The events unfolding in the village were still unknown to Qingming.
At this moment, he was focused on digesting and absorbing the experiences and memories of his Shadow Clones' training over the past hour.
Most of the Shadow Clones had been assigned tasks to steadily enhance their respective skills, with solid progress being made across the board.
However, the clones tasked with practicing "Illusion: Bringer-of-Darkness Technique" and "Nirvana Temple Technique"—along with "Earth Release: Earth Flow River" and "Earth Release: Inner Decapitation Technique"—achieved mixed results.
The first two techniques, being significantly more challenging to master, were still in the preliminary stages and hadn't yet reached even an entry-level proficiency.
On the other hand, the latter two techniques progressed rapidly. Their lower difficulty levels, coupled with the solid foundation laid by Qingming's earlier mastery of several Earth Release techniques, led to impressive results.
In particular, the "Earth Release: Inner Decapitation Technique" showed remarkable progress. In the span of just an hour, not only did the Shadow Clones achieve basic mastery of the technique, but they had also made significant strides toward level 2.
Using this data, Qingming calculated the Chakra cost required to increase proficiency in this technique—80 Chakra points per unit of improvement.
Yes, on average, each 80 Chakra points expended would raise its skill level by one point.
Considering the level cap for a C-rank jutsu at level 5, Qingming estimated that by investing 40,000 Chakra points daily, it would take just over seven days—barely eight—to elevate the technique to its maximum potential.
Once that goal was achieved, the Chakra resources allocated to this technique could then be redirected to other skills.
Qingming also calculated the Chakra cost for advancing "Earth Release: Earth Flow River".
As a slightly higher-ranked technique, it required 100 Chakra points per unit of improvement.
With a daily investment of 40,000 Chakra points, proficiency would increase by 400 points per day.
Given the level cap of B-rank techniques at level 7, achieving mastery would take significantly longer—at least one and a half months.
However, this timeline seemed dauntingly long to Qingming.
Based on his current rate of improvement, Qingming anticipated that within a month and a half, his Physique attribute would have advanced significantly, and his Spirit attribute might also experience another boost thanks to the ongoing evolution of his Mangekyō Sharingan.
By then, the amount of freely usable Chakra at his disposal would have increased substantially, necessitating a reassessment of how it would be allocated.
With that in mind, the projected timeline of one and a half months held little practical value.
Shaking his head at these thoughts, Qingming opened his eyes and set aside the calculations.
Crossing his hands into the Tiger Seal, he once again performed the "Multi Shadow Clone Technique", summoning eight clones.
As before, Qingming assigned each clone a specific training task before sending them off.
As for himself, he picked up a book containing research notes on the Akimichi Clan's Calorie Control Technique.
While reading through the content, Qingming activated "Mystical Palm Technique", experimenting with adjustments to the Yang Release Chakra distribution to further enhance its physical strengthening effects.
Of course, an hour of study was far from enough to yield any substantial breakthroughs.
Still, it wasn't completely fruitless.
At the very least, the notes provided a valuable reference point, enabling Qingming to gradually reduce the time required for each activation of the "Mystical Palm Technique" to strengthen his body.
Although the reduction in time was minimal, it was still a tangible improvement.
Admittedly, this didn't lower the total Chakra consumption, but it did free up a small portion of Qingming's time.
Thanks to this small efficiency gain, Qingming could read through the book's contents without sacrificing his training schedule.
Once he fully digested the knowledge within, even if he couldn't develop new secret techniques, the time saved from each application of the "Mystical Palm Technique" could be redirected toward additional repetitions, indirectly accelerating his progress.
This approach would require more Chakra, of course.
But Chakra was something that could always be managed or replenished with effort.
With these thoughts swirling through his mind, Qingming calmed himself and immersed fully in his training.
Time flew by.
By evening, after several hours of practice, Qingming successfully reached the entry-level stage for the two A-rank Genjutsu techniques.
More importantly, he had calculated the Chakra costs for advancing these techniques.
