If I had obtained the Adamantine Sealing Chains earlier, I wouldn't have been caught off guard when Shukaku's chakra resonated with mine. Trying to control tailed beast chakra through brute force alone was a last resort, as it failed to make use of my real strength—sealing techniques.
Now that I've acquired this sealing technique, I finally understand how the ancient masters managed to restrain and harness the power of the tailed beasts. To date, Mizuki has achieved many research results of his own, but most of them are chaotic and lack systematic organization. For example, Mizuki's self-assembled version of Sage Mode nearly led to a catastrophe.
Still, this made Mizuki realize his own weaknesses and limitations. Starting from such a limited background meant he had to reinvent many areas where established methods already existed. Moreover, working alone made it easy to fall into narrow-minded misconceptions. The lack of accumulated knowledge inevitably held back Mizuki's progress. In situations like these, access to completed or partially developed works from the ninja world would have been extremely valuable. Even better would be finding a like-minded person to discuss things deeply with.
As the "former chunin" Mizuki, he obviously couldn't access anything too advanced. Only after being promoted to jonin did his situation improve slightly. This Adamantine Sealing Chains may appear to most people as nothing more than an ornamental artifact, but for someone like Mizuki who specializes in sealing techniques, they are of immense significance.
Though Mizuki hasn't studied it in detail yet, based on existing intelligence, the Uzumaki Clan's extraordinary chakra reserves—derived from their powerful vitality—and the several potent inherited secret techniques they possessed are simply impossible to ignore.
However, Mizuki already expected some hidden difficulties. First of all, using the Adamantine Sealing Chains requires chakra "explosions." The word "explosion" here definitely doesn't refer to something one can use anywhere—it clearly indicates danger. Mizuki's recent experiences—the cursed seal's outbreak, Tsunade's Yin Seal and Strength of a Hundred Seal explosion—all vividly demonstrated its risks. As distant relatives of the Senju Clan and another branch inheriting from the Sage of Six Paths, the physical condition and endurance of the Uzumaki far surpassed those of ordinary ninja. That members of the Uzumaki Clan made excellent jinchuriki by themselves demonstrates just how strong they were.
How many times had Naruto Uzumaki suffered severe injuries, only to have Nine-Tails' chakra constantly seeping into his body? It gave him incredible regenerative abilities, but at the same time accelerated the strain on his body. Without Naruto's extraordinary stamina, he probably wouldn't have lasted this long—ordinary people could never bear such a terrible burden.
Therefore, the Adamantine Sealing Chains itself—as a sealing technique—already posed daunting theoretical complexity difficult enough to drive people away. Added to that were the immense learning difficulty and extreme physical demands, both of which made even well-informed people hesitate fearfully. Some clan-specific secret techniques could feel like chicken ribs—hardly worth the effort despite being mastered. It's not that outsiders were incapable of mastering them—it's that even when mastered, their practicality was often limited. Take Gentle Fist, for instance—without Byakugan, no matter how skilled you became, if you couldn't clearly perceive chakra flow, meridians, and pressure points, it was practically useless. Kakashi Hatake's [Chidori], before evolving into [Chidori Current], was also a dangerously misleading technique—visually dazzling, yet secretly a trap.
Without the Sharingan's exceptional dynamic vision to adjust his charging trajectory, this straightforward thrust could easily backfire — he might end up dying in regret from an enemy counterattack.
...
When Mizuki returned home, it was already quite late. Still excited and wide awake, he eagerly unfurled the scroll containing the Adamantine Sealing Chains technique.
"As expected, it's just as I imagined. The clan's unique style is unmistakable."
After a long while, Mizuki finally read through it. Though he couldn't grasp the details yet, the general principles were roughly what Mizuki had anticipated. The methods for stimulating vitality, instantly unleashing massive amounts of chakra, and minimizing physical strain when using the Adamantine Sealing Chains — this level of precise bodily control was simply jaw-dropping.
At his current level, having developed the Breath-Sealing Art, such accomplishments were within reach. Precision at the cell level that seemed insurmountable to others wasn't particularly profound for Mizuki. It felt like piercing through a thin sheet of paper, like a veil lifting, revealing sudden clarity.
