"Alright, you two," Mito began, clapping her hands together with a soft sound that echoed through the quiet room. "Before we dive headfirst into the complex and unforgiving art of sealing techniques, we need to take a little detour. A detour into… bloodlines."
It had been three days since Azula's triumphant breakthrough in creating her first 'Anime,' and she already had a small team handling the rest of the work, like dubbing.
Tsunade, sitting cross-legged beside her, looked as if she were mentally preparing for a nap, clearly expecting a dry lecture on clan politics.
Azula, however, leaned forward. Bloodline limits were a subject of intense personal curiosity. To her, they were like biological puzzles waiting to be solved.
Mito's eyes twinkled, catching Azula's keen interest. "Now, take us Uzumaki. The common perception is that we're just… chakra batteries. Bad temper, lots of power, good at fuinjutsu, but otherwise not exactly special."
She didn't bother hiding her curiosity.
"Well, not to sound arrogant, I do know about the specialness of the Uzumaki, but," Azula began, tapping her chin thoughtfully, "most bloodlines seem… a bit overhyped? I mean, aside from the direct descendants of the Sage like us, of course."
She couldn't help thinking about the Yuki clan's Ice Release, for instance. It looked impressive, sure. But was it really better than, say, mastering Lightning Release? She wasn't convinced.
At its highest levels, Lightning was essentially electromagnetic mastery—one of the four fundamental forces of the universe. You couldn't get much more 'special' than that. So why did everyone treat an ice-user or similar bloodline holder as if they'd won the genetic lottery?"
Mito smiled, a knowing, gentle curve of her lips. "An excellent point, and one that gets to the heart of the matter. The first rule is that the strength of any Kekkei Genkai is ultimately dependent on the user."
"You can hand someone the finest blade ever forged, but if they don't know how to swing it, it's just a fancy paperweight. There are records of Uchiha who awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan yet never came close to Madara's level of infamy."
She paused, letting the thought sink in.
"However," she continued, her tone deepening, "even the most mediocre Mangekyou wielder on record, provided they lived with it for more than five years, could still, without exception, fight on par with any of the current Kage sitting in their offices today."
"The era of constant war may have played a role, but the pattern is undeniable. What this suggests is that while the upper limit of a bloodline is sky-high, its true power lies in guaranteeing a formidable lower limit. It sets a very high floor for your potential."
"Now," Mito said, leaning forward conspiratorially, "back to us, Uzumaki. Our pseudo-Kekkei Genkai, beyond our ridiculous chakra reserves, manifests in two primary techniques: Kagura's Mind Eye and the Adamantine Sealing Chains."
Azula's mind was already racing, connecting dots. She thought of Karin, who had both of these abilities in the anime but was even more unique—the woman could heal through a bite. Still, Azula stayed quiet, eager to hear the foundational theory first.
"Theoretically," Mito explained, raising a finger, "anyone with enough skill could learn these. The same is true for the Nara's shadow manipulation or the Yamanaka's mind techniques. So why are they exclusive? Why do they 'run in the family'?"
She didn't wait for an answer. "Because certain techniques, when mastered to their absolute peak, don't just stay in your memory—they rewrite your very biology."
"They perform what Tobirama called a 'genetic rewrite.' Imagine a self-taught genius with no clan ties who, through sheer force of will and innovation, develops Ice Release. His body adapts, mutates to accommodate this new reality. That mutation is then etched into his genetic code, becoming a new instruction manual his children will inherit."
"This 'rewrite' is what makes a bloodline limit special," Mito emphasized. "It isn't just Ice Release—it's the fundamental change within. The body becomes more efficient, more attuned to chakra on a cellular level."
"This is why even the weakest member of a bloodline clan—even one with just a single, spinning Sharingan tomoe—will always have a larger chakra pool than someone who never awakened it. A second tomoe means more, and a third more still. It's a physiological upgrade. They aren't just learning a new trick; their entire engine is being swapped out for a more powerful model."
"I even predict," Mito added, her eyes glimmering, "that in the future, descendants of the Uzumaki clan may naturally manifest the Adamantine Sealing Chains and Kagura's Mind Eye without ever being taught."
A slow, thoughtful frown crept onto Azula's face as she studied Mito. The old woman's pronouncement felt less like a guess and more like she'd casually peeked into the future, skimmed the chapter summaries, and then closed the book with a knowing smirk.
