The Uzumaki Clan's Little Otaku~

"Kuming, sealing techniques are essentially an alternative application of chakra. If ninjutsu guides the release of chakra through hand seals, then sealing techniques guide that same release through specialized formulas."

"The foundation of the Uzumaki Clan lies in this very method of chakra application, which differs from most other ninja clans. It is a top-secret technique passed down through generations."

Inside a hidden compartment of the study, young Kuming sat before a massive desk. It was technically a low table, as the people of Konoha were accustomed to sitting on the floor, making the furniture quite low to the ground.

Mito Uzumaki sat kneeling beside Kuming, her finger tracing a nameless scroll as she explained the intricacies of sealing arts to him.

"Sealing formulas must be constructed using chakra, which requires the practitioner to possess exceptional chakra control. If you can master a few sealing techniques, controlling the chakra within your own body will become a simple matter."

As she spoke, Mito placed a hand on Kuming's head and ruffled his hair.

At four years old, Kuming had inherited his parents' genes. His appearance was seventy percent similar to Kushina's—the same doll-like face with delicate, exquisite features that made him a favorite of Mito's. Everyone loves a cute child, and Mito, already at the grandmotherly stage of life, was even more fond of them.

Kuming listened intently to Mito's explanation, his heart clear. In the original story, whether it was the Fourth Hokage who developed the Dead Demon Consuming Seal or Kushina who mastered the Adamantine Sealing Chains, both had achieved top-tier control over their chakra.

Their son, Naruto Uzumaki, had actually inherited this advantage as well. Although the influence of the Nine-Tails caused his chakra control to appear lackluster in his early years—to the point where he couldn't even perform the basic Clone Technique—his later mastery of forbidden arts like the Multi Shadow Clone Technique and the Rasengan proved that Naruto's talent was truly terrifying.

The true testament to Naruto's exceptional control was his state after undergoing Tailed Beast transformation; the fact that such a massive amount of chakra did not cause him to lose control proved a great deal.

For a ninja, talent can be divided into four categories. The first is Kekkei Genkai; those who possess one and those who do not start from entirely different points. The second is chakra volume; the difference between having a lot and a little is significant. Just imagine, if Kakashi didn't have that weakness, would he still be the "Copy Ninja" who always fights to a draw? Perhaps "Hatake Ten-Zero" would be his nickname instead.

The third is chakra control. Top-tier control can lead to a qualitative leap in strength. Why was Sakura Haruno, who had no family background, average effort, and average chakra volume, able to become one of the new Sannin? Her apprenticeship was one factor, but another was her outstanding talent for chakra control, which surpassed most others, including Shizune.

The fact that Shizune did not inherit the Strength of a Hundred Technique from Tsunade, while Sakura did, is the best proof of this.

The final category is combat awareness. Everyone gains growth differently in battle; those with good talent can adapt to the battlefield at a young age. In this regard, Sasuke was far better than Naruto.

It is worth mentioning taijutsu talent. In the current atmosphere of Konoha, taijutsu talent is not considered a standard for measuring a ninja's potential. People like Lee and Guy, who have extremely poor chakra control and cannot perform ninjutsu, were not initially considered to have the makings of a ninja.

Come to think of it, as the younger brother of Kushina Uzumaki, my talent for chakra control shouldn't be too bad.

Kuming thought to himself. For the past few years, he hadn't been able to figure out how to use the lightning hidden within his chakra. Today was his first attempt at condensing chakra under Mito's guidance, and he hadn't expected it to trigger a chakra surge immediately. In other words, he hadn't received any ninja training until now; today was just the beginning.

Although Kuming hadn't undergone formal ninja training, his Mind's Eye range had been steadily increasing over the years. Even without using chakra, he possessed excellent perception, and even someone as strong as Mito Uzumaki couldn't detect his probing.

"Let's start with the simplest training, Kuming."

"First, try to mobilize your chakra."

Mito looked at Kuming and casually cast a barrier, protecting all the scrolls in the room.

"Understood, Grandma Mito."

"BOOM~~~~"

Spring turned to autumn, flowers withered and bloomed; before one knew it, another year had passed.

Today was Kushina Uzumaki's twelfth birthday, and after today, she would be participating in the Ninja Academy graduation exam.

"Kuming, here is a piece of candy, take it home to eat." On a street not far from Mito Uzumaki's residence, Kuming walked home carrying a small gift box. Behind him, Tsunade walked with her hands clasped behind her head, looking bored as she dealt with the residents who greeted her.

As the granddaughter of the First Hokage and a student of the Third, Tsunade was quite famous in the village.

A shopkeeper saw Kuming and Tsunade walking together and kindly offered a candy to entice the young boy.

"Big Sister Tsunade, I want that candy..." Kuming said with a look of surprise, pointing at the candy innocently.

"Don't pretend, kid. You hate sweets more than anyone."

"If you don't like it, why must you accept it?"

Although Tsunade said this, she still took the candy from the woman, thanked her, and returned to give it to Kuming.

