"All right, little Tsunade. Tianqi really did go too far this time. This punishment might as well not even count for him." Mito patted Tsunade on the head.
"Okay." Tsunade lowered her head.
"Something's wrong! Something's wrong! Uchiha Tianqi attacked Lord Danzo in his cell!" A ninja rushed in through the door in a panic.
"What! Why did Danzo go to the prison? Damn it! Tianqi, don't do anything rash!" Sarutobi dashed out at once, and the others followed. He wasn't worried about the prison at all—he was worried about Tianqi. Someone who could take on an entire hidden village alone would be a devastating loss to Konoha if he defected.
They were all filled with worry.
"What's going on? Uchiha Tianqi hasn't broken out, has he?" Sarutobi reached the prison cells and immediately asked one of the guards.
"Huh? What do you mean, Lord Hokage? Who would dare break out of a high-security prison?" The guard stared at Sarutobi, completely baffled.
"Didn't you say Uchiha Tianqi attacked someone in his cell?" Sarutobi was just as confused now.
"Oh, that. He attacked Lord Danzo, then stopped. He didn't try to break out."
Hearing that Tianqi hadn't acted rashly, they all secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Take us to Uchiha Tianqi's cell."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
They followed the guard into the prison. As soon as they entered, they froze: Tianqi was lying in bed, fast asleep.
Good grief. We were all worried sick, and you were sleeping in your cell.
"Tianqi! Wake up!" Sarutobi roared.
"Hm? Who is it? Can't a person get any sleep?" Tianqi mumbled groggily. When he saw who had come, he jumped straight out of bed.
"Big Brother Sarutobi, you're here. Elder, Tsunade, you're here too." Tianqi cheerfully greeted them.
But when he glanced at the elderly woman beside them, he frowned. She looked familiar, as if he'd seen her somewhere before. "And who might this be?" he asked the group.
"Uchiha Tianqi, it's been many years. You probably don't remember me. I'm Uzumaki Mito, an old friend of your father's." Before anyone else could speak, Mito introduced herself.
Uzumaki Mito! He remembered now. Wasn't she Hashirama Senju's wife? He didn't think he knew her very well. What was she doing here?
"Greetings, Lady Mito. May I ask what brings you here?" Though he didn't know whether she'd come with good or bad intentions, Tianqi still greeted her warmly.
"Little Tsunade brought me here. I never imagined that the boy Tobirama once kept under house arrest would become so powerful. You can take on an entire country by yourself. If I'm not mistaken, you've awakened those eyes, haven't you?" Mito studied the young man before her.
At her question, Tianqi's expression turned serious. "Big Brother Sarutobi, Tsunade, Elder, please step outside. I have something I'd like to discuss with Lady Mito."
The moment Elder heard Mito mention those eyes, he grew excited. Honestly, he wanted to hear more. But Tianqi had asked them to leave, so he had no choice but to go. He could always ask about it later.
Sarutobi and Tsunade both looked to Mito. She simply waved them out.
Once they had all left, Mito spoke. "All right, they're gone. Say what you wanted to say."
"As the wife of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, you certainly have a lot of influence in Konoha. Even the Hokage has to listen to you." A faint smile tugged at Tianqi's lips.
"Don't try to make veiled insinuations about me. Answer my question: have you awakened those eyes?" Mito didn't care in the slightest about Tianqi's teasing. At her age, her heart had long since grown calm.
"That's right. I awakened those eyes—the eyes that possess Sage Power."
Mito frowned at his answer. Once Uchiha awakened those eyes, their minds were often twisted to some degree. It seemed Tianqi had been affected too.
"Now that you've awakened those eyes, you don't have much time left to see. And you've been influenced by their power," Mito said with a frown.
"Lady Mito, do you really think that if I'd been influenced by their power, I'd be sitting here so calmly? As for my sight, you may know the Uchiha well, but do you think I don't understand it myself, as an Uchiha?" Tianqi spoke to Mito as an equal. He feared no one in the Shinobi World now; whether he showed deference depended on the person.
"Hmph! Since you know that, you should cherish the time you have left and stop doing meaningless things. Tsunade asked me to save you, so I'll put the matter with the Land of Earth behind you this time. I hope this is the first and last time something like this happens. If it happens again, even Tsunade pleading for you won't help. Hmph! You'd better watch yourself." Annoyed by Tianqi's attitude, she turned to leave.
Hearing that Mito hadn't come to cause trouble, but had instead been brought in by Tsunade to help him, Tianqi changed his attitude when he saw her leaving. "Lady Mito, please wait."
"What is it? Is there something else?" Mito turned back with a displeased look.
"Uh... I thought you'd come here to give me trouble today. I was rude to you, and I'd like to apologize. Please forgive me." He bowed deeply to Mito. After all, she was Tsunade's grandmother. It was no big deal to bow his head once for Tsunade's sake.
"Oh, I thought you'd be just as arrogant and unruly as your father." Seeing Tianqi soften his attitude and bow to apologize, Mito no longer left.
"He was who he was; I'm who I am. I'll never be like him, and I'll never become the same kind of person," Tianqi said confidently. He would never agree with Madara's approach to Infinite Tsukuyomi.
"And please don't tell Tsunade I was rude to you." Tianqi rubbed his nose.
"All right, I promise. Ah, what a pity. Such a fine Uchiha, and soon you'll be blind. What a shame." Mito looked at Tianqi and couldn't help feeling sorry for him.
"That's nothing to feel sorry about. My eyes won't go blind, because I awakened the Eyes of Eternal Light, just like him," Tianqi said with a smile.
"What! Eternal Light? That's impossible! Even Madara himself didn't know why he had the Eyes of Infinite Light. How did you do it?" Mito asked in shock when Tianqi said his eyes wouldn't go blind.
"Uh... It's an Uchiha secret. Do I have to answer?" Tianqi scratched his head.
"Well, if it's a secret, you don't have to tell me. Who else knows how to awaken them? Is it easy?" She turned and asked Tianqi. If there were a way to awaken that power—and it was easy—Konoha would descend into chaos.
"I'm the only one who knows the method. As for awakening these eyes, among the Uchiha in the clan right now, no one but me can succeed."
Hearing this, Mito breathed a sigh of relief. This generation of Uchiha still had at least a hundred years to live, so they were safe for now. "Tianqi, I hope you won't tell anyone else this method—not even your descendants. Can you do that?" She still thought highly of him.
"Absolutely. I can definitely do that," Tianqi promised, patting his chest.
Mito felt reassured by his promise. She had her reasons for saying this. Little Tsunade had feelings for Tianqi, and judging by his attitude, he seemed to feel the same way about her. If the two of them got together, then with the powerful union of Hashirama's and Madara's descendants, Konoha might finally know peace.
Before you continue