Mito-sama, May You Live a Hundred Years.

As soon as Mito Uzumaki spoke those words, Uchiha Gen's entire body went rigid.

She... had discovered what?!!

"Child, Konoha has no intention of casting the Uchiha aside."

Ignoring Uchiha Gen's reaction, Mito Uzumaki continued.

"I know that because of Tobirama, the Uchiha hold some grievances against Konoha, but Tobirama never intentionally targeted the Uchiha clan.

Hashirama's dying wish was something Tobirama upheld with great care, and now, that wish has been entrusted to Monkey—the Third Hokage. So, do you understand what I am saying?"

Mito Uzumaki looked at Uchiha Gen and spoke softly, her words sincere and devoid of any falsehood.

"...I do not care about the grudges between the Senju and the Uchiha."

Looking at the elderly woman, Uchiha Gen remained silent for a moment before gently shaking his head.

"But you care about the relationship between the Uchiha and the village. I can roughly guess what you intend to do, and doing so would be detrimental to both the Uchiha and the village."

Mito Uzumaki spoke immediately after.

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Gen should have felt panicked, surprised, or some other reaction.

Yet, Uchiha Gen found himself strangely calm. He... seemed to understand why this woman had sought him out.

"I do not understand what you mean, Lady Mito."

"I have actually considered many solutions, including eliminating you directly to prevent future trouble, but that thought was extinguished as soon as it surfaced.

Taking action against someone from Konoha is something neither I nor Hashirama would ever permit, even if what you intend to do... is somewhat treasonous.

Child, do you know? When I sensed your rate of growth, which even surpassed that of Hashirama in his youth, my first reaction was joy, because your chakra is truly warm.

That kind of chakra was something I had never seen before—filled with warmth yet capable of embracing everything; even Hashirama did not possess it.

Such chakra did not seem like that of an Uchiha child at all. Even after you awakened the Uchiha bloodline, I had hoped you would become a bridge to reconnect the Uchiha and Konoha.

However... chakra does not seem to truly dictate a person's decisions. You have ultimately chosen a different path..."

Mito Uzumaki's voice remained gentle, yet the content of her words felt chilling.

If Mito Uzumaki wanted to take action against him... then... unless Hashirama Senju were to come back to life, he would be thoroughly finished.

"Prejudice in the human heart is a mountain, and all I wish to do is shatter that mountain completely."

Uchiha Gen's tone was flat yet forceful.

"No, what you want to do is move that mountain and crush others beneath it."

"..."

This was exactly why he hated being around people with abilities similar to mind-reading.

"Child, I am dying soon. After I am gone, you, with the full protection of the Uchiha clan, will inevitably enter a period of rapid growth in power.

During this time, no one will be able to interfere with you. Once you have fully mastered your strength and consolidated the power of the Uchiha, disaster will erupt within Konoha."

As she said this, Mito Uzumaki picked up a small stone and skipped it across the riverbed. This time, the stone skipped several times quite smoothly.

"So, you want to eliminate me before you die?"

Seeing this, Uchiha Gen also picked up a stone and threw it toward the water.

A series of skips appeared, exactly one more than Mito Uzumaki's.

Mito Uzumaki saw this, and a smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

"I have said it before: I will not take action against anyone in Konoha. Besides, those potential events are only things that would happen after I am gone.

The dead should not interfere with the living; that is what Hashirama once said to Tobirama."

Mito Uzumaki shook her head gently and picked up another stone to toss into the river.

This time, the stone skipped many times, but it still fell short of the opposite bank.

"Then you didn't come here today just to chat and skip stones with me, surely."

Seeing this, Uchiha Gen flicked another stone, and just like before, it skipped exactly one more time than hers.

"No, I came to make a deal with you."

Mito Uzumaki shook her head softly, picking up a stone from the ground, though this time she did not throw it.

"??? Please, speak."

"Delay what you are about to do. Until you have mastered enough strength to control the entirety of Konoha, you are forbidden from staging a coup. At the very least, you must minimize the impact on Konoha."

Mito Uzumaki stood up and spoke leisurely.

"????"

For a moment, Uchiha Gen felt his entire world tilt.

Wait, was she just going to say something like a coup so openly?

Oh, right. This was Mito Uzumaki, the strongest person currently in Konoha. Never mind, then.

"I do not understand what Lady Mito means."

The word "coup" was something Mito Uzumaki could say because she was Mito Uzumaki, but he certainly dared not admit to it recklessly.

"Are you not curious about the contents of the trade?"

Looking down at the youth before her, Mito Uzumaki spoke in a gentle voice.

"...I am not curious."

"No, you are quite curious."

"I am not curious."

"You are curious."

"I am not... fine, I am curious."

Watching Mito Uzumaki's smiling face, Uchiha Gen spoke helplessly.

"The treasures of the Senju, and... the final legacy of the Uzumaki."

Mito Uzumaki spoke softly, her voice tinged with a hint of sorrow.

"?!"

"The Land of Whirlpools is gone? Is it this period of time?"

"I know, you want to say that you can master these things in the future, but there is a vast difference between mastering them sooner rather than later. Furthermore... although I am dying, I will not die immediately. With my existence, the harassment the Uchiha clan receives from those villagers will inevitably be much less."

Composing her emotions, Mito Uzumaki spoke gently, her words carrying a sense of temptation that left Uchiha Gen speechless.

"...May Lady Mito live for a hundred years."

Uchiha Gen was silent for a moment, then turned and bowed slightly to Mito Uzumaki.

Seeing this, Mito Uzumaki smiled faintly and tossed the pebble she had been holding, now warmed by her palm, toward the river. As a series of ripples appeared on the water, the stone successfully reached the opposite bank.