Chapter 130: The Sealed Flame

"All right! Leave it to us! We'll gather all the information quickly!" White Zetsu gave an eager nod, then tilted his head, eyes wide with curiosity. "Oh—and could you tell us later what it feels like… to walk in a 'big way'?"

Black Zetsu: "…"

"Shut up! Don't ask me disgusting things like that!" he snapped, visibly irritated. "We're leaving!"

With a quick motion, he dragged White Zetsu along and disappeared into the trunk of a nearby tree, vanishing into the underground paths leading out of Konohagakure.

What Black Zetsu didn't know, however, was that back in Konoha, four pairs of powerful eyes had already followed his movements.

In the Hokage's office, Uchiha Hikari turned to her son, arms folded.

"Gin, we're not actually going to stop him? Let him go ahead with the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan? Let him revive Kaguya?"

Of course, they'd noticed Black Zetsu a long time ago. If they'd wanted, they could have sprung a trap and captured him instantly. But Uchiha Gin had other ideas.

"As I've said, we'll let it play out—for now," Gin replied. "It will eventually help unite the shinobi world under a common threat. That alone will ease the hatred the other villages feel toward us and make winning them over much easier."

He looked at the others seriously.

"Kaguya… can be controlled. She's a gateway—a chance to study and understand the Ōtsutsuki clan. And once we have her DNA, it'll give us an edge in developing countermeasures."

Hikari and Uzumaki Mito exchanged glances, then nodded.

"That makes sense," Mito agreed. "A rational approach."

"Enough talk," Hikari said, standing. "Let's go deal with Uchiha Hinako."

"Right," Gin nodded.

All three disappeared, leaving behind shadow clones to handle official duties in their absence. Moments later, the real trio appeared on a desolate mountaintop.

Gin narrowed his eyes and activated his enhanced perception. His Observation Haki and sensory techniques immediately swept the terrain.

"Found it," he said, stepping forward slowly. "Five meters underground—there's a complex Fūinjutsu array buried beneath the surface."

He pressed his palm to the rocky ground.

Boom.

A web of glowing seal scripts erupted beneath him, snaking into the soil and activating the ancient system of seals. Slowly, they began to rise, forming the outer structure of a containment seal.

Gin's eyes scanned the symbols.

Hiss…

He sucked in a breath. "What a formation. There must be over a hundred layered seals here."

"This… isn't something an ordinary shinobi could do. The craftsmanship is extraordinary."

At that moment, Uzumaki Mito and Hikari arrived at his side.

Mito's brow furrowed as she studied the seals."This is unmistakably Uzumaki-style Fūinjutsu. That means either the Senju and Sarutobi clans turned to my ancestors for help, or someone from the Uzumaki married into the Senju line and passed the techniques down."

"Even after centuries, some styles and techniques remain unique."

Gin nodded."Exactly. I've spotted a few patterns here that aren't in your scrolls—or even in the Uzumaki clan tomes I've read."

"Lost techniques?" He gave her a sly grin.

Mito rolled her eyes."You know I gave you everything—the entire recorded knowledge of both Uzumaki and Senju Fūinjutsu. If it's not in there, then it's lost, period."

"Over the centuries, even with continuous transmission, some techniques were bound to be forgotten. Some were the personal creations of gifted individuals or passed only to the clan head. If anything happened to them—natural or otherwise—it's only logical those techniques vanished."

"This problem isn't unique to the Uzumaki," she added. "All clans have suffered this."

"Heh, you're right. I was just teasing," Gin said, laughing lightly. "Still, if these seals are truly lost art, then let's not rush the process. First, let's document everything."

He pulled out several blank scrolls and began rapidly recording the formation.

"Of course," Mito replied, pulling out her own materials. She wasn't about to rely on copies from Gin.

Hikari remained silent, standing watch as the two of them worked.

An hour passed.

"Done!" Gin declared.

"Same here," Mito said, setting her brush down.

Gin had not only copied the formation, but also begun analyzing it. His eyes gleamed.

"I've already cracked the method to unravel the seal structure. Shall I go ahead?"

Mito blinked, then laughed softly."You never cease to amaze me, Gin. I consider myself a Fūinjutsu prodigy, and even I couldn't decipher it that fast. If you're confident, go ahead—I've already gained more than I expected. No need for me to strain myself."

Gin grinned."Alright."

He crouched, pressed his hand to the ground again, and unleashed another wave of sealing scripts. They flowed like liquid light, weaving into the complex matrix.

Layer by layer, the seals unraveled, until finally, the formation collapsed.

Crack—crack—CRACK.

The mountain floor split open as a large, metal-reinforced box emerged, wrapped in sealing tags and heavy chains.

"Wow," Gin muttered. "They really didn't hold back. The metal alone… these chains and the box are chakra-conductive. That's an insane amount of rare ore."

"If we melted it down, we'd get at least a thousand pounds of refined chakra-conducting alloy," he added with a whistle. "What a haul."

"Impressive," Hikari murmured.

Mito nodded."Hundreds of years ago, such materials were easier to find—but still rare. To use this much on one person? The Senju and Sarutobi clearly wanted to erase Hinako completely."

"Alright, time to break the final seal," Gin said, stepping forward.

He pressed a finger to a key seal on the box. From that point, threads of Fūinjutsu unfurled, spreading rapidly across the box. Talismans flared and disintegrated as the entire array unraveled.

Then, with a flick of his will, Gin pulled the chains into his dimensional storage space.

He leapt back.

BOOM!

The lid of the box exploded skyward. A shadow burst from within.

A girl—around ten years old—emerged, dressed in faded robes bearing the Uchiha crest. Her expression twisted in pure fury.

"Uzumaki… Uchiha?!"

Her eyes snapped to Gin, Hikari, and Mito.

Hatred flared. Her hands flashed into seals.

"Katon: Amaterasu!"

Her Mangekyō Sharingan blazed to life. Black flames erupted, surging toward the trio.

Blood dripped from her eyes.

But Gin and Hikari were unfazed. Twin Susanoo warriors flared into existence, shielding them from both the fire jutsu and the cursed black flames of Amaterasu. With a single thought, they redirected the blaze away from their armor.

Uzumaki Mito cloaked herself in bijū chakra and repelled the black fire effortlessly.

Uchiha Hinako's eyes narrowed, preparing another attack—but it was too late.

Dozens of golden chains erupted from the ground beneath her, ensnaring her in an instant.

Her body strained and twisted, but her chakra was sealed. The Mangekyō Sharingan faded from her eyes.

"Damn it! Let me go! Curse all of you! You traitorous Uchiha dogs!"

"You allied with the Senju?! I'll kill you all!"

Gin rubbed his temples, sighing.

"What a mess… She's clearly unstable. This won't be resolved with a chat."

He turned to Mito and Hikari.

"Maybe we should fully seal her chakra, take her back to the village, and slowly rehabilitate her before we even think about unsealing the rest?"

"Agreed," Hikari said, and Mito nodded.

Without delay, Gin stepped forward. Ignoring her curses and venomous glare, he placed a hand over her abdomen and channeled advanced Fūinjutsu into her.

"Sealing Technique: Chakra Suppression Mark!"

The seals lit up, crawled across her body, and contracted into a singular tag below her navel.

Gin removed his hand.

"It's done."

Mito gave a small nod and dispersed the golden chains.