Hearing that Fox had used the Five Elements Seal to suppress a tail of the Nine-Tails' chakra, a specific intuition suddenly flared within Tsunade.
'It's similar... too similar...'
Kushina had told her that on the night of the Nine-Tails transfer, someone had twice infused her with chakra possessing the unique sealing attributes of the Uzumaki clan. That person was undoubtedly a kinsman of the Uzumaki bloodline. That person was mysterious and had never shown their face.
At the time, the only unit near Kushina was the Yellow Dog Brigade. And Fox was the undisputed top expert of that brigade. Now, hearing that Fox possessed such high mastery of the Five Elements Seal, a thought bloomed in Tsunade's mind.
'Could it be him?'
The Five Elements Seal was a relatively common Uzumaki technique, far less potent than the Four Symbols Seal or the Adamantine Sealing Chains. If one viewed Fox as a ninja with Uzumaki blood, everything seemed to click.
Tsunade glanced at the other high-ranking officials in the room. None of them had directly touched Nine-Tails chakra; therefore, they didn't truly grasp how impressive it was to suppress it with a mere Five Elements Seal.
However, Tsunade did not move to confirm her suspicions. She had matured. If Fox did *not* have Uzumaki blood, she was likely being manipulated by the ANBU. Fox's reputation was vast, but he was known as a ruthless operative.
If he did have the bloodline, she couldn't risk contact. He was someone watching over Kushina from the shadows; a reckless approach would only expose him.
Yagami noticed Tsunade's fleeting gaze but didn't react. Given his current status as an ANBU Squad Leader, his proficiency in sealing arts wouldn't surprise anyone. They wouldn't link him to an Uzumaki bloodline; they'd simply think "Bronze Fox" was becoming more well-rounded.
Tsunade forced herself to push the thought aside and addressed the others. "Kushina is only ten years old and hasn't even graduated. How could she possibly master the seal? Your test was too crude. What if the seal had failed?"
"It's too slow," Hiruzen Sarutobi countered. "Kushina's strength must be raised quickly. The Cloud's 'Perfect Jinchuriki' project has put immense pressure on Konoha."
Hanamaki Senju and Tsunade exchanged a look. Why was the village in such a rush?
Hanamaki said, "The Senju clan will form a dedicated Sealing Team to monitor and maintain Kushina's seal. Tsunade's mastery is superb—she learned my mother's techniques and developed her own. If she can't reinforce it, no one in Leaf can."
Hanamaki knew Tsunade had mastered the Strength of a Hundred Seal and was researching the Mitotic Regeneration. Shaken by the transfer night, Tsunade's progress had been rapid. No one refuted Hanamaki's claim; it was objective fact.
"However," Hanamaki continued, "I don't recommend putting too much pressure on Kushina before she graduates. Mother said that to coexist with the Nine-Tails, one must fill their heart with love to counter its hatred. Its chakra brings intense negativity. Kushina deserves a happy childhood; rushing this will only amplify the Nine-Tails' influence."
The meeting ended without a firm resolution. As she left, Tsunade purposely lagged behind. She saw Fox flicker away but saw nothing revealing. She reminded herself: 'Don't be impatient. Don't be reckless.'
The Senju's situation was worse than she imagined; she was their final pillar.
...
After leaving the Hokage building, Yagami hurried to a training ground on the village outskirts. There, Sakumo Hatake suddenly turned his head, sensing an arrival. Seeing the fox mask peeking through the bushes, Sakumo relaxed and continued his explanation to Minato.
"Minato, your chakra reserves are vast. You can't be treated like an ordinary student. The technique I'm teaching you is the foundation of high-efficiency chakra usage—and the basis of my own fame."
Minato was moved. He hadn't expected the White Fang to teach him his signature secret technique after less than a month. "Lord Saku—" he corrected himself immediately. "Sakumo-sensei, I won't fail your teachings!"
Sakumo nodded. "The training I gave you earlier was the first stage. My technique is called Chakra Refining, and it has two steps."
1. Chakra Condensation
2. Chakra Crystallization
"Mastering condensation is enough to make you a Jonin. Mastering crystallization can make you an elite Jonin or even Kage-level."
As he spoke, a ball of Lightning chakra appeared in Sakumo's hand. The chakra grew more solid and dense, yet its volume shrank. A chirping sound, like a thousand birds, filled the air.
In the bushes, Yagami was stunned. 'That sounds a bit like Chidori?'
Sakumo explained: "My affinity is Lightning. Condensing it enhances penetration. Your affinity is Wind; you've already discovered that condensing it enhances your Body Flicker. This technique requires years of bitter training. It's easy to enter, but hard to master. Continue your research. One day, you will master crystallization. Minato, you call me sensei, so today I officially take you as my disciple. When you graduate, I will be your Jonin instructor."
Minato was overwhelmed with emotion. He had been chosen by Sakumo-sensei ahead of schedule. Sakumo looked toward the side; he had been skeptical of Fox's suggestion at first, but after spending time with Minato, he had grown to truly favor the boy.
Nearby, three-year-old Kakashi watched the lightning in his father's hand, lost in thought. Yagami was also deep in thought. He had to increase his strength. "Sakumo-sensei" couldn't be allowed to die; if he did, all of Yagami's plans would turn to dust.
