Uzumaki - The Grand Seal Arts

"Grandmother!"

Just as Uchiha Gen was offering his salutations, a woman's voice mingled with a man's drifted over from afar. Uchiha Gen turned his head to follow the sound, only to see a blonde woman walking toward them, accompanied by a boy who was, for the moment, still among the living.

"Child, sometimes fulfilling one's duty doesn't mean there is only one path to take. As it happens, let me introduce you to them. That boy may be a little older than you, but I believe you two will get along."

Mito Uzumaki looked at the siblings approaching her with a gentle smile before speaking to Uchiha Gen beside her.

"Grandmother, why did you come to a place like this! And you, you Uchiha brat, why are you standing next to my grandmother?"

Before Uchiha Gen could reply, Nawaki's voice traveled from afar to near. In just a moment, Nawaki had reached Mito Uzumaki, glaring at Uchiha Gen with undisguised hostility—or rather, glaring at the clan crest on Uchiha Gen's clothing.

"Your intuition seems to have failed you."

Ignoring Nawaki, Uchiha Gen looked at Mito Uzumaki and spoke softly.

"Are you even listening to me, you jerk—ouch! Big sister, why did you hit me?! You should be hitting this Uchiha instead!"

Having been ignored, Nawaki was just about to roar when Tsunade punched him on the head, dragging him back to reality.

"Grandmother, what is this?"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, looking from Uchiha Gen to Mito Uzumaki. On the way here, she had already noticed that there were many Uchiha ninja lying unconscious in the bushes.

Without a single wound on their bodies and appearing as if they were merely asleep, those Uchiha ninja had undoubtedly been dealt with by her grandmother.

"Little Tsunade, come here. Let me introduce you. This is Uchiha Gen, the... younger brother I've just found for you."

Mito Uzumaki spoke softly with a smile on her face.

"Younger brother!!" ×2

"????"

As Mito Uzumaki's words fell, three pairs of eyes turned simultaneously toward the elderly woman.

Uchiha Gen stared at Mito Uzumaki in shock; he didn't recall ever selling himself out?

Facing Uchiha Gen's astonishment, Mito Uzumaki merely blinked at him and reached into her sleeve to produce a vermilion scroll.

"As it happens, I haven't given you a welcome gift yet. You should like this."

As she brought out the scroll, Mito Uzumaki spoke with a smile.

"Wait! Grandmother, what do you mean by 'younger brother'? Did you adopt this Uchiha as your grandson? No!! That's absolutely impossible, right! He is an Uchi—"

Compared to Tsunade's surprise, Nawaki's mouth moved faster than his brain. He pointed at Uchiha Gen as if to interrogate him, but before he could finish his sentence, a golden chain instantly bound him, sealing his mouth shut as well.

"Gen, I may call you that, may I not?"

After binding Nawaki, Mito Uzumaki looked at Uchiha Gen gently.

"Please, feel free."

Clutching the scroll, Uchiha Gen spoke softly.

"Then, come to the Senju compound tomorrow for a meal. Or, I can bring them to the Uchiha compound to eat with you."

Ignoring Nawaki, who was writhing on the ground like a maggot, Mito Uzumaki said to Uchiha Gen with a smile.

"...When?"

"In the afternoon. After all, you still need to attend school; skipping class is not a good habit."

"Very well."

"Then, see you tomorrow."

Watching the strongest woman in Konoha depart with one teenager and one maggot in tow, Uchiha Gen stood by the riverbank, silent for a long moment.

Mito Uzumaki's sudden visit was simply too abstract. If he were being honest with himself, if he possessed such power and discovered an unstable factor that had yet to fully grow, his first thought would be to snuff it out immediately.

Yet, Mito Uzumaki's approach was to use such an absurd transaction to let Uchiha Gen decide for himself...

Yes, it was absurd.

"Is this the mindset of an elder from the Warring States period? Or perhaps... it is the philosophy of Hashirama Senju, an idealism akin to the Will of Fire..."

Looking at the scroll in his hand, Uchiha Gen found himself at a loss for how to evaluate such a woman.

He opened the scroll, and as he looked at its contents, his eyes widened in astonishment.

[Uzumaki - General Compendium of Sealing Jutsu...]

"That really is... an incredible welcome gift."

"Young Master Gen, are you alright?!?!"

Following Mito Uzumaki's departure, Ganghuo Uchiha also regained consciousness. The moment he came to, he instantly flashed to Uchiha Gen's side. Only after confirming that Uchiha Gen was uninjured and that there were no signs of a struggle nearby did he finally heave a sigh of relief.

"I am fine. Notify the elders; we are holding a meeting."

Putting away the scroll, Uchiha Gen spoke calmly.

"Yes!"

Senju compound.

"Grandma! Why would you adopt an Uchiha as your grandson? If word of this gets out, won't it be a laughingstock?"

Nawaki stood there with an expression of utter disbelief, shouting his question at Mito Uzumaki.

"Shut up! You're too noisy!"

After landing another punch on Nawaki's head to force him into silence, Tsunade also looked toward her grandmother.

She, too, was confused.

"Tsunade, Nawaki, do not hold any prejudice against this child Gen, or against the Uchiha in general. The feud between the Senju and the Uchiha ended long ago in the hands of your granduncle. Do you... understand?"

Mito Uzumaki looked at the two of them with a stern expression as she spoke.

"But..."

Looking at Mito Uzumaki's serious face, Nawaki felt a strange sense of grievance.

"Nawaki, I know your dream is to become a Hokage like your granduncle. However, if it were Hashirama, he would certainly never hold any prejudice against the Uchiha.

In his eyes, everyone in the village was his family, and that included the Uchiha. Therefore, if you truly wish to become a ninja like Hashirama, you must learn to treat everyone in the village as your own kin."

Looking at the aggrieved Nawaki, Mito Uzumaki smiled affectionately, reached out to gently ruffle his hair, and spoke softly.

"Is that Uchiha boy... really that special?"

Unable to hold back any longer, Tsunade couldn't help but ask.

Everything that happened today felt far too strange. Her grandmother had actually invited someone over for dinner, and an Uchiha at that.

And most importantly! She had even accepted him as her foster grandson (or so she assumed)!!!!