Mito, Hashirama, and Madara

Noticing Mito Uzumaki's reaction.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nimbly walked over to her and gently handed her the swaddled infant. "Take a look. He's very healthy!"

Mito Uzumaki accepted him.

Having lived through the brutal Warring States and Village Era, even her eyes were clouded with a dazed look at this moment.

Compared to the child she and Hashirama had once had, this child carried an even stronger, purer aura of Hashirama...

After all, a child also inherited part of her, along with later influences. It was not uncommon for a son to differ from his father.

But this child possessed genuine Hashirama Cells, without a trace of falsification.

"This child is?" Mito Uzumaki asked.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded with a pained expression. "Many Konoha ninja were sacrificed. He is the only successful case."

Mito Uzumaki naturally knew that the village had been researching Hashirama Cells, hoping to pass down Wood Release and gain the power to control Tailed Beasts and defend themselves...

For ninja, this was not something unacceptable.

She was merely confirming it, while Hiruzen Sarutobi was also telling Mito Uzumaki—this was Wood Release's only remaining seedling, and very likely the last one.

Mito Uzumaki gazed at the child's little face and murmured, "He does look a little like him..."

Then she laughed to herself. "How could he look like him? I never saw him when he was little. Honestly."

Hiruzen Sarutobi listened quietly.

An old woman who had devoted everything to the village, seeing a child carrying the aura of an old friend in her twilight years...

It was something profoundly mysterious.

The beginning and end of life, the continuation and embodiment of longing...

Only after Mito Uzumaki came back to herself did Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly say, "Lady Mito, Monkey wishes to ask you to look after this child."

"His body has successfully fused with Lord Hashirama's cells, and there is a very high chance that he inherited Wood Release..."

"Looking across the entire village, only you are qualified to nurture him in the best possible way."

Hiruzen Sarutobi bowed. "If you still have the strength for it, please, Lady Mito, rouse yourself once more and complete this arduous task for the village!"

At that, Mito Uzumaki shook her head with a smile.

The face that had remained calm through countless wars of life and death finally showed a genuine trace of joy.

Caring for a child was indeed not easy, but for Mito Uzumaki, how could it be difficult?

Hiruzen Sarutobi said this only because he had seen through the deep emotion in her heart—the desire to be needed.

"You, Monkey..."

Holding the child in one arm, Mito Uzumaki gestured for Hiruzen Sarutobi to sit down with the other. "How did I never realize before that you were so good at making people happy?"

"There is not a shred of flattery in my words. Lady Mito, you are truly Konoha's pillar that holds up the heavens," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with utter seriousness.

"Monkey still has many matters to rely on you for!"

"Look, this child does not even have a name yet. Lady Mito, please grant him one..."

Giving someone a name could deepen the bond between people; it was a kind of ritual.

Mito Uzumaki was quite pleased as well. After a brief thought, she said, "Hmm, how about calling him Yamato?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately gave a thumbs-up.

"Good, an excellent name! It conveys peace and healthy growth—simple yet strong, calm and upright. It seems ordinary, but its meaning runs deep..."

Mito Uzumaki laughed at his expression. "Stop praising me, Monkey! I only thought that a rustic name would make him easier to raise. Where did you get all that from?"

Even after being exposed, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked surprised before solemnly saying again, "See? You are being modest again. Ever since I was young, I heard Lord Hashirama and Lord Tobirama say that you were the most talented and wise female ninja in the Shinobi World!"

"Even that Uchiha Madara acknowledged you!"

Hearing Uchiha Madara's name, Mito Uzumaki paused slightly and sighed. "Madara? It's been so long since I heard his name..."

"Compared to me, he and Hashirama really were more like a pair of star-crossed lovers!"

There was, unexpectedly, a faint sourness in her tone that had endured for decades.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes spun as he asked, "Lady Mito, what do you mean by that?"

"By the way, do you know where Madara's body is? Recently, I've been studying the notes Lord Tobirama left behind..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was very curious about this.

Senju Tobirama had even researched Izuna Uchiha, so how could he not have researched Uchiha Madara's corpse?

Yet the notes mentioned nothing about it, containing only a few conjectures and scattered clues.

Mito Uzumaki snorted. "I don't know either!"

"Back then, Hashirama brought Madara's body back, and Tobirama insisted on dissecting it..."

"But Hashirama flew into a tremendous rage over it. The eruption of his Chakra made even the Nine-Tails tremble, and the way he looked at Tobirama could only be described as murderous."

"He never did anything like this for me!" At that moment, the Chakra naturally spilling from Mito Uzumaki made Hiruzen Sarutobi click his tongue inwardly.

Not only was it hers—there was also a trace of Nine-Tails Chakra interwoven within it.

Who said this old lady only had a couple of years left?

This old lady was still seriously powerful!

"Hashirama never told anyone where he buried Madara's body. Not even me..."

"Oh my, I lost my composure, Hiruzen..." Mito Uzumaki came to her senses. She merely tilted her head slightly, and the Tailed Beast Chakra was swiftly drawn back into her body. "Did I make a fool of myself?"

"Not at all, Lady Mito!" Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed lightly. "Please don't be angry. Haven't the Senju and Uchiha always been like this? Just look at Izuna Uchiha and Teacher Tobirama—they have a rather strange relationship too..."

Mito Uzumaki nodded deeply in agreement. "There really is something off between those two clans!"

"But it's all in the past now... I actually miss those days very much." Mito Uzumaki's gaze softened. "We fought and squabbled back then, but we all thought there would never be another conflict."

"Hiruzen, you must work hard. Perhaps the thousand-year grudge between the Senju and Uchiha may be resolved in your hands?" Mito Uzumaki encouraged Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed inwardly.

If this old lady found out about their plan, that would be bad...

He needed to get himself seated at the same table as Teacher Tobirama.

After Senju Hashirama's death, one of the First's final wishes had been for his widow, Mito, to keep a close eye on his younger brother Tobirama's research, lest he create some Forbidden Technique that would outrage both heaven and man...

"Rest assured, I'll do my utmost to mend the relationship between the village and the Uchiha..." Hiruzen Sarutobi answered vaguely.

He really did intend to mend it. As for how he intended to mend it, there was no need to ask...

"Lady Mito, I'll leave Yamato in your care..." Hiruzen Sarutobi changed the subject and began chatting with Mito Uzumaki about village affairs and everyday matters.

They discussed everything from the reforms of the Konoha Committee to developing medicines and winning over the Hyuga Branch Family, with particular emphasis on how much importance the village would place on research in the future.

He also subtly stressed that once the village's financial reserves ran a surplus, it would establish a dedicated fund for the Uzumaki Clan, meant to support Uzumaki orphans who joined the village in the future and help them quickly build new homes.

Mito Uzumaki listened attentively, nodding from time to time.

It was then that Hiruzen Sarutobi asked his real question.

"Do you know of any secret technique that can help connect meridians?"

Mito Uzumaki's expression became intriguing as she looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi meaningfully.