Hiruzen Sarutobi followed Chiya into the living room.
He could not help but feel a quiet sense of emotion. The last time he had come to the Uchiha clan grounds was the day Chiya became Clan Head, and quite some time had passed since then.
The buildings of the Uchiha clan grounds were still solemn and dignified, yet more prosperous than the last time he had visited.
Back then, as Hokage, he had still carried the air of a patriarch in front of the Uchiha Clan. Now, he found himself having to come to their door on his own initiative, and there was even a faint, nagging sense that the times had moved on without him.
Chiya naturally noticed Hiruzen's unsettled feelings.
But he said nothing of it. He simply raised a hand to gesture for his guest to sit, then said evenly.
"For the Hokage to come in person, it must be a matter of importance. What brings you here today?"
Hiruzen was silent for a moment. His gaze moved across the three people out in the courtyard.
He let out a sigh at last, his tone heavy.
"Clan Head Chiya, this matter is of great significance. I hope you will consider it carefully."
Chiya's expression did not change at all, his tone flat.
"Oh? For the Hokage to treat something with such gravity, it cannot be a small matter."
Hiruzen nodded and spoke slowly.
"Lady Mito is advanced in age, and the seal holding the Nine-Tails has begun to weaken.
For the safety of the village, we must transfer the Nine-Tails to a new host as soon as possible."
Chiya's eyes sharpened. His fingers tapped lightly on the table, his voice calm but carrying a faint edge.
"So, who is the Hokage thinking of making the next Nine-Tails jinchuriki?"
Hiruzen met Chiya's eyes directly and said in a low, firm voice.
"Uzumaki Kushina. She is the successor Lady Mito personally cultivated. Uzumaki blood runs through her veins. She is the most suitable candidate."
Chiya did not agree right away. He was quiet for a moment, then stood, walked to the doorway, and called out.
"Kushina."
Hiruzen was taken aback and turned to look at the door.
Uzumaki Kushina walked in from outside, a faint flush still on her face. It was unclear what she had been whispering about with Mikoto.
Kushina entered the living room.
Her gaze finally settled on Hiruzen.
"Hokage!"
A respectful but distant greeting.
Seeing this, Chiya relayed Hiruzen's proposal directly to Kushina.
She stood beside Chiya, her gaze steady as she looked toward Hiruzen.
"Hokage, you want me to become the new jinchuriki?"
Hiruzen had not expected Chiya to call her in directly, and even less expected him to state it so plainly to Kushina.
But things had already come to this point, so he nodded.
"Yes, Kushina. This is for the sake of the village..."
Chiya raised a hand to cut him off, then turned to Kushina, his tone gentle but serious.
"Kushina, becoming a jinchuriki is not something to take lightly.
A Tailed Beast is extremely dangerous. The sealing process is dangerous, and being a jinchuriki afterward carries even greater risk. It means you will bear an enormous burden and responsibility.
If the seal ever develops a problem afterward, you could lose your life, and even endanger those around you."
He paused, then continued.
"Furthermore, the position of a jinchuriki within the village is not easy.
You will be seen as a weapon rather than an ordinary person. You may face discrimination and isolation.
Even Lady Mito as she is now cannot fully escape these negative effects."
Kushina lowered her head, her fingers clutching tightly at the hem of her clothes. She was clearly thinking hard about what Chiya had said.
After a moment, she raised her head. Her eyes shone with steady resolve.
"Chiya-nii, I understand these risks.
But Lady Mito is my family. She has given so much for the village. Now she needs someone to take over this responsibility. I do not want to let her down."
Chiya looked at her steadily.
"Even if there were others from the Uzumaki Clan who could be chosen, you still insist on becoming the jinchuriki?"
Kushina nodded, her voice soft but unwavering.
"I no longer fear it now, because I have found what fills the vessel."
Chiya paused, slightly caught off guard.
"What?"
Kushina's cheeks turned a little pink, but her eyes were especially bright.
