Seimei pushed aside his wandering thoughts, no longer fixating on the effects of the Three Elements Sealing Technique. Instead, he began considering how to reassign the shadow clones that would be freed up once the technique reached perfection.
Normally, he dedicated two hundred shadow clones to practicing this technique during each training session.
Now that it had hit its peak, those two hundred clones couldn't just sit idle.
After some thought, Seimei decided to redirect all of them to developing his Dust Release techniques.
The main reason for this choice was simple: he already had enough clones absorbing natural energy.
Sure, his lv9 Three Elements Sealing Technique could store a massive amount of natural energy now, but unlike chakra, it couldn't be stored outside his body.
There was a limit to how much he could handle.
In that case, there was no need to increase the amount of natural energy he absorbed daily. What he had was sufficient.
On the other hand, developing his Dust Release techniques…
With the addition of these two hundred clones, bringing the total to five hundred, progress would speed up significantly.
Of course, expecting a 60-70% boost in efficiency wasn't realistic.
Everything had its limits. With his current rhythm of recalling shadow clones every hour, three to four hundred clones working simultaneously was already the sweet spot for maximum efficiency. Adding more would lead to diminishing returns.
Still, a 30-40% increase in progress was well within reach.
And if you're wondering whether this limitation could be overcome? Absolutely.
The simplest and most straightforward solution would be to increase the frequency of recalling his shadow clones.
That way, he could update his understanding and mastery of Dust Release techniques more quickly, constantly building from a higher starting point.
But there was a catch: recalling and creating shadow clones consumed extra chakra.
Seimei had to find a balance between the two, and his current one-hour cycle was the optimal frequency he'd determined through extensive testing.
Unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn't change it, even if it meant sacrificing a bit of efficiency in developing his Dust Release techniques.
These thoughts flashed through his mind, and Seimei let them go, focusing back on the present.
He took a deep breath to steady himself, then raised his hands to form seals, casting Multiple Shadow Clone Technique once again.
Poof! Poof! Poof!
Clouds of chakra smoke dispersed, and eight hundred shadow clones appeared.
Seimei directed five hundred of them to scatter to the edges of the island, forming small groups to collaboratively study how to master Dust Release: Original World Stripping Technique and Dust Release: Boundary Stripping Technique.
From the remaining three hundred, he selected a few dozen to stay on Moon Island and absorb natural energy. The rest were sealed into a scroll.
Next, Seimei raised his hands again, forming seals to cast Wood Clone Technique.
His shoulder twitched, and a wood clone materialized in front of him.
Without a word, Seimei handed the scroll to the clone and said, "Go."
The wood clone nodded.
It formed hand signs, casting Wind Release: Wings of Wind, and took to the sky.
Then, it used Chakra Cloak to shield itself and Earth Release: Ultra-Lightweight Rock Technique to reduce its weight.
Before his Byakugan evolved, this would've been the end of the preparations, and the clone would've flown straight to its destination.
But now…
A Byakugan eye suddenly appeared at the wood clone's forehead.
In the next moment, an invisible gravitational force enveloped the clone, giving it a forward push.
With a flap of its wings, the wood clone shot off at incredible speed, heading toward the northeastern part of the Land of Fire.
Seimei watched the clone's rapidly retreating figure with a satisfied nod.
Thanks to his evolved Byakugan, the wood clone's travel speed to the Land of Fire was even faster.
This meant less time wasted on the journey.
Well, not that it took much time before.
But every little bit helped, right?
As for the extra chakra consumed in the process…
Honestly, even accounting for the cost of activating the Byakugan, it was far less than having all those shadow clones use Flying Thunder God Technique to reach the primeval forest in the northeast—or Seimei himself teleporting there and creating shadow clones for training.
So, he wasn't too concerned about it.
Pushing aside stray thoughts, Seimei vanished in a flash, teleporting to the volcano beneath Moon Island to begin his training.
---
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
It was now late February.
That afternoon, Seimei had just finished a round of Extreme Body Technique training and teleported back to Moon Island.
While waiting for his body to recover naturally, he glanced at the groups of shadow clones at the island's edge, diligently working on the two Dust Release techniques. A faint spark of excitement glimmered in his eyes.
After over a month of intense research and countless failures, he was finally on the verge of success.
Once he mastered these two techniques, the boost to his combat strength would be significant. But even more exciting was the impact practicing them would have on his Dust Release as a whole.
Seimei hadn't forgotten: when he first awakened Dust Release, the enhancement to his innate talent had shaved ten days off his body's transformation timeline.
This time, with an even higher degree of evolution, the effect would likely be just as impressive, even with his now-higher Physique attribute.
How could he not be thrilled?
He had a feeling that, at the latest by tomorrow, or maybe even today, he'd be able to etch both techniques onto his proficiency panel.
"Phew…"
Exhaling softly, Seimei felt his body had mostly recovered. Wasting no time, he released the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
In an instant, every shadow clone—on the island, beyond it, and even those in the primeval forest in the northeastern Land of Fire—dissolved.
A flood of memories surged into Seimei's mind.
Suppressing the discomfort, he first sorted and stored the chakra and natural energy that came with the memories. Only then did he begin sifting through the mental influx.
Time ticked by, second by second.
A quarter of an hour passed.
Seimei, who should've opened his eyes by now, kept them closed.
Twenty minutes, then twenty-five, and still, he didn't stir.
It wasn't until a full half-hour had passed that his eyes suddenly snapped open.
In that moment, his gaze was brimming with joy.