Chapter 61: Sealing Talent
"Seal!"
On Monday afternoon, deep within the South Border Forest, Mugetsu was practicing the One-Finger Sealing technique Kushina had taught him.
Since it was designed to seal chakra, Mugetsu used his own Shadow Clone as a test subject.
"Can't condense chakra. It worked," the clone reported.
"…But if I use full strength, I think I can break out," it added after a moment.
Mugetsu nodded in understanding. No wonder Minato said this sealing technique had little practical use in real combat. Even though he'd just learned it, for it to be breakable by a clone with only half his chakra, the restraining power was clearly lacking.
"But I've learned it nonetheless… So does that mean I have talent in sealing techniques?" Mugetsu murmured.
Kushina had given him the technique only last night, and he'd already mastered it by this afternoon. By her standards, that made him a sealing technique genius.
Strictly speaking, he hadn't even practiced a full day—just a bit last night and some more this afternoon.
Many thoughts crossed Mugetsu's mind: was this the talent of the body's original owner? His own innate ability? Or a combination of both…?
In the end, the cause didn't matter. It was undeniably good news.
Even if he didn't plan to go all-in on learning high-level sealing techniques in the future, at the very least, this gave him hope—hope for eventually breaking the Root's Curse Seal.
After reading books on sealing techniques and curse marks, then learning one firsthand, Mugetsu came to understand that curse marks were essentially a branch within the wider field of sealing.
Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal was, at its core, just a sealing technique—a particularly tricky one.
There were generally two ways to break seals:
First, through brute force using overwhelming chakra.
Second, by using the corresponding unsealing technique.
Mugetsu didn't consider brute force a reliable option. The Tongue Severing Seal wasn't a low-level technique. If it could be shattered just by chakra pressure, then killing someone like Danzo wouldn't be that difficult either.
So his plan was clear: learn more sealing techniques, study the structure of the seal in his own body, and eventually develop an unsealing method specific to it.
He had already saved one Skill Proficiency Scroll, intentionally holding off on using it. The system had rewarded him with Nature Transformation knowledge before, whenever he obtained Ninjutsu involving unknown chakra natures.
Based on that, Mugetsu speculated that leveling up a sealing technique to proficient might unlock corresponding knowledge in that field as well.
But he wasn't going to waste the scroll on One-Finger Sealing. He had a hunch it was the sealing world's version of the Three Body Technique—a basic beginner's move. Using the scroll on it would be like setting fire to money.
After finishing his disciples' training, Mugetsu headed to the Main District.
Since Kushina and Minato had hosted him for dinner the day before, he naturally invited them over for a meal this time.
Today's menu: chili fried eggs, tempura, and stewed potatoes with meat.
Of the three, chili fried eggs were Mugetsu's personal favorite—a dish his mother often made for him in his previous life.
You could say he loved eggs in all forms: steamed, boiled, fried, deep-fried. Combine that with his craving for spice, and it was no surprise that his home rarely saw chive fried eggs. It was always chili fried eggs.
He cracked the eggs into a bowl, whisked them quickly with chopsticks, then added chopped chili straight into the mix before pouring it into a hot pan.
Even though his cooking skills—thanks to the system—had already surpassed what he'd had in his previous life, making this dish always brought back vivid memories from the past.
"Mugetsu, what's wrong? You scared of your own cooking being too spicy?" Kushina teased, seeing him lift a piece of chili fried egg with his chopsticks but not eat it right away.
"How amazing… Who would've thought chili and eggs, just fried together like this, could taste so good?" Minato praised, his tone full of curiosity.
If it were up to him, he probably wouldn't have thought to combine chili and eggs in the first place—let alone fry them together so casually.
"Yes, chili fried eggs are delicious," Mugetsu said with a gentle smile. He stopped reminiscing, then placed a piece into his mouth.
"…Hmm. Delicious."
The three ate and chatted casually, and eventually, their conversation turned to the sealing technique Mugetsu was currently learning.
"Mugetsu, can you perform that One-Finger Sealing now?" Kushina asked, curious.
Mugetsu shook his head. "It goes smoothly every time I visualize it in my mind… but when I actually try it, I can't perform it cleanly. It feels like something's missing."
Of course, he wasn't going to admit that he had already mastered it in half a day. That would draw too much attention—especially when Kushina herself had proudly said she learned it in a day.
And where Kushina was, Anbu were never far behind. Mugetsu had no desire to attract unnecessary suspicion.
He decided to pretend that it took him about seven days to learn it. That would still show talent—without making him seem like a genius worth monitoring.
"That's normal. Very few people can learn it in just a day," Minato said, trying to reassure him.
He worried that Mugetsu might have taken Kushina's words too seriously, which could lead to unnecessary pressure or frustration.
"Right. As long as you get it down within a month, there's no problem at all," Kushina added with a grin.
"If there's anything you don't understand, just ask us. No need to be shy," she said while munching on another bite.
Minato nodded in agreement.
"As long as it's not too much trouble," Mugetsu replied with a smile.
---
Thursday afternoon — Konoha, South Border Forest
"Obito, eighty-five questions. Guy, thirty questions," Mugetsu announced the results of the day's sparring session.
"Only eighty-five!" Obito couldn't help but grin.
This was his best score yet since the combat evaluation system was changed. It meant fewer hits taken, more hits landed, and overall improvement. All those beatings from Kakashi hadn't been for nothing.
Obito quickly did the math: forty percent would be offset by training, ten percent he'd handle today, and the remaining fifty percent he'd pay off in installments. After breaking it down, it didn't feel like much at all.
"Thirty questions!" Guy clenched his fists in disbelief.
This was the most he'd gotten since the rule change. Even if he maximized the training-to-question conversion, he'd still end up with at least twelve written ones.
"Not bad. You've both made solid progress," Mugetsu praised. "If you want to go with installments today, I'll waive the interest."
Obito's eyes lit up instantly. Free installment? That made the deal even sweeter.
Guy also thought it through. No interest? That was practically a reward. He nodded and applied for the installment plan too.
After training, Guy sought out Shisui, hoping to ramp up the intensity of his combat practice.
Obito's rapid progress had triggered a sense of urgency. Guy still held the advantage for now, but Obito hadn't even been allowed to use Ninjutsu during their matches—meaning he wasn't even fighting at half power.
He recalled something Mugetsu had once said: True combat—not restricted sparring—was essential to growth.
"You want full power?" Shisui asked.
Guy nodded firmly.
"Then I'm going to make my move," Shisui warned.
Guy braced himself, muscles tensing, ready to explode into motion at any moment.
But the very next second—
A massive tree erupted from the ground, its branches wrapping around Guy and binding him in place.
Just as he tried to figure out what Ninjutsu Shisui had used, the tree vanished, and a cold blade touched his throat.
Shisui stood before him, kunai in hand.
Guy finally understood.
He had fallen into a Genjutsu from the very beginning.
So this is the gap between us... Guy thought, eyes burning with frustration and determination.
The road to becoming the strongest… is still very long.
But he clenched his fists again.
"Please, again!"
The road may be long, but Might Guy would never give up!
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