Naruto: The Nine-Tails' Legacy

One week later...

Around the towering Dragon Vein pillar that supported the entire barrier within the ruins...

Several of Naruto's Shadow Clones were putting the finishing touches on an enormous sealing array.

As they completed the final hand seals...

Countless sealing formulas linked together into one massive network, spreading across the ground until it looked as though the entire earth had turned pitch black.

"Whew..."

"It's finally done!"

Naruto's original body wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a long sigh of relief, admiring the masterpiece before him with satisfaction.

This was the result of several sleepless days and nights of nonstop work.

Poof!

He dismissed all of his Shadow Clones.

In an instant, the exhaustion they had accumulated over the past several days flooded back into him.

Naruto immediately collapsed onto the ground in the shape of a giant "大," staring blankly up at the sky.

His eyes remained fixed on the immense pillar of Dragon Vein chakra stretching into the heavens.

The sealing technique before him was unlike any ordinary seal.

Of course...

Its designer was Minato, who resided within Naruto's inner world.

However...

Many of Naruto's own ideas had also been incorporated.

Because the prototype for this seal...

Was none other than the Eight Trigrams Seal and the Dead Demon Consuming Seal they had once experienced together.

In other words...

It had been designed according to the very principles used for sealing a tailed beast inside a jinchūriki.

Viewed from above...

The countless sealing formulas surrounding the Dragon Vein resembled enormous chains...

Firmly binding the immense pillar of chakra in place.

For now, however...

It had yet to be activated.

As Naruto rested...

His thoughts drifted back to the countless discussions he had shared with his father over the past several days.

Minato had summarized their conclusions.

"The Dragon Vein's chakra and the Tsukiyomi barrier have formed an extremely fortunate fusion."

"But..."

"A coincidence is still only a coincidence."

"Our first objective is to faithfully reproduce that state."

"In theory..."

"Izumi isn't simply using the Dragon Vein's chakra to maintain the barrier."

"The reconstructed Dragon Vein chakra is also what's sustaining her life."

"For that reason..."

"We'll need to construct an entirely new sealing formula."

"Our goal isn't merely to seal and redirect the Dragon Vein's chakra."

"We also have to seal a portion of that power..."

"...together with the Tsukiyomi barrier..."

"...back into Izumi's body."

He paused thoughtfully.

"But the Dragon Vein's chakra is far too vast."

"It'll have to be divided before sealing."

"Even then..."

"Even a tiny portion would normally be more than any ordinary person could withstand."

Kurama snorted.

"In a way..."

"It's not so different from what you did to me back then."

Minato smiled wryly.

"...You're right."

"The principles are remarkably similar."

He looked toward Kurama.

"Lord Kurama, as a chakra-based lifeform, possessed self-awareness."

"But aside from that..."

"Your situation back then wasn't very different from the Dragon Vein's current state."

"However..."

"This situation is even more complicated."

"We don't just have to seal the Dragon Vein's chakra."

"We also have to seal Izumi's own abilities back into her body."

"To be honest..."

"I'm completely confident regarding the Dragon Vein itself."

"The only thing I can't guarantee..."

"...is the Tsukiyomi barrier."

He turned to Naruto.

"Once the seal is complete..."

"It would be best if someone could test whether it's actually workable."

"And if possible..."

"It might be best to have Izumi..."

Although Minato had compared him to an unconscious mass of chakra...

Kurama wasn't offended.

He knew Minato was simply explaining the matter from an academic standpoint.

If anything...

Kurama found it rather amusing.

Naruto's foundation in sealing techniques had become so solid under Minato's guidance...

That even such complicated theories posed no difficulty for him.

Not only could he understand them...

He was constantly proposing ideas of his own.

And because Minato had likened him to the Dragon Vein...

Kurama also found himself inspired.

After sharing his own suggestions...

Naruto and Minato repeatedly refined the design.

In the end...

The prototype of the enormous sealing array before them was born.