This felt exactly like Karin, whose ability seemed to have awakened naturally. But then again, Azula didn't know if Karin had received a… tutorial… from her mother or, more disturbingly, from the snake-like Orochimaru himself.
"In short," Mito continued, her voice cutting through Azula's whirring thoughts, "don't you dare feel frustrated if you see little Tsunade here learning a tad faster than you, or mastering something that initially slips through your grasp."
She paused, her eyes twinkling as she glanced at her already puffing-up granddaughter. "She's half-Uzumaki. It's in the bloodline. It's… normal for her. Think of it this way: in the future, when you finally awaken your own Kekkei Genkai, you'll be able to use the Sharingan and all its related arts—things she could never hope to replicate. So, it all evens out in the end. Everyone's a cheater in their own special way."
This little speech wasn't just idle commentary. It was a strategic maneuver from a woman who had not only lived through the Warring States period, but thrived in its bloody, paranoid chaos.
What scenario hadn't she witnessed? She'd seen more than her fair share of promising partnerships curdle into bitter rivalries over exactly this kind of perceived imbalance.
Power, no matter how innocently wielded, could be its own crime in the eyes of the jealous. She had undoubtedly seen masters and disciples turn on each other for far less, and the sheer, tragic irony of it happening in her own sitting room over a lesson in chakra perception was probably too much for her to bear.
Fortunately, her fears seemed unfounded. On one side of the room, Tsunade was practically vibrating with excitement, her chest puffed out with the glorious revelation that there was, at last, something she might be inherently better at than her brilliant friend.
It was pure, childish, competitive joy.
On the other side, Azula simply filed the information away with a calm nod. Ah, so we're both cheaters. Good to know.
The Uchiha blood coursing through her veins was its own advantage, and if these techniques could theoretically be learned through sheer effort and intellect, then she, Uchiha Azula, would be the one to do it.
Mito's shoulders relaxed almost imperceptibly. Crisis averted.
She clapped her hands together softly. "Let's talk about the real meat of the matter: Sealing Techniques. The absolute, non-negotiable foundation of Fuinjutsu is chakra perception. I'd wager that mastering perception alone will unlock about eighty percent of the seals I know."
She leaned forward, her expression turning serious.
"Think of hand seals—they're a structured way to guide chakra through the body to produce a jutsu. Fuinjutsu is similar, but it's primarily about the art of sealing and, crucially, unsealing. And how can you possibly unseal something if you can't even see the lock?"
Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. "The most important seals are always personalized. You might recognize the style of the seal, but if you can't perceive the unique chakra signature—the creator's personal touch, their secret twist on the mechanism—you'll never crack it open. It's like trying to pick a lock while wearing mittens. (Yes, locks exist in the ninja world.)"
Azula nodded, her mind racing. This was no longer an abstract lesson; it was the answer to a problem that had been itching at the back of her skull—chakra perception.
It was the one skill she was in most desperate, secret need of, and not for any grand ambition. Her reason was far more paranoid: the existence of White Zetsu.
The mere thought of those bizarre, plant-like creatures was enough to make her skin crawl. It was bug-level, wall-hacking nonsense!
The idea that she could be in her own room, sleeping or training, completely unaware that she was being spied on by something lurking in the walls… it was intolerable.
It was the primary reason she held herself back, never training at full force. She had been waiting for this exact moment, hoping that the path of Fuinjutsu would lead her to a way to detect the undetectable.
Seeing Azula's focused, patient expression—a stark contrast to impatient students who just wanted to skip ahead to the flashy stuff—Mito was pleased. Even more delightful was Tsunade's eager fidgeting, the girl already treating this like a race she was destined to win.
"Very good," Mito beamed. "Now, for you, Azula, if you had already awakened your Sharingan, this would be as simple as opening your eyes. But it matters little. With your Yin talent, you'll learn at a speed above even most talented students."
She then turned to Tsunade, her gaze softening with expectation. "And you, my dear. Half-Uzumaki, half-Senju. Your very blood is a recipe for sensory prowess. Perception was something your grandfather Hashirama and I—your grandma—were exceptionally gifted at. I expect great things from you."
It was a carefully placed seed of expectation. She didn't want to crush the girl with pressure, but she was certain of the potential lying dormant within her. By setting the bar high now, Tsunade's eventual success would taste all the sweeter, building a confidence that was truly her own.