"Don't tell anyone else about that sealing technique of yours." Clan Chief Jiancheng slowly sat down. He did not change his mind, only cautioned him, "But... use that sealing technique on yourself as soon as possible. Give yourself a fallback!"
Lanyu's death had dealt Jiancheng a devastating blow.
Yet Jiancheng had not changed his mind. He still did not want the Awakening Seal spread among the clan's elite, and merely made a point of reminding Akaseki to use it on himself!
"If you really are unfortunate enough to need it someday... you must escape and come back. After that, don't go onto the battlefield again. I'll make that clear to Hiruzen Sarutobi," Jiancheng emphasized.
Hearing this, Akaseki felt distinctly uneasy—judging by the clan chief's words, might Jiancheng himself be gone by then?
At least, he might no longer be in the village...
"As for the Water Style inheritance... come with me." Jiancheng rose as he spoke and led Akaseki to the Naka Shrine outside the village.
The clan chief had just said the clan meeting would be "in two hours," so there was clearly still plenty of time.
Akaseki soon understood why the clan chief had brought him here.
Clan Chief Jiancheng activated his Sharingan, unraveled layer after layer of sealing formulas, and opened a concealed underground passage that led to a hidden... cell?
Akaseki genuinely had not known there was a dungeon beneath the Naka Shrine.
Before long, Akaseki saw the man imprisoned here.
"Imprisoned" was a generous description. There were really only a few iron bars, and the whole arrangement looked decidedly halfhearted.
The man behind them wore ragged clothes, his body and face gaunt. At first glance, he looked ancient, but on closer inspection... he might only have been about Clan Chief Jiancheng's age!
His hairstyle reminded