"It is love. Lady Mito once told me that the vessel of a jinchuriki needs a powerful force to fill it, and love is the most powerful force of all.
I... I care for Chiya-nii.
I care for Mikoto-nee, for everyone in the Uchiha, and for every person in Konoha.
These feelings will become the strength I use to control the Nine-Tails!"
Chiya looked at her in silence, a complicated feeling rising quietly in his heart.
"You do not have to do this. You have other choices."
"I know! Chiya-nii, I know you always look out for me more than anyone, but... I still want to do this."
Chiya was at a loss for words.
He had not wanted Kushina to carry this kind of fate, but her stubbornness and resolve made it impossible to simply refuse her.
In the end, he turned to look at Hiruzen.
"I can agree to let Kushina become the Nine-Tails jinchuriki, but I have one condition."
Hiruzen felt a tightening in his chest, but kept his expression calm.
"Go ahead."
Chiya's gaze was sharp.
"I want to take part in the Nine-Tails sealing personally.
The Uchiha Sharingan has a suppressive effect on Tailed Beasts. I can ensure the stability of the seal."
Hiruzen hesitated for a moment.
By convention, the sealing of a Tailed Beast was entrusted to loyal ninja selected by the Hokage's circle. Uchiha involvement could upset that balance.
But the Uchiha under Chiya's leadership were now at the height of their power, and Chiya's relationship with Kushina was close.
The village did genuinely need to take their views into account.
Otherwise, Hiruzen would not have come to Uchiha Chiya in person to discuss this matter.
After weighing it all, Hiruzen nodded.
"Very well. I agree."
A faint smile crossed Chiya's face.
"Then it is decided. Kushina, is there anything you want to say?"
Kushina shook her head, a bright smile spreading across her face.
"Nothing! I will do my best!"
The matter had taken some turns, but the outcome was one Hiruzen could accept.
Kushina was the successor Lady Mito had personally cultivated. Having her inherit the Nine-Tails would make the seal more stable.
And Uchiha involvement would also ensure the safety of the ceremony.
He stood.
"Clan Head Chiya, the sealing ceremony will be held in three days. I will have someone notify you when the time comes."
Chiya nodded.
"I will be there on time."
After Hiruzen left, the room fell quiet for a moment.
Mikoto moved to Kushina's side and gently took her hand, her eyes full of worry.
"Kushina, have you really thought this through?"
Kushina squeezed Mikoto's hand back, her smile still bright.
"Mikoto-nee, don't worry! I am going to become a great ninja, just like Lady Mito!"
Chiya looked at her smile. He walked forward and ruffled Kushina's hair, his tone uncharacteristically gentle.
"Since you have chosen this path, I will protect you with everything I have.
Remember, no matter what happens, everyone will be standing behind you."
Kushina's eyes grew slightly wet at the corners. She nodded hard.
"Yes!"
...
Three days later, the Nine-Tails sealing ceremony was held in secret outside Konoha village.
Uzumaki Mito sat weakly at the center, with a nervous Kushina beside her.
Chiya and Hiruzen stood on either side, and several ANBU ninja maintained vigilance around them.
Mito took Kushina's hand and said softly.
"Kushina, do not be afraid. Remember, love is your greatest strength."
Kushina nodded.
"I understand, Lady Mito."
Immediately after, a red chakra began to flicker across Uzumaki Mito's body, her pale hair drifting faintly in the waves of chakra.
Her expression was serene and weary, her eyes resolute.
Across from her, Kushina knelt with both hands tightly clenched, her knuckles white from the force.
"Are you ready, Kushina?"
Mito asked gently, her voice soft yet carrying an undeniable weight.
Kushina took a deep breath and nodded firmly.
"Yes!"
"Then... let us begin."
In an instant, Mito's hands slammed together. Golden chains burst out from within her, wrapping around her own abdomen like living things.
Ancient runes flickered across the chains, the sealing power passed down through the Uzumaki Clan across generations.
"Ngh!"
Mito's brow furrowed slightly. She was clearly bearing tremendous pain.
