Kyusei couldn't bring himself to refuse the chance to meet that man—someone who, in more ways than one, could be called crucial to his life.
Whether it was the Nine-Tails within him, now bound to him through shared trust…
or his mastery of sealing techniques…
or even his taijutsu, in a roundabout sense—
All of it was connected to that man.
In Kushina's world, Mukade had caused the short-tempered Hinata Hyūga to cross over into this era. That chain of events led to Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina arriving as well, allowing Kyusei to complete the derivative forms of the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
In Naruto's world, another Mukade had—by sheer coincidence—brought Kakashi and Naruto to Kyusei's side. Because of that, the Nine-Tails witnessed the future, let go of its stubborn pride, and chose to cooperate with him. And through Uzumaki Mito, Kyusei had obtained an immense trove of sealing knowledge.
It was also because of this that Hiruzen Sarutobi began to spare no expense in cultivating him.
No matter how one looked at it, Mukade was practically his benefactor.
So, whatever the case, Kyusei had to see this man—this Suna missing-nin from the original story.
Sakumo Hatake and Kyusei walked through the depths of Konoha's prison.
Given Mukade's special circumstances, Hiruzen had personally ordered him confined in the deepest level of the prison—the underground cells reserved exclusively for S-rank criminals.
Under Sakumo's guidance, Kyusei finally came face to face with this so-called "benefactor."
And he was… miserable.
Mukade wore nothing but a pair of shorts. His limbs were tightly bound to the wall, his abdomen marked with a sealing formula. At a glance, Kyusei recognized it as a chakra-suppressing seal.
His eyes were covered, cutting off his vision entirely. His body was thin, almost emaciated, and his receding hairline suggested that in a few more years, he'd be sporting a textbook bald spot.
"Who… is it?"
Hearing footsteps, Mukade spoke weakly.
Konoha never treated death-row prisoners kindly. They were given just enough food and water to keep them alive—nothing more.
"This man is Mukade," Sakumo said calmly.
"No Yamanaka interrogator?" Kyusei asked, glancing at Mukade, whose mental state still seemed intact.
"He placed a sealing technique inside his own mind," Sakumo explained.
"If someone tries to forcibly break it, the backlash will kill both him and the person attempting the extraction."
Kyusei paused.
"…Ah. Now I get why you called me."
So that was it.
Sakumo wanted him to dismantle the seal.
"That's pretty ruthless, Sensei," Kyusei muttered.
Sakumo laughed.
"Can't be helped. You are the strongest fuinjutsu user in the village."
On that point, Sakumo wasn't exaggerating.
Taijutsu required years of grinding effort—but sealing techniques came to Kyusei almost unnaturally easily. Many seals took him only a few attempts to fully grasp. Combined with Mito's legacy, there were very few people in Konoha who could rival him in fuinjutsu now.
"Who are you…?"
"What are you going to do to me?!"
Blindfolded and unable to see, Mukade listened to their conversation without any attempt at concealment. Panic crept into his voice.
The strongest sealing expert in Konoha?
Who was that?
Mukade didn't know how Konoha had discovered him—but he understood his situation perfectly.
He had barely escaped the joint pursuit of Konoha and Sunagakure, used the Dragon Vein to travel twenty years into the past, and before he could even catch his breath, he'd been captured and dragged here.
Despair flooded him.
Once the seal in his mind was broken, he knew his life would be over.
And yet—he couldn't resist at all.
Kyusei stepped into the cell, ignoring Mukade's panic. He pressed a single finger against the man's forehead.
Chakra flowed in.
Quickly, Kyusei found the seal Sakumo had mentioned.
He had to admit—Mukade was skilled. Worthy of being the boss of The Lost Tower.
Three layers of seals.
Interlocking, nested, one wrapped within another.
An average sealing expert would be completely helpless here.
But for Kyusei—who carried the full Uzumaki legacy—it was manageable.
Mukade had talent.
Just… not enough.
One by one, the seals were dismantled.
When the final layer dissolved, Kyusei withdrew his finger.
"Alright. Call the Yamanaka clan."
Mukade's value, especially concerning the Dragon Vein, was enormous.
Kyusei remembered clearly—Mukade had transformed Rōran into a massive city in just a few short years. Yes, he relied on the Dragon Vein's power, but that didn't change the fact that his architectural and engineering talent was exceptional.
And that was in the desert.
If Hiruzen had any foresight at all, he wouldn't kill Mukade.
Konoha might not have a Dragon Vein, but the Land of Fire was vast and resource-rich. With the exception of a few remote areas, it was prosperous.
If Mukade were used properly, Konoha could develop on a scale rivaling Rōran itself.
That, however, wasn't Kyusei's concern. He could mention it to Hiruzen later—once.
"Sensei, if there's nothing else, I'll be leaving."
As Kyusei turned to go, Sakumo looked at him in mild surprise.
"…That's it?"
Kyusei stopped and looked back, confused.
"I thought you'd want to talk to him," Sakumo said.
"You and this man share… quite a bit of fate."
After all, Kyusei's current strength could be said—indirectly—to exist because of Mukade.
"For a while, I thought I would too."
Kyusei glanced once at the unconscious man.
Then he disappeared into the darkness without another word.
Sakumo watched him go and chuckled softly.
He's really grown up.
If it were the old Kyusei, he'd have chattered endlessly—even if he had nothing meaningful to say.
Sakumo turned his gaze back to Mukade and raised a hand.
An ANBU operative appeared beside him.
"I'll leave it to you, Gen."
"Yes. Please rest assured."
The ANBU—Yamanaka Gen—stepped forward and placed his palm on Mukade's bowed head.
"Yamanaka Secret Technique—activate."
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