The Senju main residence was as peaceful as ever.
Since the end of the Warring States period, Uzumaki Mito had never personally gone to the battlefield, and in fact, rarely encountered any situations that required her to fight.
The only time she did was when she sealed the Nine-Tails in the Valley of the End.
That was the last time Uzumaki Mito used all her power to seal the tailed beast within her body.
Since then, she had never taken action again, even when the situation in the Ninja World War was unfavorable.
Because Uzumaki Mito was the wife of the First Hokage, she was highly respected by everyone in the village, and she herself had nothing to complain about.
Now that the Ninja World was at peace, she only needed to ensure that the Nine-Tails would not break free and then live out her golden years in peace.
There was nothing for the current Konoha Ninja Village to worry about.
The current Hokage, Fumori Masaki, was young and strong, and the six consultants also possessed power nearly as great as his.
The previous Hokage, Senju Tobirama, was also immersed in the research department, working tirelessly to increase the village's fundamental strength.
In every aspect, Konoha could undoubtedly be called the leader of the Five Great Ninja Villages.
Therefore, what Uzumaki Mito still worried about was her maternal clan, which had not yet fully understood the situation in the Ninja World.
Although her son-in-law, Uzumaki Kazuhiko, foresaw the future of the Land of Whirlpools, he was unfortunately just a prince with little influence, unable to affect the entire country.
In the past, Uzumaki Mito had such influence, but because she married into the Senju clan far away, although the friendship between the two sides was maintained, a married woman clearly could not decide everything for her country.
This left Uzumaki Mito feeling somewhat helpless, sighing at her clan's shortsightedness.
Fortunately, during the last joint Chunin Exams, Uzumaki Kazuhiko proposed a plan to use other reasons to encourage as many members of the Uzumaki clan as possible to enter Konoha Ninja Village.
Even if, in the end, the Land of Whirlpools failed to change its mind and faced a crisis, the Uzumaki clan's bloodline could still be preserved.
Even so, Uzumaki Mito hoped her maternal clan could change its mind and realize that in the era of ninja villages, a single ninja clan could no longer survive independently, even the Senju and Uchiha were the same.
She hoped that more of her maternal clan could survive, so she had not given up communicating with the Land of Whirlpools all these years.
The unfortunate thing was that her clan did not value the opinions of an 'outsider' like her.
No matter what, there were always some people who maliciously speculated, believing that Uzumaki Mito was seeking benefits for her husband's family.
It was because of the existence of such people that the Daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools always harbored doubts.
Of course, it was also possible that he himself did not want to give up his position as ruler of a nation.
Today, Uzumaki Mito stayed alone in her room, with ancestral tablets placed on the table before her.
The Land of Whirlpools had a tradition of ancestral worship, commemorating ancestors with unique rituals and wishing them eternal peace and tranquility in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
Uzumaki Mito herself had personally offered sacrifices back then, and deeply influenced by tradition, she did not abandon it even after coming to Konoha Ninja Village.
The ceremony was naturally not very formal, but the important thing was the sincerity.
Uzumaki Mito mainly commemorated her husband and the child who died prematurely before birth.
Several months after sealing the Nine-Tails, she was surprised to discover that she was already pregnant.
Because the pregnancy had not been very long, she had never noticed it, and due to the stimulation of the Nine-Tails' powerful chakra, the child in her womb was forced into premature birth, resulting in its unfortunate death.
That time, due to childbirth, Uzumaki Mito's seal almost broke, allowing the tailed beast to reappear, causing panic throughout the entire village.
Perhaps it was due to this factor that the village always tried to delay sending Uzumaki Mito to the battlefield; after all, a jinchuriki still posed a potential danger.
The child who died prematurely that year was a girl.
Uzumaki Mito had already raised two daughters, and loving her husband, she also deeply lamented this unfortunate daughter.
She had once fantasized about how she would raise this child if she had been born safely, to become an excellent woman, but that was just an unattainable idea.
After the memorial ceremony, Uzumaki Mito gently exhaled.
A maid immediately came over to assist Uzumaki Mito, as her health had been deteriorating in recent years, and she wondered if it was a lingering effect of sealing the Nine-Tails.
The Nine-Tails, craving freedom, had never stopped trying to break the seal.
During that most dangerous childbirth, she could clearly feel the chakra flowing rapidly through her meridians, as if it were burning them away.
Of course, it might have just been Uzumaki Mito's illusion, as her seal was generally very stable; she was just getting old and frail.
She only needed a little help when getting up, but walking normally was still not a problem.
"Lady Mito, the Third Hokage has come to visit.
I have already had him wait in the living room," a maid said to Uzumaki Mito as she walked out of the room.
"Masaki, huh?
Yes, I understand," Uzumaki Mito nodded and said, then walked towards the living room, with two maids following behind her.
Seeing Uzumaki Mito appear, Fumori Masaki quickly stood up to greet her, saying, "Lady Mito, I apologize for disturbing you.
I have something I need to discuss with you."
