Generally speaking, people's memories grew hazy with age.
But Mito Uzumaki was clearly not among them.
Proficient in Sealing Jutsu, she seemed able to preserve and seal away her memories, keeping every little detail of those she cherished stored in her mind...
Perhaps this was also her mental weapon against the Nine-Tails' erosion.
In any case, when Hiruzen Sarutobi seized the opportunity to ask that question, Mito Uzumaki instantly recalled a certain white-haired man who preferred to remain unnamed.
Back then, Senju Tobirama had always probed her about such matters as well...
And Hashirama had always warned Mito not to tell Tobirama too much, or he might cause trouble.
His younger brother was good in every way, except that his nerve was far too great!
Things that seemed wildly fantastical and utterly impossible might somehow be made real in his hands...
"Hiruzen, why did you think to ask that?"
Mito Uzumaki teased, "Right, you read your teacher's research notes, didn't you? I'm quite curious about his notes too..."
"For someone like him, if it wasn't research-related, he would never have left any trace behind. Did he curse me in those notes?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked as though his mind had drifted elsewhere. "Oh, how could that be, Lady Mito? My teacher's notes were all related to research..."
He hadn't expected Mito Uzumaki's memory to be this good! A little bit of the Monkey's tail had slipped out...
"You're truly Tobirama's good disciple! You even know how to protect his privacy for him..."
Mito Uzumaki shook her head with a sigh. Even if she demanded to see Tobirama's notes—
Judging by Hiruzen Sarutobi's evasive manner, he clearly would not agree.
After all, research notes did not merely record data and inspiration. A complaint or two mixed in here and there was perfectly normal...
Lord Hokage deeply agreed with that view.
Putting aside the fact that he had read Senju Tobirama's notes.
Back in his previous life, even his closest loved ones would absolutely not have been allowed to see his browsing history or favorites...
"Lady Mito, here's the situation."
"My teacher's notes recorded several ideas regarding reattaching severed limbs. They would be immensely valuable to ninjas wounded on the battlefield."
"I saw in the notes that my teacher was stuck on the matter of 'materials,' but for some reason, he only marked your name without writing down his later thoughts."
Hiruzen Sarutobi wore a look of complete sincerity.
Was that the truth?
It was indeed the truth.
Developing limb-regeneration technology had been one of his plans to begin with; there just happened to be another point involved.
Therefore, Lord Hokage considered this not deception, merely an incomplete telling of the truth.
"You know, although Monkey's abilities are lacking, he has always been fairly steady..." Hiruzen Sarutobi said as an idea struck him.
This time, he was spending his own credibility!
Mito Uzumaki pondered for a while, then let it go.
Monkey was not Tobirama...
He had always had more than enough caution and composure, but lacked the drive to forge ahead.
Now that he had finally built up his confidence after breaking free of the old ways, he had also shown her sincere filial piety and concern...
He had come to apologize, supported the Uzumaki Clan, brought Yamato over, and had even resolved to temporarily set aside the matter of the Nine-Tails.
Such a good child should know what he was doing!
"Look at you, I only teased you a little. Why are you taking it so seriously?"
Mito Uzumaki laughed softly, rose, went into the inner room, and handed Hiruzen Sarutobi a scroll and three pendants.
"What are these?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked respectfully.
"Living with this Fox, I always had to find things to do. Some are little trinkets I made myself, while some were left to me by Hashirama..." Mito Uzumaki picked up the dark-green one in the center and gestured for Hiruzen Sarutobi to come closer.
"This one was left to me by Hashirama. I'll give it to you, Monkey." Mito Uzumaki put the necklace around the Hokage's neck. "Wearing it all the time and seeing it only makes one's heart ache. I merely took it out to look at from time to time."
"Now that Yamato is with me, there's no need to keep it anymore..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi obediently nodded.
He had not expected the necklace to possess any special effect.
It was probably similar to Tsunade's, something that refreshed the mind and cleared the eyes.
