chapter 86 part 2
The Third Hokage then turned to Kushina and said, "Kushina, the Village is a power you can rely on. If you encounter any difficulties, you can directly bring them up."
"I have no requests, other than hoping for a proper burial for Grandmother Mito's remains."
"That is only right," the Third Hokage agreed. "But we must wait a bit. Lord Mito was an important pillar of the Hidden Leaf Village. Announcing her death rashly will certainly cause great turmoil, and enemies from other villages might take advantage of the weakness. The Village must first mobilize its troops for defense, and then I will announce that Lord Mito passed away peacefully in her sleep, ensuring a smooth transition."
"...Understood. I need to rest."
Kushina didn't even have the strength to refute—it seemed she had always lacked a sense of belonging in the Hidden Leaf Village. She always hoped to genuinely consider the Hidden Leaf Village her home from the bottom of her heart, and not be treated as an outsider.
In the past, this important sense of belonging was given to her by Mito Uzumaki, but that person was now dead.
Kushina lowered her head and slowly walked into Mito Uzumaki's residence, but she quickly noticed that several Anbu were closely monitoring her every move, unwilling to leave, and would continue to watch.
"You—what exactly do you want to do?!"
Powerful Chakra erupted from Kushina, scattering her beautiful red hair, and Nine-Tails Chakra began to generate from her body little by little.
"Lord Hokage, be careful, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki might lose control—"
"Kaedelence! Step back! Kushina will not harm the Village's comrades. She is someone Lord Mito recognized, and therefore, someone I recognize as well," the Third Hokage scolded.
As expected, Kushina immediately calmed down, feeling even more exhausted, her heart utterly hollow, finding everything in this Village so rigid and cold.
Grandmother Mito had given her all for this Village, yet why did she have a strange feeling that it's wasn't worth it? What had gone wrong? The Third Hokage's words were all correct, but...
"Rest well, Kushina. Time cannot flow backward, and people always have to look forward. There will surely be hope ahead. Remember Lord Mito's entrustment to you," Tsukasa Kaede said to Kushina's retreating back.
Kushina didn't respond, mechanically taking steps, like a Walking Dead. Only the red Magatama she wore shone so brightly at this moment.
"Then, my mission is complete."
Tsukasa Kaede resealed the Nine-Tails Chakra on his body and carefully hung the Sealing Scroll at his waist, properly secured.
"Thank you for your hard work. If you remember anything else you need to report to me, you can come to me anytime. Don't let any suspicious clues slip by."
The Third Hokage made no mention of retrieving the Nine-Tails Chakra. This was already one of the Jutsu Formulas Tsukasa Kaede could activate, and in the future, if he used the Tailed Beast cloak in battle, the Village would vouch for Tsukasa Kaede.
Tsukasa Kaede immediately agreed: "Understood, but Lord Hokage, what about the Rinnegan? Kaedence Lord Danzo reported the Rinnegan situation to you, then you must know that Lord Jiraiya is currently teaching the Rinnegan wielder."
The Third Hokage frowned at the thought, letting out a long sigh.
Each and every one of them gave him no peace, causing many things to spiral out of control.
Danzo's actions could be understood, as he had always been this way, doing dirty work while always finding opportunities to scheme and advance, seeking to expand his own Faction.
But Jiraiya discovering the Rinnegan in the Land of Rain and secretly becoming a teacher was what truly gave the Third Hokage a splitting headache—Mito Uzumaki died because of the Rinnegan, so what role did Jiraiya unwittingly play in Mito Uzumaki's death? Concealing information, leading to the death of the highly respected First Hokage's wife?
If this matter were to be exposed, would he have to declare Jiraiya a Rogue Ninja and send Hunter-Nin Squads to the Land of Rain to pursue him? How could that be possible?
Thus, the Third Hokage resorted to his traditional method—doing nothing, watching the show, letting things unfold naturally, waiting for the involved parties to make their own decisions.
He would wait a few more months for Jiraiya to return, then the Third Hokage would step in to clean up the mess.
To put it bluntly, using a Mito Uzumaki who was already close to death to probe the hidden powers of the Land of Rain, learning about Jiraiya and the Rinnegan, and with Kushina successfully becoming the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Mito Uzumaki's death was actually... quite worthwhile.
Because without these hidden intel, the Hidden Leaf Village would not have been able to know them and would have paid many painful prices in the future to potentially obtain them.
This was cruel, but both the Third Hokage and Tsukasa Kaede were well aware of it.
Soon, the Hidden Leaf Village returned to normal, and people quickly forgot about the incident, immersing themselves once again in peace and prosperity.
This peace was bought with countless sacrifices, but people are always forgetful.
However, the Ninja Clans sensed a different atmosphere and were subtly suspicious—apart from the Third Hokage and his Anbu, the Great Ninja Clans did not participate in the Barrier Technique encirclement.
The Hokage's Faction was, after all, not on the same page as the Great Ninja Clans, especially concerning the most dangerous Ninja Clan: the Uchiha Clan.
Everyone knew how terrifying the Sharingan's Genjutsu was, so it was even less likely for members of the Uchiha Clan to be involved in Nine-Tails related incidents. This wasn't even a matter of trust or distrust, but a matter of absolutely not giving the Uchiha any opportunity.
"The Village's atmosphere seems to have shifted. I feel like our Clan is being watched more closely, and some missions we used to handle are no longer assigned to us."
Fugaku noticed this, unsure where the Uchiha Clan had offended the Village again. He inquired and found that the Senju Clan and Hyuga Clan were operating as usual, making it impossible to determine if they were being restricted.
The Senju Clan was still desperately working, carrying out various missions, intensifying the training of their Clan Members, and trying every possible way to restore their Clan's prestige.
The Hyuga Clan also remained unchanged, going about their business methodically, indifferent to some sensitive changes in the Village. After all, everyone needed the Hyuga Clan, and as long as the Hyuga Clan didn't court death, they would always remain a core force of the Village.