In an instant, Seimei's surroundings shifted.
One moment, he was inside the harsh, scorching environment of a volcano. The next, he found himself standing on the lush, green expanse of Moon Island.
Inhale… Exhale…
Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Seimei felt his lungs ease up. After a brief pause, his skin—red and burning from the volcano's intense heat—quickly returned to normal.
Only then did he take a moment to check his condition.
Compared to before he'd activated Sage Mode, his body had indeed grown stronger over the past hour. The enhancement was noticeable.
But…
Seimei glanced at his chakra and natural energy consumption for the past hour, and his brow furrowed.
The cost had exceeded his expectations, making the effort feel a bit like it wasn't worth the payoff.
Reflecting on his training over the last hour, Seimei paused to rethink his approach.
Up until now, he'd been pushing to keep Sage Mode active throughout his training for the Body of the Extreme. That meant activating Sage Mode twice in a single hour.
But merging senjutsu chakra took time.
That alone wasted about twenty minutes.
Maybe he could cut it down to just one activation.
Here's the plan: spend ten minutes entering Sage Mode to boost his Body of the Extreme training. Once he exited, he wouldn't re-enter but instead blend a portion of senjutsu chakra directly into his regular training, like he used to.
The training effect might not be as strong as it was now, but it'd save a ton of chakra and natural energy.
More importantly, as his Sage Mode proficiency improved, he'd be able to maintain it for longer periods. When that happened, channeling it directly into physical enhancement would naturally boost his training efficiency.
Plus, he wouldn't have to stress about juggling time within that hour.
Well… at least not until his Sage Mode duration stretched to fifty minutes or a full hour.
With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Seimei quickly reined them in, focusing on the task at hand.
First, he recalled his shadow clones outside and spent about fifteen minutes absorbing and processing their training experience from the past hour.
Then, forming hand signs, he cast Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu again, creating five hundred sixty shadow clones in two waves.
As usual, he assigned them their training tasks before teleporting back to the volcano beneath Moon Island.
This time, he followed his new plan and got to work.
---
An hour later, Seimei returned to Moon Island.
He carefully assessed his condition.
As expected, cutting Sage Mode down to one activation per hour had lowered his training efficiency slightly.
Still, compared to before he'd mastered Sage Mode, it was an improvement.
Most crucially, it barely consumed any extra chakra or natural energy.
Seimei did some quick mental math. If he trained this way for a full day, his chakra and natural energy consumption would rise by about half a percent—roughly an extra million points.
But in return, his physical enhancement efficiency would increase by ten percent.
Originally, he estimated it'd take nearly five months for his body to undergo its transformation.
Now, he could shave about half a month off that timeline, hitting the transformation threshold by mid-January instead of February next year.
And this was just the start.
As his Sage Mode leveled up and he could sustain it longer, his training efficiency would climb even higher, potentially pushing the timeline up further.
On top of that, in about three weeks, his Sharingan's evolution would hit the (60,000/10,000) milestone. When that happened, he could reallocate the six hours he currently spent daily on Reflection Heart Jutsu to Body of the Extreme, giving his training another massive boost.
Combining those factors, he might not even have to wait until next year. By the end of this year, his body could complete its transformation.
Seimei was thrilled at the thought.
Whoosh~
A night breeze swept through, snapping him out of his thoughts.
With a shiver, Seimei refocused. With a thought, he dispelled the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.
In an instant, every shadow clone—inside and outside the island—vanished.
A flood of memories poured into his mind.
Following his usual routine, Seimei set the memories aside for a moment. He first sorted and stored the chakra and natural energy that came with them before diving into the memories.
It took about fifteen minutes to go through all the clones' memories and fully absorb their training experience.
Once that was done, he headed back to his cabin on Moon Island, packed up his things, and used Flying Thunder God Jutsu to teleport to the forest outside the Hidden Leaf Village.
Byakugan~
With a thought, Seimei activated his Byakugan.
Instantly, everything within a two-kilometer radius came into view.
He scanned the area carefully, confirming nothing was out of the ordinary. Noting the position of the Leaf's patrol team ahead, he moved toward the village's outer wall.
As he entered the watchtower's observation range, he activated Heaven's Control, effortlessly scaling the wall and slipping through the Leaf's sensory barrier into the village.
From there, he made his way to the heart of the village.
The lively atmosphere hit him immediately.
Walking down the street, Seimei could feel the genuine sense of ease radiating from everyone—civilians, ninja, even visiting merchants.
The reason was simple: word had spread about the recent peace treaty between the Hidden Leaf and the Hidden Cloud, along with the official withdrawal of troops from the border.
This news had clarified the state of the ninja world, putting people at ease.
But none of that mattered much to Seimei. Dodging the crowds, he quickened his pace and soon arrived at the Uchiha clan's grounds, stepping into his home.
Without needing to say a word, the shadow clone he'd left to hold down the fort dispelled itself.
Instantly, ten days' worth of memories flooded his mind.
Seimei closed his eyes to skim through them, confirming nothing major had happened. Then he shed his gear, slipped into casual clothes, and headed out.
It wasn't often he came back to the village, so he was determined to satisfy his cravings.
His first stop? The food street.
Sure, he'd arrived a bit late, missing the afternoon rush, but the night market was just as lively.
Without hesitation, Seimei dove in, ready to stuff his face.