The Mystery of the Fall of Uzushiogakure (Two-in-One)

On January 1st, in the 43rd year of Konoha.

On the first day of the New Year, most of the shops in the village remained closed.

According to ninja ninja customs, people generally visit the village temple on this day to pray for family safety and successful work in the coming year.

However, Natsuhiko has never been particularly interested in such matters, so he lazily stayed curled up in the kotatsu, spending the entire day playing mahjong with the three little ones who had managed to get a day off, enjoying the quadruple fun...

...

January 2nd.

On the second day of the New Year, the Genki-nin Tavern reopened, and Natsuhiko went to oversee it.

After the fireworks advertisement on New Year's Eve, now everyone in the village knew about the tavern.

The novel and interesting Shinobi Cards attracted many ninjas who came because of its reputation and soon found it hard to leave.

As a result, the tavern was crowded with people to the point where there weren't enough game machines to meet the demand.

Fortunately, Natsuhiko brought out the extra Shinobi game machines that had been prepared to open another branch, which somewhat alleviated the situation.

Interestingly, among the new customers, there were quite a few female players.

Clearly, they were drawn by the cute chibi characters that Natsuhiko had showcased with fireworks a few days earlier.

Coincidentally, today was also the official release day of the sixth set of Gennin Cards—the Ninja World Heroes Cartoon Series.

In this series, not only the card images but also the projected figures were chibi-styled, looking quite adorable.

So, as soon as this series was released, it became a favourite among female players.

Veteran players also mentioned that after getting used to the excellent and realistic style, trying out a cute style for battles was quite refreshing.

Of course, what's more important is that using the cartoon series cards made it easier to strike up conversations with female players.

Coupled with Natsuhiko's "combo" of New Year's gift packs and events, inspired by his previous life's gaming companies, everyone was driven to the brink of trying to bankrupt the tavern.

As a result, the tavern's revenue hit a new high.

This made Natsuhiko deeply understand the saying, "It's easiest to make money from women and children."

The addition of female players also balanced out the male-dominated atmosphere of the tavern.

Many members of the flashy gang saw the influx of girls in the tavern and toned down their outfits, leading to a noticeable shift in the vibe.

For Natsuhiko, this was a pleasant surprise—he no longer had to worry about his tavern looking like a cult gathering spot.

The only regret was that, due to the nature of the tavern, children weren't allowed inside.

Therefore, Natsuhiko couldn't follow in the footsteps of another "Old Ma" and scoop up the pocket money that kids received from their parents.

Fortunately, he had already prepared for this by ordering a bunch of plush toys shaped like cartoon characters, which he then marked up tenfold and sold at the tavern's entrance.

Natsuhiko wasn't completely gouging; after all, he modified these toys with a small rune device inside that vibrated and heated up when chakra was infused.

So when kids hugged the plush toys, it was like hugging a warm hand warmer, perfect for the cold winter.

They could even squeeze the plushie to make it say various New Year greetings in the character's voice.

As a result, strange New Year greetings could be heard all over Konoha during the New Year.

"I, Madara, wish you a happy New Year!"

"Do you also want... to greet the New Year?"

"Nine-Tails, your power is too great... Come on, bow to everyone for the New Year."

...

During the rest of the New Year holiday, Natsuhiko spent his time either visiting familiar elders or receiving lessons from Mito at the Senju estate.

Although it was called a lesson, in reality, Natsuhiko and Mito mainly discussed various topics, much like in their previous session.

After all, Natsuhiko had already forged his path in the art of sealing, unlike Kushina, who needed Mito to teach her step by step.

In fact, with the knowledge Natsuhiko had accumulated over the years from exploring ancient runes, he could eventually master the sealing techniques from the scrolls Mito provided and gradually transform them into something uniquely his own.

Thus, Mito's role as a teacher was primarily to guide him and save him time on detours.

Additionally, through their casual conversations, Mito would share some secret knowledge not found in books.

For example, today, she spoke of the Uzumaki clan.

"Natsuhiko, have you ever wondered why the Uzumaki clan, with their powerful constitution and chakra, chose to specialise in sealing techniques, even though they had more suitable fighting styles?"

Mito, sitting on a stone bench, glanced at the nearby Kushina, who was struggling to practice dance, and then turned to Natsuhiko.

Natsuhiko pondered for a moment. This was a question he had never considered before.

As Mito mentioned, most clans' fighting styles are tailored to their specific traits.

For example, the Hyuga clan uses Gentle Fist to complement its Byakugan, and the Uchiha clan has shuriken-jutsu to accompany its Sharingan.

Given the Uzumaki clan's remarkable stamina, they would naturally be more suited to a berserker style like Tsunade's, or perhaps they could become chakra-heavy ninjutsu specialists.

