I, Naruto Uzumaki, don't need your approval.

What's meant to happen will happen eventually. He doesn't think Naruto's appearance in Uzumaki Village was just to choose a clan location for the Uchiha. The real reason is probably the inheritance artifact of the Uzumaki clan.

Before long, the two entered a cave, deep inside which was a vortex shrine.

Upon seeing the various Grim Reaper masks displayed on the altar of the shrine, Naruto couldn't help but think to himself, "Why do these great clans of the ninja world, which have been passed down for thousands of years, all like to display their trump cards at the place of worship?"

The Uchiha clan uses the Sharingan, while the Uzumaki clan uses the Shinigami Mask.

It's unclear what kind of trump cards the Hyuga and Senju clans are hiding, or if they might be hidden in places like shrines.

Noticing Naruto's gaze, Uzumaki Himon said expressionlessly, "Aside from the shrine in Konoha, this should be the last Uzumaki shrine in the ninja world. Take anything you like, but these magical artifacts require mastery of sealing techniques to use."

Master of sealing techniques?

As if remembering something, Naruto asked Uzumaki Himon, "Are these masked artifacts carriers of sealing techniques? Can they all be used to cast the Reaper Death Seal?"

Whirlpool Fire Gate nodded: "It is possible, but the price of sealing away all corpses is life. In the war of national subjugation more than 20 years ago, many of our people perished together with the enemy."

"Didn't you use the Corpse Demon Sealing Technique back then?"

Uzumaki Himon shook his head: "I was young at the time and was forcibly taken out of the Land of Whirlpools by the ninjas of my clan. After I was lucky enough to return to my homeland, I also lost the inheritance of the Uzumaki clan."

At this point, Uzumaki Kamon sighed, his mind filled with memories of his childhood.

If he hadn't been hoping to return to his homeland and rebuild his family, why would he have risked being discovered to return to the Land of Whirlpools, which had become a no-man's-land?

It could be said that he agreed to cooperate with Naruto because he was gambling on that sliver of hope.

But what about the reconstruction of the Uzumaki clan? Although the Uzumaki clan's bloodline has the advantages of strong vitality and a large amount of chakra, sealing techniques are the most important inheritance of the Uzumaki clan.

Can these descendants of the Uzumaki who have lost the inheritance of sealing techniques still be called the Uzumaki?

Naruto picked up the oldest-looking mask from the altar, sensed the chakra traces on it, and casually asked:

"Fire Gate, is it necessary to sign a blood pact before using these masked magical artifacts?"

Uzumaki Himon glanced at Naruto and said expressionlessly, "Using a magical artifact does require signing a contract, but the related sealing techniques were lost with the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools. You can keep it as a souvenir."

"Wait... Could the Sealing Scroll of Konoha contain the sealing techniques of the Uzumaki clan?"

At this moment, Whirlpool Fire Gate seemed to realize something and quickly asked.

"Indeed, the Book of Sealing does record many sealing techniques, including the Corpse Demon Sealing Technique."

Naruto nodded, and then, while having his shadow clone bring White Zetsu into the arena, he said, "However, what I want to use is not a sealing technique, but a forbidden technique that can temporarily revive the dead: Reaper Death Seal."

"A ninjutsu that temporarily revives the dead!?"

Uzumaki Himon's eyes widened; he had never imagined that the ninja world possessed a ninjutsu capable of resurrecting the dead.

Naruto glanced at Himon Uzumaki and said dismissively:

"Is it strange? If a clan can develop a ninjutsu that summons the Grim Reaper to perish together with the enemy, it's only reasonable for Konoha to develop a ninja who can revive the dead."

"However, what truly made me decide to use the Impure World Reincarnation technique was your remark just now. Since the clan's sealing technique lineage has been broken, it would be reasonable to summon a senior from the Pure Land to restore the interrupted sealing technique lineage."

Naruto's words were not false; Uzumaki Himon's earlier remarks had indeed provided him with a brand new perspective.

Is what he lacks most right now the power of an Edo Tensei ninja?

Obviously not. With his tacit understanding with Kurama, he could even fight against the Third Hokage in his prime. Unless he was surrounded by several Kage-level shinobi or happened to run into Nagato, he would basically not be in danger of losing his life.

And then you encounter such a powerful person.

With the original version of Edo Tensei he currently possesses, he can only summon an Edo Tensei body that is not commensurate with its strength in life.

At most, these impure bodies can only use the technique of multiplying explosive tags to restrain the enemy, but they cannot play an absolute role.

