Seimei, Haneda, Yuto, and Shikamo walked into the living area reserved for the second-year class 1-S team, only to see their other three teammates eating dinner while looking refreshed.
Clearly, the other three, Uchiha Reina, Uzumaki Keiko, and Uchiha Touma, had arrived at the tower at least a couple of hours before them.
Reina looked at the incoming teammates and waved her hand to greet them.
"Took you long enough!"
Seimei sighed, plopped onto a chair, and replied, "Don't even ask about it."
"We ran into some trouble."
Keiko's ear immediately perked up, and she asked, "What kind of trouble? Did you come across any students from the other teams?"
Sarutobi Yuto chimed in, "We did face a couple of students from the other teams, but that wasn't exactly a problem."
Shikamo nodded, "Yeah."
"We ran into an Ice Demon in the middle."
"If Seimei and Haneda hadn't arrived in time, we would have been eliminated from the competition by now."
Uchiha Touma's and Uzumaki Keiko's eyes widened, and they couldn't help but ask…
"You ran into a demon?"
"What the heck was an Ice Demon doing here in the middle of the humid forest?"
Uchiha Reina interjected, "And even in this case, the Ice Demon's power should be limited to a beast of C+ danger rating. Yuto and Shikamo shouldn't have trouble dealing with that."
"After all, the environment of the Forest of Silence should weaken it considerably."
Nara Shikamo rubbed his temple and remarked, "That's what baffled us!"
"That demon was jumping around like this place was a snow field, not a jungle."
Yuto nodded, "Even its innate skills were more powerful than usual."
Uzumaki Keiko spoke up, "That should be impossible, right?"
"And Konoha's management shouldn't be idiotic enough to nurture an Ice Demon and keep it at its peak condition just to harass us, academy students."
"That's a waste of money, resources, and manpower!"
Seimei responded, "I was shocked, too."
"But then, I remembered the map."
By all means, an Ice Demon shouldn't have appeared inside a humid forest.
Why?
Because just like most Chakra Beasts, Ice Demons needed a suitable environment to live comfortably and thrive.
For an Ice Demon, a snowy area or a place filled with water was paramount.
Such an environment could help them digest their food faster, strengthen their innate skills, and give them enough water or ice chakra to slowly grow stronger.
Can an Ice Demon live in a humid forest?
Yes, it can.
It can live here as long as it finds enough food.
But such a place won't help it grow stronger. Instead, a humid forest without a vast water source will shackle its abilities.
The Ice demon's strength would decline, and its combat ability would take a hit.
And the demon-type Chakra Beasts were even more sensitive to such conditions.
However, the demon they encountered showed no signs of fatigue, decline in strength, or any other negative symptoms.
If anything, the demon's skills packed sufficient power, its agility was off the charts, and it could even activate the area-effect skill, Blizzard, which usually required the demon to be in a place filled with potent water elemental chakra.
It was as if the demon had drunk some kind of tonic or elixir.
That was exactly how ridiculous the situation was.
Unbelievable! A demon on steroids!
Seimei continued, "According to the map, this training ground has a huge lake nearby."
Uchiha Touma asked, "So what?"
"What does a mere lake have to do with that bizarre Ice Demon?"
Seimei slammed the table and said, "I'm not sure. But if my guess is correct, then that lake has everything to do with this absurd situation."
"You tell me."
"What kind of things could give an Ice Demon such a boost even inside this forest, which is a very unfavorable environment for it?"
Hearing this, Shikamo paused and fell into a deep thought.
Reina also raised her right eyebrow, and a look of understanding appeared on her face.
However, the others were still completely clueless.
Yuto, Keiko, Haneda, and Touma: Can you, please, stop talking in riddles? We have no clue. Just give us the answer already!
Yuto scratched the back of his head with an awkward smile.
Haneda, who had nothing to do with ninjas before entering the academy, also had no idea if anything could give a Chakra Beast such a boost.
Keiko felt like she should have heard of something similar, but she couldn't remember it.
And Touma? This battle-crazy guy was completely clueless.
Seeing this, Reina opened her mouth first.
"So, you mean…that lake may have some kind of elemental minerals or natural treasures?"
Hearing Reina's speculation, Keiko finally remembered something.
She chimed in, "I remember now!"
"It should be Ice or Water crystals, or something similar."
"These natural minerals can indeed boost the power of beasts that share similar affinities, and promote their evolution."
"It's also useful to us, Shinobi."
Seimei added, "And considering the environment of the Forest of Silence and the Land of Fire, it's highly likely to be a Water elemental crystal source or some natural treasures related to the water element."
As he said this, he, Shikamo, Reina, Keiko, and Touma exchanged meaningful glances.
Shikamo tapped on the dining table and commented, "Even if it's not in the lake, it should be somewhere within the perimeter of the Forest of Silence."
Yuto, who finally understood what was going on, cupped his left hand and slammed his right fist on it, as if to show that he figured out the whole thing.
He said, "In that case, we must seize the chance before the other clans get any clue."
Keiko nodded in agreement.
"Yes, such precious resources must be seized as soon as possible."
Seimei replied, "Don't worry! I will contact my father tonight, so we can arrange a forest-wide search after the first round ends."
Everyone understood the gravity of the situation.
Only Haneda was still utterly clueless, which is natural since he came from a civilian background.
Water elemental treasures, such as water crystals or other water elemental natural resources, could help Shinobi develop their water affinity 5-10 times faster.
Even those who had no talent in Water Release could forcefully develop their water affinity to Jonin level using these natural resources.
And depending on the type of natural resource, craftsmen and medical ninjas could craft rare potions and powerful ninja weapons by utilizing them.
No Shinobi village or clan could ignore them.
These natural elemental treasures could directly elevate the combat prowess of the Shinobi.
All Shinobi clans knew this.
However, Haneda wasn't from a Shinobi clan, so it was natural for him to have no idea about the elemental crystals and other natural resources.
Now, the goal of Seimei and others was to find it and hoard as much of it as possible for their clans.
The village treasury would only take a 30% cut. The remaining resources would be divided between their clans.
For them, that was enough.
After all, who wouldn't want their own clan to rise in power?
Seimei stood up and said, "Alright! That's enough chit-chat!"
"I will take a bath to wash off the sweat and grim first."
"Leave contacting our families to me."
With that, Seimei walked away to have a relaxing bath.
There was no rush.
He had his father's Flying Thunder God kunai anyway.
He just needed to channel a bit of his chakra into the spatial marker of the kunai, and his father would instantly teleport to his location as long as he was free.
Hooo!
The things I do for Konoha!
Hmm?
Wait.....that's not right!
Is my father's Will of Fire brainwashing getting to me?
Why am I thinking about the village first?
Damn it!
No, no, Seimei.
You must meditate and clear your mind.
Don't fall for the Genjutsu: Will of Fire.
Family first! Village comes later.
Let's restart my thoughts.
Hooo! The things I do for my clan and Konoha.
.
.
.
Hmm…
Perfect!
With this, Seimei ended his internal monologue and headed toward the bathroom to have a nice soak!
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