"This feeling... [Yin Seal]? [Strength of a Hundred Seal]? The effects and application methods are surprisingly similar. Indeed, only by standing on the shoulders of those before you can you see farther ahead — and save yourself a lot of work too."
As a medical ninja, Tsunade wasn't especially proficient in sealing techniques, but she had many independent insights of her own. Her chakra control, medical expertise, and knowledge of the human body made it possible. With the Adamantine Sealing Chains as reference, creating the [Yin Seal], the [Strength of a Hundred Seal], or even Creation Rebirth wouldn't actually be too difficult given enough time.
From Mizuki's current observations, none of existing vitality utilization techniques could directly enhance individual cell vitality. They all focused solely on improving efficiency of remaining life force. Whether it was the [Yin Seal], Adamantine Sealing Chains, or even Sage Mode — at least according to Mizuki's knowledge, no technique existed that directly increased vitality. Actually, there was one exception within Sage Mode — [Sage Art: Reanimation of Lifeless Matter Jutsu] could indeed animate and command lifeless matter using Natural Energy. But Mizuki had never seen it firsthand, didn't know how to implement it, and direct usage of natural energy was extremely dangerous. Without mature sage techniques available for research, constantly risking his already war-torn body in self-experimentation was simply playing with death. Doing this one or two times was more than enough. Now was no longer the time to chase power recklessly at any cost.
...
Inside the refined tearoom of a private cottage located within the prestigious Hyuga clan compound in Konoha, Mizuki raised an exquisitely crafted teacup, lightly sipped from it, and immediately felt revitalized by the perfectly temperatured fragrant tea.
"Truly outstanding stuff. This kind of high-grade product must nearly be impossible to find anywhere else."
Satisfied, Mizuki gently placed the teacup down and quietly observed Hiashi Hyuga frowning slightly while reading through the phased research report he'd provided.
After a long silence, Hiashi Hyuga slowly closed the document he had just read twice and set it down with care before addressing Mizuki. "Mizuki Jonin, your brilliance truly lives up to the reputation. These findings are nothing short of astounding."
"You flatter me too much, Lord of the house. I'm glad you're satisfied."
"To achieve this level in such a short time already exceeds my expectations."
They had only been working together for about a month or two. Making discoveries while managing his own affairs was already quite an accomplishment. Regarding such a significant partnership, Hiashi's composure wouldn't allow him to get overly excited. After all, this wasn't something accomplishable in a short period. As a clan that had carried its traditions for a millennium, they could afford to wait.
"That's great. With all the help you've given me, I'm really glad I can finally do something in return."
During this period, helping Mizuki and his fiancée Tsubaki Chiharu survive the most dangerous times until Tsunade returned and smoothly succeeded as Hokage, as well as giving Mizuki enough time to practice Sage Mode—without the Hyuga clan's patronage, none of this would have been possible so effortlessly and peacefully.
It sounded nice when called "cooperation," but at the end of the day, it was just a two-way deal. Being able to offer reciprocal assistance formed the basis of equal cooperation. Therefore, during these past two days since returning, Mizuki had no choice but to present some valuable findings for Hiashi to review—to instill confidence in him. At least when minor decisions arose, Hiashi might lean toward supporting Mizuki.
"Regarding the Byakugan, Mizuki Jonin's analysis was spot-on. Labeling it as an incomplete form of the Tenseigan—due to insufficient power—has long been proposed by past Hyuga leaders. However, with limited intelligence, it's impossible to verify. Added to the divide between the main and branch houses, even many feasible research opportunities couldn't proceed..."
"Such is the fate of great clans," Mizuki said with a faint smile.
"Precisely. Even I, as the Lord of the house, can't do anything about it—it's genuinely frustrating. Fortunately, we now have Mizuki Jonin's help."
"It still speaks volumes about your bold leadership, Lord of the house."
Hiashi knew full well the pressure he was under by choosing to work with Mizuki. After Mizuki clearly demonstrated talent in sealing techniques, medical skills, biology, and cloning—notably his highly noticeable physical duplicates and mastery of sealing—members from the branch house grew deeply wary of cooperating with him. Hiashi not only provided numerous top-secret clan records but also planned to supply Mizuki with large quantities of Hyuga clan members' cell samples essential for tests and experiments.