Therefore, instead of going to great lengths to find the corpses of powerful figures, it would be better to resurrect the Uzumaki ninja using Edo Tensei, fill in the gaps in his sealing technique lineage, and make him a well-rounded, all-around warrior.

"..."

Himon thought Naruto's words made a lot of sense, but for some reason, he felt that Naruto's tone was cheerful.

It was as if he had seen something interesting. It seemed that the other party had done something similar before, which was the time when he brought Uchiha Shisui to him.

“Senior Menma, I think it’s best to consider this matter more carefully…”

Before Himon could finish speaking, Naruto had already completed the setup for the Impure World Reincarnation ritual.

With a flash of white light, a wad of paper appeared out of thin air, enveloping the white Zetsu on the ground. After letting out a wail, the white Zetsu gradually transformed into an old man with white hair and a beard.

"The white-haired old man looks very knowledgeable. I'm quite lucky."

Naruto was somewhat moved, but Uzumaki Himon's expression turned rather grim. He stammered, "Menma-senpai, this is Uzumaki Ashina, the old clan leader who founded the Land of Whirlpools. I've heard my grandfather mention him; he has a very volatile temper and a very eccentric personality."

"The old clan chief who founded the Land of Whirlpools..."

Naruto frowned, preparing to manipulate Ashina Uzumaki, when an unexpected event occurred.

Uzumaki Ashina suddenly opened his eyes and immediately cast a sealing jutsu on himself, severing his connection with Naruto, before rushing towards the two of them.

"We're doomed. The old patriarch will hang us up and beat us, and we might even be sealed away for ten years."

"Uzumaki Himon said with a look of despair, showing none of the composure expected of a Jonin," he said.

Naruto thought it was a bit exaggerated: "Is it true that he was sealed for ten years? Wasn't the average lifespan in the Warring States period only around thirty years? That's almost half a lifetime."

"It was my grandfather who said it, so it should be true..." Even Uzumaki Fire Gate was somewhat uncertain.

Naruto was speechless. He shielded Himon behind him and then used his Sharingan genjutsu on Ashina Uzumaki, who was not far away.

The Sharingan genjutsu had just taken effect when it was directly absorbed by a sealing technique.

"Why did you, you three-tomoe brat from the Uchiha clan, suddenly attack me? Are you trying to break the agreement between Madara and Hashirama?"

After casually casting a sealing technique to seal the Sharingan's power, Ashina Uzumaki frowned. Just as he was about to curse, he realized something was wrong. Wasn't he already dead? How could he suddenly appear in the shrine?

It's certain that the strange thing about me was caused by the little devil in front of me.

But strangely, the chakra emanating from the other person felt familiar, as if I had seen it somewhere before.

Without further hesitation, Ashina Uzumaki continued to activate the sealing technique, and golden chains flew out from behind him, heading straight for Naruto and Hinata.

Naruto escaped successfully using his superb Body Flicker Technique, but the Fire Gate was not so lucky and was sealed away.

After the Fire Gate was sealed, Naruto no longer held back and immediately deactivated his transformation jutsu. He clasped his hands together, and countless shadow clones appeared around him, rushing towards Ashina Uzumaki.

Soon, these shadow clones were defeated by the Vajra Lock, but Naruto also entered Dark Kurama Mode.

After the black tailed beast cloak appeared, Naruto's speed and strength were enhanced in all aspects. In just an instant, he arrived in front of Ashina Uzumaki, and the Spiral Wheel in his hand instantly took shape and slammed down hard.

With a loud bang, the Spiral Wheel quickly broke through the sealing technique's defenses, but did not cause any damage to the surrounding environment.

On one hand, Naruto intentionally controlled the area, and on the other hand, the reanimated ninjas could not be killed, so they could only be sealed after being defeated.

This is also a headache for him. He is a novice in sealing techniques, but his opponent is the head of the Uzumaki clan. It can be said that the sealing technique system of Konoha was established by his opponent, so the difficulty of sealing him is a little bit high.

Upon discovering cracks appearing in his body, Ashina Uzumaki voluntarily stopped fighting and looked at Naruto, saying:

"Nine-Tails chakra? You're a Jinchūriki of Konoha, what's your relationship with Mito? You clearly have Uzumaki clan blood, so why do you also possess the Sharingan?"

A series of questions made Naruto rub his forehead: "Since you knew I was a descendant of the Uzumaki clan, why did you still attack me?"

Uzumaki Ashina glared and said, "I was sleeping soundly in my coffin when you inexplicably summoned me here. Isn't it normal for me to teach you ignorant juniors a lesson?"

