The ill-fated entanglement between the Third Hokage and his disciple continued to ferment.
Meanwhile, after Mito Uzumaki learned that a "Sage Eye" had once appeared in the Hayakawa River Basin, she quietly accelerated the project she had been advancing.
—From a technical standpoint, the "Secret Pact Seal" specifically developed for hosts had basically taken shape.
Although they still lacked suitable test subjects for clinical trials, since the Third Hokage had already resolved to move against the Great Collective and the Yamada Faction—and had reached a less-than-pleasant consensus with his own disciple—there presumably would be no shortage of materials in the future.
The only somewhat unexpected development was that, after Kushina, the "chosen child," entered Konoha ahead of the other members of her clan, she was not kept under separate watch and heavily guarded. Instead, at Mito Uzumaki's instruction, she remained by her side to study sealing techniques.
The Anbu were also uncertain whether this was a necessary procedure, so they could only report the matter to the Hokage Office and the Advisory Council.
After deliberation, the Third Hokage Cabinet ultimately gave its approval...
As the First's wife, Lady Mito could not ultimately be treated like an ordinary jinchuriki.
Whether out of sentiment or reason, the Third Hokage's leadership group could not further restrict the old woman's personal freedom through harsher means than they already had... Besides, with the Secret Pact Seal on the verge of success, no one wished to provoke unnecessary conflict at such a sensitive time.
Most importantly, after this period of observation, although Uzumaki Kushina was not lacking in ninja talent, and her total chakra reserves gave her a considerable advantage over children her age thanks to her Uzumaki bloodline, she was ultimately no prodigy on the level of the Senju brothers.
Even under Lady Mito's personal