To learn fūinjutsu, starting with theory is essential. Namikaze Minato was extremely patient. He spent most of the night speaking with Fenghuo's shadow clone, carefully explaining the basics. At the end, he handed him a book.
The book was priceless. It contained a collection of sealing formulas and runes, co-written by Minato and Kushina Uzumaki. Many were from the Uzumaki Clan's traditional techniques, passed down through generations.
Minato explained, "If you can master the sealing formulas in this book, you'll be able to grasp most of the foundational Uzumaki sealing techniques—like the Four Symbols Seal, Five Elements Seal, and the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style."
Finally, he demonstrated a relatively simple technique used for basic chakra suppression and containment: the Sealing Circle.
The Sealing Circle required four fūin tags arranged in a square. It was ideal for beginners to practice barrier-type sealing jutsu.
"Minato, thank you so much!" Fenghuo said excitedly.
"Don't be rude!" Kushina barked, smacking him on the head with a light punch. "He's your senior—call him 'Big Brother Minato' at least!"
"Hehe, it's okay," Minato said with a gentle smile, casting a fond glance at Kushina.
"Yes, Brother Minato," Fenghuo quickly corrected himself, acting obediently now that he'd gotten what he wanted.
"Alright! It's late—get out of here!" Kushina roared, arms flailing.
Fenghuo originally intended to cancel the shadow clone, but remembering the book in its possession, he had no choice but to run all the way back to the main body.
Back home, Fenghuo collapsed in the small courtyard under the moonlight. His body ached from intense training. He wanted to curl up and sleep, but if the shadow clone disappeared before transferring the book, everything would be lost.
At last, his clone leapt over the wall—and as if on cue, vanished with a puff of smoke the moment it landed. The book dropped into the courtyard, and Fenghuo's mind was flooded with the clone's memory.
When the sun rose to midday, Fenghuo finally stirred.
"The book!" His eyes shot open.
After a frantic search, he found it lying safely in the grass. "Thank goodness it didn't land in the pond."
His body was refreshed, and thanks to the memory transfer, he had fully absorbed the theoretical knowledge of the sealing techniques.
He summoned a new shadow clone and ordered it to make breakfast while he opened the book and began studying the runes.
"What the hell are these squiggles?!"
Flipping through the book, he realized it contained over a hundred seal patterns—each one intricate and unfamiliar, like tadpole script or ancient calligraphy.
Luckily, Minato had included detailed annotations beside each rune. His explanations were clear and easy to follow, easing Fenghuo's panic.
The first four runes were part of the Sealing Circle.
He took out pen and paper and began practicing. The symbols looked eerily similar to the paper talismans used by fortune-tellers during temple festivals in his past life—except here, they required chakra to activate. No deep theory, just endless repetition.
Once, twice, ten times… a hundred times.
Eventually, Fenghuo successfully drew four sealing tags infused with chakra.
He pasted them around his courtyard, gathered some chickens and ducks, herded them into the center, then activated the seal.
A soft blue glow connected the tags, forming a square barrier. The animals immediately froze, motionless.
"It worked!"
A moment later, the glow faded and the birds panicked, flapping and scattering in all directions.
"Hmm… the duration is too short. Useless in combat, but good as a trap."
After eating, he left his clone to continue studying the sealing book while he headed for Hokage Rock.
Over the past few days, following his own "brilliant inspiration," Might Duy had been working on developing the Eight Gates Technique, starting with the Front Lotus (Omote Renge).
"Front Lotus!"
Boom!
Another wooden stake exploded midair as Duy tested the move. It was a bit different from how his son, Might Guy, would use it in the future.
"Ah, Fenghuo, perfect timing!" Duy called. "Why can't I get this Front Lotus just right?"
Ask your son—he's the one who invented it, Fenghuo thought to himself, keeping a straight face.
Instead, he studied the move again and offered advice. "Uncle Duy, when you wrap the bandage around the target, don't go stiff. You need finesse—bind it snugly so the target can't slip free."
Duy, used to unleashing full power without restraint, struggled with the concept. But the Front Lotus demanded both precision and brutality. It used centrifugal force to spiral the enemy midair, wrapped tight in a bandage that grew tighter the more they struggled.
If the bandage wasn't applied carefully, any human opponent would simply tear through it.
Duy paused, thoughtful. Then his eyes lit up. "Fenghuo! How about testing it in a real fight?"
The corner of Fenghuo's mouth twitched. "Ah—Uncle Duy, I just remembered the gas stove at home—I might've left it on! Gotta go!"
He vanished in a puff.
If he finds a breakthrough on me, I'll be in a wheelchair for life!
"…Gas?" Duy scratched his head.
Fenghuo hadn't gone far. He just headed to a nearby clearing to train. Lacking wooden stakes, he snapped a tree in half with a Rasengan, fashioned it into a dummy, and began his regimen.
Right punches, side kicks, squats, leapfrogs—he followed his training routine without fear of injury. With medical ninjutsu at his disposal and an unusually robust body, he knew he'd recover overnight no matter how hard he pushed.
Hearing the noise, Duy laughed and continued refining the Front Lotus.
That evening, after school ended, a younger Guy dashed over, full of energy. After a tearful, passionate greeting with his father, he threw himself into death training alongside Fenghuo.
More than two weeks passed. Fenghuo split his days between intense physical training and learning sealing techniques.
Finally, Yuhi Makoto returned from his mission.
In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled a cloud of smoke from his pipe. "That's the situation. I'm assigning you to mentor the boy—Fenghuo."
Yuhi nodded. "Understood, Lord Hokage. I'll do my best. But… a genin team needs three members."
"The boy's case is… special," Hiruzen said. "At his age, only Kakashi is close in skill. But his father, Sakumo, wants to train him personally."
Makoto nodded again. "I see."
"You'll mentor Fenghuo one-on-one for now. I see great potential in him, Makoto. Guide him well."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
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