Something big was happening in Konoha—something that left the entire village utterly dumbfounded.
It all began with the eruption of the Nine-Tails. Its deafening roar finally snapped the villagers out of their daze. And then, without warning, the Hokage was expelled from the Senju Clan.
The villagers were bewildered. Especially when they learned that the one who issued this order was none other than Uzumaki Mito. That completely shattered any hope of understanding the situation.
Meanwhile, in the Senju Clan's compound…
Uzumaki Mito, now restored to her youthful self, sat calmly on a bed. Not far away, Yukika leaned against Tsunade's leg with a relaxed expression. Kushina stood near the wall, curiously eyeing the nine small horses—actually, the nine tails of the beast lying on the floor.
At the moment, the Nine-Tails had its paw wrapped around a strange plastic container. Inside were snack sticks that gave off a bizarre and spicy aroma.
Spicy strips. Yukika had prepared them as treats for his pet.
Of course, Kurō—the current name of the Nine-Tails—was still not used to the fizzy punch of cola, but he had developed a strong preference for spicy food.
"If you're going to raise a dog, then raise it properly," Yukika said with a sense of responsibility.
Elsewhere in the room, two Tamaki puppets—one external and one internal—were arguing as one watered the flowers.
"Are you sure that's really the Nine-Tails? Isn't it just a dog?"
"If the Nine-Tails heard that, you'd be in big trouble."
"But it really doesn't look like one…"
"I know it doesn't, but it is. No doubt about it."
Alright then. After flipping over one of the Tamaki golems, the Byakugan resumed scanning the area.
To be honest, she had grown used to this daily life of being with Uzumaki Mito.
What if she herself became a Jinchūriki?
Well, even if the dog was still on the floor, this life wasn't too bad.
"Grandma Mito still hasn't come downstairs."
Taking a deep breath, Yukika lazily nestled into Tsunade's arms. "After all…"
Mito let out a quiet sigh.
Yukika remained silent. He understood what was on Mito's mind.
But that didn't matter.
Now that his strength had grown, the only unresolved issue was the Senju Clan. Once that was settled, what meaning would the title of Hokage even hold?
Konoha would become something greater.
"What does this village even mean anymore?" Yukika asked quietly.
"If there were no Konoha, the Senju would probably live better."
"But I respect your choice. In the end, Senju will always be Senju. I don't know if Konoha can say the same."
"There are still many talented shinobi from my generation. That's enough."
"And also… mitp—er, Grandma," he added with a slightly awkward tone.
Admittedly, calling Grandma mito by that name still felt strange to him. After all, Mito had returned to being a youthful girl. It was hard to adjust.
"You've already done more than enough for Grandpa."
"The current situation is clear… this village and the person at the top both owe you."
Mito said nothing. A long moment passed before she nodded and let out a deep sigh.
"I understand. You're the Senju Clan leader. Do as you see fit."
"Just like before, I will support you without hesitation."
mito was still mito.
Yukika chuckled. "Nothing's leaked from the Hokage side, right?"
"Of course not. Not even a fly can get in or out. The Root and ANBU agents who stayed behind to pass messages to Danzō—don't worry. Everything will go according to your plan."
Mito's tone was calm.
She declared that until the new advisor was appointed, Hiruzen Sarutobi would stay in his office and reflect. That was her command—and so it would be.
She had regained her youth, and with it, her temper had returned. No more second-guessing.
The rebirth of a Jinchūriki was still in progress. During this time, Yukika and Mito had many conversations, which only deepened their bond.
And the plan they had discussed was now ready to be set in motion.
The state of the village needed to be kept secret to ensure the plan's success.
"When I return, I will personally take you to avenge the Uzumaki Clan," Yukika said seriously as he sat up from Tsunade's embrace.
"You have leads?" Mito asked with a furrowed brow. Kushina perked up her ears.
Initially, she hadn't investigated much. But those people had covered their tracks too well, leaving very few clues behind.
"The Uzumaki were located near the borders of the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water," Yukika explained. "The Land of Pear is planning the Second Shinobi World War. They've limited manpower for external operations but we can't rule out their involvement."
"But the biggest suspect is the Land of Water. They didn't participate in the war but have been secretly amassing power."
He paused and sighed.
"However… the forces at Ukasu Village weren't as weak as we believed. Even if the Land of Water and the Land of Lightning sent their elites, wiping them out in a short time wouldn't have been easy."
"Even if they wanted to take the Uzumaki Clan head-on, the price would've been heavy."
"Just one person—one ghoul—would be enough to cause major problems. Let alone… if even one variable changed…"
"So, I suspect the method of attack was different," he continued, giving Kushina an encouraging look.
"I've mentioned this to you before. But now, I want more details."
"First, before Ukasu Village was destroyed, had anyone from there ever come here?"
"Second, when exactly were you discovered and brought back to Konoha?"
Kushina looked puzzled. "Visitors? I don't think we had any…"
"But there were suddenly a lot of merchants. I remember… my mom even bought me a cotton candy."
Her face showed pain, but Kushina clenched her teeth. She didn't cry.
What use was crying?
She had to become strong—like Yukika and Grandma Mito.
After calming herself down, Kushina spoke again. "When I was rescued, there weren't many enemies left in the village. But I made a noise and thought I was going to die."
"Then a Konoha ninja showed up and saved me… and brought me back."
That was it.
Yukika rubbed his chin. "You were pretending to be a merchant? Do you know who introduced that caravan?"
"No need to ask." Mito shook her head and handed him an old letter.
The yellowed paper made it clear the letter had been around for years.
After reading it, Yukika gave a soft smile.
The letter had been sent by the leader of the Uzumaki Clan. Just a friendly greeting.
But in the final lines, it mentioned how Konoha had offered to help the Uzumaki build trade networks as a gesture of goodwill.
It seemed like a good thing—so the Uzumaki leader had agreed.
"So, Grandma Mito, you already suspected the truth, didn't you?"
"The caravan came right before the fall of the clan. The timing of Ukasu Village's destruction was precise. And they saved Kushina."
"This was a coordinated attack."
"Someone even played the enemy directly."
Yukika pointed toward a distant, prominent building.
"Even Kirigakure was just a hired gun. And in the end, not a single Uzumaki was captured."
"Konoha was the biggest winner."
"Of course, the Land of Water isn't innocent either. As your grandson, once this is all over, I'll lead our clan and return to the Senju."
After saying everything, Yukika observed Mito's face.
She showed no surprise.
She already knew.
Even with emotion in her eyes, she slowly spat out a single word.
"Betrayal… I've seen too much of it."