"I just didn't expect that you had the Nine-Tails sealed inside you. I almost lost!"

Upon hearing this, Naruto understood why Himon's grandfather was afraid of Ashina Uzumaki—it was because of Ashina's eccentric personality.

"Hey, I'm asking you a question! Who is Mito Uzumaki to you? Which generation of Jinchuriki are you in Konoha?"

Naruto thought for a moment and then said, "I'm the third generation, but I'm no longer in Konoha. As for Mito, she's been dead for over ten or twenty years, so she should be considered my great-grandmother, right?"

Upon hearing the news of Mito's death, Ashina Uzumaki remained silent for a few seconds: "Has so much time passed? How is the Land of Whirlpools doing now? It should be doing well under Konoha's protection, after all, Konoha can't do without the Land of Whirlpools as an ally."

This time it was Naruto's turn to be silent. He looked at the sealed fire gate to the side with a strange expression.

Uzumaki Ashina also noticed that the atmosphere was a bit awkward. He snorted and said, "Could it be that Uzumaki Village has declined? Speak boldly. I am not a petty person and can bear it."

Chapter 91 Ashina the Uzumaki

Since Ashina Uzumaki had enough mental fortitude, Naruto didn't hesitate any longer and told him the truth directly.

Upon hearing that the Land of Whirlpools had been destroyed for over twenty years and that its fugitive clansmen were wanted by various countries, Ashina Uzumaki's expression turned grave, finding it difficult to accept the fact that Whirlpool Village had been destroyed.

After a sigh, Ashina Uzumaki said in a low voice, "So, you are the only remaining Uzumaki?"

Naruto nodded: "The only known Uzumaki ninjas are myself and Himon. As for how many Uzumaki ninjas there are in the ninja world, I don't know, but they should not exceed the number on both hands."

"It seems I shouldn't have rejected Hashirama's suggestion back then; I should have led the Uzumaki clan to join Konoha."

After a pause, Ashina Uzumaki continued, "By the way, you just said you weren't a Jinchūriki of Konoha, so why did you leave Konoha with the Nine-Tails? Was Konoha also under siege and forced to evacuate?"

As the head of the Uzumaki clan, who had a long-standing friendship with the Senju clan, Uzumaki Ashina cared deeply for Konoha.

"No, Konoha is still Konoha. It has stood strong through the three Shinobi World Wars. I left Konoha for personal reasons and led a group of Uchiha wanderers to settle in the Land of Whirlpools."

"The Uchiha clan has been expelled, so who is the current Hokage?"

Ashina Uzumaki frowned. He didn't have a good impression of the Uchiha clan, but since they had all been expelled, the current Hokage shouldn't be a pacifist like Hashirama. His personality should be closer to Tobirama's.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi was one of the students of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. Incidentally, Uzushio Village was destroyed during his tenure."

"Sarutobi kid, are all the Senju clan ninjas gone? How come the Sarutobi clan has risen to power?"

Ashina Uzumaki glared and puffed out his cheeks, seemingly very dissatisfied with the fact that the Hokage candidate came from the Sarutobi clan.

At this point, Naruto continued, "Because of the Fourth Shinobi World War, the Senju clan was disbanded even before the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed. In addition, the Uchiha clan was ostracized by Konoha, leaving only the Sarutobi and Hyuga clans as the two major clans in the village."

"How could this happen? What's the point of building a village then?"

Upon hearing this, Ashina Uzumaki frowned. In his mind, Konoha was merely a village established by various clans to avoid fighting each other. How could it be that after decades, the major clans that founded the village had all perished?

The Will of Fire that Hashirama preached was about unity, friendship, and mutual support, wasn't it?

Naruto guessed Ashina's thoughts and joked, "Perhaps it's because the Konoha ninjas who truly believed in the Will of Fire all died on the battlefield protecting the village."

What was said unintentionally was taken to heart by the listener.

Hearing this, Minato Namikaze felt a pang of discomfort, as if his throat was blocked. He knew that Naruto was mocking the village's higher-ups, but although there were some unpleasant things between them, they had all fought and bled for the village.

Why did the higher-ups at the Hokage Building become so corrupt after his death, unwilling to provide Naruto with a better environment to grow up in? At the very least, they should have concealed Naruto's identity as a Jinchuriki, just like they did with Kushina.

Ashina Uzumaki was filled with emotion, then looked at Naruto and revealed a sly smile: "I already know the history of the past. Now, tell me your purpose in bringing me from the Pure Land to the Ninja World."

"Furthermore, if I'm not mistaken, you shouldn't be called Menma, and your age shouldn't be referred to as senior."