Sōsuke's Resolve

When Mito returned to the Barrier Team, it was already dark.

The corridor was lit, the dim yellow light casting swaying shadows on the walls. The moment she pushed open the door, the several members of the Sealing Squad who were busy inside all looked up.

"Lady Mito!"

"It's alright, you can continue." Mito waved her hand and walked to her seat.

The table was piled high with scrolls. Some were Sealing Jutsu manuals of the Uzumaki Clan, some were her own sketches of Barriers, and some were notes left over from the meetings of the past few days. She sat down in front of the mountain of paper and rubbed her temples.

Tired.

But we can't stop yet.

This is a crucial moment, and there's no time for her to slack off. In the next few days, she and her Barrier Team must go all out to prepare for the arrival of the Delegation.

She picked up a half- Barrier, ready to continue, when the door was pushed open again.

It was Uzumaki Sōsuke who entered.

His expression was somewhat subtle. He walked over to Mito, bent down, and whispered something.

Mito's hand paused.

"... here we go again?"

Sōsuke nodded, his expression somewhat subtle.

He was a member of the Uzumaki Clan, but standing here now, there was no joy on his face at the thought of "his clansmen have come," only a hint of weariness.

"It's the same few people. Same as always, they say they want to see you."

She looked at the Sealing Jutsu Scrolls spread out on the table and suddenly found it somewhat amusing.

The Uzumaki Clan.

Her people.

The Royal Clan of the Land of Whirlpools.

They sent someone here once when Konoha was founded.

My attitude at the time was one of bewilderment, anger, and even a touch of mockery.

"Is that Hashirama Senju out of his mind?"

"With that kind of Strength, why not conquer the Land of Fire and instead establish some kind of Shinobi Village? Just to give Ninjas a place to live?"

"That's absolutely stupid."

"With such martial prowess, why doesn't he seize power and conquer the world? I think Hashirama Senju has been tamed. Wouldn't it be better for him to overthrow the daimyo and Daimyo, take the throne himself, and become the master of his own destiny, thus giving the Ninjas a chance to rise again?"

Those were the words of the clan elder.

But what does he even know?

Konoha was the optimal solution at the time.

That was when Konoha been established.

The Senju and Uchiha have just announced their reconciliation, and other clans are joining in one after another. On the surface, everyone seems to agree, but what's going on behind the scenes?

Someone deliberately bumped into members of another family on the street as a provocation.

Someone used the guise of friendly sparring to commit serious violence in the Training Ground.

Someone was buying something in a store when the shopkeeper mentioned, "This is Uchiha likes to use," and threw the item at the shopkeeper's face.

Fights to the death happen almost every month.

Mito recalled that once, she witnessed two children fighting in the street.

One was from the Senju, and the other from the Uchiha; both were only eight or nine years old. They were using their newly learned Taijutsu, their punches landing hard, their faces covered in blood, neither willing to stop first.

When she went up to pull them apart, the two children were still struggling and trying to pounce on each other.

He hit me first!

You glared at me first!

I wasn't glaring at you!

"You're glaring at me! Your father killed my father, so you definitely want to kill me too!"

Mito stood there, watching the two children who were being pulled apart by the adults but were still glaring at each other, and suddenly felt a little breathless.

This is what Konoha looked like at the beginning.

Those people say that those with power should seize the world.

Those people said that Hashirama Senju too weak and Madara Uchiha was too indecisive.

Those people said that if it were them, they would have conquered the Land of Fire long ago.

But what do they know?

Do they know that those who outwardly agree are secretly sharpening their knives?

Did they know that those Clan Head who shook hands and made peace would still have to comfort their clansmen who had lost loved ones when they returned home?

Did they know that Hashirama Senju went door-to-door visiting families who had lost loved ones, kneeling at their doors for entire afternoons just to say, "I'm sorry, but please give us a chance"?

They know nothing.

They only see the results, not the process.

They only saw Hashirama standing on the stage, smiling as he announced the founding of Konoha, but they couldn't see how many times he had crushed his own dignity for this day.

She didn't argue at the time. She just listened quietly to what they said, and then calmly told them, "This is his choice. And it's my choice too."

The elders looked at her as if she were a foolish woman blinded by love.

Later, the Uzumaki Clan split into two factions regarding their attitude towards Konoha.

One faction believes that Konoha has potential and that they can profit from her, the "Uzumaki Princess."

The other faction has always felt that the existence of Konoha itself is a "waste," a waste of Hashirama's power, which was enough to change dynasties.

Sōsuke was the representative of the former. Therefore, he became the liaison between the Uzumaki Clan and Konoha.

But the latter... has never disappeared.

