Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Unknowingly, a week had gone by since their decapitation mission, and now it was early October.
As the year drew to a close, even the usually temperate Land of Fire began to experience a noticeable drop in temperature. This was especially true in the coastal region of Yujin Port.
That night, in a forest near the front-line camp, a figure sat by a campfire.
Seimei opened his eyes, a glint of sharp light flashing in his gaze.
Raising his hand, he formed seals and performed a jutsu.
A crackling sound echoed as two arcs of electricity shot from his palms, striking a nearby tree.
The smell of scorched wood filled the air.
Retracting his hand, Seimei looked at the tree. Two charred holes marred its surface, faint streaks of lightning flickering inside.
Clearly, the damage was from his attack—an electric-based jutsu.
Indeed, after days of study and practice, Seimei had successfully developed lightning-nature chakra and mastered his first lightning-release jutsu: **Lightning Release: Thunder Strike**, the very technique he had just demonstrated.
With a thought, Seimei opened his skill progression panel.
The familiar pale-blue screen appeared:
**[Name]: Uchiha Seimei**
- **[Chakra]: 41,500 (120,948 → 124,532)**
- **Sharingan (Mangekyō):** 15,760/50,000 (previously 15,088/50,000)
- **Byakugan (Dormant):** 16/100
***Highlights Include:***
- **Wind Release: Spiral Shuriken Lv7:** 8,200/20,000
- **Fire Release: Dragon Flame Jutsu Lv5:** 805/5,000
- **Water Release: Great Shark Bomb Lv6:** 4,240 → 6,900/10,000
- **Earth Release: Hardening Jutsu Lv6:** 2,200 → 5,700/10,000
- **Newly Learned:** Lightning Release: Thunder Strike Lv1: 1/200
- **In Progress:** Chakra Absorption Lv6: 4,400 → 4,500/10,000
- **Chakra Scalpel Lv6:** 9,200/10,000
- **Healing Palm Lv8:** 40,200 → 41,880/50,000
Besides **Thunder Strike**, Seimei had also learned another lightning jutsu, **Lightning Release: Lightning Cloak**.
This technique, gifted alongside the clan's lightning chakra training notes, enhanced physical reflexes through electrical stimulation. However, due to his packed schedule, Seimei had only reached **Lv0: 15/100** before setting it aside temporarily.
He also paused progress on other jutsu such as **Fire Release: Dragon Flame Jutsu** and **Water Release: Water Wall**, focusing his efforts on two new techniques: **Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu** and **Chakra Cloak**.
Despite the halt in certain areas, Seimei's progress was undeniable. His diligence in extracting chakra from enemies at Yujin Port ensured he had enough to imprint new skills on his status panel.
Returning to the camp that evening, Seimei noticed an unusual scene.
Normally, only patrols and guards were active at this hour, but tonight, the camp was lively. Everyone seemed awake and elated, as if some great news had arrived.
Before Seimei could ask, Shunji Kobayashi approached with a thrilled expression.
"Captain! Suna Village has surrendered!"
"What?" Seimei was taken aback.
"It's true!" Shunji confirmed. "The war with Suna is over."
"When did this happen?" Seimei asked, regaining composure.
"Just now. The message came from command."
Though Seimei had expected this outcome, he still felt a sense of disbelief. After a moment, he muttered to himself, "This war… is finally coming to an end."
To him, Suna's surrender signaled the impending conclusion of the shinobi world war. However, he knew this wasn't the time to relax.
Kirigakure, sensing the shift in power, would undoubtedly launch a desperate counterattack soon.
That was something Seimei could not afford to overlook.