Learning Sealing Jutsu, Kushina Slacks Off After Clearing Her Mind

Back in the second-year classroom, the entire afternoon was devoted to academic classes.

Akashi Kishimoto stood at the podium, opened Chapter Three of Will of Fire: Basics, and read aloud with great emotion.

"...Where the leaves of Konoha dance, the fire burns without end! The shadow of the fire shall illuminate the village and cause new leaves to sprout..."

Yawns rose and fell throughout the classroom.

Several students in the front rows were already nodding off like pecking chicks, while Kushina had long since collapsed onto her desk, sleeping so deeply that she was practically drooling.

But Mirai Uzumaki sat perfectly straight.

His hands rested on his desk, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the podium. Every now and then, he nodded thoughtfully, as though he had been deeply moved by Teacher Kishimoto's lesson.

I still have to keep up appearances.

He knew Anbu agents were watching him from some unseen corner outside the classroom. Hiruzen Sarutobi was currently observing him. The more he appeared to embrace the Will of Fire and meet Hiruzen Sarutobi's expectations, the easier his life would be in the future.

"What is the core of the Will of Fire?" Akashi Kishimoto asked from the podium.

"It is protection! Bonds! The determination to protect the village!" Mirai Uzumaki raised his hand before anyone else, his voice ringing out and his gaze sincere.

Akashi Kishimoto froze for a moment, then pushed up his glasses with satisfaction. "Very good, Mirai Uzumaki! You may sit down."

The entire class looked at him as though he were a monster—when even the teacher was just reading from the book, why was he listening so seriously?

Mirai Uzumaki sat down without changing expression and silently sighed to himself.

Old man, do you know how hard I'm working?

Meanwhile, amid the shadows of the trees some distance beyond the classroom window, an Anbu figure silently recorded something before vanishing in a blur.

Hokage's Office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi accepted the observation report handed over by the Anbu agent. When he turned to the final page and saw the words, "Mirai Uzumaki showed enthusiasm toward the Will of Fire course, actively answered questions, and displayed a sincere attitude," a satisfied smile appeared on his aged face.

"What a good child..." He tapped his pipe, the smile spilling from the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. "Lady Mito, did you see that? Konoha's new bud is growing strong."

Outside the window, the Third Hokage's face on Hokage Rock silently overlooked the entire village beneath the sunlight.

A month was neither particularly long nor particularly short.

At school, Mirai Uzumaki's popularity continued to rise, though he had clearly become more restrained than when he first arrived. He occasionally dozed off in class and was called out by Akashi Kishimoto several times.

At home, however, Mirai had been living very comfortably.

A certain Tsunade had lost a month of her time to him, so she had to give Mirai massages every day.

Although he was still so small that he could not make use of a full-body massage yet.

Even a half-set was pretty nice!

Especially since Tsunade's massages were really big.

Not only did they feel good, they were also a feast for the eyes. Why not enjoy them?

After school that day, Mito Uzumaki was unusually not sitting beneath the corridor sipping tea. Instead, she waited for them outside a secret room deep within the clan grounds.

"Mirai, Kushina, come with me."

Leaning on her cane, Mito steadily pushed open a heavy wooden door.

Beyond it was a spacious underground chamber, its walls embedded with Luminescent Stones that gave off a soft, cold glow.

Most eye-catching were the shelves around the room—scrolls were stacked in neat, dense rows from floor to ceiling, numbering at least several hundred.

"This is..." Kushina's eyes widened.

"These are Sealing Jutsu scrolls accumulated by the Uzumaki Clan over generations." Mito turned to look at the two children, her expression becoming unusually serious.

"Sealing Jutsu is the foundation upon which the Uzumaki Clan stands. Uzumaki blood flows through your bodies, and these scrolls are your inheritance."

She walked to a bookshelf and casually pulled out a scroll, unfurling it. The densely packed runes and seals made Kushina's head buzz on the spot.

"Starting today, you will both come here to study after school every day.

"Before graduation, you must at least master the Five Elements Seal and advanced applications of Adamantine Sealing Chains. In particular—" Mito glanced at Mirai and Kushina. "You must become proficient in the techniques related to Tailed Beast Seals."

Kushina's expression immediately fell.

"Grandma..." She tugged pitifully at Mito's clothes. "I think I caught a disease. The kind where my head hurts whenever I see Sealing Jutsu scrolls..."

Mito smiled, raised her hand, and lightly flicked her forehead. "You little rascal. Sealing Jutsu is what keeps you alive. If you do not know it, who will save you when you face danger someday?"

"Mirai will definitely save me!"

"And what if he is in danger too?"

Kushina pursed her lips and fell silent.

Mito handed each of them a basic scroll. "Start with the Four Symbols Seal. Mirai, you go first. Kushina, watch and learn from the side."

Mirai Uzumaki accepted the scroll, his eyes shining.

He had wanted to get his hands on these Sealing Jutsu for a long time. They were a hundred times more interesting than listening to Akashi Kishimoto drone on about the Will of Fire at school.

He spread out the scroll, sat cross-legged, and quickly scanned the structure of the technique while muttering under his breath.

"...The Four Symbols Seal uses the energy of the four directions to suppress the center, with yin and yang alternating... The core node is at..."

Mito narrowed her eyes slightly as she watched Mirai's focused profile, a trace of satisfaction appearing in her gaze.

This child's comprehension was even greater than she had expected.

"Kushina." Mito turned toward Kushina, who was staring blankly at Mirai. "What are you looking at?"

"Huh? N-nothing!" Kushina snapped back to her senses, her face flushing as she hurriedly grabbed her scroll and pretended to read it. "I'm studying right now!"

But she had not absorbed more than a few words. Under the lamplight, Mirai's profile as he lowered his head to study the scroll was very handsome. His eyelashes hung low, and he occasionally furrowed his brow or murmured something quietly.

Kushina stole a glance, then another—while as for what was written on the scroll, her mind was completely blank.

Mito sighed but did not expose her.

How could an old woman who had lived nearly a lifetime fail to see what this child was thinking?

Still... there was no rush. They had plenty of time.

"All right, that's enough for today." Mito tapped her cane. "From now on, come here after school and study for an hour before going home.

"Kushina, tomorrow I'll test you on the core mnemonic of the Four Symbols Seal. If you cannot recite it, you'll copy it a hundred times."

"Ehh—no way?!"

"What do you mean, no way? Do you think I'm joking with you?"

Kushina answered dejectedly, but from Mirai's perspective, she was clearly still secretly smiling.

An extra hour alone with Mirai every day did not seem so bad, did it?

It would be better if she did not have to memorize Sealing Jutsu.

Kushina had absolutely no interest in becoming a Jinchuriki.

In the original story, she became the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki because she had no choice.

But now that Mirai was here, couldn't Mirai just become the Jinchuriki instead? There was no need for her to suffer through that.

At that thought, Kushina's mind cleared completely!

Why bother looking at Sealing Jutsu when looking at Mirai was so much more pleasant?