The map did not disappear.
It remained suspended above the open scroll.
Faint.
Glowing.
Ancient lines stretching across lands none of them fully recognized.
At the center—
the crimson spiral continued to pulse.
Slowly.
Like a heartbeat.
Kushina stared at the words beneath it.
The First Seal.
"…that sounds important…"
"…it is…"
Kurama's answer came too quickly.
Kushina froze.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"…you know it."
Silence.
The pressure inside her shifted.
Not disappearing.
Avoiding.
That alone told her enough.
"…Kurama."
No answer.
"…what is the First Seal?"
A low rumble echoed through her mind.
Different from before.
Lower.
Heavier.
"…nothing you need to find…"
Kushina's fingers tightened around the edge of the scroll.
"…that wasn't an answer."
"…it was enough…"
She felt her chest tighten.
Not from fear.
Suspicion.
Kurama had mocked her.
Tested her.
Provoked her.
But he rarely avoided a question completely.
"…you're afraid of it."
The entire presence inside her went still.
Then—
"…careful…"
That was all.
No denial.
No insult.
Only a warning.
Kushina slowly lifted her gaze from the scroll.
Daichi was watching her.
Of course he was.
"What did he say?"
She hesitated.
Only briefly.
"He knows what it is."
Minato stepped closer.
"And?"
Kushina looked back at the glowing map.
"He doesn't want us to find it."
Silence settled over the chamber.
Hana's expression tightened.
"That may be the first useful warning he's given."
A dark rumble answered instantly.
"…I heard that…"
Hana blinked.
Kushina almost smiled.
"Good."
For a moment—
the tension loosened.
Barely.
Then the scroll pulsed again.
The map expanded.
Mountain ranges rose in glowing lines.
Rivers formed.
Old borders appeared.
The marked location lay far beyond the sanctuary.
Beyond the ruins of Uzushiogakure.
Beyond the coastline.
On an island so small it barely appeared on the map.
Minato crouched beside the projection.
"That location isn't on modern maps."
Daichi studied it silently.
"It may no longer exist."
Kushina frowned.
"Islands don't just disappear."
Daichi looked at her.
"They do."
A pause.
"Especially when seals are involved."
That was not reassuring.
The map shifted once more.
New symbols appeared around the marked island.
Not Uzumaki script.
Something older.
Rougher.
Less precise.
Kushina leaned closer.
"…what are those?"
Daichi didn't answer.
Neither did Hana.
Minato studied them for several seconds before speaking.
"They look like warnings."
Kushina raised an eyebrow.
"About what?"
A voice answered from the sanctuary itself.
"Containment."
Everyone froze.
The ancient voice echoed through the chamber again.
Calm.
Unchanging.
"The First Seal must not be disturbed."
Kushina stared upward.
"…then why show it to me?"
The sanctuary remained silent.
For several long seconds.
Then—
"Because containment is failing."
Cold silence filled the chamber.
The light around the map flickered.
Once.
Twice.
The crimson spiral at its center pulsed faster.
No longer like a calm heartbeat.
Like something waking.
Daichi stepped closer to the scroll.
"How long?"
The sanctuary answered immediately.
"Unknown."
"That's useful," Kushina muttered.
Minato glanced toward her.
"Very."
The voice continued.
"Seal deterioration began before sanctuary isolation."
Hana frowned.
"How long has this place been sealed?"
Daichi looked around the chamber.
"Decades."
A pause.
"Possibly longer."
Kushina's stomach tightened.
"So this thing has been failing for years?"
"Correct."
"And nobody thought to mention it?"
No response.
Kushina crossed her arms.
"Of course."
A faint rumble inside her.
Almost amused.
"…you argue with buildings now…"
"…it started first…"
The amusement vanished quickly.
Because Kushina could still feel Kurama.
Tense.
Watching.
Waiting.
Not afraid exactly.
But close enough.
She looked down at the map again.
"What is being contained?"
The sanctuary did not answer.
The silence stretched.
Kushina's eyes narrowed.
"You know."
No response.
Daichi stepped beside her.
"It may be restricted information."
"Then unlock it."
"You were only recognized minutes ago."
"So?"
"So ancient clan systems usually don't surrender every secret immediately."
Kushina stared at him.
"You sound like you've argued with one before."
"I have."
She blinked.
"…of course you have."
Minato's gaze remained fixed on the glowing symbols.
"There may be another way."
He pointed toward the lines surrounding the island.
"They aren't only warnings."
A pause.
"They're instructions."