Sealed Land
> "So many years have passed... The valuable things here have already been scavenged by others."
Bai Ye glanced at Kazuhiko with mild surprise. The Aburame had suddenly released a dense swarm of kikaichū from beneath his collar.
"It won't take long anyway," Kazuhiko said calmly, taking slow steps forward. "Think of it as a search mission. There might still be a hidden chamber underground."
Each time Kazuhiko stepped, a new wave of insects flowed silently into the shadows, slipping between the cracks and ruins like black mist.
The sky had darkened, and though the rain had lessened, a persistent drizzle clung to the air. If this weather pattern continued, the skies might clear by morning.
Even if no one remained alive on this island, Kazuhiko could now survey the entire area through his insects. They wouldn't risk getting trapped—at least, not blindly.
"Hurry," he said suddenly.
Kazuhiko darted toward a particular direction, as if he had detected something important. Bai Ye followed immediately, his curiosity piqued.
Since arriving at the ruins of Uzushiogakure, the two had moved at a cautious pace, letting Kazuhiko's kikaichū scout ahead for traps or sealed zones. Now, it seemed they had found something unusual.
"You really found a breach?"
Bai Ye quickened his pace to keep up. His eyes gleamed with interest.
When he first arrived in this world, sealing techniques had been on his must-learn list. In his view, high-level fūinjutsu ranked among the strongest arts in the shinobi world. Even Chibaku Tensei, a dojutsu-based sealing method tied to the Rinnegan, had sealed even Kaguya Ōtsutsuki when taken to its peak.
Even mid-tier sealing techniques were capable of restraining Tailed Beasts—practical and devastating when used well.
Though Bai Ye's unique physiology made it harder for him to master most ninjutsu, he believed it was worth tailoring fūinjutsu to suit his condition. Sealing arts demanded precision and enormous chakra control; for him, the difficulty would be far greater than average—but he still intended to try.
Learning fūinjutsu in the Naruto world was practically a rite of passage.
"Is this the place?"
He halted beside Kazuhiko and scanned the ruins around them.
"Could this be the ancestral hall of the Uzumaki clan?"
Most of the structures nearby had been reduced to charred ruins. However, a blackened incense burner and a crumbling stone staircase behind it hinted at ceremonial use. Atop the stairs, the remains of what looked like burnt memorial tablets lay in ash and coal.
"Over here."
Kazuhiko paused, briefly closing his eyes in concentration, then continued walking toward the rear of the compound. He stopped before a rock formation—a weathered rockery in the backyard.
Bai Ye frowned.
The air around the rockery shimmered faintly, a distortion that tugged at the edges of perception. The space felt... wrong. Disjointed.
"This obvious? How did no one notice it before?" Bai Ye muttered, his stomach turning as he stared.
"It's a genjutsu overlaid with a fūinjutsu barrier," Kazuhiko explained. "Probably to keep this space concealed. But it's weakened. No one's reinforced the seal in years."
He had trained his kikaichū to detect chakra fluctuations, especially those tied to barriers. Though he hadn't studied genjutsu deeply, he'd learned just enough to recognize a hybrid illusion-seal like this one.
Bai Ye nodded slowly.
"A high-level technique like this... whatever's inside must be important."
He remembered that in the original series, techniques like this weren't unheard of. Itachi's Totsuka Blade sealed Orochimaru using a genjutsu-based fūinjutsu—though that was the reverse of this case. Here, the genjutsu was powered and maintained by the seal.
It was likely a legacy of the Uzumaki clan. Their advanced sealing methods had all but disappeared after the village's fall, and Bai Ye had never encountered this type elsewhere.
"Well?" he asked, eyes gleaming. "Want to crack it open and see what's inside?"
Kazuhiko looked tempted, but after a moment's thought, he shook his head.
"Tomorrow. Let's rest and recover first."
It was the smart decision. After all, they had been drifting at sea for two days before reaching the island. If the seal housed something hostile, they might not have the strength to deal with it—let alone escape.
"Tch. Fine. But give me something to eat before we rest. I didn't get enough earlier."
Bai Ye scratched his head sheepishly.
"I'm pretty sure you ate three-quarters of that fruit earlier."
Kazuhiko looked at him in disbelief. "You eat like a damn Akimichi."
"Well, I didn't eat enough yesterday either! You didn't pack enough food," Bai Ye defended himself, placing a hand over his stomach.
His intense physical training demanded massive caloric intake. In fact, Guy and Duy were the same—they practically ate their mission earnings. Bai Ye had adapted similarly.
"I'll be back."
Kazuhiko left to search for food, leaving kikaichū swarming around the area as a perimeter. One beetle crawled up and nestled at the side of Bai Ye's neck—a living alarm system. If anything approached, it would bite him instantly.
After Kazuhiko departed, Bai Ye returned to the ancestral hall and found a relatively clean patch of ground to lie down on. He stretched out lazily and crossed his legs.
"Hopefully there's a treasure sealed in there," he murmured. "If it's just some cursed monster, that'll be annoying. A total waste of time."
Still, he wasn't about to turn back. Whatever was sealed here had survived the downfall of Uzushiogakure and remained hidden all this time. That alone proved its value.
And if the creature inside had been trapped for decades—or longer—it might be weakened enough to handle.
"Back."
Kazuhiko's voice broke the silence, followed by a soft thump. Something landed on Bai Ye's stomach—likely a bundle of food wrapped in cloth.
"These bugs are way too convenient," Bai Ye muttered.
Even though he envied their usefulness, he could never see himself hosting insects in his body. Just the thought of it made his skin crawl.
"It's good to have an Aburame on your team," he murmured as Kazuhiko lay down nearby to rest.
Out in the wild, they were perfect companions. You didn't even have to stay on watch. Just set the bugs to patrol—and sleep without worry.
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