Chapter 78

- "Ba-chan, where are you?" I called out for the umpteenth time, wandering around the house — with the help of my sensory gift, I could even try, since the barrier installed around the house was multi-sectional and even thwarted Byakugan users, let alone someone like me.

Checking the second floor, I was about to conclude that the Uzumaki couple had gone out for a walk when I heard a rhythmic patter, and after the sound of a door opening, Kushina appeared in the corridor.

- "Ryo!" she exclaimed with a battle cry and jumped at me. "You came! And Ba-chan is preparing the basement! You'll support me when it's time to reseal the Nine-Tails, right?! I'm so scared!"

Barely able to stand due to the weight hanging on my neck from the nearly six-year-old, I instinctively wrapped my arms around her and soothingly stroked her head, with her luxurious crimson waterfall of hair falling onto my back.

- "It's up to Mito-ba-chan to decide, but I'm sure you'll be fine," I warmly smiled at the worried little one.

And why are kids so cute when they're little? But when they grow up, they become pains in the neck. Speaking from personal experience.

- "She allowed you to bring Ryo to the basement," Kushina happily informed as she jumped off my arms and dragged me along.

It turned out that a inconspicuous door under the stairs on the second floor led downstairs, completely blending in with the wall, especially when there were no windows or lights nearby to reveal it. And that's not to mention the plethora of tiny symbols and hieroglyphs covering both the door panel and the entire frame.

In the split second I had to inspect, I noticed that the complex seal was a mixture of a barrier and illusion, making finding the passage almost impossible for someone unfamiliar with fuinjutsu and genjutsu. I doubt there's anyone in all of Konoha who could crack such a combination besides the eldest Uzumaki.

I still have many years, if not decades, of practice ahead of me to reach that level... And I haven't even started dissecting the library she gifted me due to simple lack of time. Well, I did pick up a few things to read, but that's about it.

- "Ba-chan, I brought Ryo!" Kushina proclaimed as soon as she dragged me into the basement.

- "Well done, Kushina-chan," nodded the elder Uzumaki, carefully inspecting something on the ground. "Hello, Ryo-kun, I'm almost finished."

- "Good," I nodded, only then looking around and being astonished by the surroundings.

Or rather, their absence — in the fairly spacious room, naked walls, floor, and ceiling surrounded me, but what was inscribed ON them more than made up for everything else! Hundreds and hundreds of seals, intertwined into an incredibly complex system, concentrated around two circles free from symbols on the floor!

From the variety, I only recognized the ones on the walls that absorbed and transmitted chakra. As for the rest, one could only guess. I felt incredibly stupid despite all my years studying fuinjutsu.

- "I suppose all preparations for the next jinchuriki are complete?" I asked when Mito finished a couple of minutes later.

- "Yes, all preparations are almost complete. In three days, I will perform the ritual to transfer the Nine-Tails to Yoko," she nodded. "We just need to inform Hiruzen about this and increase the protective barriers and seals on the house to the maximum."

- "I assume the barrier will protect against spatial techniques as well?" I asked for the sake of formality.

- "Of course," nodded Uzumaki.

Just as I thought! Minato was just a half-baked amateur, despite all his praise for his fuinjutsu. The same could be said for Kushina — originally, ba-chan died shortly after the extraction of the Nine-Tails, and the other redheads went to help the dying Uzushiogakure.

Without Senju, everything valuable, including scrolls, was probably plundered by the power-hungry, leaving the last pure-blooded Uzumaki in Konoha with a crappy rented room and a village allowance, if memory serves me right. Of course, Tsunade had no business with some very distant relative, given all the wars and the death of her loved ones.

Most likely, that's why she clung to Minato so much, later agreeing to make Naruto the new jinchuriki to defeat Madara. Ha, don't make me laugh! With the same success, he could have sealed all of Kurama in the Shinigami's stomach, not just half.

I'd like to see someone try to pull the Nine-Tails out of there! And without the strongest bijuu, there's no way to restore the Ten-Tails. As the saying goes, both the wolves and the sheep are fed, in this case — Naruto.