"There's no need to apologize.
I, an old woman, am not that busy.
Compared to you all, I could say I'm excessively idle."
Uzumaki Mito chuckled softly, sat down on the floor, and said to Fumori Masaki, "I actually wish I could teach more classes at the Ninja Academy."
"It's just that others don't really want you to go to such crowded places," Fumori Masaki smiled helplessly.
"Because of my support for merchants, many people feel that the village has become a mixed bag of good and bad.
If you were to go out, you might encounter assassins from other ninja villages."
"There is indeed that risk, and I respect everyone's thoughts, so my travels are limited," Uzumaki Mito said with a smile.
"So I mainly focus on writing textbooks, don't I?"
"Yes, although you haven't appeared in person, the books you've written have greatly inspired students in the fuinjutsu specialization.
I believe they will surely achieve great things in the future," Fumori Masaki said.
"That's good," Uzumaki Mito nodded slightly, then sighed softly.
"It's just a pity that I can't pass on all my sealing jutsu to others, and there aren't any suitable students to inherit my legacy."
"Even without direct disciples, perhaps there are those who will inherit your legacy in other ways," Fumori Masaki consoled her.
"I hope so," Uzumaki Mito smiled and asked, "Speaking of which, Masaki, what brings you here this time?"
"Actually, it's about this," Fumori Masaki then recounted the events in the Land of Rain, watching Uzumaki Mito's expression gradually grow serious, and said, "I think this might be a measure taken by Kazuhiko and the others."
"They haven't completely placed their hopes on us after all," Uzumaki Mito said softly.
"They have already begun to send out members of their clan in some way, just like the Senju of today, becoming indistinguishable from the common folk.
It can indeed preserve the bloodline, but the Uzumaki name will no longer exist."
"Do you think this is a good thing?"
"Perhaps, perhaps not, at least for the Senju, it's a good thing," Uzumaki Mito said slowly.
"They no longer worry about the glory of the Senju and can live well in the future.
The Uzumaki might also end up like this."
"But you probably don't want that, do you?" Fumori Masaki asked.
Uzumaki Mito was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "If you ask for my true feelings, yes, that's right."
"Since they have already started sending out clan members, perhaps the village can also make some requests, and Kazuhiko and the others should facilitate it," Fumori Masaki suggested.
"Hmm, we can try," Uzumaki Mito suddenly hesitated.
After a while, she said, "Actually, Misaki has already sent a message.
I was considering whether to tell you before, but now that I think about it, I'll tell you."
"What is it?" Fumori Masaki was slightly startled.
Uzumaki Mito said, "She said that a child was born in the clan.
After examination, her chakra potential is very close to mine back then, making her a very suitable candidate for a Nine-Tails jinchuriki."
Fumori Masaki's expression was somewhat surprised.
According to his calculations, Uzumaki Kushina should not have been born at this time.
Could it be that his butterfly effect had caused others to appear?
So, he cautiously asked the name of the newborn child, and the answer was beyond his expectation.
"Her name is Kushina, and she's a girl," Uzumaki Mito said.
"What?" Fumori Masaki could hardly believe his ears.
This child, born several years early, was also named Uzumaki Kushina.
"Hmm? Do you think it doesn't sound good?" Uzumaki Mito looked at Fumori Masaki's expression, somewhat surprised.
"No, it's not that," Fumori Masaki was initially very surprised, but then he thought that a child born at a different time would be different, but the name might not be.
For example, the name Naruto was chosen by Namikaze Minato based on the name of a novel written by his teacher, Jiraiya.
Regardless of whether his child was the Naruto from the original story, the name would likely still be Naruto.
In other words, this Uzumaki Kushina was very likely in a similar situation.
At least what was certain was that she would not be the Uzumaki Kushina from the original story, but the name might be the same.
After all, the parents who could give birth to a descendant like Uzumaki Kushina with powerful chakra should also be identifiable.
"So, this child named Kushina should be the candidate for the Nine-Tails jinchuriki, right?" Fumori Masaki said.
"Yes, I'm actually considering whether to bring her here now, as the village is safer," Uzumaki Mito said.
"But I'm also worried that traveling with her at such a young age might be inconvenient, so I was thinking of waiting until she's a bit older before bringing her over.
What do you think?"
"Your concerns are valid, and it's something that should be carefully considered.
In any case, we should also start discussions with the Land of Whirlpools," Fumori Masaki said.
"Kazuhiko's plan is to send some people from the Land of Whirlpools here, allowing Kushina to blend in with the crowd, which would also make her less conspicuous."
"You are the Hokage, so you should handle this matter.
I believe you will not disappoint me," Uzumaki Mito smiled.
"Thank you for your trust," Fumori Masaki bowed slightly, then looked up and said, "Then, I'll take my leave now, Lady Mito.
I wish you good health."
With that, Fumori Masaki stood up and bid farewell, returning to the Hokage office building, where he summoned the six consultants to discuss diplomatic work with the Land of Whirlpools.