he hadn't fully recovered all the progress, he had taken another step closer to transformation.
As for the chakra consumed, just practicing these two techniques allowed his body to naturally recover chakra. With the help of the "Chakra Refining Technique," it was enough.
Thus, his chakra was still nearly at full capacity.
"Not bad!" he muttered to himself, closing the proficiency panel.
Then he glanced at the window and murmured, "It's about time. I should head out."
Kurozawa Seiki had ordered him to arrive at the Black Stone Base before 8 a.m. that morning.
Now, it was just a little past seven. If he used the Wind Release: Wind Wings technique, it would take less than 40 minutes to get there.
Seimei never liked waiting for others, and likewise, he wouldn't keep others waiting either.
"So, better not cut it too close. I'll head out now!"
With that in mind, Seimei packed his gear, made sure he had everything he needed, and left the room.
He didn't say goodbye to Uchiha Tekkō.
Last night, after the hundred-man support team sent by Kurozawa Seiki arrived, Tekkō had already paid another visit. Everything that needed to be said was already said.
So, there was no need to waste any more words.
Arriving in an open area, Seimei glanced at the sky. Without hesitation, he formed hand seals and cast the Wind Release: Wind Wings jutsu.
In the next moment, a pair of pale blue chakra wings appeared on his back. Seimei willed them to move, and he rose into the sky.
At about 100 meters above the ground, Seimei oriented himself and flew straight towards the Black Stone Base.
Inside the base, someone spotted Seimei's figure in the sky and quickly alerted their companion, "Look, someone's flying up there!"
However, the Konoha ninja next to him glanced up and smiled. "No need to worry, Kurokiba. That's our captain."
"You're new here, so you don't know. Our captain can use a flying jutsu."
"The captain? The Ghost Blade, Seimei?" Inuzuka Kurokiba exclaimed in surprise.
"That's right. Let me tell you, the other night..."
The Konoha ninja then enthusiastically recounted Seimei's feats from the other night.
How does a reputation get built?
This is how it gets built!
Up in the sky, Seimei noticed the two but quickly looked away and ignored them.
With a flap of his wings, his speed instantly reached its maximum, flying towards the Black Stone Base at 30 meters per second.
...
Half an hour later.
Seimei arrived at the Black Stone Base without any issues.
The Konoha ninja on patrol were visibly surprised to see him descend from the sky.
Clearly, in just one day, the fact that he had mastered a flying technique hadn't spread widely. Only the upper echelon of Konoha, such as Kurozawa Seiki, were likely aware of it.
Of course, if he could help it, Seimei would have preferred to keep this ability hidden.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.
From the very beginning, this ability of his had been exposed. Later, during Kirigakure's raid, he was forced to use the technique again.
So now, there was no point in hiding it.
In fact, he might even be able to leverage this technique to land a cushy assignment!
There's no doubt that Konoha's upcoming counteroffensive will be intense and large-scale. Even though he's strong, Seimei would have to be cautious in such a battle.
If he could take on some lower-risk tasks, he could minimize the chances of any accidents.
However, this would require communication with the clan's leadership.
Otherwise, it would be difficult to arrange.
Additionally, the clan's internal matters he had entrusted to them should have an outcome soon.
With that in mind, after registering his arrival, Seimei went to find Uchiha Hachidai.
Yes, Hachidai had also come to provide support.
And not in an ordinary capacity.
For important battles like this, Konoha's various clans would appoint a representative to coordinate.
This served two purposes: protecting the clan's interests to prevent unnecessary deaths, and better managing the clan's ninjas to align with the village's strategy.
The Uchiha clan was no exception.
This time, the Uchiha representative was none other than Hachidai, which had been made clear in the message sent the previous day.
So, Seimei didn't have to look far to find him.
...
Knock knock.
Outside a door, Seimei lightly tapped his fingers.
"Come in!"
The voice of Uchiha Hachidai came from inside.
Although Seimei hadn't met him many times, he could still recognize Hachidai's voice.
He pushed open the door and stepped inside.
Unexpectedly, he immediately spotted someone else in the room.
"Shisui?"
Indeed, it was Uchiha Shisui.
Seeing Seimei enter, Shisui greeted him, "Seimei, you're here."
"Yeah," Seimei nodded. "You've been summoned too?"
"Yes," Shisui also nodded in response.
With Hachidai present, neither of them exchanged too many pleasantries.
Seimei looked towards Hachidai and greeted, "Uncle!"
"Mmm," Hachidai nodded and sized him up before smiling. "Seimei, you're doing well. Very well!"
Then, he turned to Shisui. "Good, both of you are here. I'll tell you everything you need to be aware of in one go, so we can avoid unnecessary trouble."
"Go ahead," Seimei and Shisui replied in unison.
"Alright, here's the situation..."
Hachidai didn't waste any words and quickly outlined the key points of the mission.
He didn't drag on, taking only a few minutes to cover the standard precautions.
Only then did his expression turn serious.
Looking at Seimei and Shisui, he said, "You both know how dangerous this mission is."
"Yes," they both nodded.
Kirigakure wouldn't give up the four bases they had fought so hard to capture, and they would resist fiercely.
The mission's danger was obvious.
Seimei understood this, and so did Shisui, so they both nodded solemnly.
Seeing their reaction, Hachidai felt reassured.
After a brief silence, he spoke again, "You two are the future of the Uchiha clan. You're the foundation for the clan's next step forward. You cannot fall here."
"So, during this counteroffensive, I'll try to assign you relatively safe tasks. You must ensure your survival."
Shisui frowned slightly, seemingly having some objections to Hachidai's words, but being the smart person he was, he didn't voice them.
As for Seimei, he certainly wouldn't object.
In fact, this was exactly what he wanted.