Mito Uzumaki's Confusion (Please Recommend and Bookmark)

The normal path to becoming Hokage was blocked by Tobirama Senju, leaving Uchiha Nan with only one option.

Wait.

Wait until Tobirama Senju died. Although Uchiha Nan had a trump card that could briefly contend with Tobirama Senju—the Mangekyō Sharingan Trial Card—

What could he do even with the Mangekyō Sharingan? It was not as if Tobirama Senju had never killed a Mangekyō Sharingan wielder like Uchiha Izuna.

He could not seriously expect to incite the Uchiha Clan to launch a coup with him, could he? That would be less reliable than finding a way to join Uchiha Madara, who was hiding in some cave. At least Uchiha Madara was not racially discriminatory; he discriminated equally against everyone who was not Hashirama.

Uchiha Nan did not want to waste the Mangekyō Sharingan Trial Card, which he treasured like a priceless jewel and had been reluctant to use even in several dangerous situations, on dealing with Tobirama Senju.

No one knew how many Forbidden Jutsu Tobirama Senju had developed specifically to deal with the Uchiha while he was alive. If he wanted to find out, he would have to become Hokage first to get a chance to consult the Scroll of Seals.

But now, Uchiha Nan had finally endured to the end. By the time tonight was over, Tobirama Senju's corpse should be cold.

At that thought, the gloom in Uchiha Nan's heart from his bad card draws vanished completely. Joy welled up uncontrollably within him, and a wild grin spread across his face before turning into the Uchiha Clan's inherited maniacal laughter.

"Hahahaha!"

"Hehehehe!!"

"..."

"Cough, cough, cough. I choked on my saliva."

Uchiha Nan coughed twice when he suddenly heard two meows. A pitch-black cat climbed in through the window, leaped habitually onto his bed, flicked its tail twice, and settled down.

"Nan, I got the information."

"There really was an ambush during Konoha's negotiations with the Raikage this time. Just as you guessed, the Second Hokage lured the pursuers away alone. Things don't look good for him."

The black cat licked its paw, shifted into a different sleeping position, and lay belly-down on the soft mattress with all four paws sprawled out. Uchiha Nan sat beside it and expertly stroked its fur.

"I got this information from Qiaqi. It took a lot of effort to pry it out of its mouth."

"Well done, little Manji."

Manji was Uchiha Nan's summoned beast, while Qiaqi was Kagami Uchiha's summoned beast. The Uchiha Clan and the Ninja Cats had been friendly for generations, and the Ninja Cats under Cat Grandma often formed contracts with members of the Uchiha Clan.

Ninja Cats were small and nimble, making them excellent at gathering intelligence. They had their own information network in the Ninja World.

After Uchiha Nan displayed his talent at the Ninja Academy, the clan recommended him to Cat Grandma, who had Manji form a contract with him. At the time, Manji had still been a little kitten.

Over the years, Manji had risked life and limb alongside Uchiha Nan several times when he left the village on missions. Uchiha Nan trusted Manji enough to send him out for information.

"How are you going to reward me?"

Manji purred, a blissful expression appearing on its face as it enjoyed the handiwork of Uchiha Nan, a veteran cat-petter.

"Three bottles of catnip!"

"No. Double it!"

Manji's tail twitched in displeasure.

"No problem!"

Uchiha Nan was in an excellent mood. He first took a can of catnip from the drawer and tossed it to Manji.

"I'll buy you the remaining five bottles tomorrow."

Manji impatiently opened the catnip can, grabbed a pawful, and took a deep taste.

"This is the flavor. The goods are pure."

"AA+!"

Manji wore an expression of utter bliss, pouring all the catnip from the container onto the bed and rolling around in it with its limbs spread wide.

"Manji, tell the Ninja Cats you're close with to stay in Konoha for the next few days and gather information for me at any time."

"Manji? Manji?"

Manji's eyes were vacant, its tongue hanging out, and its two paws mechanically kept stuffing catnip into its mouth. It had clearly gotten high on catnip.

Forget it. He could not count on Manji for now. Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others had not returned yet, and news of Tobirama's death had not been brought back. Let the bullet fly a little longer.

Sleep!

A few days later, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others hurried back to Konoha. They did not bring news of a ceasefire, but terrible news that could shake all of Konoha.

The negotiations between Konoha and the Raikage had broken down. The Raikage had been ambushed and killed by his subordinates, Kinkaku and Ginkaku, while Tobirama Senju had died in battle.

Senju Clan Compound

"Tobirama... died?"

"How could that be? How could Tobirama die?"

Mito Uzumaki, who had only just received the news, wore a blank and helpless expression. She had yet to recover from the devastating blow. She simply could not imagine that her younger brother-in-law, Tobirama, would die.

In Mito's memories, Tobirama had always been calm and resourceful. After Hashirama's death, he had managed Konoha in perfect order.

His strength was also among the greatest in the Ninja World. He had survived the chaos of the Warring States era, yet he had died during a ceasefire negotiation. Mito Uzumaki could not accept that reality.

Mito Uzumaki looked toward Hiruzen Sarutobi, hoping he would say something. But reality was reality. Hiruzen Sarutobi could only remain silent, afraid that speaking would provoke Mito Uzumaki further.

Tears flowed from the corners of Mito Uzumaki's eyes, but she quickly wiped them away. Her gaze turned sharp as she looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Tell me everything from beginning to end. Do not leave out a single word!"

Mito Uzumaki's voice was icy. Her emotions were unstable, and Chakra leaked out with her words.

The Uzumaki clan already possessed immense Chakra, and Mito was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. The Chakra fluctuations she released made Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others struggle to breathe.

Konoha had only just ended a great war. The First Shinobi World War had lasted a full eight years. After eight years of war, even a powerful and robust village like Konoha had been severely drained.

At such a critical time, the village's leader had died. If this was not handled properly, Konoha could very well fall apart.

"Yes, Mito-sama."

Hiruzen Sarutobi repeatedly acknowledged her order, recounting everything from the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju's negotiations with the Second Raikage, to the ambush by Kinkaku and Ginkaku, to the pursuit by the elite force led by Kinkaku and Ginkaku.

Finally, Tobirama Senju had sacrificed himself as bait to cover their group's escape. Hiruzen Sarutobi told the entire story from beginning to end.

Naturally, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not forget to mention that Tobirama had appointed him the Third Hokage before going to his death.

Mito Uzumaki interrupted him several times to ask about specific details, making Hiruzen Sarutobi repeat himself again and again. Everyone else present also recounted it several times.

Combined with the Nine-Tails' special ability to sense emotions, Mito Uzumaki finally concluded that Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others were not lying.

Mito Uzumaki looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with a complicated expression. For the first time, she doubted Tobirama's judgment. Were these little brats truly worth Tobirama sacrificing himself for?

And this Hiruzen Sarutobi before her—was he really worthy of the position of Hokage?