Orion looked up at the moon and smiled.
"What if I can't learn it either?"
Kakashi waved his hand dismissively.
"It doesn't matter if you can't. Sealing techniques are extremely difficult to begin with. Back then, I wasn't the only one learning from Minato Namikaze—but none of us succeeded."
"It wouldn't be strange if you couldn't learn them. But if you can… then Naruto's problem won't be an issue anymore."
"If I had mastered the Fourth Hokage's sealing techniques back then, he wouldn't have had to use such a dangerous jutsu."
Orion glanced at Kakashi but chose not to press further.
Kakashi noticed and chuckled.
"Why stop halfway? If you want to ask something, just ask."
Orion looked toward Naruto, who was lying inside the room, and asked,
"Kakashi-sensei… why did the Fourth Hokage seal the tailed beast inside Naruto?"
"And Naruto is from the Uzumaki clan, right? There aren't many of them left in Konoha."
Kakashi didn't hide anything.
"You've probably already guessed, haven't you?"
Orion frowned.
"It can't be what I'm thinking, right?"
Kakashi nodded.
"That's right. Naruto is the Fourth Hokage's son."
"It was during his wife's childbirth that the Nine-Tails broke free from its seal."
"At the time, I was assigned to protect her… but I failed."
Orion was stunned.
Not because Naruto was the Fourth Hokage's son—he already knew that.
What shocked him was that Kakashi told him this at all.
This was a top-level secret of Konoha.
Only the village leadership and Kakashi knew about it.
That meant Kakashi trusted him completely.
Seeing Orion's expression, Kakashi assumed he was shocked by Naruto's identity and explained,
"There's nothing strange about it. Naruto has the blood of the Uzumaki Clan, and the Fourth Hokage wanted him to be able to use the Nine-Tails' power."
Orion looked at Naruto again.
"Didn't the Fourth Hokage know what kind of life Naruto would face after becoming a jinchūriki?"
Kakashi sighed.
"There was no other choice."
"His wife was already extremely weak after the Nine-Tails was extracted. She didn't have much time left."
"And the Fourth Hokage used the Reaper Death Seal. Once that technique is used, death is inevitable."
"So Naruto was the only option. And since he had Uzumaki blood, he was also the best possible vessel."
"Maybe the Fourth Hokage hoped Naruto would one day control the Nine-Tails and become the village's pillar."
Orion nodded slightly.
"He had high expectations for Naruto."
Kakashi replied,
"Hopefully he'll grow into what the Fourth Hokage envisioned."
"When his mother was the jinchūriki, the Nine-Tails never once went berserk."
Orion smiled.
"That's only natural. His mother was a pure-blood Uzumaki, and her sealing techniques were exceptional."
"If Naruto learns sealing techniques, he might be able to stabilize the Nine-Tails too."
Kakashi shook his head.
"I'm not very optimistic about that."
"Sealing techniques don't just require bloodline—they require deep understanding. The difficulty is extremely high."
"Naruto has the bloodline… but I'm not sure he has the brains for it."
Orion couldn't help but sigh.
"Kakashi-sensei, how can you say that without even trying?"
Kakashi didn't respond.
But he knew the truth.
Sealing techniques weren't easy.
Even among shinobi, true experts in sealing were extremely rare. That's why every major village maintained a specialized sealing unit.
Knowing a few basic techniques didn't count as mastery.
The theory behind sealing techniques was incredibly complex—something even Kakashi found difficult, let alone Naruto, who struggled academically.
Changing the topic, Kakashi said,
"I have high expectations for you."
"I believe you can master those sealing techniques."
"If you do, then every time I take Naruto on a mission, I won't have to worry so much."
Orion's mouth twitched.
"Kakashi-sensei… you're not planning to take me along on every mission, are you?"
"I'm not even part of your squad."
Occasionally tagging along was fine—he could treat it like a free trip. But going every time? That was a different story.
Kakashi placed a hand on Orion's shoulder.
"You know your original squad… wasn't supposed to exist."
"It only exists because of you."
"You also understand that you and your teammates were never meant to be on the same path. From the moment you carried them through the test, you were already different."
"And in the eyes of the village's higher-ups… you're no longer just an ordinary ninja."
"The closer you stay to your teammates, the more danger you bring to them."
"Whether it's because you're forced to grow stronger… or because you might one day leave the village… they will be implicated."
"That's also why your teacher agreed to hand you over to me."
"If you don't distance yourself, they'll eventually suffer because of you."
Orion fell silent.
He didn't want to agree.
But when he recalled the commotion he had caused before… he knew Kakashi was probably right.
Once the Third Hokage had taken notice of him, things were different.
He was no longer just an ordinary shinobi.
If anything happened to him in the future, his teammates would be dragged into it.
And in the ninja world—even in times of peace—conflict was still brutal.
Kakashi wasn't wrong.
Originally, only Team Kakashi, Team Kurenai, and Team Asuma were supposed to pass.
Orion's team wasn't meant to exist.
It was his presence that changed everything.
And from Orion's perspective, his teammates didn't have exceptional talent.
Without him, they likely wouldn't have passed at all.
Dragging them into his situation… wasn't helping them.
Especially with someone like Danzo Shimura lurking in the shadows.
If Danzo wanted to target Orion, he would start with the people around him.
The closer Orion was to them, the more danger they would face.
And that… was something Orion absolutely did not want to see.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus (NR)Chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus (NR)Chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read 60 (NR)Chapter ahead on P@treon if you're interested: patreon.com/SwipeSage