Chapter 69: The Nature of Seals
Uchiha Raizen turned Madara's words over in his mind as he walked back to his tent. His previous impression of the Uchiha heir had been of an arrogant, unyielding fanatic, stubbornly clinging to his own convictions. But the Madara he had just spoken with was different. He possessed a hidden layer of empathy, a capacity for observation more acute than anyone gave him credit for. It was that very sensitivity, Raizen realized, that had made the death of his brothers, and later Senna, so utterly devastating for him.
Now, Raizen felt a sense of weary amusement. He hadn't interfered or even offered an opinion, so why had Madara felt the need to confide in him? His life was complicated enough without becoming an unwilling confessor to a future villain's burgeoning romance.
Shaking his head, he returned to the solitude of his tent. The night passed slowly. By dawn, his daily pickup count had reset. If it weren't for the extreme rudeness and suspicion it would provoke, he would have been scouring the perimeter of the Uzumaki compound at midnight, collecting the glowing orbs of their sealing techniques.
"Madara, I'm going for a walk. Send for me when it's time to depart," Raizen announced after breakfast, not waiting for a reply before he strode away from the main group.
He had no desire to stand around for the formal farewell ceremony. Once Uzumaki Yana emerged, they would simply begin the journey home. This was his last chance.
He circled the outskirts of the Uzumami clan's territory, his Sharingan actively scanning the ground. To his immense frustration, he saw nothing. No glowing orbs, no discarded fragments of fuinjutsu knowledge. The powerful seals were woven directly into the land and structures, active and intact. They weren't "dropped" items for his system to collect. He needed to find places where seals had been used or practiced.
System, he complained internally, why don't these sealing techniques have levels? They're a form of ninjutsu, aren't they?
The system's mechanical voice responded in his mind. Fuinjutsu potency is not graded by rank. Its power is dependent on the amount of chakra invested and the specific properties of the seal's design. In essence, most advanced fuinjutsu are classified as kinjutsu, or forbidden techniques, by default.
Raizen's mood lifted slightly. That made a certain kind of sense. Chakra was one thing he did not lack, thanks to his Sage training. The seals protecting a major clan's homeland would certainly be among the most potent. Focusing his intent, he scanned the area again, this time looking for any residual chakra signatures, any places where the art had been actively worked on.
He began to find them—faint, shimmering orbs nestled near training grounds and isolated courtyards. He prioritized the ones with longer, more complex names, reasoning that a more specific name might indicate a more powerful or unique technique.
Ding! Acquired: Four Symbols Seal Fragment.
Ding! Acquired: Five Elements Seal Knowledge.
Ding! Acquired: Barrier Method: Dragon Vein Suppression.
One by one, he absorbed them. After collecting eighteen distinct fuinjutsu orbs, he forced himself to stop. He had to be disciplined. He couldn't use them all at once; he needed to save some for future opportunities. Greed now could cost him later.
Satisfied with his haul, he returned to the Uchiha encampment just as a formal procession was emerging from the Uzumaki gates.
"Madara, are you nervous?" Raizen asked, a teasing grin playing on his lips as he took his place beside the young patriarch.
"W-why would I be nervous?" Madara retorted, though a faint flush was visible on his neck. "It's just a formal ceremony. There's nothing to be nervous about."
"Oh, of course, just a ceremony…" Raizen couldn't help but chuckle. It was almost endearing to see the indomitable Uchiha Madara flustered. It seemed his feelings for Yana were genuinely taking root.
"The bride price!" Raizen called out, signaling the next part of the ritual.
The bearers stepped forward, presenting the ornate red chests. Raizen unrolled a scroll and read the contents aloud in a clear, formal voice. "One chest of refined steel. Ten thousand kunai. Ten thousand shuriken. Fifty scrolls of intermediate ninjutsu."
He then turned to Madara. "You may greet your bride."
Madara stepped forward, his earlier nervousness replaced by a solemn dignity. He walked directly to where Yana stood, veiled and waiting. He did not lift the veil. Instead, he simply offered her his hand.
She took it.
"From this day forward," Madara declared, his voice firm and carrying across the silent courtyard, "you are no longer a stand-in for the Uzumaki princess. You are Uchiha Yana. You are my wife."
From beneath the veil, a soft, heartfelt voice replied, "Yes."