The Uzumaki Clan's collection was vast, and Uzumaki Raiden couldn't possibly browse through everything in a short time. After selecting a few techniques that suited his current studies, he carefully stored the remaining scrolls and gold plates.
There were too many scrolls and plates to carry, and Raiden didn't have enough empty scrolls to seal them all. The only option was to use the Reverse Summoning Technique to transport them in batches to Mount Myōboku for temporary storage. Once he returned to Konoha, he would classify and study them in detail.
He wasn't worried about the toads of Mount Myōboku stealing these secret techniques. While the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques were a precious treasure in the ninja world, they were of little interest to the toads. In their eyes, these techniques weren't even as valuable as a good meal of delicious bugs.
Mount Myōboku
"Raiden, where did you get all this? Why is there so much?"
"What are these scrolls? Did you rob another village's intelligence agency?"
Near the Sage Spring of Mount Myōboku, Uzumaki Raiden carried a massive stone shelf toward his former training ground. At that moment, Gamabunta, who had been napping nearby, sensed Raiden's presence and woke up. The massive toad eyed the scrolls suspiciously as he asked his questions.
"What nonsense are you talking about? How could I do something like that? The world is at peace right now," Raiden replied.
"These are the sealing techniques of the Uzumaki Clan. I found them in the ruins of Uzushiogakure."
"I'm storing them here temporarily. Once I return to the village, I'll come back to retrieve them."
"Boss Bunta, keep an eye on them for me. Don't let any foolish little toads ruin them," Raiden instructed as he set the stone shelf down.
"Don't worry, I've got your back," Gamabunta assured him.
However, as he shifted his massive body, a spark flew from his giant kiseru and shot toward the bookshelf Raiden had just placed on the ground.
"Lightning Arrow!"
Raiden frowned and instantly fired a bolt of lightning, extinguishing the spark before it could land. He quickly checked the scrolls, ensuring none were damaged.
"Boss Bunta… I'm starting to have my doubts about this arrangement," Raiden sighed.
"Uh… my bad," Gamabunta muttered, looking embarrassed. He hadn't expected to nearly set the scrolls ablaze just moments after promising to protect them. If that spark had landed, some scrolls might have been lost forever. The sheer speed at which his promise had been broken left him at a loss for words.
For safety's sake, Raiden reinforced the storage site with defensive barriers. He also left three shadow clones at Mount Myōboku to maintain the barrier with their chakra. Since these clones were always present to assist with his Sage Mode training, they could also help sustain the defense.
The only drawback was that whenever Raiden dispelled the clones to enter Sage Mode, the barrier would lose its energy supply. But compared to the benefits, this was a minor issue.
After securing the scrolls, Raiden bid farewell to Gamabunta and returned to the underground chamber. He double-checked for any remaining hidden compartments before finally making his way back to the surface.
Departure
As soon as he emerged from the ruins, the ground trembled violently once more. The cracked earth slowly closed, restoring the landscape to its previous state. The underground passage and the secret chamber vanished beneath the surface once again.
Raiden's return caught the attention of the treasure hunters. Some, seeing that he emerged empty-handed, assumed he had obtained a great treasure and quickly left, likely to spread the news. Others stared at him, suspecting he had hidden something valuable.
However, their greedy gazes didn't bother Raiden in the slightest. At his current level, he feared no one. If anyone dared to covet what was his, he would not hesitate to cut them down.
Having no reason to linger in the ruins any longer, Raiden left with Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Itachi, and the rest of his group. Their next destination was the Land of Water.
Seasickness
"Ughhh!!!!"
"Ughhh!!!!"
Waves rolled endlessly, rocking the ship as it sailed across the sea. On the deck, Uchiha Obito clung to the railing, vomiting repeatedly into the ocean.
The Land of Water, an island nation surrounded by the sea, required a voyage to reach. For someone like Obito, who had grown up inland, the journey was nothing short of torture.
He wasn't the only one struggling—Raiden and the others also felt the effects of seasickness, though their reactions weren't as severe as Obito's.
"Obito, can you keep it together? Watching you vomit is making me feel worse," Rin said as she gently patted Obito's back.
Sitting nearby, Raiden held a gold plate in his hands, studying it intently. He looked up and added, "Obito, try to endure it a little. Your constant puking is starting to get to me."
Although Raiden also felt seasick, he used ninjutsu to distract himself. However, Obito's relentless vomiting was making it hard to focus.
"J-just let me die!" Obito groaned before another wave of nausea forced him to retch again.
Raiden shook his head.
"Hang in there. We'll be in the Land of Rain soon," Uchiha Itachi said, barely looking up from his own gold plate. Though he was also feeling unwell, the knowledge recorded on the plate had captivated him.
"Master, this gold plate says that Planetary Devastation is a technique linked to the Sage of Six Paths' Rinnegan," Itachi mused, still staring at the plate.
"But if that's the case, how was this technique passed down?"
The gold plate in Itachi's hands was one of the secret techniques Raiden had retrieved from Uzushiogakure. Raiden had already studied it himself and even attempted the technique—with promising results.
Before responding, Raiden set his plate down and smiled.
"Before you ask that question, you first need to understand what ninjutsu truly is," he said.
"At its core, ninjutsu is simply a way of manipulating chakra, and hand seals are just tools to guide it."
"The so-called Kekkei Genkai can be understood as 'seals' imprinted in the bloodline."
"As long as the right seals and corresponding chakra natures are present, any ninjutsu can be performed."
"This technique is, fundamentally, a sealing technique. The Rinnegan naturally enhances chakra control, allowing its wielder to perform the jutsu effortlessly. However, for an ordinary person, mastery requires extensive training."
"And as for your question..."
Raiden smirked, letting his words sink in before revealing the truth.
"I've already learned this technique through the gold plate."
Silence fell over the deck. Every eye turned to Raiden—Kakashi, Itachi, Obito, and Rin all stared at him, dumbfounded.
This was the first time they had ever heard of someone learning a Kekkei Genkai-based ninjutsu without possessing the bloodline itself.
Their shock rendered them momentarily speechless.
"Master Raiden… are you saying… you've mastered Planetary Devastation?"
"The legendary technique… the one that only the Sage of Six Paths himself was said to have used?"
(End of Chapter)