Both "Illusion: Bringer-of-Darkness Technique" and "Nirvana Temple Technique" required roughly 120 Chakra points per unit of proficiency improvement.
With an investment of 50,000 Chakra points each, these techniques could gain approximately 415 proficiency points daily.
At that rate, fully mastering both techniques to level 9 (0/0)—the maximum level for A-rank jutsu—would take over 200 days.
Clearly, that timeline was far too long.
"Perhaps it's time to start prioritizing the capture of Tailed Beasts," Qingming murmured to himself.
This was only the beginning. If he were to study some of the forbidden jutsu in Danzo's collection, the Chakra requirements would grow exponentially.
Even with his steadily increasing Chakra reserves and recovery speed—thanks to his rising attributes—relying solely on his own power seemed insufficient.
The need to find additional Chakra sources had become evident.
Tailed Beasts offered a compelling solution.
Qingming had already made significant preparations for this, even narrowing his target down to the Seven-Tails residing in Takigakure.
However, he wasn't in a rush.
First, he needed to gather intelligence on the state of the target Tailed Beast.
Second, mastering several sealing techniques to control the Tailed Beast's Chakra was imperative.
Finally—and most critically—Qingming needed to ensure his safety and eliminate any threats from within the village before taking any further steps.
As the saying goes, "To conquer external challenges, one must first secure internal stability."
Only when confident in his immunity to Konoha's suspicions would he act freely to capture the Tailed Beast.
Should anything go wrong, with Konoha as his backing, he could easily deflect the blame and remain in the clear.
Moreover, there was an added benefit: If Takigakure discovered the theft, they'd likely choose to hide it to avoid becoming a target themselves.
This would give Qingming ample time to fully harness the benefits of capturing a Tailed Beast.
After dismissing these thoughts, Qingming returned to practicing the "Multi Shadow Clone Technique" as his final training task for the day.
By now, his Chakra reserves were low, and practicing this jutsu at such times minimized waste.
An hour passed quickly.
With night fully descended, Qingming concluded his training session for the day.
He glanced at his skill panel, noting the additional 630 proficiency points gained for "Multi Shadow Clone Technique", and nodded in satisfaction.
Without wasting any time, Qingming activated "Wind Release: Wind Wings" and "Chakra Cloak" to take to the skies, heading toward Konoha.
When he passed by the forest where he had battled Danzo earlier, Qingming deactivated the protective seal on his forehead and activated his Byakugan to take a look.
What he saw startled him.
Several black-clad, mask-wearing ninjas were combing through the area.
Occasionally, they would stop to inspect something closely.
It wasn't hard to guess their identities—they were almost certainly Konoha ANBU.
Their presence here could only mean one thing: They were investigating Danzo's death.
Qingming was slightly surprised by how quickly they had found this location.
But when he considered how the Root base had been taken over by ANBU, it made sense.
For a schemer like Danzo, leaving contingencies in place would've been second nature.
Following those leads to this forest was only logical.
However, the effort would prove futile.
Qingming had destroyed all evidence, and Danzo's body, along with those of his subordinates, had been obliterated—leaving not even a trace behind.
Unless Orochimaru had already mastered the S-rank forbidden jutsu "Impure World Reincarnation" and happened to have samples of their cells, summoning their souls from the Pure Land would be impossible.
In the end, the investigation would yield nothing but baseless speculation.
This, however, posed no threat to Qingming.
After observing for a while, he concealed himself and continued toward Konoha.
Still, the mention of "Impure World Reincarnation" and souls sparked another train of thought in Qingming's mind.
He resolved that, when the opportunity arose, he would prioritize fusing the seven Chakra natures to create Truth-Seeking Orbs.
Only with such power could he deal with reanimated bodies and directly harm a target's soul.
With these thoughts swirling, Qingming flew further and further, disappearing into the horizon.
plz support me if you can.
patreon.com/Mano99
all the fanfic is 30 chapter a had and you will get 1 chapter everyday.