Ancient Notes

Thinking of the time of year, it was spring once more. She guessed the quantity of water was probably due to the snow melting. After finding a good spot to hide, Natsume made a ram seal again and tracked the platoon of shinobi. They were moving very quickly toward the valley. Not long, they passed the inner range of her ability, and she quickly identified their strength. Four high-rank, seven mid-rank and one top-rank warrior. This was not a random team patrolling; they definitely had a purpose. Natsume tried to suppress her chakra but her jutsu failed.

"…" Natsume was crouched with a blank expression on her face. She thought about that stubborn monkey and resisted the urge to curse him out loud. They had already reached the edge of the lake and Natsume could see them with her Sharingan. A squad like this likely had a sensor type shinobi so she expected to be discovered. However, when they started running along the water up toward the valley, they didn't seem to notice her. She prepared herself for a fight since she couldn't get away at this point.

Eventually, the splashing could be heard just down the slope from where she hid and she could even overhear their conversation. "Still nothing."

"I don't know why we have to keep checking. There has been no activity for a year. Wherever they went, they are long gone. There's a war at the border, we should be fighting!"

"Shut up. Even if it's a longshot, the enemy destroyed a key resource for the Land of Earth. Until we find evidence of their activity, we have to keep patrolling the mountains."

"Yes, Captain!"

"Captain, there are no other chakra signatures in the area."

"Alright, let's move on."

Natsume held her breath when she listened to their conversation. She subconsciously looked down at her abdomen and realized that this seal was more complicated than she thought. 'I should analyze this seal when I get a chance.' Natsume thought. Once she determined that the patrol had left, she tracked them until they completely left her range of perception. Only then was she relieved. However, she could deduce their patrol pattern and realized that south was not safe.

Looking to the north, it was a long mountain range that continued beyond the land of earth. The land north of here did not participate in the politics of the main shinobi continent. Natsume had an impression of the force that lived in that place at the end of the mountain range. They did not focus on ninjutsu, but rather honed their kenjutsu. Natsume looked down at her blade and felt regret. She had yet to master the chakra blade and was not using her weapon to its maximum potential.

Natsume placed a hand on her abdomen and started to wonder. 'Was this really a punishment?' Although it was called the Punishment Seal, it did not necessarily mean she was being punished. Perhaps this was an opportunity instead. 'Is Son Goku hinting at something?'

Before the patrol came back, Natsume decided to get moving and consider her state later. Fortunately, she spent eight months practicing her movement techniques without the assistance of chakra. She calculated that she could probably get back to the Uchiha clan in a week from here. It would have taken her two to three weeks before! She was so excited with her growth that she unknowingly traveled nonstop all day.

Eventually, she stopped and decided to rest in a natural cave. She could feel the weather turning colder. She didn't have the clothes to brave the temperature of the northern region so she would have to stop at a village as soon as she found one and buy some warm clothes. She sensed the surroundings and didn't find anything significant. That night, Natsume turned her attention to the secret knowledge from Mount Kakazan.

The knowledge was disorganized, so she spent the whole night sorting through it. From the fragments, she saw some keywords that made her excited. The most commonly referenced knowledge in the sections she glanced at were senjutsu and fuinjutsu. However, when she organized the last section, she was taken aback.

"The Gate of Opening." Natsume said out loud. However, it was not just the first gate, the incomplete section had insights and knowledge all the way up to the fourth gate. Detailed methods of training the body to prepare for the gates, and then how to access and release them one by one. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't bother to learn this since it would take a lot of time, but considering her situation…

"Did he know I received this knowledge? It can't be a coincidence…" Natsume thought about Son Goku and wondered if he sensed her coming into contact with the dead Uchiha. Perhaps this was a safeguard and an opportunity. She calmed her mind and decided not to be too hasty. Opening the gates too early could harm her. In another year or two she would give it a try. For now, she memorized the training for the later gates and turned her attention to the fuinjutsu.

There was only a single complete fuinjutsu, everything else were fragments. However, even fragments could help her in learning and deducing. The important thing was that the complete fuinjutsu was definitely a powerful technique. Jewel-Lotus Seal, based on the description, it was a seal that returned someone to their origin. Natsume believed this to mean it suppressed all of their strength. A component of the seal reminded her of the Punishment seal and guessed that it was a weaker derivative of the fuinjutsu.

However, after reading it for a while she discovered a concerning note. There was no key to the Jewel-Lotus Seal. Either the seal faded over time, or the subject of the seal became enlightened. Unfortunately, the description ended there and did not explain what it meant to be enlightened. Regardless, it must not be an easy feat since the author claims the seal is unbreakable.

'At least he only sealed my ninjutsu...' Natsume shuddered at the thought of being a common villager.