Yako stood atop the outer wall of the Senju clan compound.
Within, a shadow loomed over the land—the thick stench of death swirling with the breeze.
This clan was cursed. One by one, its key members had begun to fall.
The more the Senju tried to resist their decline, the faster it came.
It was like the fall of a great dynasty—every reform only hastened its collapse.
[Arc of the Waning Moon Activated!]
Reward: One spin of the reward wheel.
1 — S-rank Sealing Technique: Four Symbols Seal (Introductory)2 — Special Jōnin-level Chakra Reserves (Stackable)3 — Uzumaki Kekkei Genkai (Upper-Mid Grade)
Judging by the options, it seems that the system saw that he wasn't killed by the Nine Tails, but by Princess Kushina herself.
Probably because she held the majority of the Nine Tails sealed within her.
Of the three rewards, he immediately dismissed the second: Special Jōnin-level Chakra. Even if his chakra reserves doubled, there was no surviving that night.
The first option, the Four Symbols Seal, was rare and powerful.
It was second only to the Adamantine Sealing Chains among Tailed Beast sealing techniques.
With that jutsu, Yako could one day wrest control of a Tailed Beast—maybe even make himself a proper Jinchūriki.
A cold wind slithered up from his feet, curling around his calves like ice.
Tailed Beast Chakra.
It surged with malice, drowning the mind in waves of negativity.
But even if he had that seal back then, could he really have sealed even a part of the Nine Tails under those conditions?
Sarutobi Hiruzen, Danzo, the ANBU, the entire Senju clan—all watching, all aiming for the Nine Tails. There would've been no room to act.
That technique was precious, but useless that night. He'd still have been swatted down.
That left only one viable choice.
The Uzumaki Kekkei Genkai.
If he could use that bloodline to give Princess Kushina even the slightest edge… just maybe.
He made his choice.
And immediately, his body began to change.
It started as a rolling heat deep in his core. Muscles spasmed, tendons twitched. Everything but the bones squirmed like worms under his skin.
His mask slowly slid down his face—not because the straps loosened, but because his flesh was writhing.
The pain lasted a minute, and then—silence.
He looked at his reflection.
[Host Status]
Chakra Level: 2.5x Special Jōnin
Chakra Natures: Earth, Water, Yang
Kekkei Genkai:Forest of the Senju (Upper-Mid), Uzumaki Clan (Upper-Mid)
Ninjutsu: Earth Style: Earthen Longspear, etc.
Taijutsu:Body Flicker Technique (Introductory), etc.
Fuinjutsu:Self-Binding Curse Mark (Expert), etc.
Special Traits: Enhanced Reflexes (Second Breakthrough), Natural Chakra Growth, Slow Regeneration, Fuinjutsu Affinity
The changes were immediate.
First, his chakra reserves surged from 1.7x to 2.5x Special Jōnin level.
The Uzumaki were known for their overwhelming chakra. Without it, they could never subdue a Tailed Beast.
Second came the improvements to his sealing arts.
Self-Binding Curse Mark had advanced from basic to expert level.
Where before it needed three hand signs, now it required only one.
The seal radius had doubled—two meters became four—and the pattern now surged outward like a wave. It was no longer close-range; it was mid-range now.
But the most important gain?
A new trait under special abilities: Fuinjutsu Affinity.
His chakra now inherently carried sealing properties.
That was what had made Princess Kushina the perfect Jinchūriki. Her chakra wasn't just powerful—it was naturally suppressive.
Her seals outperformed those of others simply because of who she was.
Yako stared into the distance, running calculations behind his eyes.
There might be a way.
A way to survive the Night of the Nine Tails.
But it meant doing something.
If the Senju fell, Danzo would seize the Uzumaki's sealing scrolls, gaining the forbidden Cursed Tongue Seal.
With it, Danzo would rule ANBU from the shadows, unchecked.
I can't let this happen...
The future would unfold just as before.
Just like the previous life.
Outside the Senju compound, the same scene replayed.
Danzo arguing with Senju Rinju, Sarutobi Hiruzen eventually siding with Rinju—assigning the sealing of the Nine Tails to the Senju.
Danzo vanished then.
He didn't resurface until that fateful night.
