The Enlightenment Teacher of Sealing Techniques

Ever since his unusual "first meeting" with One-Tail Shukaku, Shaye had been visiting the temple more often. He was filled with indescribable curiosity about the massive being imprisoned there, but what intrigued him even more were the methods Grandpa Bunpuku had inadvertently displayed—the methods capable of restraining that terrifying power.

This time, he did not rush to ask about Shukaku. Instead, for the first time, he truly studied the temple itself with care. Before, he had only thought it shabby and dilapidated. Now that he knew the One-Tail was sealed here, his perspective had completely changed. An engineer's eye and his exceptional memory began to come into play.

He noticed that within the seemingly natural cracks and mottled marks on the temple's rough stone walls lay patterns of extreme regularity and complexity. The seams between the paving stones were not random either, but formed a strange, repeating design. Even the placement of that ever-burning oil lamp, along with the rhythm of its flickering flame, seemed to contain an indescribable cadence.

These lines, patterns, and rhythms subtly echoed one another, forming an immense, precise, invisible whole that enveloped the entire temple—especially the spot where Grandpa Bunpuku sat.

"Grandpa Bunpuku," Shaye could not help asking as he pointed at a faint, spiral-like marking on the wall, "what are these...? They don't look like they were carved at random."

Bunpuku had been sitting with his eyes closed, regulating his breathing. Hearing this, he slowly opened them and looked in the direction Shaye was pointing. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes once more. These Sealing Formulae had long since fused with the temple itself. Ordinary people would never notice them, and even if they did, they would only take them for ordinary wear or decoration. This child was not only perceptive—his powers of observation were astonishing as well.

After pondering for a moment, Bunpuku looked into Shaye's eyes, which held nothing but a pure thirst for knowledge rather than greed or fear, and slowly said, "These are 'Sealing Formulae.'"

"Sealing Formulae?" Shaye repeated the unfamiliar term, his eyes growing brighter and brighter. It sounded like some kind of... energy-control technology?

"Yes." Bunpuku nodded, his tone calm, as though he were explaining the most ordinary principle. "Everything in this world possesses its own flow of energy. Sealing Techniques are the art of guiding, restraining, or even cutting off that flow. They can be used to seal away something as small as a scroll, or as great as..." He paused without finishing, but his gaze briefly swept over himself.

Shaye understood at once. As great as sealing a terrifying existence like One-Tail Shukaku!

"It can keep Shukaku locked up because it restrains his energy?" Shaye immediately seized upon the key point, his voice carrying the excitement of an engineer encountering new technology.

"You could put it that way." Bunpuku was somewhat surprised that Shaye had grasped the core concept so quickly, but he continued, "The core of Sealing Techniques lies in the 'formulae'—the patterns you see here. Different formulae produce different effects. Some are like sturdy cages, used for confinement. Some are like intricate locks, used for binding. Others are like channels and dams, used for guidance and control."

He raised a finger and slowly traced a simple symbol made of a circle and straight lines through the air. As a faint flow of chakra moved through his fingertip, the symbol briefly left behind a dim trail of light in the air, radiating a weak restraining force.

"This is the most basic 'Basic Sealing Sigil,'" Bunpuku said. "Though basic, it is the starting point for countless profound Sealing Techniques. Its structure is stable and can effectively prevent minute leaks of energy."

Without blinking, Shaye stared at the fading light sigil. His vast mental energy and memory operated at full capacity, instantly engraving every stroke of the symbol into the depths of his mind—the angles of its turns and transitions, the subtle sensation of chakra flow contained within it. He even began unconsciously analyzing its structure in his head—was that curve meant to disperse stress? Was that right angle meant to concentrate the energy field?

"Hmph, clumsy fool! Your energy output efficiency isn't even five percent! What a waste of chakra!" A hoarse, impatient voice suddenly rang out from within Bunpuku. Naturally, it was Shukaku. "That turning point should use an instant burst of chakra pressure! Otherwise, it's just a leaky basket!"