However, this clan chose the arduous path of mastering sealing techniques.

Sealing techniques are not ineffective—when wielded by someone from the Uzumaki clan, they can be incredibly powerful.

But in truth, with a large amount of chakra, any jutsu can be overpowering.

For instance, the power of the God of Shinobi lies not in Wood Release but in Hashirama himself.

Moreover, the Uzumaki clan members generally have personalities similar to Kushina or Naruto—boisterous and carefree—which don't seem well-suited to the meticulous nature of sealing techniques.

Yet this clan has steadfastly passed down the practice of sealing techniques through the generations.

Even in recent times, when the tradition of using sealing techniques had nearly died out, the Uzumaki clan continued their research, striving to adapt their strategies to the times.

Without the Uzumaki clan, sealing techniques might have vanished into the annals of history alongside the traditions of the onmyoji.

Mito's words made Natsuhiko think that the clan's behaviour was indeed unusual.

Given his knowledge of the original story, he began to speculate and cautiously asked, "Mito-sensei, it's said that the Sage of Six Paths created sealing techniques to seal away a demon that threatened to destroy the world."

"Could this be related?"

Mito raised her eyebrows slightly and covered her mouth with a soft laugh.

"Most people now consider that story to be an exaggerated legend. I didn't expect you, Natsuhiko, to still believe it."

Natsuhiko shrugged. "Well, I'm a sealing jutsu user, so naturally, I hope this system has the highest possible ceiling."

"That makes sense," Mito nodded, then her expression turned serious.

"Your hope may very well come true."

"Because if the ancient texts passed down by the Uzumaki clan are to be believed, that legend might not only be true but even grander in scale than we imagine."

"And just as you suspected, the Uzumaki clan, as descendants of the Sage of Six Paths, has borne the responsibility of preserving the art of sealing in the ninja world."

"After all, if that demon were ever released, it would likely be up to the Uzumaki clan to seal it away again."

"That's why the Uzumaki clan followed their ancestral teachings, living in seclusion on an island, avoiding the conflicts of the ninja world, and dedicating themselves to studying sealing techniques."

As Mito spoke, she looked over at Kushina, who was still struggling with her dance practice, and a bitter smile appeared on her face.

"Sadly, even so, the Uzumaki clan couldn't escape their fate of extinction."

She let out a long sigh, her gaze turning deep.

"Natsuhiko, you were probably still in school at the time, so you might not be aware of the details."

"Back then, driven by their desire for sealing techniques, the ninja villages, led by Kumogakure, launched a surprise attack on Uzushio Village."

"In just two short days, Uzushio Village was breached, and even the messenger sent to request aid had only just arrived in Konoha."

Seeing Natsuhiko's astonished expression, Mito nodded.

"As a sealing jutsu user, you should recognise how unusual this situation is."

"After all, Uzushio Village, the home of the Uzumaki clan for generations, must have been fortified with countless large-scale defensive barriers. It should have been impossible for it to fall in such a short time."

"And the fact that the ninja villages managed to coordinate such an operation without any leaks is also very concerning."

"It feels as though an invisible hand in the ninja world is manipulating everything."

"I even began noticing traces of this hand in other historical events as I went back through various historical records. This influence could be traced back as far as 800 years, to the era of the Sage of Six Paths' descendants."

"Unfortunately, many of the historical texts preserved by the Uzumaki clan were lost with the fall of Uzushiogakure..."

"Events from 800 years ago may end up being lost to history."

"I sometimes wonder if Lord Ashina foresaw this, which is why he gave some of the ancient texts to Konoha and had me help establish a system for teaching sealing techniques here."

Listening to Mito's theories, Natsuhiko couldn't help but feel uneasy about Black Zetsu.

If Mito had lived a few more years, she might have really figured out how to expose Black Zetsu.

From what Mito was saying, Natsuhiko began to suspect that Black Zetsu might have been involved in the destruction of Uzushiogakure.

But rather than worrying that the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques would threaten Kaguya, it seemed more plausible that Black Zetsu, as a creation of Yin-Yang Release, saw sealing techniques as his only weakness.

With Indra's reincarnation finally awakening the Rinnegan in this generation, it would be reasonable to eliminate the only remaining threat from the Uzumaki clan as a precaution.

Then Natsuhiko heard Mito say, "Of course, the idea of an invisible hand is just a metaphor, and this mastermind couldn't be a single person—after all, no one can live that long..."

Natsuhiko mentally quipped, "No, Mito-sensei, you've pretty much uncovered the truth."

"Before Madara summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, Black Zetsu really was a single entity, and he really has lived that long. And not just his hand—his entire body is pitch black!"

Mito continued, "So I believe that this might be the work of a secret organisation, one that has existed since ancient times and worships that demon."

"Their ultimate goal may very well be to unseal that demon."