Immediately after, a raging crimson chakra was drawn out from within her. It churned like boiling lava and gathered into the phantasmal form of a nine-tailed fox.
It roared, it struggled, and the golden chains were pulled taut, letting out a sharp metallic shriek.
"ROAR!!"
The Nine-Tails' chakra slammed wildly against the seal and the entire barrier!
Sweat broke out on Hiruzen's forehead and he called out sharply.
"Hold steady! The seal barrier must not break down!"
But the Nine-Tails' resistance was far more fierce than anticipated.
Cracks began to form in the golden chains, and Kushina's body was thrown slightly backward by the force of the raging chakra, her face going pale in an instant.
At that critical moment.
"Hmph!"
Chiya gave a cold snort. His crimson Mangekyō Sharingan began to spin sharply.
An invisible force instantly enveloped the Nine-Tails' chakra. The chakra that had been raging wildly froze for one single moment!
The Nine-Tails' phantom was immediately scattered. The golden chains seized the moment to tighten again, firmly binding its chakra!
"Now!"
Mito called out in a low voice and shoved both hands forward with force!
The golden chains coiled around Kushina's body like swift serpents, and the Nine-Tails' chakra was dragged through the seal at her abdomen and pulled into her body.
Kushina threw her head back in pain. Her red hair whipped wildly in the force of the chakra, but she bit down hard and did not retreat.
Chiya's gaze sharpened. The power of his Mangekyō surged again, forcibly suppressing the Nine-Tails' final struggle.
As the last trace of the Nine-Tails' chakra sank entirely into Kushina's abdomen, the seal closed in an instant, branded onto the skin of her stomach in the pattern of a spiral.
The sealing was complete!!
The crushing pressure around them dissolved all at once, and everyone let out a breath of relief.
Mito slowly withdrew her hands, a smile of quiet contentment on her lips.
Her body swayed faintly. She could hold on no longer and began to fall backward.
"Lady Mito!"
Kushina cried out and rushed to support her.
Mito gently took her hand, her voice weak but warm.
"Kushina... from now on, you are the Nine-Tails jinchuriki... Remember, do not let hatred consume you... Fill the vessel with love."
Kushina's eyes grew red at the edges. She nodded hard.
"I... I will!"
Chiya stepped forward and placed his hand on Kushina's shoulder, his gaze deep.
"Do not worry. As long as I am here, the Nine-Tails will not run loose."
Hiruzen watched this scene, his feelings tangled.
He had originally had reservations about the Uchiha's involvement, but at this moment, he had to admit it.
Without Chiya's Mangekyō Sharingan, the sealing would never have gone this smoothly.
"Hah..."
He let out a long breath and said with weight.
"The sealing is a success. Thank you all for your efforts."
Kushina looked down at the seal pattern on her abdomen, her eyes steady and sure.
In the end, the sealing was completed without incident.
The spiral seal pattern of the Uzumaki Clan slowly faded from Kushina's abdomen.
And Mito quietly closed her eyes, a smile of contentment at the corner of her lips.
After the Tailed Beast transfer ceremony ended, Hiruzen looked at the exhausted yet strong Kushina, and the wariness he felt toward the Uchiha lessened slightly.
Hiruzen watched Chiya's retreating figure with complicated feelings.
Only now did he realize that perhaps Chiya's presence truly could bring a new balance to the village.
What had happened today, Chiya could easily have used as leverage to demand power for the Uchiha.
But for the sake of the village's future, he had taken the matter of the Tailed Beast transfer entirely to heart, without making a single demand.
Had his understanding of the Uchiha been somewhat off all along?
The Uchiha were, when all was said and done, members of Konoha.
Konoha's Uchiha.
Could it be that the Uchiha under Chiya's leadership would truly one day change Konoha and make it stronger...
If that were the case, was this not simply another expression of the Will of Fire?
Hiruzen had not gone far from the sealing site when a tall, white-haired figure emerged from the forest and walked forward.
"Sensei."