Bunpuku smiled helplessly, neither angered nor offended. Instead, he said to Shaye, "You see, even Shukaku has quite a few 'insights' into Sealing Techniques."

"Insights? I gained experience from being locked up!" Shukaku snapped irritably. "I've looked at you humans' junk for decades. I got sick of it ages ago! I know better than any of you which parts are sturdy and which parts have flaws!"

Yet Shaye was deeply interested in Shukaku's interruption. It was like an old user who had tested a product to its limits—his complaints often pointed straight at the critical flaws!

"Then how do we stop it from leaking, Shukaku?" Shaye directly sought advice from the "party involved," maintaining the same natural, equal attitude as though consulting a bad-tempered technical adviser.

"...Huh?" Shukaku apparently had not expected Shaye to actually ask him. He choked for a moment, then started shouting even more arrogantly. "Obviously, you increase the energy infusion at the core nodes! Like plugging a hole! And that closing circuit is so wishy-washy, not decisive at all. By the time the energy gets there, it's all dispersed! It needs to snap shut! Got it? Snap shut!"

Though his words were crude and full of emotion, they often struck right at the heart of the matter, pinpointing key issues at the operational level. Bunpuku's theory provided a rigorous framework, while Shukaku's "complaints" supplemented it with a wealth of practical details and experience from pitfalls he had personally encountered.

Understanding flashed through Bunpuku's eyes. Rather than interrupting the lesson because of Shukaku's interjection, he went with the flow and demonstrated the Basic Sealing Sigil again according to Shukaku's "guidance." This time, he slightly adjusted the strength and speed of his chakra output at several critical nodes.

Sure enough, the light sigil that condensed in the air looked denser and more stable, and the restraining sensation it radiated was noticeably stronger.

"Oh! So that's how it works!" Shaye watched without taking his eyes off it, suddenly enlightened. This was not merely about memorizing a pattern—it was a delicate art of controlling energy in an instant!

And so, an unprecedented introductory lesson in Sealing Techniques unfolded within this remote temple.

The teacher was Bunpuku, the compassionate monk and jinchuriki who was well versed in sealing theory.

The teaching assistant—albeit an extremely unwilling and irritable one—was One-Tail Shukaku, who had been sealed for decades and possessed "personal experience" with Sealing Techniques.

The student was Shaye, a four-year-old child with an adult soul, extraordinary memory and comprehension, who studied Sealing Techniques as though they were "advanced energy programming."

Bunpuku began with the most basic runes, explaining their meanings, functions, and methods of combination. Shaye, meanwhile, absorbed that knowledge like an enormous sponge, feverishly comparing and verifying it against his knowledge of machinery and circuits from his previous life. His rate of comprehension was astonishing.

As for Shukaku, he always made his "noise" at crucial moments. Sometimes he mocked Bunpuku's rigid teaching; sometimes he bragged about his "glorious achievements" in breaking through certain seals—which often became the best examples of what not to do; and sometimes he impatiently pointed out tiny errors in Shaye's understanding or memory.

Shaye did not find Shukaku noisy. Instead, he regarded every interruption as valuable data feedback, recording each one and repeatedly mulling it over.

Beneath the dim oil lamp, ancient sealing runes seemed to come alive again amid the dust and sand. An aged, tranquil voice, a violent and arrogant voice, and a youthful yet calm voice intertwined in a strange harmony, jointly exploring the mysteries of restraining power.

Bunpuku watched Shaye immerse himself in the sea of knowledge, watched his strange yet effective interaction with Shukaku, and the surprise in his heart gradually turned into deep anticipation.

This child might truly be different. His way of seeing things, his calm state of mind, his terrifying learning ability... Perhaps he really could understand this power rather than merely exploit or fear it.

The gates of Sealing Techniques were slowly opening before Shaye. Beyond them lay a world of energy far more complex—and far more captivating—than mechanical transmission.