TheNarutoFranchise features several clans and bloodlines that are distinct due to their unique techniques, yet none come close to the Uzumaki’s power in terms of sealing jutsu. Their Fuinjutsu were feared throughout the shinobi world, so much thatthe Great Nations had to band togetherto annihilate this revered clan. While the Uzumaki Clan’s existence may have ended, its legacy lives on in the form of its deadly sealing techniques, with one forbidden jutsu being the pinnacle of the Uzumaki’s prowess – the Reaper Death Seal.
Despite belonging to the Uzumaki Clan, the Reaper Death Seal has only been used by Minato Namikaze and Hiruzen Sarutobi, meaning the secrets of this technique areknown among the Leaf’s elders. The jutsu has played a pivotal role in several instances in the series, namely Minato’s fight with the Nine-Tails and Hiruzen’s battle with Orochimaru. This sealing technique also requires a sacrifice, which is in the form of the caster’s soul, which is primarily why the jutsu has been deemed a forbidden technique. Further exploring the intricacies of this Fuinjutsu reveals how daunting it truly is.
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How Does the Reaper Death Seal Technique Work?
The Reaper Death Seal summons forth a Shinigami or Death God, who appears behind the caster. The Shinigami bears a petrifying look, with prayer beads in one hand and a taichi in its mouth. Once summoned, the Shinigami uses thecaster as a sacrificeand then grabs the target’s soul through the caster’s body. Once the Reaper makes contact with the target, they can no longer perform any jutsu, and any currently active jutsu is completely negated.
The Reaper then pulls the target’s soul out of their body, the speed of which depends on the caster’s lifeforce and chakra. In Hiruzen’s case, he was unableto seal off Orochimarucompletely since his chakra had been drained and his life force diminished. Once the soul is ripped out of the target, the Shinigami then uses its Taichi and slices the soul, entirely pulling it towards itself and sealing both the target and the caster’s soul inside its stomach. Those that are sealed within the Shinigami’s stomach can never enter the Pure Land, and their souls fight each other for all eternity.
Users of the Reaper Death Seal
The Reaper Death Seal has been used twice in the entireNarutoseries, and each time the technique’s absurd strength left its mark among the shinobi world. The jutsu was firstwitnessed in Hiruzen Sarutobiand Orochimaru’s battle during the Chunin Exams. As a last resort, Hiruzen was forced to use the Reaper Death Seal technique, as that was the only way to seal away the First and Second Hokage, along with Orochimaru’s immortal soul. He achieved this by using the technique through two of his shadow clones, each one grabbing the soul of one target. However, as Hiruzen’s lifeforce and chakra had been completely drained, he was unable to entirely seal Orochimaru, taking only the soul of his arms, rendering them paralyzed and useless.
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Minato Namikaze used the jutsu during the Nine-Tails’ rampage, where he was forced toseal away Kurama’s Yin chakrainside himself, in-turn sacrificing his own soul. Since the target is first sealed inside the caster and then pulled towards the Shinigami, Minato became the Nine-Tails’ Jinchuriki since he then had its Yin half inside of him. His version of the Reaper Death Seal slightly varied, as he could seal the Nine-Tails from quite a distance, something that wasn’t possible in Hiruzen’s case.
How to Undo the Reaper Death Seal
Although the series initially presented the Reaper Death Seal as an irreversible sealing technique, it was later revealed duringthe Fourth Great Shinobi Warthat the seal can indeed be released. For the jutsu to be undone, one must wear the Shinigami mask, which can be found in the Uzumaki Shrine in the outskirts of the Hidden Leaf, and let the Shinigami’s spirit possess them. To proceed with releasing the souls, the wearer must slice their abdomen, which results in the souls being trapped in the Shinigami’s stomach to be released.
The downside of this reversal technique is that the one wearing the mask also dies in the process, as they succumb to the wounds from slicing the abdomen. However,since it was Orochimaruwho had done the reversal, he simply escaped death by switching bodies with a White Zetsu. Apart from this method, there is no known method of reversing the Reaper Death Seal, and even this technique requires a sacrifice. Considering the absurd power of this technique and the deadly prerequisites, the Reaper Death Seal Jutsu is truly the Uzumaki Clan’s strongest sealing technique.
