"And this chakra…" Uzumaki Mito narrowed her eyes.
"Hmph… so that's it. I thought it was an Uzumaki at the time. I never expected it to be you."
"What an impressive trick."
Aside from Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, this was the first time Mito had encountered someone with such immense chakra.
Hanzo felt a headache coming on.
"That golden chakra cloak… Nine-Tails Chakra Mode. This just got troublesome."
"I didn't expect Mito to have already seized control of the Nine-Tails' chakra. Malice sensing, full attribute enhancement, and freely controllable chakra arms…"
"I should never have sent that note."
Looking at the two before him, Hanzo spoke calmly:
"I'm sorry. The Land of Rain currently prohibits foreign ninja from entering. Please turn back."
"If you refuse to heed this warning, I will treat it as a Konoha invasion. The consequences will be yours to bear."
"You are Hanzo of the Salamander?" Mito asked.
"Apologies. We are not Konoha ninja. We came to the Land of Rain only to search for surviving Uzumaki."
"It seems I mistook you back then."
Hanzo blinked.
"Wait… what do you mean you're not Konoha ninja?"
The wife of the God of Shinobi claiming she wasn't from Konoha anymore?
What kind of bug in reality was this?
Instead of answering, Mito asked, "The ninja who sneaked into the Senju compound and left me information—that was you, wasn't it?"
Hanzo nodded.
"Yes. I admit I had selfish motives. I wanted to confirm Konoha's Nine-Tails situation, and I wanted to find Tsunade to ask her some questions."
"But she had already left. Then I discovered that the God of Shinobi's wife was still alive, so on a whim I gave you the Uzumaki intelligence."
"Though we were enemies, everything I told you was true."
There was no evil in his chakra. He was telling the truth.
"Then I should thank you," Mito said with a sarcastic smile.
"Your whim cost Konoha the Uzumaki Clan and its Nine-Tails jinchūriki."
"Your chakra may not equal Hashirama or Madara's, but it's second only to them. I came here thinking you were an Uzumaki survivor. Seems I was wrong."
Hanzo nearly choked.
Mito had left Konoha.
The strongest rogue ninja in history?
No… she had left openly. That wasn't betrayal—it was departure.
"I see. You're gathering Uzumaki survivors to rebuild Uzushiogakure, aren't you?" Hanzo said.
"Amegakure has no Uzumaki, but I know of a red-haired boy in the Land of Rain."
"Where is he?!" Mito asked, surprised.
"I don't know now. My subordinates once saw him near an orphanage food station. They refused to enter and only took supplies. But he's definitely still in the Land of Rain."
"I want to find him. May I enter?" she asked.
Hanzo considered. She was stronger than Hiruzen, and Kushina was with her. Fighting now wasn't wise.
"Since you're not acting as a ninja organization, you may enter—on the condition you don't harm Amegakure."
Then he added:
"If you intend to rebuild Uzushiogakure, give up. There are fewer than five Uzumaki left in the world."
"When Kiri, Kumo, and Konoha jointly destroyed Uzushiogakure, your leader died just to help a few children escape. The rest were slaughtered."
"Those children had no protection. Red hair makes them easy targets. Some hid their identities. If even the Five Great Nations can't find them, how will you?"
"Five…?" Mito felt her heart sink.
Hanzo continued gently:
"You've lived in Konoha too long. Don't confuse its strength with Uzushiogakure's."
"You also don't have much time left. Two years at most."
"Focus on settling the girl behind you."
Mito fell silent, lost.
Meanwhile Hanzo panicked internally.
Kushina… Minato's future wife. Naruto's mother.
Everything was going off the rails.
Still, he decided to try recruiting them.
"I know of two Uzumaki. One in the Land of Rain. One in Kusagakure."
"The one in Grass Village already has a family and a daughter."
Mito hesitated. Should she disturb their lives?
"Don't hesitate. If Grass discovers them, their lives will become worse than death."
Hanzo smiled.
"How about a trade?"
"I have something you cannot refuse."
"What?" Mito asked.
"I can give you what you need most right now—lifespan."
Mito was shocked.
"Impossible. Forbidden Jutsus exist, but they're cruel or unbearable."
"That's not what I mean," Hanzo said. "Sense my chakra."
"My chakra is life and natural energy combined. It's bound to my lifespan."
He stepped forward and placed a finger on her forehead seal.
Gentle green chakra flowed into her body.
Every cell rejoiced.
"This… how is this possible?"
It felt like replenishing a reservoir of life itself.
"That should be enough."
He had given her nearly two years of life.
Mito stared at him.
"You're either proud or foolish to give something like this away. You remind me of someone."
"So, what do you want in return? Senju secrets? Uzumaki jutsus?"
Hanzo shook his head.
"I want…"
He pointed at her.
"I want you, Uzumaki Mito."
What?!
------------------------------///
Advance Chapters on Patreon!
p(a)treon(.)com/HudaLin
-Remove the parenthesis to access patreon normally
Thanks for the Support!