After getting a solid grasp on the skills he was about to train, Seimei didn't stick around the house. He grabbed his gear real quick and headed out to the Uchiha clan's training grounds.
But when he got there? Ugh, it was already packed. Seimei wasn't exactly afraid of people—he's not some social hermit—but with all the secrets he's lugging around, and being used to training solo, he wasn't vibeing with the crowd.
So, screw it—he ditched the Uchiha spot and made a beeline for one of the village's danger zones: the Forest of Death!
Perched on a big tree, Seimei scoped out the massive circular forest stretching over 20 kilometers wide. Beastly roars echoed from inside. He took a quick look around, then hopped the wall and dove right in.
The second he landed, a heavy, oppressive vibe hit him. But, eh, that was it. This place was set up for stuff like the Chunin Exams—dangerous for your average genin or chunin, sure. For a Kage-level badass like Seimei? Just another walk in the woods.
Well… almost.
He glanced up, catching something in the trees. Next thing he knew, a tiger-looking beast with a sharp horn on its head—and chakra flowing through it—popped into view. It circled him, shifting positions like it was hunting for an opening.
Seimei's brain sparked. At just the right moment, he stepped back half a pace, dialed down his aura, and threw on a fake scared face. Boom—worked like a charm! The unicorn-tiger charged him.
He flashed some hand signs, and with a crackle of lightning, a blinding Thunder Sword lit up in his hand. He thrust it right at the beast. Yep, this was the B-rank "Lightning Release: Thunderstrike Sword"!
Thanks to his solid handle on lightning chakra's shape and nature transformation, forming the sword was a breeze—he nailed it first try. But when he stabbed at the tiger? The thing's structure went haywire, and the moment it hit, the sword exploded into a storm of lightning.
Zzt-zzzt-crackle! The electric buzz filled the air as both Seimei and the tiger got swallowed up in it. The tiger didn't take a direct hit from the jutsu, but the scattered bolts still zapped it good—poor thing was sprawled out, foaming at the mouth, twitching like crazy.
Seimei? He didn't dodge the splash damage either. In a flash, his hair was sticking straight up, and black scorch marks dotted his skin. Yeah, training this move came with some risks. Sure, he might've rushed it a bit, but still—point made.
Lucky for him, he had a safety net. A few breaths later, the lightning faded, and he coughed out a puff of white smoke. Once that cleared, his body's insane healing kicked in, and the burns vanished. That's right—his crazy regen was his ace in the hole!
He eyed the tiger again, flipped his hand, and summoned another Thunder Sword. This time, he stabbed hard at the beast. But right before it landed, the tiger's eyes snapped open. With a kick of its legs and a whip of its tail, it flipped up and dodged the strike.
Seimei just grinned—no frustration here. He swung the sword again, going for round two. Maybe he moved too big, or maybe he got distracted, but the sword collapsed again, bursting into another lightning shower.
The tiger—now sporting singed fur all over—flashed a legit human-like "oh crap" look in its eyes. With a pitiful yowl, it tucked its tail and bolted deeper into the forest.
But come on, a perfect sparring buddy like that? No way Seimei was letting it bounce! Before the lightning even cleared, he activated "Lightning Chakra Mode" and blasted out of the electric mess, chasing after it.
Four legs or not, the tiger couldn't outrun Seimei at full speed. Wrapped in lightning, he zipped ahead and cut it off with a flash. The tiger slammed on the brakes, skidding to a stop less than two meters from him. Its wary eyes locked on him, tail flicking nervously.
Seimei shot it a friendly smile. Then, bam—"Thunderstrike Sword" again! Another lightning blade formed, and he stabbed right at it.
The tiger wasn't dumb enough to tank this one. Pure survival instinct kicked in—it leaped back, trying to bolt in a different direction. Too bad Seimei wasn't letting up. He hounded it, throwing out "Thunderstrike Swords" left and right.
At first, any big move made the sword fall apart. But as time went on? He got the hang of it. Even splitting his focus, he could still pull it off.
Shnk! This time, the sword sank into the tiger's body.
Crackle! Blinding lightning erupted from the blade, spreading into a web of tiny bolts that tore through the beast. With one last agonized howl, the tiger went limp, life snuffed out. The sword in Seimei's hand fizzled out too.
He didn't sweat it, though. Standing there, he mulled over that last strike, feeling out what clicked. Then he pulled up his panel. There it was—"Lightning Release: Thunderstrike Sword" had officially hit beginner level: lv1 (1/200)!
"Nice!" he muttered, grinning to himself. He glanced off to the side as a rustle-rustle-rustle sounded through the trees. Another beast lumbered out of the woods.
That's what made the Forest of Death special—tons of critters to spar with! It was a goldmine for speeding up his skill grinding. Once he got all these jutsu to beginner level, he could figure out how much chakra it'd take to level them up. Then he'd know how to divvy up the 600,000 chakra points he'd freed up after maxing "Flying Thunder God."
To him, these beasts were walking training resources.
With that in mind, he sized up the new guy. This one wasn't like the tiger—it looked more like a brown bear, but instead of fur, it was covered in palm-sized, earthy-yellow scales. Defense? Probably off the charts.
Seimei's eyes lit up. He threw some hand signs, ready to roll with "Earth Release: Black Mud Rain"! A tanky, slow-mover like this was perfect for breaking in that jutsu.
But this armored bear wasn't dumb—it clocked what he was up to. No hesitation—it charged him full tilt!
Seimei chuckled, hopping back to dodge while keeping his signs flowing. The bear kept coming, relentless. He kept weaving out of the way.
A moment later, black raindrops started falling, splattering into sticky puddles on the ground. The nearby bushes turned all creepy and slick. The bear didn't dodge, stomping right into it, and bam—its movements slowed down.
Too bad Seimei hadn't mastered this one yet. Even with his other earth jutsu as a foundation, it was shaky. The black rain fizzled out quick, and the gooey mess on the ground vanished too.
ROAR! Free of the weird vibes, the bear bellowed and charged at this puny human again.
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