Chapter 93.5- One Thousand Hands

“Fine fine, Grandmother. I want to make a self-replicating matrix.”

“In what way?” She asked, appearance almost changing as her eyes sharpened and she began to hang on to my every word. She was in seal mistress mode now. The switch up used to throw me off something fierce when I was younger. Now I just appreciated how she could lock away that critical part of her mind until she needed to use it for something, and then it could appear in full force.

“A seal matrix that copies itself and spreads from target to target through some medium. If we could do it through the air, that would be ideal, but I doubt that would be possible. Touch, however…” I led.

“I see. What do you want to replicate?” She asked.

“An explosive tag”

“And this is part of your revenge on Suna?” She asked.

“Reiji speaks too freely” I replied, resolving to scold him for that when I got the chance. She scoffed.

“You think I need a spy in your council? I raised you, boy. I know what you will do in any situation even before you do. I knew you would form an attack on Suna because you never liked it when Tsunade took your things when you were younger— you’d always find someway to get her back. The hunger for vengeance runs stronger in you than it did in any one of my children.” She said.

“Are you going to help me then?”

“I doubt it would be possible in the way you imagine it working.” She said.

“What do you mean?”

“Come” And so we left her bedroom, making our way to the seal room. She spread the scroll on the floor, and bent into a smooth seiza— well, smooth if one ignored the sound of creaking bones. A sound that Grandmother paid no mind to either.

She drew out a seal.

“A self replicating seal is something like a virus in that it would replicate itself to spread from host to host, yes?” I nodded.

“Now if I form this seal and make it replicate by touch, what do you think will happen?” She asked.

“Just that. It will spread to whoever touches it, and then whoever they touch, and so on, going forever” I replied.

“If only it was so easy” She sighed before drawing another matrix around the seal she had formed. I could recognize the explosive seal, the first one she had drawn. Breaking down the other matrix made it clear that it was exactly what I had asked for— something to allow the seal replicate itself. She’d done it differently than I had in all my attempts at least.

“Now, place your hand in it” She said.

I gave her a look, but obeyed nonetheless. I placed my hand in the middle, and nothing happened. Nothing at all.

“It failed.” I said. Just like all my other attempts had.

“Activate your byakugan and look at the seal and your hand” She said.

With a flex of my facial muscles, my doujutsu came active. I almost reflexively snatched my hand back when I took a look at the seal. It was trying to spread to my hand. The only issue was that it was not managing to go all that far.

“When I compared the seal you wanted to something like a virus, it wasn’t an accident” She said, pausing now and waiting for me to figure it out. This was how Mito educated. She never led you to the river. She’d give you a map, but if you wanted a drink, it was your job to follow it and figure it out.