I'M NARUTO UZUMAKI

Practical Sealing Technique

If the Flying Thunder God Technique (Hiraishin no Jutsu) could be mastered to the level of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, it would undoubtedly become an invincible assassination tool.

With the high-speed mobility of Hiraishin combined with the destructive force of the Tailed Beast Bomb (Bijūdama), even opponents stronger than the Five Kage would find it incredibly difficult to counter. After all, individuals at such a level are rarely alone—they always have powerful forces backing them.

Naruto's current proficiency in Hiraishin was comparable to that of the Fourth Hokage's personal Hokage Guard Platoon, particularly individuals like Genma Shiranui and Raidō Namiashi. However, while he could execute the technique in controlled conditions, it was far from practical in real combat, leaving him open to ridicule.

Still, Naruto had no intention of abandoning his training in the Flying Thunder God Technique, believing it could have unexpected applications in the future.

After all, even the Reverse Harem Jutsu (Oiroke: Gyaku Hāremu no Jutsu) proved effective against Ōtsutsuki Kaguya—who was to say that an incomplete but creatively applied Hiraishin wouldn't be useful someday?

Too lazy to dwell on his potential in space-time ninjutsu, Naruto exited the sealed space within his subconscious and made his way toward the Uzumaki Shrine. He hadn't met the old Uzumaki patriarch in quite some time.

After initially learning advanced sealing techniques from the patriarch, the elder had secluded himself within the Uzumaki Shrine.

After walking for over ten minutes, Naruto arrived at the shrine and spotted Uzumaki Ashina seated in a lakeside pavilion.

At that moment, Ashina was kneeling on a tatami mat, surrounded by scattered sealing scrolls, intently studying what appeared to be a newly developed sealing technique.

Sensing Naruto's chakra approach, Ashina turned with a displeased expression and said, "Why has our new patriarch finally decided to visit? Shouldn't you be busy managing Uzushiogakure and the Uzumaki Clan's affairs?"

Unlike the Five Great Nations, Uzushiogakure's leader also served as the daimyō of the Land of Whirlpools—an exception to the typical shinobi-village hierarchy.

To Naruto, this kind of exception felt natural. In a world where individual strength dictated authority, it always seemed odd that the ruler of the Land of Fire wasn't the Hokage.

However, if one viewed a ninja village like the sects in cultivation novels from his previous life, the dynamic made a bit more sense.

Shinobi required time to train, and outsourcing tax collection and governance to the Land of Fire's nobles was practical, but it also led to an uneasy relationship between the two groups.

At that moment, Naruto noticed something off about the old patriarch.

Seeing Naruto's gaze, Uzumaki Ashina chuckled. "It's nothing serious. This Edo Tensei body has been deteriorating. I'll simply reinforce the binding seals later to keep my soul anchored."

Naruto frowned. He knew that the Impure World Reincarnation (Edo Tensei) had a duration, but he hadn't expected Ashina to have surpassed that limit long ago.

If the jutsu's natural time limit had expired, why hadn't Ashina's soul returned to the Pure Land? Instead, he was forcefully prolonging his existence with sealing techniques. Would this unnatural extension cause any negative effects on his soul?

As if reading Naruto's thoughts, Ashina nodded. "Of course, my soul will gradually erode. But compared to the lifeless void of the Pure Land, I'd rather remain here, passing on sealing techniques to you younger generations—even at the cost of my soul dissipating."

Naruto remained silent for a few moments, understanding that the revival of the Uzumaki Clan had become Ashina's unshakable conviction.

Sensing Naruto's contemplation, Ashina smiled. "Enough brooding. Look at this—new sealing techniques I've developed. I've modified them using modern advancements, but I'm unsure how effective they are."

Naruto picked up one of the scrolls, surprised to find it contained a food preservation seal rather than a combat-related technique. "These are all non-combat seals?"

Ashina scoffed. "Why waste time on combat seals? They're difficult to learn and, if misused, result in mutual destruction. Killing isn't the only purpose of sealing techniques."

Naruto set down the scroll and suddenly asked, "By the way, old patriarch, what exactly is the Pure Land like?"

Ashina's expression shifted slightly before he replied:

"The Pure Land is an endless void—dark and empty. I can sense other souls but cannot interact with them. All that remains is the slow dissipation of our existence."

Naruto found this strange. "That's all there is?"

Ashina gave him a knowing look. "What more do you expect? It's where the dead linger. Unlike the ever-chaotic shinobi world, it's a place of stillness. But Tobirama Senju's Edo Tensei technique is remarkable—it allows souls to return from that emptiness."

After a moment of thought, Naruto remarked, "Old patriarch, don't you think the Edo Tensei technique is essentially a variation of Kuchiyose no Jutsu? The only difference is that the contract isn't with a summoned creature, but with the soul of a deceased ninja."

Ashina nodded. "That's an interesting perspective. But are you studying this to exploit the Pure Land, or are you thinking of reviving lost loved ones? Either way, I advise you—do not meddle with the dead."

"When the boundary between the living and the dead is violated, order collapses."

Naruto chuckled. "Of course, I wouldn't toy with the dead. At most, I'd make them work for me. But after hearing your description of the Pure Land, I was reminded of White Zetsu."

Ashina raised an eyebrow. "White Zetsu? What is that?"

The last time Naruto had mentioned Edo Tensei, he had avoided elaborating on White Zetsu's role in the process.

Since Edo Tensei required a living sacrifice, Naruto had circumvented this cost by substituting White Zetsu clones. However, Ashina still lacked an understanding of what Zetsu actually was.

Seeing Ashina's curiosity, Naruto chose not to explain further.

Something about the Pure Land reminded him of Infinite Tsukuyomi, or perhaps its connection to the God Tree. Could it be that the so-called Pure Land existed as an extension of the God Tree's influence?

But if that were true, the continued existence of the Sage of Six Paths (Rikudō Sennin), Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, seemed odd.

With his immense power, Hagoromo should have been able to exist without a physical body—so why did he choose to "die"?

Kurama might have insight into this mystery, but the Nine-Tails was unlikely to disclose it willingly. For now, the only option was to continue researching Edo Tensei to unravel the truth behind the Pure Land.

Setting the thought aside, Naruto smirked and jokingly asked, "Old patriarch, can you develop a jutsu that seals space itself? I have an enemy who uses space-time ninjutsu."

Ashina blinked, then shook his head. "Seal space? What nonsense. Do you take me for Tobirama? I don't have a bottomless well of absurd ideas like that man."

Naruto was a bit disappointed but found the response reasonable.

Time-space techniques were abundant in the shinobi world, ranging from summoning jutsu (Kuchiyose no Jutsu) to Hiraishin, as well as dōjutsu-based abilities like Kamui and Amenotejikara. Yet, sealing jutsu designed to nullify or restrict space-time abilities were virtually nonexistent.

Perhaps even the Ōtsutsuki Clan lacked methods to counter space-time jutsu—likely because they relied too heavily on such techniques themselves.

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