Sealing Jutsu

The morning sun was still slowly climbing the eastern hillside.

Naruto instinctively opened his eyes. Looking at the unfamiliar ceiling, he propped himself up and gazed at the faintly brightening sky outside.

He picked up the Sealing Scroll beside his bed. Kusabimaru was temporarily stored inside.

Walking through Konoha's streets with a sword at his side was a little too conspicuous, no matter how he thought about it.

According to what his mother had said yesterday, ANBU's surveillance of her was not permanent. It was more like Konoha's higher-ups were uneasy about the Jinchuriki and conducted periodic inspections.

It was much the same as his situation at the Ninja Academy.

Judging by the feedback from Mind's Eye of the Kagura, today happened to be the day ANBU withdrew.

Arriving at his usual spot, Naruto took out Kusabimaru and began his monotonous daily training.

The little river flowing gently by was somewhat different from the one he knew in the future. The water flow was greater, and it was clearer as well.

"Heart Piercing Style: Returning Nest!"

Upon the river's surface, dense blade marks resembling a bird's nest flashed past in an instant.

If Heart Piercing Style: Crescent Moon was the ultimate slash, then Returning Nest was the pinnacle of his techniques.

Drip.

Under the morning light, the dewdrops on the branches and leaves glittered brilliantly.

Sunlight spread across the land, instantly dispelling the chill of the mortal world. The thick mist in the forest gradually dispersed as well, revealing the vigorous life hidden within.

"Whew..."

The breath Naruto exhaled mingled with the outside air, even forming a visible arrow of mist.

He sheathed his sword and walked over to the makeshift dam he had built earlier.

Looking at the little fish swimming back and forth inside, Naruto was slightly stunned—not because there were too few, but because there were too many.

Perhaps it was because they had more room to live.

He thought to himself.

After casually catching a few, Naruto cleared the dam. Take only what was needed; draining the pond to catch every fish was the road to ruin.

In the living room, Kushina Uzumaki propped up her chin with one hand, sighing again and again.

Why had he left already?

Teasing your own child and teasing someone else's child were completely different feelings. Though this child was a little older, he really was her own child.

Knock, knock!

Kushina Uzumaki looked toward the door in confusion. "Who is it?"

At this hour, no one she knew who was still in the village should be coming to see her.

"Have you eaten breakfast?" Naruto raised the few small fish in his hand and asked with a smile.

"Little Naruto?" Kushina Uzumaki stared at him in astonishment.

"What is it?" Naruto could not help touching his face. He remembered washing it.

Did I forget to wipe away my eye gunk?

He touched the corner of his eye.

There was nothing there.

"I thought..." Kushina Uzumaki abruptly stopped halfway through. If she said it, wouldn't it sound like she was urging him to leave?

"Where did you go so early in the morning? And where did you get those fish?"

"I went to train." Naruto raised the fish in his hand. "I caught them at my training spot."

"Is there anything you can't eat?"

Naruto walked toward the kitchen as he asked.

"Can't eat? No." Kushina Uzumaki leaned against the kitchen door, resting her index finger against her chin. After thinking for a moment, she gently shook her head.

"Then that's fine. Sit and wait a moment. I'll make some porridge."

Naruto nodded slightly and placed the little fish in the sink. He started the rice cooking first, then came back to prepare the fish.

He scaled and gutted them, removed the bones, and scraped out the flesh with a spoon. The fish had looked like a lot, but after processing, there was only a little more than one small bowl's worth—just enough.

He minced the fish, added an appropriate amount of salt, grated ginger, light soy sauce, and cooking wine, then stirred it until sticky.

He heated oil in a pan and fried the remaining fish skins until golden on both sides, then set them aside.

Watching his practiced movements, Kushina Uzumaki clicked her tongue inwardly. What had she been doing at his age?

She seemed to have just graduated from the Ninja Academy, at that lawless age when she feared nothing.

"Little Naruto, have you been practicing any ninjutsu lately?" It did not seem right to just stand there watching, so Kushina Uzumaki desperately searched for a topic.

"Ninjutsu?" Naruto paused, then shook his head slightly. "I don't know any ninjutsu. I only practice swordsmanship."

"You don't know ninjutsu?" Once her surprise passed, Kushina Uzumaki realized that, as a Rogue Ninja, little Naruto truly had no one to teach him ninjutsu.

"Then do you want to learn ninjutsu?" she asked instead.

"I do, but..."

"What is your chakra nature?" Kushina Uzumaki interrupted before he could finish.

"Wind."

Kushina Uzumaki nodded slightly, but said nothing further.

"By the way, Mother, do you know Sealing Jutsu?" Naruto glanced at her and asked cautiously.

"Of course I do!" Kushina Uzumaki nodded rapidly. This was her bread and butter. "I taught Minato all of his Sealing Jutsu."

"You're that good?" Naruto asked in surprise. The Sealing Jutsu on the Ryūmyaku Chakra had been left behind by Minato Namikaze. Even after more than ten years, it could still trap Mukade.

"Obviously." Kushina Uzumaki gave a smug little laugh. "Does little Naruto want to learn?"

"I do."

Naruto nodded like a pile driver.

If having no way to learn was painful, then encountering a famous teacher willing to guide him was the height of happiness.

"I'll teach you after breakfast."

Half an hour later.

Naruto's fish porridge was brought to the table. Though it was only a simple home-cooked meal, its refined presentation made it look especially appetizing.

"Mmm, delicious." After taking a taste, Kushina Uzumaki could not help praising it.

"Is it?"

Naruto took a bite himself. It tasted ordinary; most of the flavor came from the ingredients themselves.

He was not someone who pursued perfection in cooking. Most of the time, he only cared that it looked decent and tasted fine.

Mealtimes always lifted one's mood, but by the same token, happy moments were always brief.

After washing and neatly putting away the dishes,

Naruto followed his mother into a study. Seeing a bookshelf packed full of books, he could not help clicking his tongue.

His eyesight was not bad, and he could clearly read the words on the book covers.

"Detailed Explanation of Five Nature Chakras," "Elementary Explanation of Four Symbols Seal," "Conjecture on Yin-Yang Chakra"...

They were all advanced knowledge he had once only dreamed of obtaining.

Compared to this knowledge, the Ninja Academy's textbooks could only be considered the most basic material.

"If there are any books you're interested in, feel free to look through them. Minato and I have accumulated all of these over the years," Kushina Uzumaki said with a smile.

She led him to the desk and had him sit down, then went to a bookshelf and began frantically picking out the books he would need.

A few minutes later.

Bang!

Naruto's eyelids twitched as he looked at the pile of books his mother had dropped in front of him. "All of these?"

Kushina Uzumaki shook her head slightly. "Of course not."

"This is only a small portion of them."

The perfectly timed turn nearly made Naruto choke.

Seeing his expression, Kushina Uzumaki nodded in satisfaction. This was exactly the reaction she wanted.

"Sealing Jutsu differs from other ninjutsu. It is a specialized ninjutsu built upon a deep foundation of knowledge."

"Five Elements and Yin-Yang Release are also extremely complicated in principle, but after enough practice turns them into bodily instinct, you can use them skillfully even without understanding those principles."

"But Sealing Jutsu is different. If you don't know it and don't understand it, then you truly won't be able to use it."