They bypassed Sōsuke and contacted her directly.

Using the identities of "tribe member" and "princess," and various other reasons, they tried to extract information from her and persuade her.

Persuade her to influence Hashirama.

Mito sighed softly.

What are they trying to say this time?

Sōsuke remained silent for a moment.

"Matters concerning the Special Administrative Region."

Mito's fingers paused slightly.

"They felt that since Lord Hashirama could obtain Special Administrative Region, it meant the Daimyo of the Land of Fire's dependence on Konoha far exceeded expectations. Therefore..."

Sōsuke paused, then asked, "Why not take it a step further?"

Mito looked up at him.

"Further?" Mito repeated the word, her tone indifferent. "For example?"

Sōsuke forced himself to continue.

"For example... striving for greater autonomy. For example... gaining a more formal position within the political structure of the Land of Fire. For example--"

"For example, replacing Daimyo?"

Sōsuke's words stuck in his throat.

"Do you know why Hashirama founded Konoha?" Mito asked softly.

Sōsuke nodded.

"I know. He said he didn't want Ninjas to kill each other anymore, and he wanted to give children a future where they wouldn't have to go to the battlefield."

"So, do you think he can still achieve his goal if he really tries to compete for the position of Daimyo?"

Sōsuke fell silent.

Mito stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the village under construction.

In the distance, several children were practicing Taijutsu on the Training Ground, their youthful shouts faintly audible.

Further afield, people are building new houses and paving roads.

They seemed very peaceful.

But the previous struggles and hatred hadn't disappeared. If it weren't for Izuna, they wouldn't know how long the cold war would have lasted or if another conflict would have broken out.

Mito considered Izuna's existence a miracle.

That young man, Uchiha Izuna, was born to be the center of attention, a being embodying vitality and beauty.

How long has he been in Konoha?

But he had already smashed that high wall with a single punch.

Young people who used to avoid each other on the street are now able to sit down and eat together.

Those who use sparring as an excuse to go all out in the Training Ground were originally just engaging in "sparring."

Children who had lost loved ones started to team up with other children.

A few days ago, she was walking down the street when she saw two children arguing on the roadside.

One Senju, one Uchiha.

Those are the two children.

She instinctively stopped in her tracks, preparing to go and pull them apart.

But before she could get close, another child suddenly appeared beside her.

It seemed to be the Akimichi Clan; he stepped in front of the two children and said, "What's all the arguing about? Lord Izuna said that if you have any complaints, go to the Training Ground and have a match to see who hits the most targets! No arguing!"

The two children agreed, glaring at each other as they walked away.

But despite their glares, they actually went to the Training Ground.

Later, Mito heard that after the competition, the two children actually went to eat Dango together.

She stood on the street corner, stunned, for a long time.

This is something I never dared to imagine before.

That young man, Uchiha Izuna, pulled those trapped by hatred out of their straits, one by one.

And people are working hard to maintain all of this.

And now those people from the Uzumaki Clan actually want to shatter all of this?

No.

Mito's fingers tightened slightly.

She absolutely would not allow it.

Sōsuke remained silent.

He thought of the character he played, Taira no Shigehira.

That character was a brave general, but also a gentle person.

However, he is someone who is content with the status quo.

He lacked the Yūki to refute Taira no Kiyomori like Taira no Shigemori did, nor did he possess the domineering presence to turn the tide.

He can charge into battle and comfort others, but as a leader, he is incompetent.

Sōsuke was very immersed in his role at the time. Because that character was, in a way, a reflection of himself.

He can do what others ask of him and stand up to protect his companions in critical moments, but he is not good at making decisions.

He prefers to hear others say, "Sōsuke, this task is entrusted to you," and then he will do his best to complete it.

But now, even he feels that his people have gone too far.

Sōsuke straightened up.

"I'll go talk to them," he said, "And tell them to leave."

Mito looked at him.

Are you sure?

"Hmm." Sōsuke, his expression calm, but something burned in his eyes. "I'm the liaison for the Uzumaki Clan. This kind of thing should be handled by me."

He paused, lowering his voice slightly.

"Those previous letters, those bypassed contacts, were because I didn't do a good enough job. I made them think they could bypass me and contact you directly."

Mito remained silent.

But this time is different.

"The matter of the Special Administrative Region is a major issue for Konoha. The Delegation from the Land of Fire will be arriving in a few days, and we cannot allow anyone to cause trouble at this time."

He looked directly into Mito's eyes.

"Lady Mito, please allow me to handle this."

Mito looked back into those eyes, those dark eyes showing no wavering, only unwavering determination and conviction.

She nodded. "Okay."