Reaper Death Seal

Masahiko's home.

Masahiko held the Shinigami Mask in his hands and examined it closely for nearly an hour.

"Teacher! What is there to look at on a mask? Even if it really was passed down by some important figure, it's still just a mask."

The two students had long since grown impatient. Iko was holding up fine, but Nanako was already on the verge of revealing her other personality.

"Perhaps he truly was an extraordinary figure..." Masahiko murmured.

After examining it so carefully, Masahiko's Perception Ability finally detected something amiss within the mask.

"Is it someone's soul?" Masahiko muttered to himself. That was the only possibility he could think of.

In this era, souls were still something mysterious to people. At least, Masahiko had never heard of any ninjutsu related to souls. It was nothing like the Impure World Reincarnation from the original plot, which could casually manipulate the souls of the dead and even allow people to see souls.

Masahiko weighed the mask in his hand, his expression turning solemn.

"What terrifying mastery of Sealing Jutsu. I never expected our Uzumaki Clan to have produced such a powerful ancestor."

After studying the mask for so long, Masahiko had basically guessed its origins.

This mask was likely a tool for activating some technique. One day, over a hundred years ago, an Uzumaki ancestor had faced invading enemies and used a mutually destructive sealing technique, successfully sealing both his great enemy and his own soul within the mask. Their souls had battled each other for a century. In the end, the Uzumaki ancestor lost, and his soul was devoured by the enemy. At the same time, the enemy's soul had reached its limit, losing its sanity and most of its power, becoming a Shinigami that could only absorb souls...

Masahiko's Sealing Jutsu was already level 6, but he was still far from being able to perform such a sealing technique. He estimated that his ancestor's Sealing Jutsu had probably been level 8, a level of power equivalent to the two gods of the Warring States. And the enemy who had required his ancestor to sacrifice his life to seal was likely at that level as well.

Masahiko also had some guesses about the enemy's identity. Though the Warring States had been plagued by constant war, few people launched wars of extermination against entire clans, fearing mutual destruction. Usually, when one side in a battle fell into a clear disadvantage, they would take the initiative to seek peace and offer material compensation. Yet the Uzumaki elder had preferred to perish alongside his enemy rather than make peace, which meant his enemy was likely an outsider!

And based on the Shinigami's appearance in the plot Masahiko had seen in his previous life, he deduced that the enemy was probably an ancestor of Kinkaku and Ginkaku, a powerful foe from the Land of Lightning.

"Kinkaku and Ginkaku's family is also quite intriguing. They could devour the Nine-Tails' flesh and blood and wield the Sage of Six Paths' treasured tools... Damn Kishimoto, leaving behind so many mysteries. How many brain cells has this cost me, a transmigrator?"

"Teacher, what are Kinkaku and Ginkaku, and who is Kishimoto?" Nanako asked in confusion from beside him.

Masahiko's expression stiffened as he turned to Iko. "Did I say that out loud just now?"

Iko nodded, and Masahiko helplessly covered his forehead.

"It's nothing. Your teacher often says things people don't understand, so just ignore it." After thinking it over, Masahiko decided not to explain.

"Also, Nanako, go catch a chicken."

Nanako looked utterly confused, but she still went to catch one.

"Teacher, why catch a chicken?" Iko voiced the question in Nanako's heart.

"In a moment, Teacher will show you how to kill a chicken from a distance..."

Iko looked completely bewildered.

Before long, Nanako came in carrying a chicken that was struggling nonstop.

"Hold the chicken steady. Snake—Boar—Goat—Rabbit—Dog, Sealing Jutsu—Release!" Masahiko formed hand seals with both hands, opening a tiny gap in the mask's seal. He aimed the mask at the chicken and revealed a mischievous smile. "Sealing Jutsu—Chicken Death Seal!"

The chicken that had been struggling in Nanako's hands suddenly stopped moving, its soul sucked into the mask. Not only the chicken—even Nanako, who was facing the mask directly, felt slightly dizzy and sat down on the floor.

Seeing this, Masahiko hurriedly put away the mask and formed hand seals with both hands. "Four Symbols Seal!" He sealed the gap in the mask shut again.

"The Shinigami now has probably only just been born. It can only seal a single chicken. Against Nanako, it can merely make her a little dizzy, and as for me, the caster, the Shinigami can do absolutely nothing to me..."

"Teacher... what are you doing..." Nanako recovered from her dizziness and flung away the chicken in her hand. Her dark crimson hair seemed to ignite as she clenched her fists at Masahiko.

"Nothing, nothing." Masahiko shook his head repeatedly, feeling somewhat guilty.

"Give me the mask!" Nanako snatched the mask away and aimed it at Masahiko, but Masahiko had no reaction at all.

"Huh? Chicken Death Seal?" Nanako tentatively recited the incantation.

"Pfft..." Masahiko burst out laughing.

"Sister Nanako, Teacher sealed the mask again just now..." Iko could not bear to watch any longer and spoke up to help.

Nanako's face flushed bright red, and her entire body looked as though it were about to catch fire.

It took Masahiko a full hour to calm Nanako down.

"You must keep this mask safe, Nanako. Once the Shinigami within the mask regains enough power, our clan will gain another forbidden Sealing Jutsu." Masahiko instructed Nanako.

Masahiko explained the mask's origins in detail, leaving both students completely stunned.

"So the one inside this mask is our ancestor's enemy? Why not destroy him completely?" It took Nanako quite a while to understand it all before she asked in confusion.

Masahiko was stunned as well. Ever since learning that this mask was the one used for the Reaper Death Seal, he had never considered destroying it. Perhaps subconsciously, he had not wanted to alter such an important ninjutsu from the plot...

After hesitating again and again, Masahiko gritted his teeth. "A ninjutsu that ends in mutual destruction shouldn't exist!"

A Rasengan directly destroyed the mask. At the same time, Masahiko felt a fierce sense of relief. Once he had truly made up his mind to change the plot, the suppressed feelings in his heart were finally released.

"Ah, Teacher, my mask..." Nanako looked ready to burst into flames again.

"You were the one who told me to destroy it..." Masahiko explained, but seeing that Nanako was still not calming down, he hurriedly ran outside. "I'm going to check on Hitomi's training. You two can go wander around the Mask Festival if you're bored. You have the day off, so no training!"

Masahiko strolled over to the Third Training Ground, muttering inwardly, Sigh, I'm becoming less and less dignified as a teacher.

Watching Hitomi train in the distance gave him some comfort. At least he still had one reliable student.

"1493, 1494, 1495... Two thousand push-ups. If I can't do them, then two thousand kicks." Hitomi was training when he spotted Masahiko. With a spring, he jumped upright. "Oh! Teacher, let's have a passionate battle!"

Masahiko's face darkened. For a moment, he seemed to see two bowl-cut heads grinning with gleaming teeth.

"Forget it. There isn't a single place I can stay in peace. I'd better go home..."

When he returned home, a row of familiar Chinese characters finally comforted Masahiko's little heart, which had been shattered by his students.

Witnessed and completely changed a Naruto World side plot: Reaper Death Seal. Obtained 2 (*10) Witness Points.