His strongest abilities were Absolute Defense: Bronze Light and Water Style: Water Flicker. The latter couldn't be shown in public yet—he couldn't exactly go kidnap Hanzo for an interrogation on how to make it "legal."
Bronze Light was built on Chakra Refining. It was effective against physical attacks, but against energy like the Nine-Tails' chakra, it was limited. He had mastered Earth Style refining; it was time for his second affinity: Water.
Earth refining provided defense through ultra-high density. Lightning refining provided destruction through high frequency. Wind refining, as seen with Minato, provided explosive power through high pressure.
What about Water?
Yagami didn't yet understand the direction for Water condensation. He sat in the bushes after the trio left and began to experiment. He knew the system wouldn't bail him out five times—he had to learn this like Minato. He had to accept his mediocrity; without the system, he was a trash commoner.
He conjured Water chakra. Liquid is incompressible; no matter the pressure, its volume barely changes. Water chakra seemed to share this trait.
'Is refining unsuitable for Water? Should I skip to Wind?'
No. He had to try. What if he wasn't trash?
Two hours later, he had achieved nothing. He told himself there was plenty of time, but he felt the sting of not being a natural genius.
Returning to the ANBU base, he faced the dreaded paperwork. Even as a ninja, he had to spend time writing mission scrolls. Purple Cat summarized the other teams' work, but he had to handle the high-priority reports on Sakumo and the Jinchuriki himself.
Purple Cat entered the office. "Smooth mission?"
"It was alright."
She sensed his low mood and waited. Once he finished the scrolls, she hurried them to Butterfly and returned. "Why so unhappy? Why not... dig up some joy?"
She was getting better at these coded invitations. After one "dig," her neck was pink. After two, Yagami felt better. But not enough. He went for a third. By the time Purple Cat was dazed and soft, unable to take more, Yagami finally left, satisfied.
Back at Tsuruzuki Tavern, he saw Qiaoyi closing up early. "Bad business today?"
"Yeah, strange. Not many people." She pushed him into her bedroom.
Yagami felt a bit guilty. Three "digs" with Purple Cat and then "investigating" Qiaoyi? It was a lot. It was all the Water refining's fault; it put him in a bad mood, and he'd been too indulgent.
Qiaoyi saw his hesitation. "I resumed my ninja training today. You're performing today whether you're ready or not!" She tossed a blue Akimichi secret pill into a glass of water.
Yagami watched the pill drift side-to-side in the water, fighting the resistance of the liquid. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. Inspiration!
His logic had been wrong. The direction for Water condensation wasn't volume—it was Resistance!
Qiaoyi got scared. "Wait, what's with that look? Why are your eyes glowing? I'm a bit scared... maybe we skip today?"
Yagami tilted his head back and downed the pill. "Too late! Today, I'm performing whether you're ready or not!"
...
In the early morning hours, Yagami left a satisfied Qiaoyi and went to a deserted training ground. He checked the perimeter and organized his thoughts.
Earth Refining = High Density -> Defense.
Lightning Refining = High Frequency -> Destruction.
The pill drifting in the water proved Water's core trait is resistance. Therefore, Condensed Water Chakra = High Resistance -> Buffering and Delaying.
He tried it. He didn't compress the volume; he simply refined massive amounts of Water chakra into his palm until it was incredibly dense. He kicked a stone high into the air. It plummeted back down with great speed.
As it hit the condensed water orb in his hand, the orb splashed, turning to liquid. The stone's kinetic energy was consumed; it slowed instantly and settled gently in his palm.
'It works. Condensed Water has incredible resistance.'
He created several Shadow Clones. One used Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet. The flames slammed into the water orb, neutralizing immediately into a massive cloud of steam. The impact and heat were swallowed by the Water chakra.
Yagami looked at his hand. The protection area was too small. He thought back to the hand signs for the Water Dragon Bullet to change the shape. With three specific signs, a thin Water Chakra Snake coiled around him, hovering half a meter from his body.
Condensing was taxing. He couldn't maintain a full dragon, so he settled for the snake. Beauty was secondary; effectiveness was king. The water snake hovered and swayed, looking similar to Mitsuki's Sage Mode from the future.
His clone fired another Fire Dragon. The high-resistance water snake easily blocked the flames. Another clone used Earth Style: Earth Dragon Spear. The snake moved with Yagami's will, intercepting the spears. When the spears hit the snake, they felt like they were striking thick, viscous oil. Their speed plummeted, their power vanished, and the tips were deflected.
Yagami was stunned. 'I've created another defense technique? How afraid of dying am I?'
The water snake would handle elemental and kinetic impact, and whatever got through would hit the Bronze Light. He was becoming a Bronze Turtle protected by a water-resistance field.
He named the technique Half-Absolute Defense: Coiled Snake. It was a prototype, but eventually, with Earth and Water combined, he'd be a wall.
'If you can't beat them, stack defense. Between killing the enemy and being killed, I choose to outlast them until they die of exhaustion.'
...
The month passed in a blur of surveillance. The full moon returned, silver and round. Five days after the full moon, the Jonin Council would reconvene.