"Putting aside your thoughts for a moment, Haseo—do you even know how the Nine-Tails is reacting right now?"
Mito Uzumaki didn't continue debating Haseo's point but instead shifted focus to the attitude of the Nine-Tails—the most critical party involved. Although the Nine-Tails couldn't produce any audible reaction, surely nobody expected it to willingly give itself to humanity.
As if donating a bit of chakra from each tailed beast would turn the world into paradise? That's a joke.
"…"
How could Haseo possibly know the tailed beast's reaction? And besides… why not just tighten the seal more? The Eight Trigrams Sealing Style formed by nesting two Four Symbols Seals—wasn't that the best tailed beast sealing technique?
Letting the Nine-Tails hear such words amounted to leaking secrets.
"He's furious, yet he doesn't even get what we're saying, which makes him seem kind of silly."
To Mito Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails sealed within her was currently throwing a powerless tantrum—adorably foolish. Despite its ancient age, the Nine-Tails had never before encountered the Uzumaki clan's Dead Demon Consuming Seal, so it was normal not to understand the conversation between Haseo and Mito.
Even less likely was understanding that Haseo's suggestion wasn't baseless at all—if the Uzumaki truly wanted to divide it, it would be as simple as performing a circumcision surgery on it.
Herein lay the problem: even an ancient tailed beast like this Nine-Tails—who had practically existed alongside the ninja world itself—had never seen such sealing techniques. So how did Haseo know about them? Was it really told to him by Sansho... Even Mito couldn't confirm.
Haseo couldn't picture how silly and cute the Nine-Tails was acting at that moment, but he understood just how terrifying this female ninja in front of him—old enough to be his grandmother—truly was. Judging from the Nine-Tails' temper, upon hearing those words, it should already have stirred raging waves inside the Sealing Formula. Yet Mito remained perfectly calm, with not even a trace of tailed beast chakra leaking out around her.
Compared with that later blond boy (Naruto), who couldn't control his seal properly and frequently leaked Nine-Tails chakra, there seemed to be quite a noticeable difference.
Then, Mito stopped paying attention to the Nine-Tails and returned to the main topic. "Haseo, do you understand what it means for a ninja to be capable of both the Dead Demon Consuming Seal and the Four Symbols Seal? If your idea were implemented, what kind of cost would the Uzumaki clan have to bear?"
"I understand, Lady Mito," Haseo took a deep breath before continuing. "My words may sound careless, even irresponsible—as if spoken by a detached outsider. But I believe precisely *because* the sacrifice is huge, it makes this choice all the more meaningful.
That's precisely the reason the Uzumaki clan *should* take this step.
Someone like you, who has lived through times of war and possesses great wisdom, must certainly understand the current situation facing the small Land of Whirlpools. Indeed, the Uzumaki possess great power, but ultimately, the Land of Whirlpools is merely a tiny nation with limited territory.
The strength of the Uzumaki is mighty, but also insular and vulnerable to destruction.
I personally don't know much about the circumstances surrounding the founding era of the ninja villages. But regardless of whatever concerns or reasons the clan might have had, in the end, the Uzumaki missed the opportunity to merge with Konoha—and that is simply the reality."
Perhaps the Uzumaki clan still wishes to preserve its independence at this moment—it's a natural thought. However, the times are no longer suitable for such a situation.
Mito-sama must understand better than anyone else how special the Uzumaki clan is, and how the ninja village of the Land of Whirlpools differs from other small villages in minor nations.
How much longer can the ninja village of the Land of Whirlpools survive? Ten years? Twenty? Nobody knows for sure.
But one thing remains certain—this current period, with you, Mito-sama, residing within Konoha, is the time when the ties between Konoha and the Uzumaki clan are closest. It's also the best opportunity to strengthen our bond… How long this window lasts, ultimately, depends solely on Mito-sama's health.
Personally, I believe the Uzumaki should integrate into Konoha. Now would still be the right time."
Haseo's meaning was clear: the Uzumaki would help Konoha fully control the Nine-Tails—and use it as a chance to relocate to Konoha. If the Tailed Beast crisis were resolved through such a contribution, everyone would see the relocation as only natural.
Though currently, the relationship between Konoha and the Uzumaki clan is as close as two people sharing one body, they're still two distinct groups. If just five or six individuals from the Uzumaki moved into Konoha, there would absolutely be no objection. But when it comes to relocating the entire clan, the matter becomes quite different.
Truly, the Uzumaki have missed the best timing to integrate into Konoha. Even if relations between the two brothers remain strong, it's simply not that simple if the little brother wants to move into his big brother's house for good.
Yes, the Uzumaki are indeed a capable and unique clan. Their inclusion would certainly enhance Konoha's strength. Yet considerations extend far beyond that—the Hokage's stance, the senior officials within Konoha, and the perspectives of other Ninja Sects originally involved in Konoha's formation. All these factors make things complicated.
Therefore, relationships, attitudes, emotions—these are difficult to adjust harmoniously. Only shared interests can open the door to negotiation.
Only now did Mito Uzumaki begin seriously considering Haseo's words. She herself had always acted as the bridge connecting the Uzumaki clan and Konoha. Even if relations between both sides remained good after her time, they could never again reach the level of closeness she represented while still alive.
An even more important realization was that Mito Uzumaki fully understood the danger currently threatening her clan. A village possessing great power but standing isolated cannot survive unscathed. From the warring ages of endless conflict, Mito had already witnessed the destruction of countless ninja clans. What's more, unlike those turbulent days, the world now had five massive ninja villages shaping the balance of power globally.
In truth, the Uzumaki themselves weren't blind to this underlying threat. Quietly, they'd already started spreading out across distant lands. However, these small-scale, deliberately concealed migrations went unnoticed even by Konoha… Caught between the Uzumaki and Konoha, Mito chose not to expose such details.
After a brief silence, Mito Uzumaki rose from her seat and walked over to stand beside Haseo. "I must admit," she said, "before you spoke, I never imagined someone could actually say something like this.
Now comes the most critical question, Haseo. Why did you make such a suggestion? What exactly is it that you want?"
"This is a very important matter. Depending on the situation, Haseo might be silenced immediately."
"It's about the future, Lady Mito. Although my current strength as a ninja is quite limited, I still want to strive to create a slightly better future than what we have now."
"...Not bad."
What Haseo said wasn't very specific, but Uzumaki Mito could accept it, because Hashirama had once said something similar to her... Although it was somewhat unpleasant that her husband seemed to have said those kinds of things more often to someone from the Uchiha clan. But since he was already dead, he could be forgiven.
As for Haseo, perhaps he'd been influenced by her daughter.
Thinking this, Uzumaki Mito even reached out and patted Haseo's head. Haseo certainly felt uneasy — he was hardly a child anymore — but given his current height, her hand reached perfectly for a gentle pat on the head.
Haseo couldn't help but feel awkward, but just as he was about to reluctantly accept Uzumaki Mito's action as an act of elder kindness, he heard her speak again:
"Although the exact reason is unknown, regardless of your sensor ability, the amount of information in your mind is at least four times that of other ninjas your age, and three times that of normal ninjas. If properly utilized, you could indeed generate an information shockwave capable of driving a jinchuriki insane."
Haseo was greatly startled. What the—? You mean she can tell all that just from a head pat?
Could the Uzumaki clan's sensor ability really pull off something like this?
Head-pat kills... Head-pat KILLS? That's where that phrase comes from?
Just as Haseo's face twisted between confusion and disbelief, Uzumaki Mito continued calmly...
"I'll give serious thought to what you've said.
Though I'm old,
I too wish for a better future."
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