Chapter 47 Loss
"I wonder how I'm going to get these damn things out of here," he muttered to himself.
Naruto rewound the scroll, buttoned it, and fell into deep thought.
The seal on the silver-rimmed scroll stood in stark contrast to its gilded twin, with thin silver lines spiraling in a fractal pattern designed to control and channel violent chakra and seal dangerous forbidden techniques.
Now, Naruto finally had all the tools together and could continue his mission.
******
The Uchiha clan obviously took great pride in their ninjutsu.
Naruto discovered that each family's techniques and seals were used in a variety of ways, and they were all very targeted - some were only used for meditation and sensory training, while others were only used to create or disrupt illusions.
The Hagoromo Clan is primarily known for working with ninja animals, kind of like the Inuzuka Clan of Konoha.
They developed seals that linked living beings together, and even some techniques that allowed for the exchange of vision.
The most interesting item in their warehouse is a large sealed glass case containing four giant Blood Pact scrolls, each the size of a grown man.
Each reel is studded with gemstones and decorated with bright colors and strange symbols:
One is a deep twilight blue covered in an elegant gold pattern;
One was amethyst in color, adorned with a vivid vermilion flame pattern;
One was white with sky-blue stripes, like a tiger's back;
The last one is the color of a bloody sunset, overlaid with harsh turquoise geometric shapes.
Under this chest was another, longer chest containing a dozen summoning scrolls, equally exquisite and the same size as Naruto's torso.
The Senju Family is the backbone of the Whirlpool Country, and their treasures come in the form of powerful medicines and poisons, ranging from herbal mixtures that can save lives even on the brink of death to colorless, transparent poisons that can paralyze a person indefinitely, and for which there is no antidote.
They also had maps and diagrams detailing every nerve, bone, and muscle fiber in the human body, as well as sealing techniques to refine chakra flashes into blade-like sharpness.
The Kurama family are skilled blacksmiths, able to forge seals into steel and silver, and chakra into everything from swords and kunai to rings and wrist guards.
Ancient, musty diagrams detail the art of building a furnace hot enough to fuse metal and chakra together.
Their forbidden techniques came in the form of a set of strange tools that Naruto couldn't even touch, or he would be burned to the bones.
In Naruto's opinion, the Hyuga clan was the most interesting. They focused almost entirely on taijutsu, with their moves divided into five categories detailing a unique style - Tiger, Dragon, Crane, Leopard, and Snake. Their training tools included straps that restricted blood flow to their limbs and heavy fabrics, just pieces of cloth that felt as heavy as stone in their hands.
Lastly, the Uzumaki clan's warehouse was what Naruto personally found the most difficult to deal with... The clan made their living from trade - escorting goods or supplies vital to the welfare of the village, or striking trade deals with other villages.
Some of the family were not ninjas in the traditional sense at all, preferring business and choosing that lifestyle over the fighting and killing life of a ninja. The family was known for guarding seals and trap seals, but most of the time they were managers of the Uchiha family's wealth.
Much of the stuff in the Uzumaki family warehouse wasn't even gold, but art, jewelry, and large, colorful scrolls depicting exotic locales. Surrounded by all this gold and silver, Naruto felt like a thief.
"This is your inheritance, boy." The nine-tailed fox suddenly appeared and said, "If the Uzumaki clan doesn't agree, they will never let you come down."
Naruto didn't answer the nine-tailed fox, but his actions spoke volumes as he walked into the vault and swallowed hard.
He folded the last few treasures of the Whirlpool Kingdom and placed them in their respective sealing scrolls, his heart filled with awe and deep exhaustion. He rolled up the two black scrolls and buckled them, and everything was finally over.
As he strapped the scrolls to his hips, he felt their weight and marveled at how so much could be packed into such a small container.
Guided by instinct and memory, Naruto returned to the circular room he had originally entered.
He noticed intricate carvings of sun and moon symbols on the floor, as well as grooves spiraling upward.
He pierced his thumb with his canine teeth, letting the blood pool in his palm, then knelt down and pressed his hand over the seal, releasing his chakra.
A long, high-pitched note echoed off the walls, like the sound of an ancient bell.
A circular platform in the floor rose slowly along a carved track. Below him, the chakra fire in the warehouse gradually extinguished, replaced by natural light pouring down from above.
Naruto felt the tiny raindrops falling on his face, and a thin layer of mist filled the air around him. The platform slowly stopped in the middle of the square, and Naruto walked into the thick mist.
Outside the thick fog, everything was shrouded in a gray haze except for the tenacious green of the forest. The rain gently patted the leaves, moistening the surrounding plants, and the air was filled with a fresh earthy scent.
Pale orange flowers bloom on thick vines, entwining the ancient buildings; new pine and elm trees poke their heads out from the cracks in the boulders; and wild flowers bloom in spots on the grass wherever you look.
Naruto took a deep breath, letting the fresh air soak into his heart. He walked down the hill, across the black sand beach, and came to the bay. As he turned around to say goodbye to the island, he noticed a black figure appearing in the white mist.
A wolf stepped out from the top of the basalt column and stared at him with sharp, focused eyes.
Naruto faced the black beast and placed his left fist over his right and bowed deeply. When he straightened up, the wolf bowed its head and returned the greeting.
By the time Naruto reached the edge of the village, it was already midnight.
Soon after he entered the Land of Fire, he found a redwood tree and slept for the whole afternoon, waking up in the evening. The nine-tailed fox was still sleeping.
Just as he was crossing the village again, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if something was tearing his body apart, or as if a wound deep in his heart was being pulled violently.
It wasn't until a painful and wild roar sounded in his mind that he realized that the pain did not belong to him.
Waves of sadness and pain washed over the Nine-Tailed Fox's seal, followed by frustration and guilt.
These emotions were intertwined and inseparable, almost drowning Naruto.
Tears stung his eyes and he staggered, grabbing a nearby tree tightly. The bark cut deeply into his palms and sawdust flew everywhere.
Another tailed beast disappeared, and another sibling of the Nine-Tailed Fox also left this world.
"Who? We..." Naruto couldn't finish his question because he didn't know how to express it. Lost? Or failed? Maybe both.
