Sakumo Hatake meticulously patrolled the Front Line, constantly alert to potential enemies. Yet, when his gaze drifted toward the sea, a distant look filled his eyes.
The fact that his leave had not ended did not truly affect his mood—he was a ninja, well aware of the unpredictable demands of a ninja's duty. Still, he couldn't figure out why Haseo and Uzumaki Shikou had suddenly returned to Konoha in such haste.
Logically speaking, if the Front Line commander, Haseo, had rushed back to the village in such urgency, there should have been some major incident at play. However, during this entire time, Sakumo had remained inside the village on leave, experiencing nothing but peace—there were absolutely no signs of any crisis occurring in Konoha.
Keeping his wedding a secret from even his closest friends, slipping back to the village solely for the ceremony… quite honestly, this made Sakumo feel somewhat ashamed, though pressing circumstances had left him with no other choice.
Yet before departing the Front Line, Haseo had sincerely offered his congratulations during their handover. That blessing lingered strongly in Sakumo's mind.
"You may not know your wife very well yet, but I guarantee your son will be remarkable."
Sakumo gazed out toward the sea, its color seeping into his eyes like a lingering sorrow… Honestly, something seemed logically off about that statement.
But if he twisted the wording just right, the logic issue vanished—only to transform into an ethical dilemma instead. Maybe he should've been looking at the grasslands instead of the sea.
In any case, he should probably send a letter home—it might serve as a quiet reminder, or simply a way to clear his head.
Meanwhile, while Sakumo wrestled emotionally with Haseo's less-than-amusing joke, Haseo and Uzumaki Shikou had already returned to Konoha.
He did not stop to rest, nor did he report to the Third Hokage. Instead, he went directly to Kagenami's office.
"Cutting straight to the point… Exactly what happened?"
Uncharacteristically, Haseo skipped small talk and directly asked Mokkō, who had approached to deliver the report.
"Yes, Lord Haseo.
Several days ago, the Nine-Tails within Lady Mito briefly became restless. However, before we could intervene, Lady Mito herself suppressed the disturbance first. Since then, the situation has temporarily stabilized again." Mokkō summarized events concisely.
This was precisely the reason Haseo had been recalled.
Within Konoha, overseeing the containment and transfer of the Nine-Tails—the transference between Jinchuriki—had become one of Kagenami's core responsibilities by silent agreement under the Third Hokage.
"That's all?" This explanation caused Haseo to secretly relax. "Although naturally, as Lady Mito ages, her chakra power weakens gradually; the Nine-Tails resisting is inevitable. However... the Nine-Tails now has already been significantly weakened—it should still be no match for Lady Mito's remaining strength."
His words carried implications but were left unclarified in front of Mokkō—the plan wasn't ready to be fully revealed yet.
Therefore, Mokkō did not understand exactly what "considerably weakened" meant regarding the Nine-Tails, though she did not ask further either… A ninja never pries into matters they aren't meant to know.
However, things weren't as optimistic as Haseo had made them sound. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been recalled to the village in the first place.
Mokkō clenched her jaw and continued, "Right now, Lady Mito has changed her residence. She has moved away from the central area of Konoha and now lives at the farthest eastern edge of the village, right next to the forest.
Her safety is being handled by ninja from the Kagenami and four squads from Anbu… This was a personal request from Lady Mito, and it later received the Third Hokage's tacit approval."
These words caused Haseo to stop in his tracks, halting his steps further into the base.
The mere act of relocation already said a lot. The fact that Mito Uzumaki herself had actively requested such conditions meant—at the very least—that she no longer had complete confidence in suppressing the Nine-Tails within her. Moving away from densely populated areas and living at the village's edge showed that she was worried about an unexpected incident.
In case the Nine-Tails lost control, at the very least, its destruction could be contained… Indeed, Konoha's approach toward jinchuriki with potential instability hadn't changed one bit.
But since this had been Mito's own initiative, Haseo had nothing further to say.
"I'll go see Lady Mito first."
"Master Haseo, allow me to guide you."
