"With this level of power, I wonder what the First Hokage was so cautious about back then. He really suffered from a lack of education." As the enormous red chakra hand descended from above, Daniel couldn't help but shake his head in thought.
During the time of the First Hokage, when he and Madara Uchiha dominated the ninja world, Konoha had a third powerhouse: Hashirama's wife, Mito Uzumaki. If Madara had fought Mito without his Rinnegan, it wasn't certain that he could have won.
Konoha once held nine tailed beasts. If they had sealed these nine beasts within the Uzumaki clan members, Konoha would have had nine perfect jinchuriki. Combined with the First Hokage, Uchiha Madara, Tobirama Senju, and strong ninjas like Hiruzen Sarutobi, they could have easily conquered the ninja world.
But instead, the First Hokage and Madara clashed, and the Uzumaki clan was annihilated.
Bang.
As these thoughts ran through Daniel's mind, he swung his right hand upward. The powerful shockwave from his punch shattered Kushina's red chakra hand in an instant.
"No need to be hasty. If I recall correctly, as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, you should be able to sense malice, right? You should know I don't mean you any harm." After dispelling the chakra hand, Daniel spoke sincerely, trying to calm her.
"What is your goal?" Kushina asked after a brief silence, her voice filled with suspicion.
"Alright, I'll get straight to the point. I'm here because of the Uzumaki clan's sealing jutsu. In the future, the Uzumaki lineage almost becomes extinct. I came to this time by chance, so I sought you out, Princess Kushina."
"The Uzumaki clan's lineage... extinguished? That's impossible unless I die." Kushina quickly deduced this from Daniel's words.
"Ugh, why does she have to be so smart?" Daniel thought, feeling a bit frustrated by her sharpness.
"Yes, you die, and not just you. The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, dies alongside you." Since she had already figured it out, Daniel didn't hide the truth from her.
"That's impossible." Kushina immediately shook her head. With Minato's abilities, combined with her own, there was no way they could both be killed. With the Flying Thunder God technique, Minato could escape any situation, and with her by his side, he would never die fighting to the end.
"In theory, you're right. The Flying Thunder God would allow him to retreat. And with you there, he wouldn't choose to fight a losing battle," Daniel said as he suddenly produced a kunai, which he threw into the distance. In the blink of an eye, Daniel appeared next to the kunai, catching it in mid-air with his right hand, while forming a Rasengan with his left hand.
"Flying Thunder God Technique, Rasengan." Seeing Daniel execute both techniques, Kushina was shocked. Flying Thunder God was a forbidden technique exclusive to Konoha, and Rasengan was a move created by Minato himself. The fact that this stranger could use both made Kushina start to believe Daniel really was from the future.
Rasengan was a technique Minato had recently completed, and it was highly unlikely that anyone else would have learned it so quickly.
"But what if Minato was fighting to save your child? Would he still run?"
"My child with Minato?" Kushina's hand instinctively touched her stomach. Although she wasn't pregnant yet, Daniel's words planted a seed in her mind.
"There are many things I can't tell you because revealing too much could alter the future. Knowing too much could lead to a different outcome where your child may not even survive. You're aware of Konoha's leadership, aren't you? Think about how the Uzumaki clan was wiped out. Don't tell me you don't know," Daniel continued.
Kushina's expression darkened at the mention of the Uzumaki clan. She had been young at the time of the clan's destruction, but ninja children mature quickly. Kakashi had killed his first enemy at six, and Itachi had experienced the horrors of war at a similar age. Kushina had heard the discussions of clan elders, and her grandmother Mito had taught her well.
Konoha had the strength to save the Uzumaki clan back then. After all, Mito Uzumaki was still alive. But even she couldn't protect her clan, restrained by the so-called "Will of Fire."
It was like the situation Daniel had described earlier, when all the ANBU had chosen to follow Hiruzen Sarutobi over Minato after the latter became Hokage.
"How is our child in the future?" After a moment of contemplation, Kushina asked.
"He's doing well. He's made lots of friends in Konoha. But because of the timeline, I can't tell you much detail. However, if you want to see him grown up with your own eyes, there's a way. Have you heard of Edo Tensei?" As he spoke, Daniel clapped his hands together, summoning a coffin marked "Fourth Kazekage."
"Even this jutsu... Things must have gone really wrong in the future," Kushina said, recognizing the forbidden jutsu. She wasn't surprised, given the severity of the situation Daniel hinted at.
"That's not all. You should be familiar with this too." Daniel extended his right hand, summoning a wooden dragon that coiled around him.
"Wood Style." Kushina's smile turned wry. If she had thought she could challenge him as a Jinchuriki before, Wood Style was a game-changer. She stood no chance.
"That's right, the First Hokage's Wood Style. You know as well as I do that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki stands no chance against it. So, can we talk about my request now?" Daniel asked calmly. He didn't want to fight Kushina if he could avoid it, especially since she was the mother of the future hero of Konoha.
"Alright. But I want you to promise that our child will be safe." Kushina made her decision swiftly.
"Of course. In fact, the reason I seek the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques is to preserve the clan's legacy. Not the branch of the clan in Konoha, but the ones scattered across other villages. Their lives have been far harsher than yours," Daniel explained, telling her about the hardships faced by Uzumaki survivors like Karin and Nagato.
Karin might know Adamantine Sealing Chains, but compared to Kushina, her knowledge was lacking. And Nagato didn't know any sealing techniques at all.