Such actions immediately provoked strong discontent among elders of the branch house. From their perspective, collaborating with someone like Mizuki posed serious risks of leaking the Byakugan bloodline. Someone who excelled both in sealing arts and biological technology held substantial possibilities for breaking the Caged Bird Seal and stealing the Byakugan bloodline, which is why they adamantly refused to approve Hiashi's arrangements.
Mizuki inwardly sneered at this situation. Stealing bloodlines? That was far too risky and unnecessary anyway—opportunities came knocking constantly.
Mizuki had his hands full with an endless list of tasks. If it weren't necessary to use the Hyuga clan as a political shield, he wouldn't even bother dealing with such a rotten group.
Ultimately, under Hiashi Hyuga's firm insistence, a small number of cell samples from distant branch members were provided to Mizuki. None among them had activated the Byakugan; most were borderline candidates deemed internally unlikely to ever awaken the Byakugan.
Still, even so, cooperation was finally achieved. The elders of the Hyuga clan were all outdated relics obsessed only with preserving centuries of tradition. Only Hiashi Hyuga and Ko Hyuga, who had witnessed the horrifying power of the Rinnegan, still trusted Mizuki. Yet since Hiashi couldn't reveal much nor offer convincing reasoning, this was the result.
The conversation with Hiashi lasted quite long, not finishing until the sun had already begun setting.
"In the end, you believe the root lies in Chakra Reserves Amount?"
"The core definitely lies in chakra reserves. But figuring out how to achieve it requires careful consideration."
In truth, Mizuki already knew the method. A degraded form resulting from insufficient Tenseigan power, without enough chakra to forcefully push forward evolution, absorbing Byakugan of the same kind from others would suffice. In other words, by sacrificing enough fellow clan members' Byakugan, the Tenseigan could actually be achieved more easily than the Rinnegan.
However, this intelligence testing Hiashi's bottom line wasn't ready for disclosure yet. For now, he could only give vague and ambiguous information, strengthening Hiashi's confidence enough for him to patiently wait for Mizuki's final research conclusions.
Hiashi also understood that expecting significant achievements from Mizuki in too short a time wasn't realistic. If Mizuki truly accomplished too much too quickly, suspicions about authenticity would arise, along with concerns about hidden motives. Currently though, everything still remained within Hiashi's comprehension range.
Glancing at the outside sky, Hiashi seemed to realize they'd talked for quite a while. After thinking briefly, he brought up another matter.
"Jonin Mizuki, during the mission earlier this week, you specifically requested Neji Hyuga's participation. What did you think of him?"
"Neji Hyuga? He's nothing short of a prodigy." Although their styles differed, Mizuki didn't withhold praise. "The Hyuga clan really has remarkable talents coming one after another. Within two or three years, Neji may surpass even me. The youth will outshine us."
"Hmm? You hold him in such high regard? Although Neji possesses good aptitude, comparing him directly to you seems somewhat excessive."
"Then we'll just have to wait and see. Within two years, we'll know the truth."
"That's true. Having such an outstanding young man is fortunate for the Hyuga clan."
Recently, Neji Hyuga had been receiving systematic family training together with Hanabi and Hinata. Although his talent enabled him to independently complete missing Gentle Fist techniques—even comprehending Rotation technique—he inevitably lacked certain foundations. Once he made up for those fundamental gaps, Neji's genius finally became completely evident to everyone.
"The Hyuga really are Konoha's top clan. New talents keep rising within your younger generations, and there's a worthy successor to the clan leadership. Your teaching methods truly are commendable."
Just now, when passing through the front courtyard, he had seen Neji Hyuga training with Hinata and Hanabi, and Mizuki had exchanged greetings with them.
"Still, Jonin Mizuki sure has a sharp eye," Hiashi Hyuga remarked.
During their previous discussion on the subject with Lord Hyuga, Hiashi had deliberately mentioned both Hanabi and Hinata. At that time, Hiashi had not taken Hinata seriously, so Mizuki casually praised her a bit more, saying Hinata was also a rare talent — just hadn't found the right method yet, and the timing wasn't quite right.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>