Sealing, Sharingan

Two days later, Naraku and his two companions arrived in the Land of Artisans.

After making a few inquiries, they quickly located the man known as Sandayu.

Perhaps Fuyubana Sosetsu had already sent word ahead, as Sandayu did not seem surprised by their arrival; he merely wore a sorrowful expression upon seeing young Fuyubana Koyuki.

"Brother Kakashi, Brother Naraku, you must come back to see me," Fuyubana Koyuki said, waving at the two of them with a look of reluctance.

"We will. We promise."

Having handed Fuyubana Koyuki over to Sandayu, their mission was considered successfully completed, and they set off on their return journey to Konoha Village.

Overall, the mission had gone quite smoothly, without any major obstacles.

Three days later, two figures appeared in a forest outside Konoha Village; they were Naraku and Kakashi.

The long trek over the past few days had left their faces etched with fatigue, but fortunately, with the mission now complete, they could finally return and rest.

However, there was one more thing they had to do before that.

Looking at the forest that was about to end, with Konoha Village just ahead, Naraku suddenly turned to lock eyes with Kakashi. With a silent, mutual understanding, the two turned and headed in a different direction.

They soon arrived at a secluded cave.

Entering the cave, Naraku placed his hand against a rock, and a unique black seal began to manifest upon it. Gradually, these markings spread until they covered nearly the entire cave.

"Phew, done," Naraku exhaled, pulling his hand away as the dense web of black seals vanished, concealing themselves within the stone walls.

This was a specialized isolation barrier Naraku had mastered. Among the many arrays he knew, this one was top-tier; it not only isolated everything within the cave but also possessed a certain degree of defensive capability.

As it stood, if anyone tried to enter their cave, they would find it impossible unless they used external force to break the barrier—and in that case, Naraku would be alerted immediately.

With these preparations complete, Naraku turned to Kakashi and said, "How about it, Kai? Are you ready?"

"Yes," Kakashi nodded firmly, then lifted his forehead protector to reveal his left eye, where a Three-Tomoe Sharingan slowly rotated.

"Good. In that case, I'll begin," Naraku said, laying a blank scroll on the ground before slowly raising his hands to weave hand signs.

"Watch closely, Kai."

He didn't need to remind him; Kakashi was already staring intently at his movements, his Sharingan's three black tomoe spinning rapidly.

"Four Symbols Seal."

Naraku spoke in a low voice and pressed his hands onto the scroll, causing a black, swirling seal to emerge upon it.

Indeed, it was the Four Symbols Seal. In his past life, Naraku had often wondered: if Kakashi could master a sealing technique—one capable of sealing the Sharingan—could he not do as the Uchiha Clan did? Seal the eye when not in combat, and release the seal only when necessary?

He had suggested this to Kakashi before, but Kakashi had been unable to let go of his dear friend, Uchiha Obito, and had refused.

But this trip to the Land of Snow had made him realize the burden the Sharingan placed upon him, leading him to finally accept Naraku's suggestion. After all, it was merely a seal, not the destruction of the eye.

As a genius, Kakashi was no fool; he could see the current situation in Konoha clearly enough.

The Fourth Hokage had died in battle, the Hokage's wife was in a coma, and their child had become a jinchuriki.

The Third Hokage's recent actions had also left him feeling a sense of dissatisfaction. Kakashi understood the importance of power; only with great strength could he protect everything he held dear.

"Four Symbols Seal!"

As soon as Naraku finished casting the technique, Kakashi moved. Using the exact same hand signs, another swirling seal appeared on the scroll.

Kakashi was no stranger to sealing arts; he had encountered several masters of the craft in the ninja world, and he had often watched Minato Namikaze perform them in the past.

As expected of you, Kakashi.

Watching Kakashi succeed on his first attempt, Naraku thought to himself. Of everyone Naraku had met thus far, Kakashi's talent was undoubtedly the greatest. Even his brother-in-law, the youngest Hokage in history, Minato Namikaze, fell short of Kakashi in certain respects.

Though, compared to himself, he was still a little lacking.

Naraku then demonstrated the release method for the Four Symbols Seal. Without any surprises, Kakashi succeeded on his first try once again.

Even so, Naraku did not let him attempt to seal the Sharingan immediately. He had him practice a few more times; the stakes were too high, and it would be a disaster if he accidentally damaged the eye.

After all, he would need this very Sharingan—which also possessed Kamui—to deal with Uchiha Obito in the future.

However, the chance of such an accident was slim, almost impossible.

Before this, Naraku had tested it on his own eyes several times and had successfully sealed them each time.

"Kai, you don't need to seal the entire Sharingan, just the nerves connected to it. Like this," Naraku said. After Kakashi had practiced a few more times, Naraku personally demonstrated the process of sealing the Sharingan.

Naraku's hands moved in a blur, completing the signs in an instant. He placed his hand over his left eye, and the black swirling seal appeared, slowly flowing into the eye.

"Like this?" Kakashi noticed that Naraku's left eye slowly lost its luster, appearing as lifeless as a piece of jewelry.

"Now, to release the seal," Naraku said.

"Four Symbols Seal: Release!"

As he placed his hand over his left eye again, the black swirl emerged. With a gentle twist of his wrist, the seal opened like a rotating door.

His left eye returned to normal.

Although the entire process appeared effortless, it was only because Naraku had mastered the art of sealing.

In truth, he could have easily sealed the Sharingan for Kakashi, but that would have been troublesome; after all, the two of them were not together every waking moment, and at this stage, most of Kakashi's offensive capabilities still relied on the Sharingan.

Only by letting him master the Four Symbols Seal himself could everything be foolproof, allowing him to release the seal whenever the need arose.

"It's your turn, Kai."

"Right," Kakashi nodded.

"Obito, Rin."

"I will protect everything that exists now."

Kakashi's gaze was resolute as his hands began to weave signs. "Four Symbols Seal."