chapter 94 part 1
Chapter 94: Funeral, Immortality, Return to the Village
Funerals are always solemn, especially Mito Uzumaki's.
In the drizzling rain, numerous Ninja, dressed in black, offered bouquets to Mito Uzumaki's Memorial Stone, bidding their final farewells to the legendary figure.
The wife of the First Hokage, the first Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, had suddenly passed away—though no one knew Mito Uzumaki had died in that battle in the Land of Rain, her passing didn't come as a surprise.
At over seventy years old, her age wasn't particularly high for an Uzumaki Clan member, but compared to ordinary Ninja, she was definitely long-lived. Moreover, the handover of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki role was smoothly completed after her death, leading most people to cast gazes of attention towards a certain red-haired girl.
Kushina was already crying her eyes out, constantly wiping away her tears. No matter how much she tried to act strong, at this moment of public farewell, it was impossible to suppress her emotions.
"That person is..."
"That's right, the red hair. Lady Mito often had her by her side when she was alive. She must be the new Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."
"At such an age, to have bound a terrifying Tailed Beast with her body, it's truly not easy, but won't there be..."
"Don't say that! This isn't the occasion to discuss such matters. Kaedence the Village could quietly replace the Jinchuriki, it means they have a way to restrict the Nine-Tails. Let's not question the possibility of a rampage."
Whispered conversations constantly arose. As it turned out, while everyone respected Mito Uzumaki, she was ultimately too distant. They were more concerned about Kushina's condition.
No one wanted to be living peacefully in the Village only to be suddenly attacked by the Nine-Tails in the dead of night.
For a moment, no one stepped forward to comfort Kushina, simply because they weren't familiar with her.
Even her classmates from the Ninja Academy weren't on good terms with her. Most had provoked and discriminated against Kushina, the outsider who declared she would be the first female Hokage, and then were severely beaten for it.
Furthermore, generally, no one was willing to be close to a Jinchuriki; this was a widespread phenomenon in all Ninja Villages.
"What the heck, it feels like there are a lot of complicated things in the Hidden Leaf Village." Hidan was probably the most carefree one. He had only arrived in the Hidden Leaf Village a few days ago, and most of that time was spent undergoing Tsukasa Kaede's hellish training. He didn't actually feel much about the funeral.
Mito Uzumaki? Never heard of her.
Nine-Tails Jinchuriki? Heard they're powerful, but I don't know much about it.
"Is that red-haired big sister really strong? I see a lot of people staring at her, and their gazes aren't very friendly either. If I go slash at them with my Scythe, do you think I'd succeed?"
Hidan was itching with excitement. He had never seen so many people gathered together in silence in the Land of Hot Water, and he really wanted to wave his Scythe around and go on a hacking spree.
"If you do that, I'll kill you first and turn you into one of my Corpses. This is the Hidden Leaf Village, completely different from the environment you're used to. Take a good look around."
Tsukasa Kaede wasn't angry. He knew Hidan was just like that, with no malicious intent—he was simply excited by suddenly seeing so many people, and purely wanted to hack everyone to death, very straightforwardly.
"Hidan, you are my disciple now. Countless eyes will always be watching you. Your words and actions represent me, so it's best to pay attention when speaking or acting," Tsukasa Kaede said in a calm tone.
"What? I don't understand the rules of a Great Ninja Village. Back where I'm from, no one tells me what to do!"
"Obey, or I'll kill you, you know," Tsukasa Kaede said with a smile.
Their conversation wasn't deliberately hushed; it was carried out in normal tones.
Those who could participate in Mito Uzumaki's funeral were all people of status: either from prominent clans, powerful Ninja, promising members of the new generation, or heroes who had accumulated Military Merit. This meant many had keen hearing, and listening to the master and disciple's conversation, they fell silent.
Strange glances kept coming their way, but most didn't dare to linger too long on Tsukasa Kaede, sweeping past and finally settling on Hidan, scrutinizing the seemingly not-so-strong, slender youth.
Powerful Ninja carried instincts forged through countless trials in every gesture, yet they couldn't discern anything unusual about Hidan, which only made people more curious.
"When I passed Training Ground 17, I saw Lord Tsukasa Kaede training Hidan. How should I put it, that Hidan, he felt like he couldn't even beat students from the Ninja Academy..."
"So he's not good at Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, or Taijutsu? Does he have a massive amount of Chakra then? Otherwise, Lord Tsukasa Kaede wouldn't have taken an interest in him."
"Who knows? Countless people in the Village hoped to send their descendants and nephews under Lord Tsukasa Kaede's tutelage, but unfortunately, this outsider got there first."
People conversed in low voices, repeatedly scrutinizing Hidan, trying to firmly remember his appearance and characteristics.
Because this was inherently unusual.
Tsukasa Kaede, a powerful Ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village and a war hero, even if he didn't recruit outstanding young talents from within the Village, but instead selected talent from other towns in the Land of Fire, it would still be understandable.
Yet, he brought back such a blunt, rebellious, and even somewhat rude youth from the Land of Hot Water? And how should I put it, the way this master and disciple interacted… constantly talking about killing, it was simply unheard of! Was this truly a proper master and disciple relationship? Still, no one would truly underestimate Hidan, even if the talent he displayed seemed terribly lacking! A Corpse Release master bringing a weakling student—no one would believe that student had no abilities whatsoever.
It just remained to be seen when Hidan would truly reveal his talent, and what kind of potential he truly possessed to earn the favor of a powerful individual like Tsukasa Kaede.
"Hahaha, Kaede, your disciple is very lively."
The Third Hokage walked over with his hands behind his back. Because of the rain, he wasn't smoking his pipe. Wherever he passed, the crowd automatically cleared a path.
Many of those conversing also stopped talking, all looking over.
Hidan straightened his body, extended his palm, and gestured from a distance: "Who's this guy?"
*Bang!* Tsukasa Kaede grabbed Hidan's shoulder. He didn't seem to exert much force, yet Hidan's face contorted, his body trembled violently, and his mouth was open as if to scream, but he couldn't make a sound.