The next day.
Early morning.
The sky was just starting to brighten.
Seii sought out Yukikaze.
It was clear Yukikaze hadn't slept well. Dark circles hung heavy under his eyes, and he looked drained, as if he'd taken a major blow.
And, well, he had.
Yesterday, after Seii explained what Yukikaze needed to do and the rules he had to follow, then pretended to leave, Yukikaze had spent the night testing every possible way to escape the island or send a ssage.
But every thod he tried? Seii had already accounted for.
Not only did Yukikaze fail to find any loopholes, but his repeated attempts to break the seal's restrictions triggered wave after wave of agonizing punishnt.
It had nearly broken him.
Seii's shadow clone, watching from the shadows as Yukikaze writhed in pain, had actually worried he might give up entirely.
Then start slacking.
Which would slow down Seii's training progress.
Luckily, as soone who'd awakened a Kekkei Genkai and risen to jōnin, Yukikaze's will was pretty solid. Even without finding a way out, he hadn't completely given up.
That let Seii breathe a small sigh of relief.
But not giving up didn't an Yukikaze got any rest.
Last night, he'd tossed and turned, unable to sleep, his mind racing with thoughts of what Seii would make him do today.
And that led to the "wrecked" look Seii saw now.
Ignoring Yukikaze's state, Seii got straight to the point. "You ready? If you are, let's get started."
Yukikaze nodded weakly.
Seeing that, Seii turned and headed outside.
Oh, by the way—Yukikaze was staying in the sa underground chamber Seii had once used to hold Danzō and Shigesumi. It'd be his resting place for the foreseeable future.
Watching Seii's back, Yukikaze's "defeated" expression shifted. A sharp glint flickered deep in his eyes.
But it vanished quickly.
He stepped forward, following Seii out of the underground space.
The two erged onto the island. A sea breeze swept through, sending a shiver down their spines.
Seii casually adjusted his clothes, then stopped on a relatively flat patch of ground. He turned to Yukikaze. "Alright, here's good."
Yukikaze stopped silently, standing a couple of ters away.
Seii nodded, satisfied, then said, "Next, I'm going to lift so of the restrictions on you. You'll follow my orders and use your Ice Release."
At the ntion of lifting restrictions, Yukikaze's eyes lit up briefly before he quickly hid it. "Got it," he said.
"Good."
Seii responded as if he had no defenses up, nodding and forming hand signs to partially release the "Heart-Sealing Soul-Locking Contract Teleportation Seal" on Yukikaze.
Instantly, Yukikaze felt a weight lift from his chest, like a shackle had been removed.
Almost instinctively, he knew he could use Ice Release again.
And even… attack Seii!
He stole a glance at Seii, just a few ters away, but held back the urge to strike.
He didn't believe Seii, who controlled the seal, would overlook sothing so obvious.
Not yet, Yukikaze thought to himself.
anwhile, seeing Yukikaze hesitate, Seii felt a twinge of disappointnt.
He'd half-hoped Yukikaze would try another sneak attack.
It would've given him an excuse to put more pressure on him.
But, sadly, Yukikaze wasn't that impulsive.
Oh well, Seii thought.
He could've sealed Yukikaze's ability to attack him while allowing Ice Release, but he didn't.
Not because he was looking for a thrill, but because leaving that small window gave Yukikaze a sliver of hope—enough to keep him from giving up entirely.
As for when Yukikaze might try to exploit that opening? That was up to him.
All Seii needed was his cooperation in developing Ice Release.
With that in mind, Seii didn't waste any more ti. "Alright, first, form a ball of Ice Release chakra for
to see."
Yukikaze didn't object. He raised his right hand, and with a thought, a misty orb of chilling Ice Release chakra ford in his palm.
It radiated a cold so intense it seed to pierce the soul.
Seii studied it for a mont, then shook his head. "No good. You're converting the chakra too fast. Slow it down."
"Slow it down…" Yukikaze muttered, pausing to think. He dispersed the chakra in his palm and ford a new orb of icy mist.
Seii shook his head again. "Still too fast."
Yukikaze didn't show any frustration. He dispersed the chakra and tried again.
"Still too quick," Seii said.
Yukikaze ford the chakra a fourth ti.
"Nope, slower," Seii insisted.
Yukikaze dispersed it a fifth ti, then ford another orb of Ice Release chakra.
Seii observed for a mont, then shook his head. "Slower!"
Yukikaze prepared himself and tried again, even more deliberately.
This ti, it was noticeably slower.
Under Seii's relentless demands, Yukikaze pushed himself to his limit, forming the Ice Release chakra at the slowest possible speed.
Seii studied the chakra in Yukikaze's palm, recalling the entire process of converting regular chakra into Ice Release. His expression grew a bit grim.
Why? Because he still hadn't gained much insight.
And judging by Yukikaze's strained effort, slowing the process any further wasn't realistic.
Gotta find another way, Seii thought.
With that, he spoke up again. "Alright, at that speed, form another ball of Ice Release chakra."
Yukikaze, though puzzled, complied.
But as he began converting the chakra, a powerful sense of being watched washed over him.
In that mont, he felt utterly exposed, as if his entire being had been laid bare.
That feeling…
"It's the Byakugan!" Yukikaze blurted out, instinctively looking at Seii's eyes.
But he didn't see the telltale white eyes he expected.
Still, he was certain of that familiar sensation.
During the Third Great Ninja War, he'd fought a Hyūga clan jōnin to the death. When that ninja had fully activated their Byakugan, Yukikaze felt this sa sense of being completely seen through.
But isn't Seii from the Uchiha clan? How could he have the Byakugan?
And where are his Byakugan eyes?
A jumble of thoughts flooded Yukikaze's mind, causing him to pause mid-formation of the Ice Release chakra.
Seii noticed the change and guessed Yukikaze had figured out what he was using.
But so what?
Yukikaze couldn't escape the island, and even if he knew so secrets, he had no way to tell anyone.
So, Seii calmly said, "Why'd you stop? Keep going."
"Oh…" Yukikaze snapped out of it.
Not daring to ask more, he kept his eyes locked on Seii's, warily continuing to form the Ice Release chakra at the sa slow pace.
This ti, with the Byakugan's piercing vision, Seii finally started to grasp the trick.
(End of Chapter)
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