Gambling

"He is a good child. From now on, that child is entrusted to you."

Facing Princess Tsunade's question, Mito Uzumaki smiled slightly and spoke in a soft voice.

"???? Huh?"

Without continuing, Mito Uzumaki moved to the courtyard and looked up at the full moon in the sky.

"Hashirama... if it were you, what would you do? Konoha, oh Konoha."

Looking at the full moon, Mito Uzumaki felt an inexplicable sense of exhaustion.

She had lived for too long; she had witnessed the prosperity and decline of Konoha, and she was currently witnessing the decay and demise of the Senju and Uzumaki clans.

And now... she had made another decision, unsure if it was right or wrong.

"That kind of chakra... it will absolutely not be affected by the Yin Release chakra of the Mangekyo, right?"

From the moment she discovered Uchiha Gen, Mito Uzumaki had been observing this Uchiha cub, whose chakra reaction was completely different from other Uchihas, and one could even say completely different from any other ninja.

This observation lasted for a full half-year, watching Uchiha Gen's power steadily increase every day, or sometimes surge forward in a sudden leap.

The astonishment in Mito Uzumaki's heart grew more and more profound.

It wasn't until Uchiha Gen finally decided on certain matters that she suddenly realized what kind of storm his existence would bring to Konoha.

This was why she had felt a murderous intent at the beginning; she did not want any variables to appear in the village that Hashirama had spent his entire life laboring for.

However, this thought had been extinguished the moment it was born. Half a year of observation had allowed her to see a little more clearly what kind of person Uchiha Gen truly was.

All of Uchiha Gen's decisions were merely leaning toward the support the Uchiha clan had given him—from Setsuna Uchiha to the various elders, and including the other Uchihas.

Everything these people had done for Uchiha Gen laid the foundation for his desire to stage a coup and have the Uchiha clan seize everything.

During these six months of observation, Mito Uzumaki had a feeling that Uchiha Gen was forcibly integrating himself into everything around him, but this integration was abrupt; no matter how well he blended in, it could not change his core ideology.

This child was very mature. He had his own standards of conduct, and these standards even projected a portion of his morality into his daily life.

In plain terms, this child was not a bad person, but he certainly could not be considered a good one; his every starting point was based on his own position.

Therefore, Mito Uzumaki had the idea of expanding Uchiha Gen's perspective.

Everything Uchiha Gen wanted to do was to repay the Uchiha clan for what they had done for him, so what if she intervened? What if she intervened and placed more chips on the scale in Uchiha Gen's heart? Would a new transformation occur?

This was a gamble-like approach, and she wanted to take one last bet in the final period of her life.

The next day.

After school.

"Minato, you train by yourself today. I have something to take care of."

At the gate of the Ninja Academy, Uchiha Gen took the gift box delivered by an Uchiha ninja and turned to speak to Minato Namikaze beside him.

"Alright, go ahead. If there's anything I can help with, let me know."

Looking at the gift box in Uchiha Gen's hand, Minato Namikaze roughly guessed what he was going to do, and then smiled as he spoke.

"Mn."

The Senju Compound was easy to identify in Konoha.

After only a moment, Uchiha Gen arrived at the entrance of the Senju Compound.

There was no one standing guard at the gate. Looking at the mansion that appeared somewhat lonely, Uchiha Gen stood for a moment before stepping inside.

Just as he entered, he saw Mito Uzumaki standing by the pond feeding the fish.

"Greetings, Lady Mito."

Uchiha Gen was very respectful; when facing the strong and his elders, there was no reason not to be.

"No need for such formalities. You can just call me Grandma from now on. Why bring a gift when you come to visit? Don't do it again in the future. The house is a bit quiet these days, so feel free to come by more often."

Mito Uzumaki looked at Uchiha Gen with kindness as she spoke.

Looking at the Uchiha Gen before her, Mito Uzumaki reaffirmed her thoughts.

Indeed... the power within this child was growing every day, and it was growing with extreme stability.

"Mn."

Uchiha Gen nodded lightly and said nothing more. For a time, the scene fell silent once again.

"Strength of a Hundred, are you interested? I once used the Mind's Eye of the Kagura to observe your battles. Although you use a blade, I feel you are quite suited for this technique."

After a moment of silence, Mito Uzumaki suddenly spoke.

"Princess Tsunade's signature technique, but... her technique shouldn't count as being within the Senju, right? After all, she does not carry the Senju name."

Uchiha Gen spoke softly.

"The Strength of a Hundred was not created by little Tsunade. But even if it were, I could have her teach you. Although little Tsunade is a bit flighty, she still has many things she can teach you—for instance, medical ninjutsu or... the Shikkotsu Forest Sage Mode. Your chakra should be very suitable for practicing Sage Arts."

Mito Uzumaki said with a smile.

"You want me to take her as my master?"

Uchiha Gen frowned slightly as he spoke in a low voice.

He simply could not fathom the intentions of this elderly woman from the Warring States period.

"You know yourself that this is impossible; you wouldn't be willing, so naturally, I wouldn't have you take little Tsunade as your master. Gen, since I have asked you to address me as Grandmother, then little Tsunade can be considered your older sister."

The smile on Mito Uzumaki's face remained unchanged.

"..."

Just as Uchiha Gen was at a loss for how to respond, a boisterous youth and the subject of their conversation appeared.

"Grandmother! I'm back!"

To hear the voice before seeing the person—this was exactly the type of person who would start shouting from a great distance away.

"They are here. Most of the meals in this house are prepared by chefs arranged by Monkey. Since I dislike the fumes of cooking, I usually have them prepared and delivered. Today, I had Nawaki go and fetch them."

Mito Uzumaki and Uchiha Gen followed the sound, only to see Nawaki walking into the Senju Compound carrying a large food box.

"He is not suited to be a ninja."

Watching this youth, who was shouting while carrying a food box, his eyes revealing a clear, naive stupidity, Uchiha Gen gave his assessment.

As the grandson of the First Hokage and a student of Orochimaru, such a person had actually died on the battlefield simply because he stepped on an explosive tag.

His sacrifice could be considered the catalyst that changed the future paths of the Sannin.

"Hmph."

Having walked in, Nawaki placed the food box in his hands onto the stone table nearby, then looked at Uchiha Gen and let out a cold snort.