"For their sake... I do owe it to them." Kushina sighed deeply at the mention of other Uzumaki survivors.
"Let me retrieve the scrolls for you," she said before leaving to unlock a hidden section of her study, returning shortly with two scrolls in hand.
"If you're not in a hurry, could you tell me more about my child?" Kushina asked after handing over the scrolls.
"Sure. Actually, I wanted to ask for a sample of your blood. That way, when I return to the future, I can summon you with Edo Tensei so you can see your child yourself. Of course, if you'd rather not, I'll respect your soul's rest," Daniel offered.
"It's fine," Kushina said without hesitation. She didn't mind being summoned with Edo Tensei if it meant seeing her child again.
"After you and Minato died, your child didn't have an easy life. I think you can guess what he had to go through as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."
"Nine-Tails Jinchuriki..." Kushina's expression darkened, her long red hair beginning to float with her growing anger.
"That's right. As a Jinchuriki, and with both you and Minato gone, he faced a lot of hardship. To make matters worse, the Third Hokage chose not to reveal his true identity, and he became a target of hatred. The villagers despised him, and the allowance he received barely kept him fed. He had to fish in the river for food when he was very young."
"That old man dared to treat our child like that?" Kushina's eyes flared with fury, her chakra flaring as her fists clenched.
Boom.
Kushina's fist smashed into the ground, causing the entire mirrored dimension to tremble. She possessed immense physical strength, similar to the monstrous strength technique used by Tsunade.
If the Third Hokage had been present, he surely would have faced her wrath.
"Calm down. That was a long time ago. Right now, aside from Danzo, most of the villagers treat him well."
"Danzo, huh." After venting her anger, Kushina gradually regained her composure.
"Alright. Some things you'll have to see for yourself in the future. By the way, since this is a rare opportunity, I have some questions about sealing techniques I'd like to ask," Daniel said, steering the conversation toward technical matters.
Kushina answered his questions about the sealing techniques of the Uzumaki clan, her insights helping clarify many of the problems Daniel had encountered in his studies.
"This is Reaper Death Seal... No, wait, you're trying to break the Reaper Death Seal. Is this how Minato dies?" Kushina immediately recognized the nature of the jutsu Daniel was asking about. Since the Reaper Death Seal was derived from Uzum
aki techniques, she quickly figured out what it was for.
"That's a topic for the future. You should deal with your memories for now," Daniel said before opening a portal to return Kushina to the real world.
He wasn't worried about what he had told her. Kushina would undoubtedly seal these memories herself, for the sake of her child. That's the nature of a mother's love—even in death, she would do anything to protect her child.
Just like Portgas D. Rouge, who held onto her pregnancy for twenty months to protect Ace, demonstrating the power of a mother's love beyond any normal limits.
"Sand ninja, huh? Am I unlucky, or are you?" Upon returning to the present, Daniel found himself surrounded by vigilant Sand ninjas. He had marked this location before leaving, but it seemed the Sand ninjas had taken control of the area in his absence.
As the Sand ninjas prepared to attack, Daniel quickly countered with a barrage of shuriken using the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique, instantly overwhelming most of the group.
"Nice reflexes," Daniel remarked as the sole survivor, a ninja protected by a turtle-like defensive puppet, emerged from the chaos.
But the puppet didn't last long. Daniel kicked it apart, grabbing the ninja by the collar.
"What are you doing here?" Instead of using his mind-reading technique, Daniel opted to use a genjutsu to interrogate the ninja.
"Loran, huh? A classic case of 'a commoner with treasure invites his own downfall,'" Daniel mused after extracting the information. The Sand Village had set their sights on Loran because of its prosperity, though it wasn't part of Wind Country.
"I'm going to absorb the Dragon Vein's power, which means Loran is done for. I should help them relocate," Daniel thought. Loran's prosperity was built on the Dragon Vein's energy. Once the Dragon Vein was depleted, the city would quickly be swallowed by the desert.
Having the means to help, Daniel didn't hesitate. He approached the current queen of Loran, explaining the situation and promising to relocate them to a more hospitable land.
"Wood Style: Four Pillar House Technique." On a lush, green island to the west of Wind Country, Daniel created homes using Wood Style, then used Earth and Water techniques to reshape the environment. Finally, he opened a portal and transported all the people of Loran to their new home.
"I'm really going above and beyond. This is top-tier service," Daniel joked as he gazed at the now-abandoned ruins of Loran.
"This is the power of the Dragon Vein? It's almost like a Tailed Beast," Daniel said, marveling at the immense energy he absorbed from the Dragon Vein upon returning to the present. He then retreated to the mirror dimension to meditate and adjust his newfound power.
Although he was curious about whether things had gone smoothly with Kushina, Daniel decided to focus on refining his control over time first.
"Time Stop." Emerging from his meditation in the mirror dimension, Daniel waved his hand, causing time around him to freeze. Unlike previous techniques where time seemed to slow down, this was a true halt—complete cessation of movement.
"Twenty seconds, and a range of about thirty meters. This could definitely be a trump card." In ninja battles, a single second could mean life or death. Twenty seconds was more than enough to turn the tide of a fight.
"Still, I've got a long way to go compared to the Ancient One." Remembering how the Ancient One had effortlessly frozen all of New York City's time, Daniel realized just how far he had left to go.
At least, unlike Esdeath's time-stop ability, Daniel's version didn't have any limits to the number of uses. As long as he had energy, he could stop time as much as he liked, though there was still a cooldown period between uses.
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