Uzumaki Secret Scroll and the Lost Mask

Jingxin's eyes flickered slightly: "Where could it possibly be?"

That thing was a genuine treasure.

According to Jingxin's memories, the sealing techniques recorded by the Uzumaki Clan possessed terrifying power.

Setting aside the power-scaling disasters that appeared later involving the Sage of Six Paths, the sealing techniques of the Uzumaki Clan had almost no rivals throughout the entire ninja world.

Chinatsu recalled that painful night, her delicate brows knitting together: "That day, because we had received no prior intelligence, the clan was in complete chaos."

"Before we evacuated, Princess Kushina and I received orders from the clan leader to hide a thick scroll in a secret passage beneath a dry well."

Jingxin reasoned logically: "So, there are three possibilities for the location of that scroll."

"First: It was discovered by Kirigakure ninjas who attacked the Land of Whirlpools and was taken back to their village."

"But after all these years, they have remained isolationist, and no rumors regarding sealing techniques have emerged, which leaves only two possibilities."

"Either they never found the scroll, or... they found it but couldn't understand it at all."

"Second: If Kirigakure failed to find the scroll, it might have been obtained by Konoha, who learned of the situation later."

"This is the most likely scenario, because the scroll was hidden by you and Princess Kushina together. Later, Kushina went to Konoha, was in the same generation as the Fourth Hokage, and ultimately died on the 'Night of the Nine-Tails'."

"During that time, Kushina had countless opportunities to inform Konoha about the scroll."

This was also what worried Jingxin the most.

Because in the original story, Kushina mastered powerful sealing techniques, and Minato also understood the Four Symbols Seal and the Eight Trigrams Seal.

It was highly probable that this was related to that scroll.

If the scroll was obtained by Konoha, then the possibility of Jingxin getting his hands on it now was almost zero, unless he could fight the entire village of Konoha alone or learn a ninjutsu capable of ultra-long-distance teleportation, such as the Flying Thunder God.

"That is unlikely." Chinatsu's words gave Jingxin hope: "Because the clan leader said that only Princess Kushina, myself, the clan leader, and one other elder who evacuated knew the location of the scroll. The clan leader said that after the elder broke through the encirclement and the situation calmed down, he would return to the Land of Whirlpools to retrieve the scroll to preserve and continue the Uzumaki Clan's sealing techniques."

"And at that time, Kushina was not just a theoretical genius; her practical results were also excellent."

"Although Princess Kushina did not know powerful sealing techniques at the time, she knew how to practice them and had near-perfect theoretical scores."

Jingxin took a deep breath: "In other words... there is still a possibility that the scroll is still in that dry well."

Chinatsu nodded.

Jingxin thought carefully and immediately made a decision: "Aunt Chinatsu, can I inform the Tsuchikage about this?"

"If it's possible... although the hope is very slim, if it really is still there..."

"Being able to obtain the Uzumaki Clan's scroll would be beneficial for the village and for the continuation of the Uzumaki Clan's sealing techniques."

Chinatsu nodded earnestly: "That is also the reason why I told you."

The next day, at the entrance of Iwagakure.

A small team had assembled.

Anbu team: Jingxin, Shifeng, and Yeying.

In addition, there was a three-man jonin team, which included Ōnoki's disciples, Akatsuchi and Kitsuchi.

Leading the team was a masked giant draped in heavy red armor; despite being taciturn, he was the strongest presence in the squad.

The Five-Tails Jinchuriki of Iwagakure, known as the Steam Ninja, Han.

Ōnoki scanned the configuration of the team, nodded slowly, and instructed: "Remember, because the mission route is long and close to the Land of Fire, you must first ensure the safety of your companions."

"If the scroll is not in the Land of Whirlpools, do not linger too long; return directly to Iwagakure."

Han's voice was slow and steady: "I understand."

After leaving the village, Han led the group north until they reached a seaport.

Because the land route required crossing too many countries and would be too conspicuous, they chose to travel by water.

It was Jingxin's first time seeing the ocean.

After the initial novelty wore off, all that remained was boredom.

Fortunately, Jingxin had brought the sealing technique materials given by Chinatsu, and he could use Shadow Clones to study them.

The large ship sailed toward the Land of Whirlpools, stopping once at a small port for supplies, but the pace remained fast.

Upon successfully arriving in the Land of Whirlpools, the group disguised themselves as merchants to enter and found the ruins of the Uzumaki Clan based on the location information provided by Chinatsu.

The place was in ruins, covered in moss; the wooden structures that had once been burned had rotted away, giving rise to new trees, and the surroundings were overgrown with weeds.

The area was not large, and the dry well was easy to find.

The Land of Whirlpools now only had the Daimyo Palace and a group of ninjas and samurai they had recruited as military force; their supervision of this area could not be called strict—it was practically non-existent.

Yeying descended into the dry well, successfully found the secret passage, and brought up a scroll as thick as a water bucket that had almost completely rotted away.

The group inspected it, and after confirming it matched the appearance described by Chinatsu, they carefully stowed it away.

Because so many years had passed, unfolding it might cause some of the characters to flake off due to the fragility of the material.

"First mission complete." Han shouldered the large scroll known as the Uzumaki Secret Scroll and issued the order: "Execute the second mission."

The second mission was to locate the ancestral shrine of the Uzumaki Clan.

According to Chinatsu, there were many terrifying entities sealed within masks inside.

These things were incredibly mysterious and dangerous.

Yet, if utilized properly, they could also be considered a "resource."

Soon, the group gathered at the location where Orochimaru found the Death God Mask in the original story.

Sure enough, they discovered those menacing, clawing masks on the wall, each one imbued with a very potent sealing power.

No one knew what kind of things were sealed inside.

Jingxin examined them one by one, his gaze sweeping over each mask, until he suddenly frowned.

In his past life, he hadn't paid attention to these details while watching the original series.

Furthermore, since the masks all generally resembled demons, Jingxin had no way to distinguish which one was the true Death God Mask.

But what surprised Jingxin was that among the row of masks hanging on the wall, a spot in the middle was actually empty!

Jingxin stepped closer to observe, noting the dust patterns on the wall.

The sealed mask that had originally hung there must have been taken not long ago.

Could this be the butterfly effect?

Jingxin furrowed his brows, a sense of foreboding washing over him as Orochimaru's sinister face involuntarily flashed through his mind.

"Blood Gold."

"Let's go."

Yeying's voice drifted over.

Jingxin looked up.

They had already collected all the masks and were preparing to return to the large ship.

Unable to make sense of it, Jingxin had no choice but to temporarily suppress his doubts and follow them.

The Land of Whirlpools was currently a desolate place where even birds wouldn't lay eggs.

The Daimyo Palace barely possessed the ability to protect itself, and its control over the country was minimal.

The group remained undetected, successfully boarded the large ship, and set sail.