The greatest value of this necklace lay in "Mito Uzumaki's recognition of him."
"These two were made by imitating Hashirama..."
"Hashirama may have seemed foolish most of the time, but he was truly remarkable! He could compress so much Chakra into a single point within matter, then have it release slowly..."
"It sounds simple, but it took me all these years just to find a few clues." Mito Uzumaki spoke with a faint smile.
Hiruzen Sarutobi blinked. "Then why didn't you ask Lord Hashirama how he did it back then?"
The technique behind this was immensely valuable!
It could be said that this was the difficult part of Medical Scroll technology—the storage and slow release of medical Chakra.
"Him? What would he know about these things? All he ever said was that he didn't know how it worked, but it wasn't difficult..." Mito Uzumaki said, then added with amusement,
"Back then, he made me so angry I laughed. He was an unconventional ninja."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in deep agreement.
People with absurd stats who also had skill were truly impossible to understand...
Still, there was no rush to bring up the Medical Scroll with Mito Uzumaki.
Food had to be eaten one bite at a time. Asking too much at once would make him seem overly eager and inevitably hurt the impression he made.
"When development begins, it would be more appropriate to have Tsunade ask her," Hiruzen Sarutobi thought.
"You want to earn the Nobles' money and use it to provide benefits for the village. That's good."
Mito Uzumaki said softly, "These two pendants may be of help when dealing with the Daimyo. If it is for the village, there is no need to avoid using my name."
"And this scroll contains a Sealing Jutsu I developed recently. It can create an environment that promotes the fusion of foreign Chakras."
"I originally wanted to see whether it could be used on the Nine-Tails, but it is too powerful, so it couldn't be applied."
"But it should be of some help for severed limbs."
Hiruzen Sarutobi was deeply moved.
The saying that having an elder in the family was like having a treasure was no empty phrase.
Though it was not a finished product, merely a prototype and a line of thought, it could still bring enormous benefits to Konoha.
And this village truly was a vast treasure trove. Dig around a little, and it could always surprise you!
"As for techniques, there is a village that has something similar."
"The Uzumaki records mention a secret technique from Takigakure called Earth Grudge Fear. The black threads formed within the body are extremely useful for transmitting Chakra and stitching flesh together."
"Once, a young man who sparred with Hashirama was from Takigakure."
"I heard that he later assassinated the village's higher-ups and obtained that secret technique. Hashirama felt quite regretful for him at the time."
"As for what happened to that young man afterward, I do not know..."
Mito Uzumaki shook her head. "I have stayed in this village for too long."
Hiruzen Sarutobi carefully put away the two necklaces and the scroll. Holding Hashirama's keepsake against his chest, he bowed once more to Mito Uzumaki.
"Lady Mito, the help you have given Monkey and this village cannot be described in words!"
"Monkey will certainly not fail your trust. I will do everything in my power to make the village prosper, and strive to resolve the regrets of the Senju, Uchiha, and Uzumaki Clan!"
Mito Uzumaki laughed softly. "Just do your best, Hiruzen..."
After Hiruzen Sarutobi left, a faint diamond-shaped mark seemed to reappear upon Mito Uzumaki's forehead.
The Nine-Tails within her also noticed the change. It irritably turned over and sneered coldly.
The Nine-Tails had heard part of the conversation between Hiruzen Sarutobi and Mito Uzumaki.
It was furious.
It was furious because Hiruzen Sarutobi dared not value its power!
What did he mean Mito Uzumaki was more important than it? How utterly foolish!
Yet at the same time, the Nine-Tails quietly remembered Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hiruzen Sarutobi would rather give it up than deny Mito Uzumaki a peaceful old age...
That moved even the Nine-Tails a little.
Were there really humans like this?
The next day.
Hokage Office Building.
Hiruzen Sarutobi drew a deep breath, his eyes gleaming.
There were many more things to do...
"Bring Orochimaru and Hiruko here!" Lord Hokage ordered.
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