“A ruin from the Warring States era… left behind by the Uzumaki clan?” Kurō looked at the yellowed map on the table, his brows drawing together slightly.
His voice carried a few traces of surprise that could not be completely hidden.
“Exactly!” Mei Terumī nodded with absolute certainty.
Suppressed excitement flickered in her green eyes.
She reached out and tapped the spot marked with a red circle at the center of the map, her tone filled with excitement.
“I found this by accident in Kirigakure’s intelligence archives while investigating the old Three-Tails jinchūriki plan.” She paused, as if organizing her words, or perhaps trying to hold back the anticipation almost overflowing from her chest.
“The Uzumaki clan was famous for sealing jutsu.
You know that.
“As long as we use this map to find the Uzumaki ruins from the Warring States era, we might be able to obtain the lost sealing jutsu hidden there!” Her voice rose slightly, and her eyes almost seemed to glow.
“And sealing jutsu is the natural counter to tailed beasts!” Kurō remained silent, his gaze resting on the map for a long time.
He did not answer immediately.
He only lifted his teacup and slowly took a sip.
The tea had already gone cold.
Its bitterness spread across his tongue, just enough to cover the thoughts surging in his mind.
Mei seemed not to notice his silence and continued her reasoning, her tone growing increasingly certain.
“The biggest reason we still can’t bring down Yagura, even with the support of most of Kirigakure, is definitely not the stubborn old men behind him.
It is his immense strength as the Three-Tails jinchūriki.” Her voice lowered.
A trace of wariness flashed through her green eyes.
As one of Kirigakure’s elites who had personally lived through the Third Great Ninja War, she knew very well how powerful a tailed beast truly was.
It was a terrifying existence capable of changing the course of a war by itself.
Her fingers unconsciously clenched, her knuckles turning white.
“If we don’t have a way to suppress the power of a tailed beast, and Yagura, as the Three-Tails jinchūriki, goes berserk inside the village, Kirigakure’s fate will be even worse than Konoha’s during the Nine-Tails’ attack.
“Even a village as powerful as Konoha fell into an unprecedented period of weakness after suffering that tragedy.
What about Kirigakure, which already looks strong on the outside but is hollow within?” She raised her head and looked directly into Kurō’s eyes.
Her tone was full of caution and resolve.
“Without a way to restrain a tailed beast, we cannot completely bring him down, and Kirigakure’s reforms cannot be carried through.
“But as long as we gain a reliable method to deal with tailed beasts, we will finally have the confidence to defeat Yagura’s faction!” Listening to Mei’s confident words, Kurō looked at the map on the table and fell deep into thought.
The ruins of the Uzumaki clan… sealing jutsu?
He murmured inwardly in sudden understanding.
No wonder Mei and the others in the original story were able to defeat Yagura, even though he was the Three-Tails jinchūriki.
So this was the reason… Kurō had always found it strange.
In the original story, Kirigakure had been ruined so badly by Obito.
So how had they managed to defeat Yagura, the Three-Tails jinchūriki, so easily that Obito apparently did not even have time to come support him?
At the time, the only truly capable person Kirigakure had to offer was Mei Terumī.
Even with Ao’s Byakugan assisting her, she should not have been a match for Yagura while he was being controlled by Obito’s Mangekyō Sharingan genjutsu.
After all, with Obito’s skill in genjutsu, even remote control should have been enough to make Yagura, under the Mangekyō’s influence, enter full tailed-beast transformation the moment danger appeared.
Whether that would expose the truth or not was another matter.
Kirigakure would absolutely suffer heavy damage.
Obito could have used that time to rush over.
Even if he could not eliminate Mei and the others, he could at least recover the Three-Tails.
It should never have ended with the Three-Tails dying together with Yagura.
The Three-Tails’ death in the original story was absolutely not part of Obito’s plan.
Thinking about it this way, if they had access to lost Uzumaki sealing jutsu, then everything made sense.
Kurō shifted his gaze away from the map and looked at the excited woman before him.
Although he already believed most of it, he still put on a doubtful expression and asked seriously, “Is the information on this map reliable?” His voice was not loud, but it carried unquestionable seriousness.
Mei nodded confidently and answered in a steady tone.
“I investigated it.” “This map was obtained during the Second Great Ninja War, after Kirigakure took part in the operation that destroyed the Land of Whirlpools.
It was recovered from the Uzumaki clan grounds in Uzushiogakure.” When she reached this point, her tone clearly lowered.
A complicated emotion flashed through her green eyes.
“Although most of the Uzumaki clan’s inheritance was lost or destroyed during that war, this map was indeed preserved.
It has been stored in Kirigakure’s secret archives for years.” Kurō nodded slightly.
His fingers gently brushed the edge of the map.
The motion was slow, as if he were touching a piece of history sealed beneath dust.
As Kurō listened to Mei’s explanation, he instantly caught the flaw in it.
His brows furrowed slightly.
A sharp light flashed through his gentle eyes.
“Kirigakure has had this for so many years.
Did no one ever send people to investigate it?” Mei fell silent for a moment.
Her lips moved, as if she wanted to say something, but no words came out.
Her green eyes lowered, and her lashes trembled slightly, as if she were avoiding something.
Under Kurō’s serious gaze, almost completely devoid of emotion, she finally spoke.
Her voice was somewhat subdued, carrying an indescribable regret.
“Of course Kirigakure sent people to investigate.” She paused, and her voice lowered further.
“When the Third Mizukage was in power, he sent people more than once to investigate the site.
He even dispatched more than one elite ANBU unit.
“But in the end…” Her voice dropped until it was almost inaudible.
“Not a single person came back alive.” The living room fell silent for an instant.
The mist outside seemed to grow thicker, seeping in through the cracks around the window with a damp, faintly cold breath.
“No one knows what they encountered there.
None of the people sent to that place brought back any information.
Not even their bodies were found.” She raised her head.
In those green eyes, there was an indescribable mix of regret and bitterness.
“If Ao were still here at a time like this…” As if realizing who was sitting across from her, her words stopped abruptly, and she did not continue.
Her lips pressed together slightly.
On her cold, beautiful face, a faint hint of awkwardness appeared.
But even though she did not finish, Kurō understood the meaning behind the words she left unsaid.
As expected… The corner of Kurō’s mouth curved into a tiny arc.
It was very faint, as subtle as an almost invisible crack.
The key to breaking through those ruins… is Ao’s Byakugan!