---

"The Uzumaki clan, who had mastered the sealing techniques and could potentially seal away the demons again, naturally became a thorn in their side."

"Or perhaps they believed that among the ancient Uzumaki clan, they could find a method to unlock the secrets of unsealing the demons."

Natsuhiko felt a little regretful, thinking that Mito-sensei's train of thought had gone off track again.

But there was nothing he could do; it was already impressive that she had reasoned this far from the scattered clues.

Who would have thought that this millennium-spanning conspiracy would turn out to be nothing more than a clichéd story of Xiang rescuing his mother by splitting a mountain?

So, Natsuhiko, who couldn't reveal the truth, could only put on a face of surprise, expressing shock at the "truth" Mito-sensei had just shared.

Mito took a sip of tea from the cup on the table, then looked at Natsuhiko and said, "Natsuhiko, you should have figured out by now why I'm telling you all this."

"After the fall of the Land of Whirlpools, the mission to carry on the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques has fallen on your and Kushina's shoulders."

"Of course, if you both can also carry on the Uzumaki clan's legacy, I would be even more relieved."

As she spoke, Mito flashed a teasing smile.

"Mito-sensei..." Natsuhiko was at a loss for words.

Was she expecting him to repopulate the entire clan single-handedly?

Natsuhiko felt he really couldn't do it!

Just look at how weak Sasuke was during the Boruto era. He only had one daughter, Sarada.

His contribution to the revival of the Uchiha clan was far less than that of Uchiha Shin.

Mito chuckled lightly, and then her expression grew serious again:

"Although there are still many descendants of the Uzumaki clan scattered across the lands of the shinobi, I'm afraid the only ones who truly inherited the clan's sealing techniques are you and Kushina."

"So, although those speculations I made earlier aren't well-founded, I still hope you'll keep them in mind and protect Kushina for me."

Seeing Mito's serious expression, Natsuhiko nodded earnestly.

He even started thinking, with a hint of fear, about one possibility.

If the original storyline's events were to unfold, Black Zetsu's conspiracy might actually come to fruition.

After all, after Kushina and Minato sacrificed themselves in the Nine-Tails incident, the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques really did die out.

Even their son, Naruto, the so-called Child of Prophecy, was obsessed with perfecting his Rasengan and completely ignorant of his family's sealing techniques.

If it weren't for the Sage of Six Paths' last-minute intervention, no matter how large a Rasengan Naruto could create, he probably wouldn't have stood a chance against Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.

So, looking back, the Nine-Tails incident in the original story wasn't just about Obito seizing the opportunity to take control of the Nine-Tails; it was also Black Zetsu's plan to cut off the lineage of sealing techniques, killing two birds with one stone.

This also means that even if Obito hadn't turned rogue and caused the Nine-Tails incident, Black Zetsu would have found another way to end the sealing techniques.

It seems that becoming Mito's disciple doesn't mean a life of ease; instead, it comes with a heavy burden.

Already targeted by the Second Hokage's shadow Danzo, and now added to the First Hokage's nemesis Black Zetsu's list.

Natsuhiko couldn't help but think that Mito had a similar conversation with Minato in the original timeline.

Obviously, Minato ultimately failed—not only did he fail to save Kushina, but he also died alongside her, causing the sealing techniques to be lost.

Now, with the storyline already altered in many ways, could he protect Kushina and himself, knowing how things originally played out?

Before he could arrive at an answer, Natsuhiko was interrupted by Mito's voice.

"But Natsuhiko, you don't need to worry too much for now. It's clear that this organisation isn't strong enough, so they can only resort to underhanded schemes."

"What you need to focus on now is strengthening yourself so they don't have any opportunities to strike."

Natsuhiko's expression softened a bit upon hearing this.

Indeed, as the saying goes, in the face of absolute strength, all schemes and conspiracies are futile.

Even in the original story, Black Zetsu and Obito only dared to make a move when Kushina's strength was significantly weakened during childbirth.

So, instead of racking his brain trying to outwit Black Zetsu, he might as well work hard to become stronger and find a chance to crush him.

Seeing that Natsuhiko had digested all of this, Mito continued:

"Now, I'll tell you about the things I've investigated over the years, which might be related to that demon or that organisation.

"They include the demon Moryo, sealed by the priestesses of the Land of Demons for generations; the Box of Ultimate Bliss said to have been used by the Sage of Six Paths; Zero-Tails, the embodiment of humanity's darkness; and the evil god that's recently been rumoured in the shinobi world..."

Mito meticulously relayed all the information she had gathered to Natsuhiko.

While Natsuhiko listened attentively on the surface, inwardly, he couldn't help but shout:

"Mito-sama, you're off track again! These things have nothing to do with Black Zetsu!"

(End of chapter)

---

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