Chapter 43 – Scrolls from Uzu no Kuni I
"Talk"
'Think'
Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto sensei.
Uzu no Kuni
"What's the purpose of a scroll?" asked Kakashi
"For writing" answered Noriko
"Sealing" said Tenzō
"As alternative when you ran out of toilet paper" said Naruto, which earned a smack from Noriko while Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Very well, if you are going to use scroll to booby trap, how would you do it?" asked Kakashi.
"Put the trap in a seal which activated when the scroll is unrolled" answered Tenzō.
"Correct. That is the general approach. However, I'm sure there is other way which we have not seen it yet. Hence, always be cautious when opening unknown scroll" said Kakashi "In order to set up a seal that reacts when the scroll is opened, the seal that was used normally reacted to air, thus these scrolls-" Kakashi pointed at the loose ones "are safe".
"However, these-" Kakashi pointed to the tightly rolled scrolls "need to be open with caution. How do you think we'll do it?" he asked.
"Kage bunshin!" cried Naruto and Noriko at the same time.
"If you don't have the chakra to form one?" asked Kakashi.
"I think I'll transform my arms into woods and open it at a safe distance" said Tenzō.
"How about you, Kakashi-sensei?" asked Noriko.
"Well, normally, we brought it back to Konoha where there will be specialists to investigate whether there was a trap or not. However, it would be useful if you have sharingan which gives the owner to assess the trap and performed the necessary counter-measure, or byakugan which allows the owner to scan through the scroll. However, the byakugan user must be well verse in seals to differentiate whether it's a normal sealing seal or booby-trap. Alternatively, ninken, like my summoning animals, or those of Inuzuka clans, as well as the insects from Aburame clan can be used since they are trained to detect danger" explained Kakashi.
"What happen if a shinobi has none of those?" asked Tenzō.
"Then try to bring it back to Konoha. Or, before open it, collect chakra on your feet and prepare to jump backwards in case it is a trap" answered Kakashi.
"Why backwards?" asked Naruto.
"It's important to keep an eye on the scroll. If you run, you need to know what kind of trap it is. Some of the traps could fizzle, just to scare you, while some could have sensor that will hunt you until it ran out of chakra" explained Kakashi.
"For now, I want each of you to try one. Noriko, use your eyes since Naruto will use kage bunshin" ordered Kakashi.
Naruto's and Tenzō's scrolls turned out to be history of Uzumaki clan which Noriko asked if she can read it first. Naruto was okayed with it since he knew Noriko always shared the knowledge with him which will save him from the need to read it.
Noriko activated her byakugan to scan through the layers but saw nothing suspicious. She then activated her sharingan while opening, which turned out to be a few of sealing techniques. As she scanned through, she exclaimed "Hey Naruto! This looks like our sealings"
"What? See?" asked Naruto. Noriko showed it to him, Kakashi and Tenzō, the last two were curious.
Kakashi's scroll was most challenging. He summoned Pakkun who detected danger. Ordering everyone to stay back, he opened it before jumped backward swiftly. Seconds after he opened it, a hole appeared, sucking everything for a few minutes before it ran out of chakra and faded away.
No one talked for a few minutes until Kakashi broke the silence "That was one powerful trap, to be able to seal a Jikūkan Ninjutsu. If you turned your back, you'd have missed witnessing event like that"
Since they had spent a whole day burying the bones, Kakashi allowed another day for Naruto to explore. This time, Noriko opted to stay because she wanted to read the scroll.
During dinner, Kakashi asked "Got anything interesting to share with us, Noriko? I heard you shout several times"
Brimming with newfound information, Noriko started to talk "Yup, something about chakra, Uzumaki's chakra, also the reason behind them being attacked. Which one you want to know first?"
"The last one" said Naruto, Tenzō and Kakashi in unison.
"Apparently, there was a temple nearby dedicated to the Sanbi-"
"What?!" yelled Naruto, Tenzō and Kakashi in surprised.
"I was surprised too. I didn't know there exists another one like the Kyūbi, do you think there are siblings?" asked Noriko.
"Kyūbi has siblings? Who would have thought that?" pondered Naruto.
"A temple?" asked Tenzō.
"Yes, the temple was built since the time of Rikudō Sennin for the Sanbi"
"Why would the Sanbi needs a temple?" asked Naruto while Kakashi echoed "Rikudō Sennin?"
"What's wrong, Kakashi-sensei?" asked Noriko.
"No- I mean, he was supposed to be a myth, a legend" said Kakashi before asking "Is there anything more about him?"
"No. Wait, yes, but that's related to chakra" answered Noriko.
"Why don't you finish with the attack first?" suggested Tenzō
"Okay. Well, your scroll, Kakashi-sensei was entries made by an Uzumaki. However, the sucking thingy has damaged some of it. They were attacked by shinobi from Kirigakure no Sato. Apparently, they want to know how to control the Sanbi but they don't want the knowledge to spread, so-"
"So they killed all the Uzumaki?!" asked Naruto angrily
"It was implied in the scroll. The last entry was 'Today, all of Uzushiogakure stand firm against our attackers. We've stalled this long to ensure safety escape for our young ones. If there is no more entry after this, that means all of us have been annihilated. Uzushiogakure may have fall, but we'll live through the blood of our descendants"
The night was silent.
End Chapter 43
Jikūkan Ninjutsu – Space Time Technique
Kage Bunshin – Shadow Clone
Kirigakure no Sato – Hidden Village by Mist
Ninken – Ninja Dog
Rikudō Sennin – Sage of the Six Paths
Sanbi – Three-Tails
Uzu no Kuni – Land of Whirlpools