Chapter 135: The Unmasked Blade
When Uzumaki Mito heard Kagenori's final, damning question—implying that Konoha had betrayed its founder's dream—her composure finally shattered.
"Kagenori," she scolded, her voice gaining a sharp, brittle edge, "you will not speak such treasonous lies about Konoha!"
A wider, colder smile spread across Kagenori's face. "My parents were hounded to their deaths, persecuted by the Uchiha and hunted by Konoha's own forces. Do I not have the right to question it? Should I bring Kakashi here next time? After what this village did to his father, do you think he has the right to question Konoha? Or perhaps Kushina, who has never forgotten she is an Uzumaki, even as this village used her clan's demise for its own benefit—can she question it?"
Uzumaki Mito seemed to deflate before him, the righteous anger draining away to be replaced by a profound weariness. He was right. Both he and Kakashi were living testaments to Konoha's failings, to its hypocrisy.
She studied him, her ancient eyes searching his. "Kagenori, you who have always been so careful to wear a mask... why discard it now before me? Is it because my time is short that you see no further need for pretense? Are you not afraid I will report your true sentiments to Hiruzen?"
Kagenori met her gaze without flinching, his smile unwavering. "Lady Mito, I am soon to be the primary instrument for the Hokage and Lord Danzo in their dealings with the Uchiha clan. What does it matter if they know of my... dissatisfaction? My identity and my power now make me the perfect weapon to wield against the Uchiha. And with Kushina soon to be free of her intended cage, in their eyes, any conflict of interest between myself and Konoha is resolved."
He leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Do you want to know a secret? If you were to go to the Hokage right now and tell him I despise this village, he would not punish me. He would offer me concessions. He would seek to placate me. Because he still needs me to do his dirty work. I am no longer the powerless orphan. As long as I stand in opposition to the Uchiha, the Hokage needs me. And in their eyes," he added, the words laced with dark irony, "I would never be able to betray them."
Uzumaki Mito looked genuinely confused for a moment, unable to grasp the source of his absolute confidence. Then, in answer to her unspoken question, Kagenori simply opened his mouth and extended his tongue.
There, etched upon it, was the complex, dark pattern of the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal.
Uzumaki Mito's pupils contracted to pinpricks. "The Root's exclusive binding... The Seal of the Sinister Root. I see. You have joined Danzo."
Kagenori retracted his tongue. "I have. And it was this alliance that secured Danzo's support in persuading the Hokage to replace the Jinchuriki. Was that not the very matter the Hokage came to discuss with you? Your opinion, Lady Mito, is a formality. It holds no weight anymore."
He stood tall, his posture that of a general stating facts, not making requests. "Tomorrow, I depart for the Land of Waves to lead a contingent of Uchiha ninja against Kiri. At that point, even if the Hokage wished to force Kushina into that role, he could not do so alone. And Danzo will stand with me. I will be the one 'managing' those Uchiha. If they were to discover that the Hokage himself sanctioned my... methods... who can predict the instability that would cause? We are at war. The Hokage will not risk a schism within the village. And you, Lady Mito, do not have the time to outlast this maneuver. The outcome is already decided."
Uzumaki Mito stared at him, her mind reeling as she processed the sheer, ruthless scope of his machinations. She saw the boy she had known, now replaced by this formidable, calculating shinobi.
After a long, heavy silence, she released a sigh that seemed to carry the weight of her entire life. "You have walked a difficult path, Kagenori. To have planned so meticulously for so long, and to see it come to fruition... From finding Uzumaki Miyuki to joining Root, every piece has fallen into place according to your design."
Kagenori shook his head, a faint, almost wistful look in his eyes. "No."
"No?" Mito asked, perplexed.
"My plan did not begin with Uzumaki Miyuki," he stated, his gaze locking with hers. "It began the day I became friends with Kushina. From that moment, I was already working to save her from that fate."
Uzumaki Mito's heart stuttered. The day they became friends... they were mere children, no older than nine. Now they were eighteen. That was nearly a decade.
"Impossible," she breathed, her voice barely a whisper. "How could you have possibly known she was the chosen vessel at that age?"
Kagenori's enigmatic smile returned. "Lady Mito, everyone has their secrets. And by their nature, secrets are not meant to be shared."
Mito took a sharp breath, her aged eyes scrutinizing him as if seeing him for the first time. The boy was gone, replaced by a man shrouded in mist, his motives and methods inscrutable. And in that moment, a chilling familiarity dawned on her—the same single-minded purpose, the same overwhelming power, the same willingness to challenge the world.
Her eyes suddenly became piercingly sharp, the full force of her will focusing on him. "Kagenori. I have only one question left. Will you... become the next Madara Uchiha?"
Kagenori looked back at her, his expression utterly calm and devoid of fear or ambition. "I will not be anyone's successor. I will only ever be Kagenori. No one from the past is worthy of my imitation."
The answer was not one of denial, but of supreme, arrogant individuality. It was, in its own way, more frightening than a simple 'yes' would have been.
Uzumaki Mito could only offer a bitter, resigned smile. "I have little time left. I cannot control the future. If Hiruzen and Danzo have acquiesced to your demand, what power have I to refuse?" She leaned forward, her voice softening into a plea. "Kagenori, I have only one request. Do not make yourself an enemy of Konoha. If you are dissatisfied with it, then use your strength to change it. It is still your home."
Kagenori's eyes grew dim, shadowed by old pain. "Home? My home was where my parents were. That home is gone." He paused, then gave a slow, deliberate nod. "But I can promise you this: I will not be the one to initiate hostilities against Konoha. I have lived within its walls for many years, and it has, in its own way, provided me shelter."
It was a cold, transactional promise, but it was enough. Uzumaki Mito nodded, a great weight seeming to lift from her slender shoulders. "Very well. I will hold you to that. You leave for the Land of Waves soon. Perhaps this is the last time we will meet." A genuine, sad warmth touched her expression. "For what it is worth... I am truly proud of the man you have become."
Kagenori offered her a deep, formal bow. "And I am grateful for the guidance you have given Kushina all these years. I will... see you off, when the time comes."
Uzumaki Mito gave a weak, helpless laugh. "Even at the end, you are so... direct. Very well. Let it end here. I am tired, Kagenori. You should return and rest."
Kagenori left the Uzumaki mansion, the heavy door closing behind him with a sense of finality. He stood on the steps, breathing in the cool night air. What had been almost certain before was now an unshakable fact. The path was clear.
All that remained was to witness the end of Uzumaki Mito and the beginning of a new Jinchuriki.
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