Inside the room.
Akina Uzumaki frowned. "We shouldn't rush into this?"
Mito Uzumaki agreed wholeheartedly with Liu Yun's thinking. She said softly, "This is too important, Akina. Think it over some more. Don't rush to a decision."
"But..."
Akina Uzumaki hesitated, then sighed helplessly.
Of course he knew joining Konoha might not be as wonderful as he imagined.
But at least they would no longer risk having their entire clan wiped out.
Mito Uzumaki hesitated for a moment. "Send a few children to live in Konoha, like Kushina."
Akina Uzumaki nodded thoughtfully. "That, then? Very well. At least it'll leave the Uzumaki Clan with another hope for the future."
Liu Yun: "..."
Why did it sound a little like they wanted to establish a new Uzumaki Clan in Konoha?
Still, he had to admit it was a workable compromise.
Mito Uzumaki said, "That's worth considering, but you don't need to be so pessimistic. I'll stay in Uzushio Village for now and keep the Uzumaki Clan safe."
Akina Uzumaki shot to his feet in shock.
"Do you really mean that?"
Mito Uzumaki nodded.
Akina Uzumaki let out a deep sigh of relief. His whole body visibly relaxed, as though a heavy burden had been lifted from him.
His greatest fear was that Kumogakure or Kirigakure would attack Uzushio Village again after Konoha's reinforcements left.
But as long as Mito Uzumaki stayed in Uzushio Village, there would be no need to worry.
Unless Kumogakure and Kirigakure had truly gone mad and were willing to commit all their forces to wearing Mito Uzumaki down and destroying Uzushio Village.
Liu Yun looked at Mito Uzumaki in surprise.
Wait, Hiruzen Sarutobi's going to be dumbfounded.
The mission was complete, Uzushio Village had been saved, and Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and Iwagakure had all suffered losses. It could certainly be called a resounding victory.
But the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki wasn't going back...
Mito Uzumaki affectionately patted Liu Yun on the shoulder.
She said softly, "I'll go back once things settle down here in Uzushio Village. Let Tsunade take care of Kushina in the meantime."
Liu Yun's eyelid twitched.
Tsunade?
Taking care of someone?
He hoped Kushina wouldn't end up malnourished.
With the matter of Uzushio Village's survival temporarily resolved, the atmosphere in the room lost its heaviness and became much more relaxed.
"Lord Liu Yun, please follow me. The Mask Hall is this way."
A young member of the Uzumaki Clan spoke respectfully.
"Thank you. Sorry for the trouble."
Liu Yun thanked him.
He was curious about the masks enshrined in the Mask Hall and wanted to see whether they could serve as equipment materials, so he had mentioned it in passing.
Akina Uzumaki had immediately arranged for someone to take him there.
"It's only my duty."
Along the way, Liu Yun recalled the Mask Hall from the original story.
After the Third Hokage sealed Orochimaru's arms with the Reaper Death Seal, Orochimaru eventually found the Mask Hall and took one of its Shinigami Masks to undo the seal.
Although the process of undoing the seal was just as dangerous, that effect alone was enough to tempt him.
What made the forbidden Reaper Death Seal so troublesome was its ability to seal souls.
It could seal a weak soul entirely, or split off and seal part of a strong one.
With a way to undo it, the jutsu would become far less of a threat.
More importantly, could masks like these serve as equipment materials?
Before long, the young man led him to a building.
Thanks to its remote location, it had escaped destruction from the aftermath of last night's battle and remained largely intact.
The young man walked ahead and pushed open the wooden door.
"Lord Liu Yun, please."
Liu Yun nodded and stepped into the dimly lit room.
He felt a faint chill as soon as he entered.
Tap, tap, tap.
Only the footsteps of the two of them echoed through the room.
Liu Yun walked to the wall at the far end and looked up at the masks of various shapes hanging there.
Some had wide, glaring eyes, some had downturned mouths, some laughed with their mouths open, and some had their eyes closed as though asleep.
Their only shared feature was a pair of horns.
Liu Yun's gaze swept over the masks one by one. There were twenty-seven in all.
He asked, "Do you know where these masks came from?"
The young man shook his head and explained, "I'm not sure. They're too old, and hardly anyone comes here normally."
"Then what do these masks do?"
The young man shook his head again.
Liu Yun nodded in understanding, not particularly surprised.
The Reaper Death Seal was the Uzumaki Clan's ultimate Sealing Jutsu.
The fact that a Shinigami Mask could undo the Reaper Death Seal was probably one of the Uzumaki Clan's most closely guarded secrets.
Just like awakening the Uchiha Clan's Mangekyo Sharingan, only a handful of people knew about it.
"There is a legend in the village, though." The young man tilted his head as he recalled it. "They say that gathering all twenty-seven masks allows you to summon an unimaginable being."
Liu Yun's expression turned odd. What is this, summoning something with the seven Dragon Balls?
"Aren't all twenty-seven masks gathered here already?"
"It's just a village legend. You can't take it seriously." The young man smiled sheepishly. "The masks have been here for many years and have never been moved. Only on important festivals does the clan leader bring us here to pay our respects."
The speaker meant nothing by it, but the listener took it to heart.
The legend had piqued Liu Yun's interest.
The original story had only shown Orochimaru using one of the masks. What about the other twenty-six?
Their functions and effects were completely unknown.
"Can I take them down for a look?"
He could only inspect their specific information by touching them, so he asked tentatively.
The young man nodded. "Of course. The clan leader said you're Uzushio Village's benefactor."
Without further hesitation, Liu Yun stepped forward and took down a mask at random.
The instant he touched the mask.
[New equipment material detected] [Shinigami Mask (Eleventh pact)] [Estimated quality: purple] [Refining cost: 120,000 ryo/attempt] [Special requirement: mastery of the Reaper Death Seal] [Requirement not met. Unable to refine]
Sure enough!
And it's purple-quality equipment?!
Liu Yun's heart stirred. The mask was indeed an equipment material.
He repeated the process, taking the masks down one by one to inspect them.
Apart from their names, which ranged from [Shinigami Mask (First pact)] to [Shinigami Mask (Twenty-seventh pact)], all the other information was identical.
The special requirement for all of them is mastery of the Reaper Death Seal...
He stroked the somewhat sinister-looking mask in his hands. That requirement wasn't particularly difficult.
As long as he could get access to the Scroll of Seals, he would have a chance to learn it.
As an inheritor of the Will of Fire, and with his contribution to saving Uzushio Village, getting permission to read the Scroll of Seals would be easy.
At that thought, he asked tentatively, "Could I take one with me?"
The young man paused, then said hesitantly, "Lord Liu Yun, I'll need to ask the clan leader."
"All right."
The young man bowed and left.
Liu Yun hung the mask back on the wall and stood there quietly, unable to keep himself from pondering what effects it would have once refined into equipment.
"Liu Yun, so this is where you were."
A voice came from behind him.
Liu Yun turned to see Orochimaru, with a smile on his lips and long, narrow markings around his eyes, pushing the door open and walking in.
He gave a slight nod. "Lord Orochimaru."
Orochimaru raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the masks on the wall, and spoke in a raspy voice.
"Are you interested in these masks too, Liu Yun?"
Before you continue