Ruins of the Vortex Clan

"The ruins... of the Uzumaki clan from the Warring States period?"

Kou stared at the yellowed map on the tabletop, his brows knitting together slightly, his voice laced with unconcealable surprise.

"Exactly!"

Mei Terumi nodded with absolute certainty, her emerald eyes shimmering with long-suppressed excitement.

She reached out a finger to tap the location marked with a red circle in the center of the map, her tone brimming with agitation:

"I found this by accident in the Mist Village intelligence room while I was investigating the Three-Tails Jinchuriki project from back then."

She paused, as if organizing her thoughts or perhaps suppressing the anticipation threatening to overflow from her heart:

"You know as well as I do that the Uzumaki clan was renowned for their sealing jutsu.

If we use this map to locate the ruins of the Uzumaki clan from the Warring States period, we might just be able to obtain the lost sealing techniques hidden within!"

Her voice rose a notch, and her eyes seemed almost to glow:

"And sealing jutsu is the natural nemesis of the Tailed Beasts!"

Kou remained silent, his gaze lingering on the map for a long time. He did not respond immediately.

He simply picked up his teacup and took a slow sip.

The tea had already gone cold, the bitter astringency spreading across his tongue, just enough to mask the turbulent thoughts churning within him.

Mei Terumi did not seem to notice his silence, continuing her deduction with growing conviction:

"The biggest reason we still can't topple that guy Yagura, even with the support of the vast majority of the Mist, is not the stubborn old fools behind him, but his formidable power as the Three-Tails Jinchuriki."

Her voice dropped, and a flicker of wariness crossed those emerald eyes.

As a Mist elite who had personally experienced the Third Shinobi World War, she knew all too well just how terrifying the power of a Tailed Beast could be.

It was a horrific existence that could truly alter the course of a war single-handedly.

Her fingers clenched involuntarily, her knuckles turning white:

"Without a means to suppress the power of a Tailed Beast, if Yagura were to go berserk within the village, the fate of the Mist would be far more tragic than that of Konoha during the Nine-Tails Incident.

Even a powerhouse like Konoha fell into an unprecedented period of weakness after the tragedy of a Tailed Beast rampage, let alone the Mist, which is already hollow on the inside?"

She looked up, meeting Kou's eyes directly, her tone filled with both wariness and resolve:

"Without a way to suppress the Tailed Beast, we cannot topple him completely, and the reforms of the Mist cannot be carried out.

But once we have a reliable method to deal with the Tailed Beast, we will have the confidence to defeat Yagura and his lot!"

Listening to Mei Terumi's confident words, Kou looked at the map before him, falling into deep contemplation.

The ruins of the Uzumaki clan... sealing jutsu?

He muttered to himself in his heart, feeling a sudden sense of clarity:

No wonder Mei Terumi and the others were able to defeat Yagura, the Three-Tails Jinchuriki, in the original story—was this the reason all along?

He had always found it strange: how could the Mist, which had been turned into such a mess by Obito in the original story, defeat the Three-Tails Jinchuriki Yagura so easily, even before Obito had time to provide support?

At the time, the only person in the entire Mist worth mentioning was Mei Terumi.

Even with the assistance of Ao and his Byakugan, they should have been no match for Yagura, who was controlled by the genjutsu of Obito's Mangekyo Sharingan.

After all, with Obito's mastery of genjutsu, even through remote control, he could have forced Yagura to initiate a full Tailed Beast transformation the moment he sensed danger.

Regardless of whether their identities were exposed, the Mist would have suffered devastating losses. Obito could have easily arrived during that chaos.

Not to mention wiping out Mei Terumi and her group, he could have at least recovered the Three-Tails.

It should never have resulted in the Three-Tails dying along with Yagura.

The death of the Three-Tails in the original story was definitely not part of Obito's plan.

Thinking about it this way, if they possessed the lost sealing jutsu of the Uzumaki clan, everything makes sense.

Kou shifted his gaze from the map to the woman standing before him, her expression still filled with fervor.

Even though he was already mostly convinced, he maintained a skeptical facade and asked earnestly:

"Is the information on this map reliable?"

His voice was low, yet carried an unquestionable seriousness.

Mei Terumi nodded with great confidence and responded steadily:

"I've investigated it."

"This map was obtained from the Uzumaki clan's territory in Uzushio Village after the Mist participated in the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools during the Second Shinobi World War."

As she spoke, her tone dropped significantly, and a complex emotion flickered in her emerald eyes:

"Although most of the Uzumaki clan's heritage was lost or destroyed in that war, this map was indeed preserved and kept in the Mist's secret vault for years."

Kou nodded slightly, his fingers gently tracing the edge of the map, his movements slow, as if caressing a piece of history sealed in dust.

Listening to Mei Terumi's explanation, Kou instantly seized upon the loophole.

His brows furrowed slightly, and a sharp glint flashed through his gentle eyes:

"In all these years, has the Mist Village never sent anyone to investigate?"

Mei Terumi fell into silence for a moment.

Her lips moved, wanting to say something, but she didn't.

Her emerald green eyes lowered, her eyelashes trembling slightly, as if avoiding something.

Under Kou's serious, almost emotionless gaze, she finally spoke.

Her voice was a little dejected, carrying an ineffable regret:

"Of course the Mist Village sent people to investigate."

She paused, her voice dropping even lower:

"When the Third Mizukage was in power, he sent people to investigate more than once, even sending more than one elite ANBU unit.

But in the end..."

Her voice faded, so low it was almost inaudible:

"Not a single person returned alive."

The living room fell silent for a moment. The mist outside seemed to thicken, seeping in through the cracks in the window, carrying a damp, cool scent.

"No one knows what they encountered there. None of those sent could bring back any news, not even their bodies were found."

She looked up, her emerald green eyes filled with an ineffable regret and bitterness:

"If only Ao were still here..."

As if realizing who was sitting opposite her, she stopped abruptly, not continuing.

Her lips pursed slightly, and a hint of imperceptible awkwardness appeared on her cold, beautiful face.

But even though she didn't finish, Kou understood the meaning behind her unspoken words.

"As expected..."

The corners of Kou's mouth curved into a subtle arc, so slight it was almost an invisible crack.

"The key to deciphering that ruin is Ao's Byakugan!"