"The Four Symbols Seal is incredibly difficult to practice, let alone refine," Minato said, shaking his head slightly. Since returning to Konoha, aside from his physical conditioning, he had poured his energy into this technique. Yet even after all this time, his mastery was stuck at the basic functional level. Far from unraveling its deeper mechanics, every successful cast drained a massive portion of his mental focus.
This was with Kushina's assistance; had he attempted it alone, even successfully triggering the seal would be a struggle.
"I see..." Ren Kurogane nodded. "Your primary bottleneck is still the lack of chakra, right? Once my new research yields results, that deficiency can be addressed."
Minato's eyes lit up with joy, but a second later, he lowered his voice in realization. "Ren, are you serious?"
Chakra was a ninja's hard limit. No matter how god-tier your talent was, if your reserves were low, you could never glimpse the highest peaks. It was just like spiritual roots in a cultivation world—a lower-grade root simply couldn't compete with a superior one. Smart as he was, Minato immediately understood the gravity of Ren's claim.
"When have I ever lied to you?" Ren laughed. "Once this experiment is complete, I can guarantee you'll have chakra reserves on par with Nawaki's. You'll never have to worry about 'running out' again!"
Minato happily returned to his study of the Four Symbols Seal. If Ren promised him Nawaki-level reserves, he could completely shift his research strategy. In his previous estimates, he assumed his adult chakra capacity would be barely half of what Nawaki currently possessed.
"Then I'll be waiting for the good news!" Minato beamed.
Beside them, Kushina tilted her head, thinking to herself: Is chakra really something people can actually run out of?
Leaving Lady Mito's residence, Ren hadn't walked far when he ran into Tsunade.
Her cheeks were flushed a deep crimson, and the scent of sake was thick enough to be a weapon. She was swaying unsteadily on her feet.
"Hnn? Ren? Long time no see!!"
Spotting a familiar face, Tsunade lurched forward. She draped a silken arm over Ren's shoulder, her entire body leaning heavily against him.
To be honest, facing such a stunning blonde "big sister" type, Ren would be lying if he said his heart didn't skip a beat. He wasn't a monk; he wasn't made of stone. However, Tsunade had always treated him like a child, and... well, silently enduring the softness pressing against his arm, Ren spoke up awkwardly.
"Tsunade-san, let me walk you home..."
Ren extracted his arm and supported her as they headed back toward the Uzumaki estate. He didn't know exactly where her private quarters were, but Mito's place was a safe bet. She could sleep it off there.
"Home? Okay, home." Mumbling incoherently, Tsunade allowed Ren to guide her back. Under the stern, disapproving gaze of Grandma Mito, Ren silently closed the sliding door.
"Good luck, Lady Tsunade~" Ren chuckled to himself as he retreated.
He took a quick peek at Nawaki on his way out. The kid was still staring at the water vat, completely failing to have an epiphany. Ren could only sigh inwardly. He didn't have time to linger, though.
He had real business to attend to today.
"Hey, hey! No stalls allowed here! Pack up and move!"
"This... but I saw someone here yesterday..."
"Yesterday was yesterday! Old man, one more word and I'm confiscating the lot!"
"No, no! I'm going! I'm leaving right now!"
On Konoha's main thoroughfare, three members of the Police Force were berating an old man pushing a cart piled high with eccentric masks. The old man forced a smile, covered his masks with a grey cloth, and pushed his cart away in a hurry.
Seeing this, the man wearing the Uchiha clan crest spat on the ground in disdain. "Doesn't know the rules and thinks he can take up space in the prime district."
Behind him, Mikoto Uchiha remained expressionless. She was used to this. She had tried to change things once, only to be lectured by her elders for failing to prioritize clan interests.
After chasing off the old man, the other two officers casually collected a "fee" from another vendor, who paid with a fawning smile. The trio then swaggered off. Mikoto followed them; officially, she was on patrol, but she felt more like a ghost, just going through the motions to collect a paycheck.
After her shift, Mikoto changed out of her uniform into civilian clothes and walked slowly toward the market.
"Curry tonight, I think. I'll pick up some ingredients."
She veered toward the central market. While the Uchiha district had everything she needed, recent internal politics had left a bitter taste in her mouth, and she preferred to shop outside the clan compound.
Having happily purchased her ingredients, Mikoto was walking home when a sharp pain flared at the back of her head. Her consciousness blurred instantly!
However, her elite training prevented her from blacking out immediately. She didn't move recklessly, instead using her chakra to mask her heart rate, making herself appear completely unconscious. She intended to wait for her assailant to close in before launching a lethal counter-strike.
In the shadows, Ren Kurogane watched Mikoto lying on the ground, but he didn't reveal himself. Ninja tricks were far more varied than anything he'd seen in the Zombie Brother world. Caution was his best friend.
He waited for several seconds. Using his hyper-developed hearing to confirm her heartbeat had slowed to a near-fainting rhythm, he clapped his hands together. Black ink-like runes snaked across the ground and climbed onto Mikoto's body, locking her limbs.
Dammit! Mikoto panicked. She tried to mold her chakra to break the seal, only to realize she couldn't even feel her chakra network.
No! To be precise, except for her thoughts, she couldn't even twitch an eyelid!
What's happening? Why is it so quiet?!
Sting—What just poked me?! Why has my sensory perception vanished? What is going on?!
Amidst Mikoto's mounting terror, Ren silently capped three filled syringes. He gave them a gentle shake to ensure the blood wouldn't coagulate, then merged his body back into the darkness.
The moment he vanished, Mikoto lunged to her feet, looking around in a panic!
One hand pressed against the spot where she had felt the sting, but the skin was as smooth as jade—not a mark remained. She scanned her surroundings; she was alone. There was no sound. It was as if everything that had just happened was a hallucination.
"Hallucination my foot!"
Her eyes flashed, the crimson glow of the Two-Tomoe Sharingan burning bright. She swore on her Uchiha pride: she was definitely not under a Genjutsu!