Mokkō walked ahead while Haseo turned around and headed back outside, followed closely by Uzumaki Shikou behind him.
The group left the base in haste and soon arrived at a quiet house hidden among the trees.
Numerous Uzumaki ninja were guarding this area. Moreover, at least three layers of barriers had been set up here from the outside inward, making the security extremely tight.
Naturally, Haseo encountered no obstacles and proceeded directly toward the house.
From his earlier observation, although there had been no communication, he had already noticed that eight of the famed "Thirteen Fragrances" were present here. Counting both Mokkō and Shikou, that made ten total.
Together with other Uzumaki shinobi and Anbu members, at least fifty ninja were densely stationed within this small area—it was truly a significant deployment.
And soon, the center of this commotion—Mito Uzumaki—came into view. Compared to the tense atmosphere all around, Mito herself appeared quite relaxed. She sat on a chair basking in the sun, holding a black cat in her lap… Well, Haseo naturally knew exactly which cat this was, though it wasn't particularly important.
"Lady Mito…" Haseo quickly stepped forward.
"It's a bit excessive," Mito said without standing up, barely lifting her head, gesturing toward the area most heavily packed with ninja. "We haven't reached that point yet. Remove half of the guards stationed here."
Haseo considered it briefly before deciding to comply with Mito's request. He subtly signaled to Mokkō, instructing her to reassign the guard duties accordingly.
Mokkō seemed like she wanted to say something but ultimately remained silent.
"You're right, it is a bit too much," Haseo said.
After assessing Mito's condition firsthand, Haseo decided the situation wasn't that severe—at least not yet.
"I moved just in case something happened. Unfortunately, most people jumped to the wrong conclusions."
Mito Uzumaki shook her head, then looked up at Haseo and asked, "Has everything on the Front Line been settled?"
"Yes, the war on the Eastern Front has basically been confirmed as quelled."
"Hmm, then it's probably good for you to stay in Konoha for now."
Haseo watched as Mito Uzumaki's withered hand gently stroked Black Cat's silky fur, just as always, then looked back at her face. He suddenly realized that, without him even noticing, she had already gone completely white-haired… The elderly appearance left him somewhat dazed because in his memory, the red-haired Mito Uzumaki was still vividly imprinted.
It felt like so much time had quietly slipped by—Haseo had just now become aware of it.
"Lady Mito," Haseo finally asked, voicing the question on his mind, "what exactly has been going on with the Nine-Tails?"
"The decline of my chakra wasn't unexpected—it hasn't sped up or dropped dramatically. However, after my chakra weakened slightly, the Nine-Tails' reaction was surprising—it became somewhat frenzied, constantly trying to break through the seal. This situation only occurred during the early days right after I became its Jinchuriki.
Therefore, to suppress it, I must remain vigilant at all times, which is extremely mentally draining… Even if my chakra poses no problem, my energy simply cannot match yours, younger folks." Mito Uzumaki went on to explain her current condition.
Having heard this, Haseo began to understand. Honestly, he hadn't expected this at all.
Mito Uzumaki's chakra was still sufficient to suppress the Nine-Tails—after all, she possessed one-eighth of its power. Yet the issue remained: upon sensing her weakening chakra and the gradual loosening of its seal, the beast grew unusually active.
Haseo could easily guess the little fox's reason for acting so violently—it had been sliced open several times.
In the past, it had no choice but to endure. But now that the chance has come, it naturally wants to cause chaos and seek revenge on Mito and Konoha, who sliced it open more than once.
Seeing concern creeping into Haseo's expression, Mito Uzumaki merely offered a slight smile before saying, "Don't worry, I can still hold on for a while.
Whether good or bad, I've lived with the Nine-Tails for countless years now, and the time for us to part still hasn't come."
These words contained the achievement of suppressing a Tailed Beast, the tragedy of being a Jinchuriki, and finally, a ninja's enduring confidence.
Haseo had heard of and even seen parts of Mito's experiences, but no matter how much he empathized or reflected, he could never fully understand her.
Only Mito Uzumaki truly knew the full story of her own life…
This kind of solitude… it couldn't be avoided.
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