Northern border of the Land of Hot Water.
Four Konoha battalions and Fox's ANBU squad had established a base camp.
This conflict was effectively a small-scale war. It could drag on for a month or more without conclusion.
A messenger hawk landed within the camp.
White Ram detached the scroll from its leg, opened it using ANBU's special technique, and delivered it to Fox's tent.
Yako's eyes trembled as he read:
Direct order from the Hokage.
All ANBU must prioritize the eradication of Uzumaki remnants.
No survivors.
The remnants must not be allowed to influence the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, Uzumaki Kushina.
"White Ram," Yako said calmly, "from now on, gathering intel on the Uzumaki remnants is our squad's long-term mission. This is a high-priority directive from the Hokage himself."
"Understood!"
White Ram left to relay the command.
Yako remained seated behind his desk, deep in thought. He had been cautious—extremely so.
But Orochimaru had still managed to uncover part of the truth.
I may still be hidden… but the Uzumaki remnants have been exposed.
Afraid of the Uzumaki influencing the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, are you? Yako mused. If anything happens to Yuka, maybe I'll give you a real reason to fear.
But no need for panic yet.
The remnants were hidden deep in the southwestern rainforests of the Land of Rain.
Reaching them required passing through a miasma-laden jungle—territory of the Salamander Clan. A treacherous route.
That night, Yako led White Ram Squad out of camp for a reconnaissance mission.
Though technically under the same command, he and Hatake Sakumo had only seen each other once—during initial camp setup.
With scouting being the main focus of this conflict, Sakumo hadn't issued orders to Fox. He let him choose whether to scout or observe.
Reaching the border, Yako activated the Byakugan, scanning the surroundings.
"White Ram, take your team three kilometers east, then return. I'll scout west and we'll regroup here."
"Understood, Captain."
Once White Ram Squad had departed, Yako summoned Stone Pandas: White Porcelain and White Glaze.
With their help, he reached the Uzumaki's hidden location and found Yuka.
"Yuka, Danzo has discovered you. The decoy mission you three completed drew too much attention."
Her expression grew tense. "Then what should we do?"
"Nothing," Yako said. "Stay put. Don't act in haste.
Orochimaru may suspect Uzumaki involvement, but he doesn't know the full details.
Double your perimeter security. If you spot a small ANBU team, relocate immediately.
If it's a large unit—reverse summon me on the spot.
Don't worry—I'll make sure none of them return.
If I get word first, I'll alert you."
He raised his hand. Rain fell into his palm.
In this kind of environment, he could use Water Flicker freely. Even Danzo might not be able to stop him here.
Just like Hanzo, who once stood unrivaled in the rain. But in the end, Hanzo had grown complacent, building a lavish palace devoid of water—and was slain by Nagato.
Yako stepped forward and embraced Yuka.
"Don't be afraid. The Uzumaki have already survived their darkest hour. We're stronger now—we're not the broken refugees of two years ago."
Yuka nodded in his arms. "Alright. I understand."
Yako continued, "Danzo has finally perfected the Seal of Tongue Eradication. His control over Root is growing.
I need your help studying it.
It works like a summoning jutsu—requiring the user's blood.
I'll find someone who has the seal. Once you examine it, based on Danzo's sealing chakra, we'll find a way to break it.
That knowledge is critical to me."
"Understood. I'll study the seal carefully," Yuka said. "Fox—I've compiled a new scroll: The Uzumaki Book of Seals. I hope our techniques help you."
"Good. I'll have White Porcelain return it in a few days."
She summoned the scroll, and Yako sealed it into one of his own storage scrolls.
By the time he returned to the border, White Ram Squad hadn't yet come back.
Yako removed his cloak, used a small Fire Release technique to dry it off.
A few minutes later, White Ram Squad returned—nothing unusual from their scouting run.
"Let's go. Back to camp."
They returned to base.
Inside his tent, Yako unsealed Yuka's scroll and examined the Uzumaki Book of Seals.
Skimming the index, he saw neither Reaper Death Seal nor Adamantine Sealing Chains. But nearly everything else was there.
One entry immediately caught his eye: Four Symbols Seal.
Adamantine Chains were an obvious Uzumaki mark. But Four Symbols Seal… that was different. Any skilled ninja could use it.
When it came to sealing tailed beasts, it was second only to the chains.
Yako opened the section and began reading.
The Four Symbols Seal required a practitioner with both Yin Release and Yang Release.
Equal amounts of Yin and Yang chakra were extracted to form a rotating Taijitu—a twin-fish seal known as the Two Elements Seal.
While weak in itself, the Two Elements Seal was foundational to one of the three major Uzumaki sealing styles:
Bloodline Sealing Style – built around Adamantine Sealing Chains
Yin-Yang Sealing Style – based on the Two Elements Seal
Reaper Sealing Style – centered on Reaper Death Seal
The Four Symbols Seal, Seal of Tongue Eradication, and Five Elements Seal all belonged to the Yin-Yang category.
Even Tsunade's Strength of a Hundred Seal—judging by name—seemed related to the Two Elements Seal.
From the Two Elements Seal, the more complex Four Symbols Seal had evolved:
Two Yang chakras: formed Greater Yang
One Yin, one Yang: formed Lesser Yang
Two Yin chakras: formed Greater Yin
One Yang, one Yin: formed Lesser Yin
By rotating these four chakra pairs in harmony, a stable seal was created: The Four Symbols Seal.
Its true depth lay in the perfect balance of Yin and Yang.
Yako extracted Yin chakra with his left hand, Yang chakra with his right, and combined them—forming a basic Two Elements Seal on the first try.
In the original story, when sealing Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, Naruto and Sasuke had opposing Sun and Moon Seals on their palms—perhaps related to this very concept.
Maybe even Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei had roots in this foundation.
The Two Elements Seal was indeed simple—he mastered it after a few tries.
But the Four Symbols Seal proved far more difficult.
Unlike elemental chakra, Yin and Yang chakra were volatile—easily disrupted or nullified by unknown interference.
Learning this seal required finesse and high control.
But if he mastered it, he'd become a true sealing specialist.
Even bijū-scale chakra—and bijū-sized bodies—could be sealed with it.