Before long, the twisted spatial vortex appeared abruptly once more.
A battered and bruised Uchiha Shinichi was thrown out of the vortex, landing hard on the ground with a thud, his face half-buried in the dirt, looking utterly miserable.
At this moment, the masked man emerged leisurely from the twisted vortex, his tone as indifferent as ever: “Can’t even stand up, can you?”
Forcing himself to lift his head, Uchiha Shinichi glared at the masked man, his eyes filled with stubbornness and hatred.
The masked man crossed his arms and smiled slightly, “That’s quite a look in your eyes!”
Shinichi coughed lightly, his voice hoarse as he asked, “Who… who are you? What kind of jutsu was that?”
“I told you, who I am doesn’t matter,” the masked man said, pausing before continuing with a smile, “What matters is that I can give you what you want.”
Shinichi looked a bit lost, “What I want…”
The masked man glanced around and shrugged, “Why are you training so hard here?”
Shinichi spat out a name, “Hyuga Kyo!”
The masked man was momentarily taken aback, then chuckled, “Is this person very powerful?”
Despite his reluctance, Shinichi nodded helplessly.
“An Uchiha losing to a Hyuga,” the masked man chuckled softly before continuing to entice Shinichi, “With your talent, defeating this Hyuga Kyo shouldn’t be difficult.”
Staring warily at the masked man, Shinichi opened his mouth but didn’t speak, his face full of hesitation.
The masked man didn’t press too hard because Shinichi was somewhat tempted. Instead, he spread his hands and said, “If you make up your mind, you can find me here.”
With that, the masked man disappeared into the vortex.
Barely able to stand, Shinichi looked around in confusion, then dragged his injured body back towards the village, stumbling with every step.
Before long, the masked man returned to the large tree where he had been.
Half his body emerging from the tree trunk, Zetsu looked at Shinichi’s departing figure and said, “Is it really necessary to go this far? He might just report everything to Konoha.”
The masked man shook his head, “He won’t!”
“Why not?”
“Because he craves power!” The masked man sat cross-legged again, continuing, “He has more potential than I initially thought. With some stimulation, he might even awaken those eyes.”
Back at Hyuga Kyo’s house.
Upon returning home, Hyuga Kyo collected his thoughts and resumed his study of the Four Symbols Seal.
Due to his detailed experience with the Truth-Seeking Balls, he had a deeper understanding of chakra nature transformation. When he opened the scroll on the Four Symbols Seal this time, the previously incomprehensible parts suddenly became clear.
The natural transformation of chakra is both the foundation and the core of the Four Symbols Seal.
Mastering it would be close once he fully understood the chakra nature transformations within the Four Symbols Seal.
After studying for a while, Hyuga Kyo took a sip of tea, thinking, “At this rate, I should be able to fully grasp the Four Symbols Seal in no more than three days.”
Remembering the Third Hokage’s promise to Team Eleven, he suddenly felt that mastering the Uzumaki clan’s sealing techniques might not be an unattainable goal.
Suddenly, Hyuga Kyo sensed something, his brow furrowing slightly as he activated his Byakugan.
In his Byakugan’s field of vision, a chakra presence was hidden behind a tree outside the courtyard. Judging by the amount of chakra, it was at least at the level of a Special Jounin.
“Hmph, they’re openly monitoring me right at my doorstep now.”
The Root operatives monitoring Hyuga Kyo knew he possessed the Byakugan and understood that no disguise could escape its detection. Thus, they opted to surveil him openly.
“I’m a direct subordinate of the Hokage. Danzo wouldn’t be this blatant without the Third Hokage’s tacit approval…” Reflecting momentarily, Hyuga Kyo thought, “It’s not the right time to turn hostile. I should wait until I’ve mastered the sealing techniques.”
Unlike Danzo, the Third Hokage cared about appearances. Since the Third Hokage had promised Team Eleven the opportunity to learn high-level jutsu, as long as Hyuga Kyo didn’t act rashly, the Hokage would honor his promise.
Having decided, Hyuga Kyo chose to stay home, fully dedicating himself to studying the Four Symbols Seal.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
As Hyuga Kyo had predicted, once he grasped the key points, he quickly understood the crucial aspects of the Four Symbols Seal. Although a few details remained unclear, those required meticulous study over time and couldn’t be rushed.
Hyuga Kyo headed to the Hokage’s office with the scroll of the Four Symbols Seal in hand.
After returning the scroll, he again requested to learn sealing techniques from the Third Hokage. Considering this might be his last formal opportunity to study, he directly stated his desire to learn the Uzumaki clan’s sealing techniques.
The Third Hokage needed to be more open about Hyuga Kyo’s request.
However, he reasoned that a request to learn sealing techniques was better than a request to learn forbidden jutsu. After all, sealing techniques were more defensive. Even if Hyuga Kyo mastered the Uzumaki clan’s sealing techniques, it would be fine for the village.
Moreover, apart from the forbidden “Dead Demon Consuming Seal,” other powerful sealing techniques of the Uzumaki clan often required their bloodline to be fully effective.
After some consideration, the Third Hokage finally took a scroll from the classified archives. It was a sealing technique known as the “Contract Seal,” which he handed to Hyuga Kyo, instructing him to return it within a month.
With the Contract Seal in hand, Hyuga Kyo continued to seclude himself at home, dedicating all his time to studying it.
Compared to the broad applicability of the Four Symbols Seal, the Contract Seal was much more specialized, primarily used to sever the contractual bond between summoners and their summoned creatures.
However, this didn’t mean the Contract Seal was inferior to the Four Symbols Seal. On the contrary, Hyuga Kyo vaguely felt that the sealing technique used by the Fourth Hokage on the Dragon Vein likely included elements of the Contract Seal.
Upon obtaining the Contract Seal scroll, Hyuga Kyo noticed its extraordinary isolation capabilities.
The Dragon Vein had an unclear relationship with the line of the Roran Queen, and no one could definitively say whether there was a contractual bond between them.
If Hyuga Kyo were in the Fourth Hokage’s position, he would also incorporate elements of the Contract Seal in the Dragon Vein’s sealing technique to prevent future attempts to break the seal by exploiting any potential bond with the Roran Queen’s lineage.
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