The underground chamber hummed softy with seal-light as Raven's Shadow Clone sat cross-legged, scrolls spread before her. Her infant body slept far away in the Kamazaki home, but here, in this hidden sanctuary, she studied with focused intent. She unfurled a parchment and read aloud quietly. "So it's called the Mystical Palm Technique. I can't believe I was calling it the Healing Hands Technique before. Why didn't you correct me, Yumi?"
The fox's golden eyes rolled, her single visible tail flicking. "How should I know the exact names of Tsunade Senju's medical ninjutsu? Healing isn't my specialty."
Raven groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose beneath the mask. "Whatever. At least I know now. If Tsunade were here, she'd give me a good beating for that mistake."
Yumi let out a sharp bark of laughter, rolling onto her side. "That sounds exactly like the woman you described."
"Shut up, you," Raven snapped, heat rising to her voice. But the tension in her shoulders eased, and she turned back to the parchment.
Yumi stretched, her claws clicking faintly against the floor. "Fine, fine. I'll leave you to your studies. I'm hungry anyway. Want me to bring you back some meat? This forest is crawling with monsters."
Raven nodded, her tone clipped but trusting. "Yes. Bring something back. I'll be here."
With a flick of her tail, Yumi trotted off into the darkness, her form melting into the Forest of Death above.
Silence returned. Raven set aside the medical scrolls and unrolled another, the markings of Wood Release etched across its surface. She placed Hashirama's research notes beside it, her eyes gleaming with Rinnegan light as she read. "This will take years… my chakra reserves are nowhere near enough. The First Hokage's vitality was monstrous, beyond anything normal. He wasn't just strong—he was the reincarnation of Asura Ōtsutsuki, son of the Sage of Six Paths."
Her fingers traced the notes, pages filled with complex theories of vitality and life force. Her jaw tightened. "And Madara… he was Indra's reincarnation. Their endless cycle of conflict… and now that curse has fallen on my son."
Her hand curled into a fist, the scroll crinkling under her grip. Her voice dropped to a furious whisper. "That damn Sage… setting his son's reincarnation inside Naruto, chaining him to this cycle of fate. I won't allow it."
Visions of Naruto's future flared in her mind: endless battles, betrayal, the crushing weight of a destiny not his own. Her eyes burned, the Rinnegan rippling with resolve. "I'll break him free of that destiny. I'll protect this world from the cycle of Indra and Asura. And to do that, I must learn the truth of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki… and from her, the secrets of their cursed lineage."
She exhaled sharply, steadying her breath. Anger dulled, replaced by cold focus. "But enough of that. First, I need to master the Yin Seal." She reached for another scroll, the Seal Creation: Yin Seal. Its intricate designs spiraled across the parchment, pulsing faintly as her chakra brushed against it. Her voice lowered, steady and deliberate. "If I can store nature chakra into a reservoir, I'll never run dry in battle. This will be my backup, my edge."
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