"ith the system in py, at least I've got a fighting this crazy world."

  Shin noticed he had five Replication Cards stocked up. He'd been in the Naruto world for five years now, and even though the system had been snoozing this whole time, it hadn't skimped on the annual card handouts.

  "Is my luck really this rotten?"

  Shin checked the cards and found they were all on. The yearly card was a random drop; with a bit of luck, he could have scored a Divine card. Sadly, fortune didn't seem to be on his side—not even an Advanced card in sight.

  "Let's see what's on the mission board."

  Shin opehe system's mission interfad found a single quest waiting for him.

  [Survival: Survive the destru of the Land of Whirlpools. Reward: 1 on Replication Card. Failure: y.]

  "System, are you kidding me? y for failure? If I fail, I'm dead!" Shin couldn't help but pin.

  Could this survival mission even be failed? Faili kig the bucket, didn't it?

  "And the reward is pretty stingy, too."

  "Master, rewards are ensurate with mission difficulty. This particur mission is not cssified as high-difficulty."

  Shin couldn't argue with that. For someone who repared, this mission wasly climbing Mount Everest.

  In the inal story, when the Land of Whirlpools went kaput, a good number of Uzumaki members survived, like Karin's mother, for example.

  "Time to head back."

  Shin eled chakra to his legs, leaped onto a tree branch, and vanished in a few swift movements.

  He lived in a secluded spot, far from the 's main grounds. It had its perks, mainly pead quiet.

  "You're finally back, Shin."

  Kushina was sitting oeps in front of the house, resting on her hands. Her eyes, which had been downcast, lit up when she saw him.

  "Kushina, you haven't been sittihis whole time, have you?"

  Shin walked over and pulled her up. It was just the two of them living here.

  A year ago, he had still been living with the , but things had happened, and he'd moved out.

  Kushina had no family left in the . Her parents had died in an act when she was three. Shin was her only friend, so she came with him.

  "I've been waiting for you forever. If you hadn't e back soon, I would have starved to death."

  Kushina said weakly. She couldn't cook, so she relied on Shin for meals.

  "Weren't there some snacks left? You could have munched on those."

  Kushina gave an awkward ugh, her small hands fidgeting with her clothes. "I, uh, might have fihose already."

  "Alright, alright. I'll whip something up right away."

  As Shin was about to lead Kushina inside, he heard a faint sound behind him. He turned and saw a middle-aged man with red hair, dressed in shinobi garb, standing a short distance away.

  The man was expressionless. He held a small bundle, which he tossed to Shin.

  "This is your living allowance."

  Shin caught the bundle and ope. Besides mohere were two Jutsu Scrolls.

  "Those Jutsu Scrolls are your mother's belongings. The elder instructed me to deliver them to you."

  With that, the man vanished in a swirl of leaves.

  "Mother's belongings." Shi a pang of sadness. He unfurled the two Jutsu Scrolls. They taiwo sealing jutsu: the Adamantine Sealing s and the Four Symbols Seal.

  Both were incredibly powerful Sealing Jutsu, especially effective against Tailed Beasts.

  "Shin, are you okay?" Kushina asked cautiously.

  "Don't worry, I'm fine. I'll make dinner first, and after we eat, ractice these sealing jutsu together."

  Shin gave Kushina a reassuring smile.

  "Huh? That's nht. These are your mother's legacy. I 't practice them with you," Kushina shook her head.

  "Kushina, you're my best friend. You were there for me when everyone else shunned me. Of course I want to share good things with you."

  Shin pced a hand on Kushina's shoulder, his voice sincere.

  Shin was the grandson of the Uzumaki elder. His mother was the elder's daughter, but his father wasn't an Uzumaki.

  Not only was he not an Uzumaki, but he was from the Uchiha , once sworn enemies of the Uzumaki.

  During the Warring States Period, the Uzumaki and Senju s were allies, while the Uchiha and Senju were locked in a bitter feud.

  Because of their alliah the Senju, the Uzumaki had cshed with the Uchiha numerous times. Even though the Warring States Period was long gohe animosity lingered.

  Naturally, Shin's parents' retionship didn't end well. The mauro the Uchiha , and Shin's mother, heartbrokeually succumbed trief.

  Shin had heard that the man also died on a mission shortly after his mother's passing.

  This was the reason Shin wasn't well-liked within the Uzumaki . Even his grandfather, the elder, treated him coldly.

  Soon, Shin had dinner ready. He was a det cook, at least good enough for Kushina, who ate with gusto.

  After dinner, Shin called Kushina over, and they began studying the Adamantine Sealing s and the Four Symbols Seal.

  The Adamantine Sealing s was an A-rank sealing jutsu. When used, it produced multiple chakra s from the user's back. These s were not only powerful offensive ons but could also be used to create barriers aailed Beasts.

  The strohe user's chakra, the greater the jutsu's power. And what were the Uzumaki known for? Their massive Chakra Reserves, of course.

  The Uzumaki possessed the Sage Body. Even Kushina, who had only retly learo mold chakra, had reserves parable to an average Genin.

  With their powerful chakra and this sealing jutsu, even the ails would be wary of fag an Uzumaki.

  The Uzumaki 's strength y in their chakra and Sealing Jutsu. The seal used to tain the ails in Konoha was, in fact, an Uzumaki sealing jutsu.

  "I don't get it at all. Am I just dumb?" Kushina said, staring at the scrolls with a furrowed brow.

  Shin was engrossed in studying the Jutsu. After ing to this world, he realized his learning ability had skyrocketed.

  He was starting to grasp the cepts behind these sealing jutsu, but mastering them would take time.

  After all, these were A-rank sealing jutsu. Mae Jōnin couldn't learn them; it required a certain level of talent.

  They studied te into the night. When Shin finally set the scrolls aside, he noticed Kushina had fallen asleep beside him.

  "Silly girl, falling asleep like that."

  Shily scooped Kushina up and id her oami mat, tug a b around her.

  "Well, time for me to hit the hay too."

  Shin stretched. A good night's rest was essential for the interaining he had pnned for the day.

  After washing up, Shiuro his room and drifted off to sleep.

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