Originally...

Minato had given it a temporary name:

Super Halo Obscuring Sixteen-Path Infinite Black Taiji Reincarnation Seal.

After enduring that absurdly long name throughout countless discussions...

Kurama finally snapped.

He forcibly renamed it.

Reincarnation Seal.

Sealing Technique: Reincarnation Seal.

Just as Naruto was lost in thought...

Sasuke walked over.

"Finished already?"

He glanced at Naruto lying flat on the ground before looking over the countless sealing formulas covering the surrounding earth.

Naruto immediately sprang to his feet.

"Almost."

"Just one final step left."

He looked at Sasuke.

"How about you?"

"Are there any more people who need to be relocated today?"

Sasuke shook his head.

"No."

"The group you transported yesterday was the last one that wanted to leave."

"The rest of the clan chose to stay here."

"They want to wait for the outcome."

"They've decided to remain with Sister Izumi."

"...They're not even going to spend more time in the Land of Waves?"

Naruto scratched his cheek.

"It's closer to Konoha."

"And compared to the Land of Snow..."

"The environment's much better."

"They could always look around both places first."

"Waiting another day or two wouldn't hurt."

"No need."

Sasuke replied calmly.

"This is only a temporary relocation."

"Not long after you brought everyone there..."

"Koyuki Kazahana arrived."

"She's the Daimyō of the Land of Snow now."

"The protection she can provide..."

"...is far more reliable than what the Land of Waves can offer."

"I see..."

Naruto nodded.

"That's good."

"It's a shame I didn't get to see her."

"But..."

"This place was more important."

When Naruto had first arrived in the Land of Snow...

He'd been genuinely surprised.

The Flying Thunder God kunai he had left behind years ago...

Had been enshrined inside its own shrine.

The people of the Land of Snow treated it as a national treasure.

Servants even cleaned and maintained it every single day.

So when Naruto suddenly appeared there together with the Uchiha...

The guards had been terrified.

They thought invaders had broken into the sacred grounds.

A large number of soldiers had immediately surrounded them.

Once the misunderstanding was cleared up...

Naruto had left Sasuke behind to contact the people of the Land of Snow while he returned to Rōran.

As a result...

Naruto had missed quite a few interesting things.

For example...

The shrine dedicated to his Flying Thunder God kunai stood right beside the Snow Daimyō's palace.

And...

The moment Kazahana Koyuki heard that Uzumaki Naruto had appeared...

She had rushed over immediately.

Sasuke had personally witnessed the Snow Daimyō's astonishing change of expression.

One moment...

Her face had been filled with anticipation.

The next...

She looked as though she'd just encountered the debt collector she feared most.

After thinking it over...

Sasuke wisely decided not to mention that part.

He briefly summarized everything that had happened over the past several days.

To put it simply...

With Izumi's persistent persuasion...

And Sasuke's... assistance.

Definitely assistance.

Most of the Uchiha had agreed to temporarily relocate to the Land of Snow.

There...

They would familiarize themselves with both the environment and their temporary homes.

Naruto had already warned everyone that activating this sealing technique might create a tremendous disturbance.

For safety's sake...

It was best for the clan to leave the ruins for the time being.

If everything succeeded...

Rōran would still remain one of the surviving Uchiha Clan's permanent strongholds.

Izumi had also explained something else.

The children who had grown up surrounded by the Dragon Vein's chakra...

Seemed to have naturally developed an affinity for it.

That affinity greatly increased the likelihood that exceptional talents would emerge among the next generation of Uchiha.

Furthermore...

The puppet techniques they practiced had all originated from Anrokuzan's research.

Those puppets possessed unique methods for manipulating the Dragon Vein's chakra.

Now that the Tsukiyomi barrier could maintain the Dragon Vein in a stable state...

Everyone had begun considering how best to make use of that power.

After all...

Harnessing the Dragon Vein had been one of Minato's original reasons for sending the Uchiha here in the first place.

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