Chapter 4: Accumulated Experience Always Comes in Handy
"Okay, it's over here…"
After quickly reviewing his memories once more, Hiiro Rinko located the hidden compartment in the living quarters. Following the remembered mechanism, he opened it and retrieved a few scrolls.
These scrolls contained the original boy's parents' notes on Ninjutsu and the Uzumaki Clan's secret arts. The latter's content was sparse, only a few Sealing Jutsu (Fūinjutsu) methods and cultivation techniques for Yang Release (Yōton) secrets. However, the brevity itself indicated its preciousness.
A technique guarded as a family heirloom always had a unique edge.
Rinko leaned against the wall and quickly flipped through them, not trying to master them immediately, but simply to record every detail.
These few scrolls, prepared specifically for a 'child,' were not overly obscure. Rinko, with his wealth of experience in 'Techniques' and 'Barrier Arts,' could easily generalize the concepts and understand them.
Shinobi like the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama—who could simply clap their hands and summon whatever they wished—would always be a rare few. Normal shinobi rely on hand seals (ketsu-in) to perform ninjutsu, and the twelve standard seals used for conventional techniques are clearly derived from the Nine Syllable Hand Seals (Kuji-in).
In Rinko's original world, Cursed Users frequently used various hand seals and chanted incantations when using Cursed Techniques.
For example, that bastard Gojō Satoru would use a variant of the Indra Seal when activating his Domain Expansion. Rinko himself used the Ishanatena Seal for his own Cursed Technique and Domain.
As for Barrier Techniques, they were a prerequisite for Domain Expansion. They were also routinely used to dispel non-essential personnel or conceal difficult Cursed Objects.
In these areas, Rinko was far from lacking in knowledge.
The only thing he hadn't worked with before was Yang Release, which he could only quickly memorize for now.
Since it's a system primarily relying on Body Energy, it wasn't exactly identical to Rinko's specialty, but it wasn't completely irrelevant either. Even though he had used the pendant to heal his injuries earlier, he couldn't grasp the concepts so quickly.
The use of techniques certainly required imagination, but research couldn't be so casual. Since these were techniques he would use on himself, it was always better to be cautious—and even if he wanted to 'unleash the power of imagination,' he didn't have enough time right now.
After committing the contents to memory, Rinko immediately set the small scrolls ablaze without hesitation.
Standard elemental Jutsu notes aside, a helpless 'child' like him couldn't possibly carry physical copies of things like Uzumaki Clan secret arts around.
As a bargaining chip, the difference between 'possessing' the physical scrolls and 'memorizing' the contents is immense when you can't defend yourself.
"How suspicious… so, were they cooperating with Sunagakure?"
After destroying the Uzumaki notes, Rinko flipped through the elemental Jutsu notes, gradually firming up his deduction.
While sorting through the original boy's memories, he had vaguely noticed clues in some of the details.
Since the boy could remember things, his family would occasionally receive requests to manufacture strange, small parts. In Rinko's expert view, those were clearly components required for certain mechanical devices—or, more specifically, Puppets.
It's widely known that Puppet Technique (Kugutsu no Jutsu) is the bedrock of Sunagakure's defense and livelihood. It's highly unlikely they would entrust even relatively minor components to 'unaffiliated individuals.'
Combine this with the crate of customized kunai, and it was easy to conclude that the original boy's family had ties to Sunagakure (Hidden Sand Village).
The Land of Rivers has no Hidden Village of its own. If someone were commissioning high-precision kunai, it would most likely be people from the Land of Fire or the Land of Wind.
And in those elemental Jutsu notes, the proportion of Wind Release (Fūton) techniques was overwhelmingly high, with newer handwriting suggesting they were compiled 'recently.'
For Rinko, the word Chakra made him think of the 'Chakras' from Indian philosophy, but he also remembered the energy system of the Naruto world.
Chakra's elemental properties typically refer to the five standard natures: 'Fire, Water, Wind, Lightning, and Earth.' A 'Release' (like Fūton or Katon) is simply the act of imbuing Chakra with that corresponding nature when performing a ninjutsu.
Chakra nature transformation can be learned later in life, but everyone's predisposition toward a certain nature is determined at birth.
He recalled that character in the original story who could steal hearts to gain different elemental affinities, which also supports the conclusion that Chakra nature is an innate physical talent.
The Uzumaki Clan, characterized by their robust life force, possesses a property outside the five standard ones: 'Yang' (Yō).
This nature emphasizes Body Energy. The powerful life force of the Senju and Uzumaki Clans is the most direct manifestation, and many secret techniques that alter the body's structure are usually extensions of Yang Release.
Therefore, in mixed-blood Uzumaki, the elemental tendency from the non-Uzumaki parent is strongly emphasized. However, pure-blood Uzumaki rarely exhibit an extreme affinity for any single standard Chakra nature.
For an Uzumaki with Yang Release Chakra, there's usually no noticeable difference in the difficulty of learning any of the five standard elemental transformations.
They either specialize in pure Yang Release and Sealing Jutsu, or, if they want to learn the five-elemental Jutsu to broaden their tactical scope, they wouldn't choose just one.
So, if the couple didn't suddenly discover a massive talent for Wind Release and rapidly summarize these notes, they must have acquired them through some kind of trade.
And as everyone knows, almost all users in Sunagakure of the Land of Wind are Wind Release specialists.
The answer was self-evident.
Of course, there was the possibility of a convoluted scheme—a 'set a trap for the trap' scenario—where Konoha had deliberately chosen to teach them vast amounts of Wind Release to help conceal their tracks since they were near the Land of Wind.
But let's not forget, this couple were essentially 'deserters' from Konoha in the first place.
If they were truly found, not being immediately executed as Rogue Nin (Nukenin) would be considered lucky. They would have no room for negotiation.
As for other, more distant Hidden Villages, they weren't worth considering.
"Recruitment? Or some other reason… Oh, they must have a need for Sealing Jutsu…"
Rinko wasn't completely sure, but thinking carefully, the Uzumaki Clan's most lauded ability was precisely in that area. What other reason could there be?
If that's the case, the importance of his identity and skills as an Uzumaki and a Sealing Master just jumped up several tiers as a bargaining chip.
Even if, in the body of a six-year-old child, he wasn't qualified to sit at the table to negotiate, he had to at least make himself worth a high price.
What is a shinobi? At its core, a mercenary. And how is a mercenary not a businessman?
Hmm… is he?