"It's just someone being kind; it would be rude to refuse."

"Besides, if I don't eat it, I can give it to Big Sister~"

Kuming took the candy from Tsunade, bowed to the woman from a distance, and continued walking home. Tsunade watched his demeanor in a daze.

This kid is actually quite polite. Today was the first time Tsunade had taken Kuming out; she usually didn't have time to look after children.

This time, she suddenly discovered that the child in her family was quite polite. She didn't remember anyone at home teaching him manners; Kushina had already been spoiled to the point of being lawless, so she hadn't expected this child to evolve in the opposite direction...

Previously, Kuming could be described as someone who never stepped out of the house; the nanny had to struggle for a long time just to take him out for some air. When Kuming was at home, besides eating, sleeping, and using the restroom, he was either in Mito's study or at the dojo. Generally, Kuming shouldn't have cared about manners, but at five years old, he didn't have much of a child's nature. That he was so polite when out in public was something Tsunade couldn't fathom.

"Big Sister~ I brought you a gift." Upon returning home, Kuming ran straight to the courtyard outside the dojo, where Kushina was currently throwing kunai. Seeing Kuming trotting over with something in his hands, she immediately stopped what she was doing. Tsunade followed Kuming from a distance, watching the siblings talking in the courtyard, and left with a knowing smile to find Mito.

In the courtyard, Kuming showed off the small gift box to Kushina.

"Big Sister, open it and see." Kuming squinted at Kushina, his eyes filled with anticipation.

"Hmm." Kushina was happy to receive a gift. She quickly unwrapped it and found a kunai inside. However, this kunai was special; it had complex formulas inscribed on it. Although the color of the inscribed formulas was similar to the kunai itself, one could see them upon closer inspection.

"What is this?" Kushina had expected a small toy or something similar, but she hadn't expected her younger brother to give her a kunai, and one that didn't look simple at all.

"An Explosive Kunai."

"I added a formula to it. If you inject just a little bit of chakra, it will trigger. From then on, as long as the tip of the kunai touches an object, it will explode. The power is quite strong, so Big Sister, use it with caution."

"I specially crafted this kunai. If it weren't for Big Sister Tsunade, I wouldn't have been able to get a kunai capable of holding chakra."

Kushina knew that Kuming had been receiving specialized instruction in sealing arts from Mito for a year, but she couldn't imagine that Kuming could make something like this at such a young age. This had to be an advanced application of sealing arts; after all, not just anyone could create such explosive weaponry.

One had to know that the production of explosive tags had always been a secret of every ninja village, and the sale of such military supplies was strictly controlled. If one wasn't a ninja, there was simply nowhere to purchase them.

"How powerful is it?" Kushina asked curiously, picking up the kunai to examine it. The jutsu formula inscribed on it was rather complex, reminding her of something from the past, and her expression shifted slightly.

"Look, a three-story house like that one in front of the courtyard would be gone in a single blast," Kuming said casually, pointing toward a three-story residence. Although he hadn't tested it himself, Mito had helped him try it out a while ago and told him the results.

"I'm heading to the study now. Be careful how you use it, Sister." Ignoring Kushina, who was still standing there in a daze, Kuming went back to the study on his own.

Inside the study, Kuming sat cross-legged in front of the desk, intently reading a scroll. Beside his hand sat a delicate snack paired with a cup of clear tea. The entire secret room was brightly lit, casting his shadow against the bookshelves.

"Although I've memorized the formula for the Four Symbols Seal in its entirety, there are still many parts that don't make sense when I try to execute it. Relying solely on my own deductions has reached a bottleneck; I need a teacher to guide me."

Ever since Mito granted him permission to enter the study, he had spent most of his time here. Kuming, who naturally preferred quiet, was clearly different from other children. While others liked to play, he did not.

Compared to playing, Kuming, who was well aware of the dangers of this world, craved power. Ever since he arrived in this world, he had known just how worthless life could be. Therefore, Kuming tried to seize every opportunity to become stronger, and living a reclusive life had become his daily routine.

The sealing jutsu currently laid out before him was one of the paths to his strength. Back when Kuming learned to read under Mito's guidance using the Scroll of Sealing, he had memorized many of the ninjutsu recorded within it. Aside from a few strange techniques whose effects he didn't understand, there were two he had been coveting for a long time.

One was the legendary Flying Thunder God, and the other was the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags. The medium for performing both of these techniques was, in fact, sealing jutsu! It was precisely for this reason that Kuming felt no resistance toward learning sealing arts; otherwise, he wasn't a fool. Why would he spend his prime years not training his body or developing the Rasengan like the vast majority of young transmigrators, only to study some damn sealing jutsu?

It was only because sealing jutsu was useful that he studied it. Moreover, under Mito's guidance, Kuming's taijutsu was also quite decent. Up to this point, Kuming could be considered to be walking on two legs—neither his ninjutsu nor his taijutsu had been neglected.