The next day.
In the morning.
As the first ray of sunlight broke through the gap in the window and illuminated the room, Qingming opened his eyes.
With a thought, he opened his proficiency panel, looking at the proficiency levels of Mind Reflection Technique and Palm Immortal Technique. He nodded in satisfaction.
After working through the night, he had finally caught up on the progress he had missed with Mind Reflection Technique yesterday.
Not only that, but he had also used Palm Immortal Technique to enhance his body. Although he had not fully made up for all of the lost progress, he had at least taken another step toward his transformation.
As for the chakra consumed... Simply practicing these two techniques was enough to keep his chakra levels in check. His body had naturally recovered, and the chakra he had refined using Chakra Refinement Technique was sufficient.
Even now, his chakra was still close to full capacity.
"Not bad," he muttered to himself before closing the proficiency panel.
Looking toward the window, he murmured, "It's about time. I should head out."
He had been ordered by Heize Chengshu to reach the Blackstone Stronghold before 8 AM.
It was just past 7 AM now. If he used Wind Release: Wind Wings, he could reach the stronghold in under 40 minutes.
Qingming had always disliked waiting for others. Likewise, he didn't want others to wait for him.
'So, no need to push it to the last minute. I'll head out now.'
With that thought, Qingming gathered his gear, checked that everything he needed was packed, and left the room.
He didn't go to say goodbye to Uchiha Tetsuho. Last night, after the hundred-man reinforcement team sent by Heize Chengshu arrived, Tetsuho had come again. They had said everything that needed to be said then, so there was no need to waste any more words.
Reaching an open area, Qingming glanced at the sky, then, without hesitation, formed the necessary hand seals and performed his jutsu—Wind Release: Wind Wings!
In the next moment, a pair of light blue chakra wings appeared behind him. With a thought, he made them flap, and he soared into the air.
At around 100 meters above the ground, Qingming oriented himself and flew directly toward the Blackstone Stronghold.
A few people stationed at the stronghold saw him in the air and quickly alerted their comrades.
"Look, someone is in the sky!"
However, the Konoha ninja beside him glanced up, then laughed, saying, "Don't worry, that's our captain."
"You're new here, so you probably don't know. Our captain has mastered a flight jutsu."
"Captain? Ghost Blade Qingming?"
Inuzuka Kuroba asked, surprised.
"Yes. Let me tell you, the night before last..."
The Konoha ninja began to vividly recount the events from the previous night, explaining how Qingming had fought.
This was how his reputation had spread!
In the sky, Qingming vaguely noticed two figures. He scanned them briefly before ignoring them.
Flapping his wings, he immediately picked up speed, reaching his maximum velocity. In less than 40 minutes, he would be at the Blackstone Stronghold.
An hour later.
Qingming arrived safely at the Blackstone Stronghold.
The Konoha ninja on patrol watched as he descended from the sky, clearly startled.
It seemed that only a day had passed, and news of his flight jutsu hadn't spread yet. For now, only Heize Chengshu and the higher-ups of Konoha were aware.
Of course, if possible, Qingming would have preferred to keep this ability hidden.
Unfortunately, things hadn't gone as planned.
From the start, his ability had been exposed. Then, the sudden attack by Kirigakure had forced him to use the technique, making it impossible to keep it a secret any longer.
Now, there was no point in hiding it.
In fact, he might even be able to leverage this ability to land a good mission.
It was clear that the upcoming counterattack would involve large-scale and intense fighting, and even though Qingming was strong, he would have to be cautious. If he could take on less risky tasks, he could minimize the likelihood of unexpected dangers.
For this, he would need to contact the clan's upper management. Otherwise, it would be difficult to secure such tasks. And as for the matters within his clan, it was about time they reached a conclusion.
With that in mind, Qingming completed his registration and went to find Uchiha Hachidai.
Yes, he had come here to support as well. And he wasn't here in a regular capacity.
For major battles like this one, each clan in Konoha would assign one of their members to coordinate things.
This arrangement was meant to ensure the interests of the clan were safeguarded, and that clan members wouldn't die without purpose. Additionally, it helped with the management of their ninja, making coordination with the village's efforts more effective.
The Uchiha clan was no exception.
This time, the Uchiha clan's representative was Uchiha Hachidai, as confirmed in the messages received yesterday.
So, Qingming didn't have to ask around; he easily found him.
Knock knock knock
Qingming tapped lightly on the door.
"Come in!"
Uchiha Hachidai's voice came from inside.
Though they had only met a few times, Qingming recognized the voice.
He pushed open the door and walked in.
However, as soon as he entered, he saw an unexpected figure.
"Shisui?"
Indeed, the person wasn't anyone else but Uchiha Shisui.
Upon seeing him, Uchiha Shisui spoke first, "Qingming, you're here."
"Mm."
Qingming nodded and then asked, "You were called up too?"
"Yes."
Uchiha Shisui nodded in confirmation.
Since Uchiha Hachidai was there, they didn't engage in much small talk.
Qingming looked toward the figure behind the desk. "Clan uncle!"
"Mm."
Uchiha Hachidai nodded, then looked Qingming over before smiling. "Qingming, not bad. You're really impressive!"
After speaking, he turned to Uchiha Shisui and said, "Now that both of you are here, I'll just go over everything that needs to be noted all at once. This will save us the trouble later."
Both Qingming and Uchiha Shisui responded at the same time, "Please go ahead."
"Alright, here it is..."
Uchiha Hachidai didn't waste time. He immediately began outlining some important points to pay attention to for the mission.
He didn't speak for long, and within a few minutes, he finished explaining the usual precautions.
Only then did his expression turn serious.
He looked at both Qingming and Uchiha Shisui and said, "You should both be aware of the dangers of this mission."
"Yes," they both nodded in agreement.
Kirigakure had spent a lot of effort to capture those four strongholds, so they wouldn't easily give them up. A fierce resistance was expected.
The risks of this mission were obvious.
Since Qingming understood, Uchiha Shisui, being equally perceptive, had come to the same conclusion. They both nodded solemnly.
Seeing this, Uchiha Hachidai seemed pleased.
After a brief silence, he spoke again, his voice serious. "Both of you are the future of the clan. You are the foundation for the next step forward for the Uchiha. You cannot be lost here."
"Therefore, during this counterattack, I will do my best to assign you safer missions. You must ensure your survival."
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Shisui slightly furrowed his brows. It seemed that he had some reservations about Uchiha Hachidai's words, but being a smart person, he didn't voice any objections.
As for Qingming, of course, he had no intention of objecting.
Or rather, this arrangement was exactly what he wanted.
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