"Um… can I join as well?" Kushina Uzumaki suddenly asked. As the last inheritor of the Uzumaki clan, she was highly proficient in sealing techniques, and now she couldn't help but feel intrigued.
Moreover, she wanted to figure out what that strange sense of familiarity she had felt earlier was about.
Minato Namikaze and Kurogane Ren were both taken aback. Then Kurogane Ren said, "If Minato agrees, then I would be more than happy to welcome you."
"Hmph, then it's settled. He wouldn't dare refuse," Kushina said, raising an eyebrow.
Beside her, Minato simply smiled without objecting.
After that, Kushina took Minato and left.
Watching their departing figures, Kurogane Ren rubbed his empty stomach and glanced at the sky, hoping that Ichiraku Ramen hadn't closed yet.
Minato's sudden visit had indeed been unexpected.
But after a full day of discussion, Kurogane Ren felt it was a good thing. Although he truly specialized in sealing techniques and had theoretically studied them longer than Minato, Minato had Kushina behind him, carrying the legacy of the Uzumaki clan's sealing arts.
The Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques were famously powerful. In fact, the reason for their destruction was largely because they possessed such exceptional sealing arts without having the corresponding strength to protect themselves. Every major nation had coveted their techniques.
From this perspective, Konoha's direct involvement in the Uzumaki clan's destruction was unlikely. Konoha had no need to do so—they could already access Uzumaki sealing techniques.
Who taught Kushina Uzumaki her sealing techniques? Mito Uzumaki.
And who was Mito Uzumaki's husband? Hashirama Senju.
As long as the relationship remained strong and marriages continued, any future sealing techniques developed by the Uzumaki clan would naturally find their way to Konoha. Why would Konoha go out of its way to destroy them?
In Kurogane Ren's view, the Uzumaki clan's downfall was likely either a sudden joint attack by other villages who knew of their alliance with Konoha, striking too quickly for Konoha to respond, or simply Konoha choosing to stand by and watch.
No matter how much he specialized in sealing techniques, he was still just one person. No amount of personal research could truly rival the accumulated foundation of an entire clan.
At the same time, Minato had his own thoughts. If he hadn't inherited the Uzumaki clan's knowledge of sealing techniques, he would most likely not be as skilled as Kurogane Ren. Even now, the areas where he surpassed him were few.
This made him genuinely impressed. For one person to reach such depth through independent research was remarkable.
If the Uzumaki clan's sealing knowledge were given to Kurogane Ren, his mastery would undoubtedly surpass both Minato and Kushina.
The next day, Minato did not return. Kurogane Ren knew that he had once again received orders from the Third Hokage and had been dispatched to the front lines. This time, he likely wouldn't return until the Third Shinobi World War was completely over.
Although the war seemed to have calmed down, no official peace treaty had been signed, so it couldn't yet be considered truly over.
However, every nation understood that the war couldn't last much longer. The strain on their villages was simply too great.
Even Konoha, with its vast land and abundant resources, was beginning to struggle, let alone the other villages.
So it wouldn't be long before this war, which hadn't even lasted a few years, would finally come to an end.
In truth, the current situation didn't really require Minato to return to the battlefield.
But Kurogane Ren understood the reason—nothing more than the Third Hokage preparing to step down, allowing Minato to continue building his reputation on the battlefield.
That didn't surprise him.
What did surprise him was the sudden rise of another Uchiha prodigy on the battlefield.
His name was… Shisui Uchiha.
"Shisui Uchiha…" Kurogane Ren murmured. This figure existed mostly in memories within the original story.
Of course, his most memorable trait was the ability to alter perception—Kotoamatsukami.
The strongest genjutsu—Kotoamatsukami. Though it was never fully displayed in the original story, its reputation echoed throughout the ninja world. Its power even gave rise to countless conspiracy theories, such as Naruto Uzumaki having his will altered by Kotoamatsukami from the very beginning.
But those were just theories.
That ability belonged to one of Shisui's eyes. The other eye, which ended up with Danzo, could subtly alter a person's thoughts without requiring eye contact.
However, it wasn't as absolute as the other eye and could eventually be resisted or undone, as demonstrated by Mifune, who managed to recover.
Moreover, that eye likely could only influence one person at a time. Otherwise, why wouldn't Danzo simply control everyone at once?
Its limitations forced him to focus on a single target.
Overall, it was a Mangekyō Sharingan with significant restrictions. One ability had an extremely long cooldown, while the other had a very limited scope. Even if combined, these limitations likely couldn't be completely overcome.
Kurogane Ren also didn't believe these abilities could influence someone at the Six Paths level. But below that? At the Kage level, perhaps there might be some resistance depending on the user, but anyone below that would have no chance of resisting.
Did he want those eyes?
He did—but not to implant them himself. Having them as a tool to use when necessary would be enough.
Even so, they weren't essential to him.
"In the end, Kamui is still the best," Kurogane Ren muttered to himself. The most broken ability was still Kamui—an ocular power capable of harming even Six Paths-level opponents despite being used by someone below that tier.
Shaking off his thoughts, Kurogane Ren had come to the back mountain today not to dwell on such matters, but to train.
He had already learned the ninjutsu he obtained from the exchange, such as Lightning Release: Ground Flow and Wind Release: Vacuum Wave.
He was here to practice techniques that couldn't be revealed in public.
For example…
Kurogane Ren raised his hand, and a sphere of chakra quickly formed within his palm. It was none other than the Rasengan, a technique clearly explained in the original story.
He had long since mastered the Rasengan, but in the past, it hadn't been very practical for him. His limited chakra meant he couldn't use it many times.
Now that his chakra reserves were no longer an issue, he was here to take it further—toward Wind Release: Rasengan, and eventually, Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.
As for Lightning Release, combining it with the Rasengan wasn't easy. Lightning could flow through a medium, like wires, but in the air, its form naturally resembled something closer to Kakashi Hatake's Chidori.
In fact, wasn't Chidori itself another variation of the Rasengan? It was originally created by Kakashi after witnessing Minato demonstrate the Rasengan, suggesting that the two techniques shared a deeper connection.