"I want it all!"
Akira Sato extended his right hand in a claw-like gesture, then clenched it tightly.
There was no way he was foolish enough to pick just one option.
Whether for the present or the future, he wasn't willing to let anything slip away.
When it came to learning, thanks to the Clarity Elixir, his ultimate cheat code, he didn't have to worry at all.
As for sealing jutsu knowledge — the hardest part was learning it.
And that happened to be the one thing he was least afraid of.
As for crafting ninja tools?
If he were just a civilian ninja or even a minor clan member, it would feel like an impossible hassle.
These specialized tools weren't like ordinary weapons.
To carry sealing jutsu effects, they required materials like "chakra metal" — precious stuff ordinary people couldn't even dream of getting their hands on.
But Akira Sato wasn't ordinary!
Rich backers. Connections. Resources.
With just one word, he could get the materials.
That's why he was bold enough to choose the "I want it all" route.
"Alright — but I'm not going to go easy on you. If you slack off in your studies…"
Kushina Uzumaki raised her fist menacingly.
She was no gentle flower — if Akira didn't study seriously, she wouldn't hesitate to rough him up.
"I have a tiny bit of talent for learning, and more importantly, I have the beautiful and kind Kushina-nee to guide me. How could I possibly fail to learn?"
Akira laid it on thick, shamelessly flattering her.
For sealing jutsu knowledge? He didn't care if it sounded over the top.
"Akira, you really do have talent for sealing — you saw my strengths at a glance. But I'm not as great as you make me out to be…"
Kushina's lips curved up, smiling so widely it could've rattled an AK-47.
Woman, your name is 'saying one thing but meaning another.'
Because of Akira's sweet talk, Kushina happily agreed to design a special sealing formula for him once they got back.
Now do you see the difference between her and the ordinary sealing corps?
One could create sealing techniques.
The other could only use them.
That's the difference between the Uzumaki clan's knowledge system and ordinary ninja who only learned to apply seals.
Otherwise, Akira wouldn't be putting so much weight on this.
Sadly, even Kushina's sealing skills were far below the level of the previous Nine-Tails jinchūriki, Mito Uzumaki.
She was the ultimate sealing master — casually treating the Nine-Tails like a pet.
Even the so-called Asura of the ninja world wouldn't dare target Konoha when she was alive.
But since she'd been gone for so long, there was no chance to learn directly from her.
Akira could only settle for the next best thing.
When Kushina began teaching the introductory knowledge, Akira finally understood why Konoha's sealing arts hadn't developed, even though they'd fully absorbed the Uzumaki clan's knowledge.
It was just too hard!
Looking at the tadpole-like sealing symbols made his scalp tingle.
The slightest variation in angle or detail could completely change the function.
Of course, this was because she was teaching sealing knowledge, not just a sealing jutsu.
If it were just a ready-made jutsu, it wouldn't be nearly this difficult.
Sealing arts were like programming.
A ready-made sealing jutsu was a prebuilt program.
Sealing knowledge was the ability to write those programs yourself.
It wasn't even on the same level of difficulty!
Even Akira felt dizzy after hours of listening.
Sure, people can do incredible things when they're desperate —
but except math!
And sealing knowledge was no easier than advanced mathematics.
So he had no choice but to turn on his cheat mode.
Gulp.
Akira pulled a bottle of Clarity Elixir from his ninja pouch (he had some stocked up from his recent medical jutsu studies) and drank it down.
Instantly, his mind became crystal clear.
Sage mode!
Well, sort of — this "mode" maxed out his learning efficiency.
It didn't actually boost his IQ.
But it focused all his energy, blocked out distractions, and cranked his learning speed to the max.
"Huh?"
Kushina immediately noticed Akira's shift, but she didn't press for details.
Finally, after a few hours, Akira managed to grasp the essentials of sealing jutsu.
Sealing was about harnessing rules.
Once you mastered sealing, it was like gaining leverage over the underlying rules of reality.
Of course, the more complex the rules you wanted to manipulate, the harder it became.
It was the difference between simple arithmetic and advanced algebra — both were math, but the difficulty was worlds apart.
After half a day of absorbing knowledge, Akira had some gains.
"One-strike Seal Formation!"
After weaving hand signs for a long time, Akira slapped his right hand onto the body of a "lucky volunteer" — a sparrow they'd captured for testing.
Tweet!
The chosen sparrow froze on the spot, instantly turning stiff like a toy figurine.
But the chakra Akira consumed was roughly equal to a C-rank jutsu.
Sealing jutsu had powerful effects, but the chakra cost was equally extreme.
Now you understand why only the Uzumaki clan could unleash the most potent sealing arts?
It was all thanks to their monstrous chakra reserves.
With brute force, anything's possible!
They had overwhelming chakra paired with rule-level sealing techniques — no wonder everyone feared them.
No surprise they were wiped out.
"Not bad. Looks like you have a bit of talent for sealing jutsu — only slightly slower than I was back in the day, just a tiny bit."
Kushina casually praised him, her tone calm.
But inside, she was shaken.
Back when she'd learned this simple demonstration seal, it had taken her over a week.
For Akira — who wasn't even an Uzumaki — to pick it up this fast?
That was beyond impressive.
"Of course! How could I possibly compare to you, Kushina-nee? If I managed to learn it, it's only because you're such a great teacher!"
Akira finally relaxed enough to lay on the compliments.
He honestly had no idea whether his learning speed was considered fast or slow.
In his boosted "Sage mode," he was practically absorbing things at a photographic memory level, with enhanced comprehension.
He'd actually understood everything long ago — but to cover his tracks, he deliberately slowed down.
After all, in the anime, they never gave exact numbers on how long it took to learn sealing arts — only that they were hard.
So he figured his performance shouldn't look too outrageous.
"I'll have Kakashi bring over some books later. Take them home and study on your own. For now, I'll work on drafting the sealing formula you need and guide you through it."
Kushina laid out the next steps.
It was rare to encounter a true sealing jutsu prodigy — and with his connection to Minato, she was more than happy to teach him.
No matter how precious a jutsu was, for the last surviving Uzumaki, it didn't mean much if she had no one to pass it to.
As long as it wasn't an enemy of Konoha, she didn't mind sharing.
"Thank you, Kushina-nee!"
At this moment, Akira's flattery reached peak sweetness.
To learn sealing arts, he was willing to do whatever it took — he'd hug her leg so hard he'd snap her bones if necessary.
Honestly, he was getting a massive bargain here.
The Third Hokage could only decide whether to authorize the transfer of sealing knowledge.
He couldn't control how much was passed on.
And clearly, thanks to Minato's connection and Akira's shamelessly sweet mouth, Kushina had decided to genuinely pass on the true art of sealing.
This was high-level knowledge — the kind that could trigger wars between ninja villages.
By the time Akira left the training grounds, arms loaded with books that Kakashi had fetched for him, night had already fallen.
And tomorrow… was the day of the Chūnin Exams.
(End of Chapter)