And when he did, his right eye was bandaged.
Like last time, during the chaos of the sealing, Danzo revealed the Armored Susanoo for a fleeting moment—its power flickering from the Mangekyo Sharingan hidden in his right eye.
That brief flash shattered Uzumaki Mito's concentration.
It was enough to cut her life short.
The seal trembled on the verge of collapse.
As the Senju fell in droves, the ANBU swooped in.
Yako had already died once this moon cycle. One more death would be the end—true and final.
He moved fast, trailing behind Yellow Dog, rushing to Princess Kushina's side.
Unfortunately, Senju Rinju's wife was slained again by the Nine Tails—her attention diverted by Yellow Dog's diversion.
The Nine Tails tore more chakra from Kushina's body.
This time, Yako played it safe. No provocations.
He used Water Style: Water Formation Wall as a token defense, shielding Yellow Dog's rear.
With Rinju's wife dead, the Senju abandoned their collaborative seal and went on the offensive—joining forces with the ANBU to push back the beast.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"
Rinju's water jutsu was monstrous—a dragon of liquid over a hundred meters long surged from the earth, wrapping around the Nine Tails and clamping onto one of its forelimbs.
Shockingly, the beast couldn't shake free.
Its limb was pinned by water.
The Nine Tails snarled and began to form a Tailed Beast Ball.
Rinju shouted, pulling the water dragon to wrench the beast's head sideways.
The Tailed Beast Ball missed.
It struck the outskirts of the battlefield—killing dozens of Senju and ANBU alike.
Yako's eyes flashed.
'Now!'
Feigning a dodge from the off-balanced beast, he leapt—right toward a strand of Adamantine Sealing Chains hanging midair.
Dust exploded upward, cloaking the sky.
Within the chaos, his back slammed into the chain. Yako poured chakra into it—all of it.
Princess Kushina's eyes widened.
'That chakra…?'
It was unmistakable.
Uzumaki chakra. But not just that—sealing chakra, of the kind only the most gifted Uzumaki wielded.
With that sudden influx, Kushina surged ahead.
The Nine Tails buckled. Kushina reeled more of it back inside.
Half its chest vanished behind the seal.
Its height dropped, leaving only shoulders and head above ground.
Senju Rinju shouted, eyes alight. "Kushina! Incredible!"
The battlefield bloomed with hope.
Over four hundred Senju still stood, and every last one renewed their assault with burning zeal.
Far off, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo narrowed their eyes.
Why had Princess Kushina's power spiked?
If she sealed the Nine Tails now, what would become of their plans?
This was supposed to be their perfect chance—to cripple the Senju and take the sealing scrolls for themselves.
Hiruzen glanced at Danzo.
Danzo nodded once.
And lifted the eyepatch.
Beneath, the crimson Sharingan whirled.
At the battlefield's heart, the Nine Tails had had enough of Rinju's meddling.
That Senju darted around like a flea—powerful, evasive, infuriating.
The beast raised a claw and brought it down.
Rinju anticipated it. His legs flexed, ready to launch him away.
But in that moment—his body froze.
His gaze slipped past the scrambling Senju, the exploding ANBU, and locked on a Sharingan.
The motion died on his lips.
Danzo had implanted a Sharingan? And it's that powerful?
Danzo… was trying to kill him?
Before the transfer of the Nine Tails, Rinju had visited the Uchiha Clan himself.
Only their Sharingan could influence a Tailed Beast.
Uchiha Clan Head, Uchiha Kagen, had sworn that they would not interfere—that this was a village matter.
He even offered to help, if asked.
Rinju had refused. The Senju and Uchiha had too much bad blood. Some even claimed the First Hokage's death was caused by Uchiha Madara.
But Danzo—where did he get that eye?
The claw fell.
It tore through Rinju's chest.
Just then, Yellow Dog shouted, "Fox! Check on the clan head!"
Yako's heart leapt.
His efforts weren't in vain. Yellow Dog trusted him.
He flickered beside Rinju in a blur of speed.
'Getting your bloodline wasn't easy, you know. I'm like a battery now—I charged Kushina, now it's your turn.'
'Bet you didn't expect this. My Senju bloodline's upper-mid too. Comes with regeneration.'