"I'm heading out for a mission."
"These are my tools."
Hearing Nawaki's words, Seisui picked up a small iron sphere hanging from his belt. The surface was carved with detonation runes.
"If I'm not mistaken… this is a bomb?"
"Yeah." Nawaki nodded, then pulled out a thick stack of explosive tags.
"And these too."
"I've been practicing Second Grandpa's Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags lately."
"Once I master it, I won't have to carry this many tags anymore."
"Mind telling me," Seisui asked, raising an eyebrow, "why are you carrying so many things that explode?"
Nawaki blinked in surprise, scratching his head. "Isn't that normal?"
"Explosive tags are really powerful. If I bring enough, I can do area bombardment."
"And besides, don't you think explosions are… beautiful?"
"That fleeting brilliance—the bloom of fire in that instant—is just mesmerizing."
Seisui stared at him, dumbfounded.
Oh no. He's turning into Deidara!
Looking at Nawaki's dreamy expression, Seisui silently cursed.
If this kid ever blows himself up with his own tags… Tsunade's going to kill me!
As those thoughts swirled through his head, Nawaki spoke again. "Grandma's already waiting for you guys. I have to meet up with my team too."
"See you later!"
With that, he turned and left.
Seisui watched his back for a while, wanting to say something—but in the end, he just sighed deeply.
Well… it's not all bad.
At least being familiar with explosive tags means he won't fall for someone else's explosive traps.
As for the rest… guess it's up to his luck.
Thinking that, Seisui turned and walked back inside the room.
Uzumaki Mito was already there waiting for them.
Beside her were Uzumaki Nagato and Uzumaki Mina.
Meanwhile, Minato and Kushina were hiding off to the side, sneaking glances at him with mischievous grins—clearly waiting to see him embarrassed.
"Grandma Mito, we're here." Seisui greeted politely.
"Sit here," Mito said kindly, gesturing to the two seats across from her.
Seisui sat down opposite her. As he looked at her, he couldn't shake the faint feeling that there was something… fading about her aura.
Sensing his gaze, Mito met his eyes and smiled softly, giving a subtle shake of her head.
Seisui froze for a moment. He instantly understood—it wasn't his imagination.
Mito's life force was indeed waning.
So… it's really happening.
He recalled the original timeline.
Mito died sometime after the Second Great Ninja War… before the Third.
The thought filled Seisui with quiet sorrow.
Mito had helped him tremendously—treated him kindly, even chosen him as the new leader of the Uzumaki Clan.
There weren't many left now: just him, Kushina, Nagato, and Mina.
But even so, holding the title of Clan Head brought great advantages in Konoha.
The Uzumaki's assets, connections, and the Senju Clan's support… all invaluable.
Sensing the shift in his mood, Mito smiled gently. "You're here to study sealing arts."
"Then focus on learning them well."
Her words startled Seisui—and even more so Kushina and the others, who didn't understand why she said that.
"Grandma Mito, what do you mean?" Kushina asked, confused.
"It's nothing," Mito replied with a smile and a shake of her head. Then she looked at Seisui and Uchiha Haru, her tone turning serious. "Learning sealing arts won't be too hard for the two of you."
"You both have exceptional chakra control. That alone means you've already succeeded halfway."
"The other half is simply mastering the arrangement and combination of basic runes."
"Once you understand that, you'll have learned the foundation."
Kushina pouted from the side.
When she'd started learning sealing, Grandma Mito had said exactly the same thing.
It sounded easy—but it was anything but.
The simpler seals were manageable: just memorizing a few rune patterns.
But even then, there were dozens to remember.
And the more complex ones? She'd been studying for over four years now… and could barely use them.
Without an exceptional memory and comprehension, mastering sealing arts was impossible.
Of course, Seisui understood that perfectly well—after all, he already possessed every Uzumaki sealing technique in existence.
Mito, however, paid no mind to what they were thinking.
Looking at Seisui, she smiled again. "Then let's start with something simple."
She turned toward Kushina, Nagato, and Mina.
"You three, come closer and listen as well."
As she spoke, several glowing golden chakra chains extended from her back.
"This is the Uzumaki Clan's sealing secret—Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
The shimmering chains floated behind her, radiant and firm.
Mito controlled one to pour tea for everyone, then continued, "This is a clan secret, passed down through our bloodline."
"When used, these chakra chains emerge from the user's back. They serve as powerful weapons—and can also form barriers or seal tailed beasts."
As she spoke, one of the chains wrapped tightly around the teapot on the table. With a flick—crack!—it shattered the pot clean in two.
"Unlike ordinary sealing techniques, the Adamantine Sealing Chains were refined by our ancestors—perfected to harmonize with our Uzumaki bloodline."
"Through their efforts, the technique became simpler to learn…"
"But only for those born with Uzumaki blood."
Her gaze drifted toward Uchiha Haru and Minato as she shook her head. "You two won't be able to learn it."
After saying that, she turned back to Seisui.
"Normal sealing arts are of little use to you now."
"If you can master the Adamantine Sealing Chains, that will be enough."
"They're both a sealing and combat technique. Even if you don't learn other seals, these chains alone can bind any enemy."
"You'll have fewer options, perhaps—but it won't make much difference for someone like you."
"Still," she added with a soft chuckle, "if you ever have the time, I hope you'll study the rest of the sealing arts as well."
"Otherwise, as the Clan Head, knowing only one technique would be rather embarrassing, wouldn't it?"
Hearing that, Seisui's eyes lit up. He nodded firmly. "I'll learn all of them!"
Kushina froze.
Wait—what?!
She'd been hoping to see Seisui suffer through the torture of learning sealing arts like she had…
How did this turn into him only needing to learn one?
"That's good." Mito ignored her bewilderment and continued, "The Adamantine Sealing Chains only require—"