The Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu

Kushina spent the day preparing plenty of food for Yamanaka Tohru. She also got plenty of Ration Pills from Jiraiya.

Kakashi and Yamanaka Tohru followed Kushina around, discussing how to further develop the Chidori.

That evening, Yamanaka Tohru told Yamanaka Seiko he was going to Mount Myōboku to train. Though Yamanaka Seiko was reluctant to see him go, she knew it was a necessary step in her son's growth.

Yamanaka Seiko went over everything she could think of with Yamanaka Tohru, covering every last detail. He nodded and agreed to it all.

The next day, the four of them gathered at the Third Training Ground, without Jiraiya.

As usual, Namikaze Minato studied the Flying Thunder God, Kakashi trained in the Rasengan, and Yamanaka Tohru learned Sealing Jutsu from Kushina.

Kushina didn't know how long Yamanaka Tohru would be gone this time, so she taught him a whole slew of basic sealing techniques, including the Seal Evil Law Seal and the Five Elements Seal.

Yamanaka Tohru couldn't master them on the spot, so he could only use his Sharingan to memorize how Kushina performed the Sealing Jutsu and study them at his own pace later.

"Tohru, the next sealing technique is one of the few S-rank seals in the Uzumaki Clan," Kushina said suddenly.

"Which one, Sister Kushina?"

"The Yin Seal! This technique was originally developed for the women of the Uzumaki Clan. Its purpose was to preserve their youthful appearance and keep them young forever. Later, Grandma Mito and Tsunade improved it. The advanced ninjutsu based on the Yin Seal, the Hundred Healings Mark, can use Chakra to regulate the body and keep it in peak condition."

Yamanaka Tohru knew about the Yin Seal, of course. In the original story, Tsunade and Sakura could use the Hundred Healings Mark because of the Chakra stored in their Yin Seals.

Yamanaka Tohru had assumed that the Hundred Healings Mark was what kept them young. He hadn't expected that preserving youth had been the original purpose of the Yin Seal. It seemed that, no matter which world you lived in, eternal youth was every woman's greatest dream.

"Sister Kushina, can I learn the Yin Seal?" Yamanaka Tohru felt there was something off about it, but he couldn't resist the temptation of an S-rank sealing technique, so he asked.

"Of course! But your Yin Seal can only store Chakra, and when you release it, the Chakra will only last for an instant. Preserving your appearance and regulating your body don't work on male ninja," Kushina said.

"Then, Sister Kushina, about how long would the stored Chakra last?"

"According to the records, about ten minutes."

Only ten minutes. No wonder no male ninja had used the Yin Seal in the original story.

It took more than two years to fill the Yin Seal, and it only lasted ten minutes. On top of that, he didn't have a forbidden technique like Tsunade's Ninjutsu: Creation Rebirth to rapidly restore his body during those ten minutes.

"Sister Kushina, this technique is pretty useless," Yamanaka Tohru remarked.

"Useless? What do you mean?" Kushina often heard Yamanaka Tohru use strange expressions, but they always made a fair bit of sense.

"It's like chicken ribs—tasteless to eat, but a shame to throw away. In other words, Sister Kushina, your Yin Seal won't do much for me, but it's an S-rank sealing technique, so I can't bear to pass it up," Yamanaka Tohru explained.

"I see. Then don't learn it. I'll just inscribe the Yin Seal's formula on you." Hearing that Yamanaka Tohru wasn't interested in the Yin Seal, Kushina didn't force him. She simply tattooed a diamond-shaped sealing formula on his arm.

In just a few short months, Kushina had come to regard Yamanaka Tohru as one of the people closest to her. Naturally, she held nothing back when teaching him Sealing Jutsu.

Yamanaka Tohru spent the entire day listening to Kushina explain Sealing Jutsu. Apart from techniques related to the Tailed Beasts, she demonstrated nearly everything for him.

"Minato! Come here a moment." After demonstrating the Four Symbols Seal to Yamanaka Tohru, Kushina hesitated for a moment, then called out to Namikaze Minato.

Kushina called Namikaze Minato over. After the two discussed it, he nodded.

"Tohru, the Uzumaki Clan has another forbidden seal. Minato and I discussed it, and I've decided to teach it to you as well." With that, Kushina glanced at Namikaze Minato.

"Tohru, this technique is called the Reaper Death Seal! It can only be used once, and it's a true forbidden technique," Namikaze Minato said solemnly.

"That's right. The user sacrifices their own soul to summon the Shinigami and seal an enemy's soul. Once the seal is complete, the user's soul is devoured by the Shinigami. Afterward, the user's soul and the enemy's soul will remain in the Shinigami's stomach forever, hating and fighting one another, with no hope of release." Just explaining the technique made Kushina shiver.

Yamanaka Tohru knew about the Reaper Death Seal, of course. In the original story, it was the technique that split the Nine-Tails in two.

In the original story, only the Sage of Six Paths and the Shinigami could split a Tailed Beast. The Sage of Six Paths split the Ten-Tails into nine, while the Shinigami could split the Nine-Tails in two with nothing more than a phantom. Perhaps the Shinigami's form of life was even higher than that of the Sage of Six Paths.

Yamanaka Tohru was an atheist—or, rather, he believed that gods were people, too. They had simply achieved things other people couldn't, or evolved into another level of life.

"Tohru, the Reaper Death Seal is dangerous. I hope you never have to use it in your life."

"I understand, Brother Minato."

After Yamanaka Tohru agreed, Namikaze Minato taught him the Hand Seals for the Reaper Death Seal. There were so many that Yamanaka Tohru hadn't memorized them when he watched the anime in his previous life. Now he finally learned the sequence: "Snake—Boar—Ram—Rabbit—Dog—Rat—Bird—Horse—Snake."

Now that he'd taught Yamanaka Tohru the Reaper Death Seal, he became the second outsider with the chance to learn the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu. Namikaze Minato had been the first.

After Uzushiogakure was destroyed, most of the Uzumaki Clan had died. Those who survived had largely gone into hiding, living their lives under assumed names.

After the Uzumaki Clan was destroyed, Kushina had no intention of keeping its Sealing Jutsu secret. Once she and Namikaze Minato got together, she taught him the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu. Now she'd taught it to Yamanaka Tohru as well.

Before they knew it, dusk was falling. Yamanaka Tohru was leaving for Mount Myōboku the next day, so Namikaze Minato treated the three of them to barbecue as a farewell. During the meal, Namikaze Minato also gave Yamanaka Tohru one of his specially made Kunai.

"Then, goodbye, Sister Kushina, Brother Minato, Kakashi!" After they finished the barbecue, Yamanaka Tohru said goodbye to the three of them.

When he returned home, Yamanaka Seiko had already gone to bed. Yamanaka Tohru didn't disturb her; he simply told Inoichi, who had just returned from a mission, to take care of her.

Early the next morning, Yamanaka Tohru used the Summoning Technique to summon Sage Fukasaku.

"Are you ready, Tohru?"

"Yes, Sage Fukasaku!"

"Then let's go!" Sage Fukasaku said. Yamanaka Tohru's vision blurred, and when he looked around, the scenery had changed completely.

Mount Myōboku!