The Uzumaki Clan Ancestral Hall.
This ancient building is located in the central area of Konoha,
backed against the Hokage Rock, only a few streets away from the Hokage Residence.
It was once the residence of Mito and Kushina; now, Naruto had also been forced to move in.
With this building at the center,
strong barriers laid by the Uzumaki Clan long ago extended underground for several kilometers around.
The sole purpose of these barriers was to suppress the power of the Nine-Tails.
Creak.
He pushed open the old wooden door.
Inside the hall of the ancestral shrine, dust filled the air.
The atmosphere was thick with the scent of decay; clearly, this place had been abandoned for quite some time.
"Cough, cough..."
Karin covered her nose and mouth, looking uneasily at the dilapidated interior of the house,
as well as the fully armed Anbu looming outside the windows.
The sensation of being constantly monitored by countless pairs of eyes reminded her of the days when she was treated as a tool in Kusagakure.
"Naruto-kun, are we really going to live here?"
Karin's voice trembled slightly.
"Don't worry, Karin."
Naruto stepped into the hall, his footsteps echoing in the empty room.
He casually picked up a dust-covered scroll from a nearby shelf, patted it gently, and spoke with a calm expression:
"Starting today, I will teach you chakra control and help you develop your potential."
"If you don't want to be treated like a tool to be discarded at will, then you must arm yourself with knowledge."
"In this world, only the things you hold in your mind truly belong to you."
Looking at Naruto's calm demeanor, the unease in Karin's heart miraculously vanished.
It felt as if, so long as she was by his side, all surveillance and malice could be shut out.
She nodded vigorously, her eyes gradually filling with determination.
"Mm!"
Over the next few days, the two of them lived an unexpectedly peaceful life in this tightly monitored birdcage.
The fifth day.
The main door was pushed open.
A lazy figure walked in carrying two exquisite lunch boxes.
The first thing Kakashi saw upon entering was Karin diligently cleaning,
and Naruto sitting amidst a pile of scrolls, writing and drawing on a piece of paper.
At this moment, Naruto showed no anxiety or anger about being under house arrest; instead, he had the leisurely air of a scholar.
"Kakashi-sensei."
Naruto closed the scroll in his hand and revealed his signature smile.
"To be able to come in at a time like this, it seems you must have put in quite a lot of effort."
"Ah... yeah, it really isn't easy to see you right now; it requires layer upon layer of approval."
Kakashi set the lunch boxes down, his voice carrying a hint of apology:
"Sorry, Naruto, for leaving you here all alone."
"It's alright. It's very quiet here, which gives me time to put the things in my head into practice."
Naruto didn't show any resentment or dissatisfaction;
instead, he approached Kakashi with a sheet of paper filled with formulas.
"It's good that you're here. I got stuck on a concept while researching sealing techniques and wanted to ask for your advice."
Kakashi was taken aback; he hadn't expected Naruto to be so studious while under house arrest.
He sat down opposite Naruto and took the paper.
"Tell me about it."
Naruto pointed to a complex seal circuit on the paper, his tone serious:
"Sensei, most conventional sealing techniques are about blocking—locking dangerous power tightly in a cage."
"That's too wasteful, so I want to create an improved seal formula."
"Improved?"
Kakashi frowned.
"Suppose there is a massive amount of energy;
even though I can barely call upon it, its nature is too violent and corrosive."
"Once it flows through the meridians, it causes damage to the body."
Naruto looked up at Kakashi, his eyes searching:
"Can I use a seal to add a switch?"
"By changing its frequency and dividing the outflowing energy into several levels, could I better control this power?"
Looking at the incomplete seal model based on the Eight Trigrams Seal, Kakashi's pupils contracted slightly.
In an instant, he was shocked by Naruto's learning speed.
How many days had it been?
Naruto had not only mastered the ultra-difficult Eight Trigrams Seal but was even thinking about its variations?
Furthermore, when other ninja learned sealing techniques, they would simply memorize and use them.
This was the first time he had seen someone like Naruto delve into the root of the matter,
even wanting to completely control the sealing mechanism from its underlying logic.
More importantly... Violent, corrosive... is Naruto talking about the Nine-Tails' chakra?
Did he want to make the Tailed Beast chakra more controllable?
Soon, Kakashi's attention was drawn to the extensibility of the seal before him.
He subconsciously touched his covered left eye.
"If the theory of this seal holds up... could I also use it on the Sharingan?"
"The Sharingan is a high-energy burden for me;"
"if I could add a valve to it—lowering consumption normally and outputting at full power only when needed..."
The temptation was too great.
"Your starting point... is extremely precise."
Kakashi instantly entered the zone.
And so, the master and disciple engaged in a high-level academic discussion in the ancestral hall.
Kakashi racked his brains to join the research,
contributing all of his own understanding of sealing techniques.
It lasted until dusk.
"No... it's still missing a little something."
Kakashi put down his pen and sighed with a bit of regret as he looked at the floor covered in discarded drafts.
That kind of frequency-regulating seal involved extremely advanced fields of sealing techniques.
Even for him, there was no way to solve it in a short time.
Kakashi stood up and took the stack of materials Naruto gave him, his expression solemn:
"I'll take these back and think about them carefully."
"Naruto, this research is very valuable; don't give up on it."
"Then I'll leave it to you, Kakashi-sensei."
Naruto respectfully saw Kakashi to the door.
Watching Kakashi's departing back, the smile in Naruto's eyes gradually faded.
"Even Kakashi-sensei finds it tricky... it seems this violent energy in the Cursed Seal is indeed a bit troublesome."
"However, the direction has been found; the rest is just a matter of time."
...Time gradually crept into the dead of night.
The bustling streets of Konoha also fell into a deep sleep.
The four Anbu outside the ancestral hall were still performing their duties diligently.
The bedroom was pitch black, with only the desk lamp on the nightstand emitting a faint glow.
Naruto was leaning against the headboard, resting with his eyes closed.
Suddenly, a playful smile curled the corners of his mouth.
Naruto didn't open his eyes, merely speaking calmly toward the empty darkness:
"Since you've come in, don't hide in the shadows."
"Hehehe..."
A cold, light chuckle abruptly rang out in the silent hall.
A silver-haired young man wearing round-framed glasses slowly appeared like a ghost.
Ignoring all barriers and guards.
"As expected of Naruto-kun, your perception is sharp enough to be frightening."