Chapter 30: Departure

Clap, clap, clap~ A round of applause echoed. Seimei followed the sound and saw a figure appearing in the distance, then flashing before him in an instant. "Clan Uncle!" Seeing the newcomer, Seimei bowed slightly in greeting. The newcomer was Uchiha Hiashi, eighteen years old this year, with his Sharingan already evolved to three tomoe. He was a rising genius in the Uchiha clan recently. Unfortunately, Seimei hadn't heard this name in his previous life. He didn't know whether Hiashi died in this Ninja World War, in some mission, or was struck down by Itachi, becoming a nameless corpse. Unaware of Seimei's inner thoughts, Uchiha Hiashi nodded, glanced around, and casually said, "Your Great Fireball Technique is quite good!" Without waiting for Seimei's response, he took out a scroll from his bosom and tossed it to Seimei, saying, "Here, this is the Shadow Clone Technique you requested. Remember not to pass it on to others." That's right, besides the 'Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique', 'Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique', 'Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique', and 'Body Flicker Technique', he also planned to learn the 'Shadow Clone Technique'. Any Uchiha ninja, upon graduating from the Ninja Academy and becoming a Genin, could request one ninjutsu, genjutsu, or taijutsu from the clan. This was a benefit provided by the Uchiha clan. Seimei hadn't claimed this benefit since his graduation until now. Seeing that he was about to head to the battlefield and didn't know when he would return next time, he naturally wanted to secure this benefit first. Moreover, he genuinely wanted to learn this technique. Because as the skill levels increased, the proficiency required for each skill would also increase. Relying solely on himself was a bit overwhelming. Shadow clones, as tangible clones, could perfectly transfer experience and memories to the original body, eliminating any worries about not being able to help gain proficiency. However, their efficiency was still unknown. Taking the scroll, Seimei briefly skimmed through it. After confirming there were no issues, he thanked Uchiha Hiashi. Uchiha Hiashi waved his hand, not staying any longer, and disappeared with a few flashes. Seimei sat on the ground, carefully examining the scroll in his hand. After a long while, confirming that Hiashi had indeed left, he put the scroll away. It wasn't that Seimei was overly cautious, but he had too many secrets. Any one of them exposed would bring him endless trouble. Seimei just wanted to peacefully grind proficiency and didn't want to be involved in any trouble. So, he had to be extremely careful. Otherwise, he wouldn't have immediately used the 'Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique' to destroy all traces around him after sensing someone approaching. It was important to note that ninjutsu performed with and without Sharingan assistance had different outcomes. Take the 'Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique' for example. Uchiha ninja without awakened Sharingan could indeed perform it, but they wouldn't be able to control it as precisely as he did. This subtle difference might not be noticeable to ordinary people, but experienced Uchiha ninja, especially those with awakened Sharingan, could likely spot the discrepancy with a glance. If that happened, the secret of his Sharingan awakening might be exposed. Seimei didn't want to gamble on whether the person was an Uchiha or whether they could see through it, so it was better to burn everything with fire. Not only did he erase training traces, but even when going out on normal days, Seimei wouldn't let his chakra level exceed 2000 points. It was important to know that whether it was the Sharingan, the Byakugan, or some sensory-type ninja, they could all judge a ninja's chakra level to some extent. And then use that to determine the ninja's strength. 2000 points was a safe line. Below this value, he might not be able to handle unexpected situations. And above this value, it might attract unwanted attention. Although Seimei didn't think anyone would specifically pay attention to a small fry like him, just in case, he still didn't restore his chakra to above 2000 points. Anyway, he needed a lot of chakra to gain proficiency, so controlling his chakra level was easy. Now, the only thing to consider was whether he should maintain this state when departing with the team for the Land of Rain in a few days. It was conceivable that the journey wouldn't be peaceful. Perhaps within the Land of Fire, the enemies wouldn't dare to attack recklessly, but once they left the Land of Fire and entered the Land of Rain, things might be different. If he fell into a trap due to insufficient chakra at that time, it would be a big problem. Standing in place, lost in thought for a while, Seimei suddenly sighed softly and muttered to himself, "Sigh! Now I can only hope that there will be more people when we depart, otherwise it will be quite troublesome..." With that, he stopped thinking and started practicing the 'Body Flicker Technique' intensively. As his planned escape method, Seimei had to raise its level even higher. ... Time flew by. Three days later. This morning. Seimei dressed neatly, strapped on his ninja tool pouch, tied his forehead protector, put on his backpack, and walked out the door. Passing through streets and alleys, Seimei headed towards the gathering point. Along the way, he occasionally saw one or two ninja dressed similarly to him, carrying large and small bags, heading towards the Konoha gate. That's right, today was the day of departure. They would first gather at the Konoha village entrance, then count the number of people, and finally, after confirming everything was in order, set off together for the battlefield in the Land of Rain. A few minutes later. Seimei arrived at the Konoha village entrance. At this time, many people had already gathered there. In addition, there were dozens of carts lined up, some loaded with food, others with ninja tools, all filled to the brim. These were the supplies they were escorting to the front lines. Whether in his past life or this one, wars ultimately tested logistical capabilities. If logistics couldn't keep up, the war couldn't be won. Therefore, in addition to them rookies, there were also many Jonin accompanying them, and they were all Jonin from various clans. This made Seimei slightly relieved. After all, he only had 2000 chakra points in his body and couldn't unleash his full strength. That's right, in the end, Seimei decided to maintain his usual state. He didn't believe he was so unlucky as to encounter an enemy that 2000 chakra points couldn't handle. If he did, he could always run away first. "Seimei, over here!" While Seimei was looking around, Ryosuke's voice came from the crowd. Seimei looked towards the sound and saw Ryosuke and Furukawa standing in front of a cart, waving at him. So, he quickly walked over. Seeing Seimei approach, before Ryosuke could speak, Furukawa asked first, "How's your Body Flicker Technique coming along?" That's right, Seimei learned the Body Flicker Technique from Furukawa. Among the ninjutsu left by his parents, this technique wasn't included, and he didn't want to waste the precious opportunity to request a technique from the clan on a mere D-rank ninjutsu. So, he set his sights on Furukawa. It was the duty of the Jonin team leader to teach their students ninjutsu, so upon hearing Seimei's request, Furukawa didn't hesitate to teach him this technique. Logically, this technique should have been taught after Seimei was promoted to Chunin. But Furukawa had witnessed Seimei using the C-rank ninjutsu 'Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique' and knew that a mere D-rank ninjutsu was nothing to him. So, he didn't hold back. Now, a few days had passed, and hearing Furukawa ask again. Seimei secretly opened his panel and glanced at it. The 'Body Flicker Technique' had changed from lv1 (10/200) to lv2 (15/500)! With this proficiency, he could cast it in less than a second. However, adhering to his usual low-profile approach, Seimei simply replied, "I've already learned it." "Is that so?" Hearing Seimei's answer, Furukawa remained noncommittal. (End of Chapter)