Time flies, and the years pass like a blur.
In the blink of an eye, a month and a half had gone by.
Before he knew it, the year was drawing to a close.
That evening, Seimei wrapped up another round of body enhancement training and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport back to Moon Island.
His figure appeared abruptly in the central clearing of the island.
You could tell at a glance that his condition was way better than when he'd first switched training grounds. Sure, the injuries from the harsh environment of the fourth cavity were still worse than an hour of training in the third cavity, but he no longer looked as beat-up as he had at the start.
This was all thanks to his body's continuous evolution.
After nearly four months of intense enhancement, he was more than halfway to his next transformation. By now, his body had adapted to the brutal conditions of the fourth cavity, so the damage he took wasn't as severe anymore.
Case in point: it took less than three minutes for his injuries to heal completely.
Seimei carefully checked his condition, then let out a long breath.
No time to waste. He immediately dispelled the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
In an instant, every shadow clone on and off the island vanished.
A flood of memories, chakra, and natural energy poured into him.
As usual, Seimei first stored the chakra and natural energy, then started sifting through the memories, absorbing and processing the training experience they held.
Time ticked by.
About fifteen minutes later, he opened his eyes again.
A spark of joy flashed in his gaze, and a faint smile spread across his face.
Not a bad haul just now.
Clearing his mind, Seimei looked up at the sunset on the horizon.
Normally, he'd pop a few soldier pills to replenish the energy he'd burned over the past hour and dive right back into training.
But not today.
Last year, he'd skipped resting because his body was on the verge of a transformation. This year was different. He still had two, maybe three months until his next transformation—plenty of time, no need to rush.
Plus, switching to the new training ground had done a number on him. Sure, his insane recovery had healed those injuries fast, but getting banged up so often was starting to wear on him. He needed a break to reset.
On top of that, months of relentless, high-intensity training had left him with a pile of built-up fatigue. The one-day break every ten days helped, but it wasn't enough to clear the exhaustion completely.
Training, after all, was about balance—pushing hard, but knowing when to ease off.
With all signs pointing to the need for a breather, Seimei wasn't about to force himself to keep going.
And since it was the end of the year, he decided to do what he did two years ago: take a week to travel the ninja world, soak in the sights, and fully unwind. It'd be the perfect way to shake off his fatigue and set himself up for the next big step—awakening the Rinnegan.
With those thoughts swirling, Seimei reined in his mind and stopped overthinking.
He took a moment to soak in the sunset's glow over the horizon. When the sun dipped toward the sea, he turned away.
After tidying up his gear, he used Wind Release: Wings of Wind and took to the sky.
This time, he didn't bother with a Chakra Cloak for protection or use Earth Release: Ultra-Lightweight Rock Technique or his Byakugan's gravity manipulation to speed himself up.
He just flew leisurely toward the Fire Country, toward the Hidden Leaf Village, taking in the scenery along the way.
By the time he reached the village, night had fallen.
But with the year-end festivities in full swing, the Leaf was livelier than usual.
Without a word, Seimei slipped into his house, washed up quickly, and headed out to join the buzz.
Of course, his main focus was the food.
Could you blame him? With his chakra recovery demands growing, he was chugging down more and more soldier pills. Even though these were the enhanced versions tweaked by the Nara clan, they were only improved for nutrition and energy—not taste.
The more he ate, the more he loathed them.
It had gotten to the point where he was downright craving good food. It was practically an obsession now.
So, for his upcoming trip, he planned to eat his way through every delicacy he came across.
No time to waste. Seimei wiped the drool from his mouth at the entrance to the village's "food street" and made a beeline for the nearest stall.
It was none other than his go-to spot—the one selling all kinds of delicious meatballs.
And by some stroke of luck, there was a familiar face at the stall.
A loud, excitable kid was pestering the vendor to hurry up with his order.
Who else but Naruto?
Next to him were a few kids around his age. Seimei tapped into his shadow clone's memories and quickly identified them. They were mostly heirs of the village's prominent clans—the future "Konoha 12."
In the original timeline, Naruto was an outcast but still managed to befriend Shikamaru Nara and the others. Now, with a Hokage for a dad, it was no surprise that his personality and the influence of those clans had drawn this group together.
Naturally, that included the "little star" of the Uchiha clan—Sasuke Uchiha.
Just like in the memories, Sasuke was young but already mastering the Uchiha art of looking effortlessly cool. While the others were lively and chatty, he stood off to the side, arms crossed, radiating an air of aloofness.
But without the pain of the clan massacre, his "coolness" came off more like a kid trying too hard to act mature.
Didn't he jump right in to answer when Naruto and the others asked what he wanted to eat?
Maybe because Seimei was staring a bit too long, Sasuke's sharp senses picked up on him. The boy turned, locking eyes with him, and froze for a moment, clearly recognizing who he was.
Seimei wasn't surprised. Sure, he kept a low profile, but in the strength-obsessed Uchiha clan, his name carried weight. As the clan leader's son, raised with an elite education, it was only natural Sasuke would know him.
Still, the kid was just that—a kid. Seimei didn't dwell on it.
He gave Sasuke a slight nod, a small gesture of respect for the clan leader's son, then joined the back of the line to buy some meatballs.
The fact that there was a line at all just showed how lively the Leaf was tonight.
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