Konoha Ninja Village was the strongest military force in the Land of Fire, one of the Five Great Nations. Konoha had originally been founded in the name of peace, but years later, it had become something like a professional military camp. Its greatest purpose was to deter the military forces of other countries.
When war came, Konoha Ninja Village served as the Land of Fire's vanguard. Konoha had once been meant to become a paradise for shinobi, but it seemed to have strayed from the original goal its founders, the First and Madara Uchiha, had set for it.
"We're finally here!"
After a few sharp bursts of wind, Tsunade and Jiraiya arrived at Konoha's gates with the siblings, Uzumaki Kushina and her younger brother. The enormous double gate, nearly ten meters tall, looked magnificent to Kushina.
"This... is Konoha? It feels so familiar, yet so strange."
Uzumaki Kuming had woken from his slumber when they arrived in Konoha. He could now control his body, and turning or nodding his head came easily to him. However, an infant's spine and bones hadn't yet grown sturdy, so he couldn't make large movements.
Kuming turned his little head slightly and studied Konoha's entrance. The enormous double gates were breathtaking. He'd rarely seen a gate so large; aside from these two, the only ones he'd seen were at ancient cities in his previous life. But those had been proper cities. This was just a village!
As he looked at Konoha Ninja Village's gates, Kuming felt a jumble of emotions: sadness, excitement, anticipation, and fear.
"Tsunade, let's report to the old man first."
Jiraiya said with a smile. The Konoha Ninja standing guard at the gate recognized him and Tsunade and didn't try to stop them from entering. They paid closer attention to the siblings, though, and someone had already slipped away to report their arrival.
"Go report to the old man yourself. I'll take the siblings with me."
Tsunade had been holding Kushina's hand, but after saying this, she crouched down, picked Kushina up, and swiftly disappeared. Her departure left Jiraiya completely bewildered. He couldn't figure out why she'd suddenly left with the children.
After a moment's thought, Jiraiya hurried toward the Hokage Building.
"Is that so? Tsunade has already taken the children from the Uzumaki Clan away?"
In the Hokage's office, the Third drew on his pipe after listening to Jiraiya's animated account of what had happened. He lightly tapped the pipe against the desk to pack the tobacco more tightly, then spoke in a grave voice.
The Third was in his prime. Though time had left a few marks on his face, he still looked quite young, and when he spoke to Jiraiya, he carried an imposing air.
Besides Jiraiya, someone else was in front of the Third: a masked figure kneeling on one knee. He'd already received word about what Jiraiya had described. He even knew where Tsunade had taken the children.
"That's enough about this. Jiraiya, you did well."
"Take a few Anbu with you and go assist Orochimaru right away. Only a handful of villages in this world could field a shinobi force capable of breaking through our escort."
"While you're helping Orochimaru, investigate who was behind this. Konoha isn't some pushover people can bully."
"Go."
After giving his orders, the Third drew on his pipe. Once Jiraiya had left, he dismissed the Anbu who had delivered the report as well. When they were gone, he stood and looked out the window, watching Jiraiya leave.
"Investigate our own ranks, Sakumo. Find out who leaked the information. This was so confidential, yet someone discovered it and even set an ambush in advance. There must be a problem within our ranks."
The Third puffed on his pipe, the smoke obscuring his expression. Behind him, a figure with a mask and a short white ponytail knelt on one knee. After replying, "Yes," he vanished.
The Hokage's office fell quiet again. The Third sat down and handled some paperwork, but found he couldn't concentrate. He decided to go see the two children from the Uzumaki Clan.
Konoha's first Jinchuriki, the First's wife, Uzumaki Mito, had sensed long ago that her time was near. The reason the Third had sent people to borrow someone from Uzushio Village was that Mito's death was approaching.
Though Mito still had some years left, the matter of choosing the second Jinchuriki was no small thing. He couldn't feel at ease without seeing them in person.
Under the blazing sun, in a courtyard less than five kilometers from Kage Rock, Tsunade sat on the tatami mat with Kuming in her arms. She listened as Kushina earnestly told the young woman before them about the difficult journey she'd endured.
The young woman seated in the place of honor had red hair like Kushina's, and a deep-blue diamond-shaped mark in the middle of her forehead.
Her long hair was styled into two buns, with an elaborate updo at the back of her head. A pair of earrings engraved with intricate patterns hung from her ears. She was Uzumaki Mito, wife of the First, Tsunade's grandmother, Konoha's first Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and a Jinchuriki who had perfectly mastered the power of the Tailed Beast.
After meeting Mito, Kushina let down her guard. When she learned that Tsunade was Mito's granddaughter, she was also willing to let Tsunade hold her little brother.
"Kushina, I don't have many family members left in Konoha. Tsunade is grown up now, and that child Nawaki is never home these days."
"You two are my family. From now on, you can call me Grandma."
Uzumaki Mito gently patted Kushina on the head, then took Kuming from Tsunade's arms. She teased his little face with her hand, a tender smile on her face.
"Okay, Grandma Mito."
For the first time since leaving the Land of Whirlpools, Kushina felt safe. Mito gave off a natural warmth that made Kushina feel at ease. With Mito, Kushina truly felt the warmth of family.
This was the first time Kuming had met Mito in person. Her youthful face made it hard to believe she was Tsunade's grandmother. The blue mark between her brows was a much deeper shade than the one he'd seen on Tsunade.
"This child has quite a remarkable talent."
Mito smiled even more brightly as she watched the baby in her arms stare at her with wide eyes. Old people loved teasing children, and she was no exception. Kuming's lively gaze made him all the more endearing.
Thanks to the Uzumaki Clan's natural abilities, Mito could clearly sense the astonishing amount of Chakra inside the child in her arms.
Of course, it was astonishing only compared with other children his age. Kuming could clearly feel the Chakra inside him begin to flow faster when Mito held him. Flecks of white light around the blue Chakra began to flicker. The tingling sensation in his body soon sent him into a deep sleep.
"My body gets tired so easily. I wonder when this will end."
"My Chakra flowed faster while I was in Uzumaki Mito's arms. I wonder why."
"But it should be a good thing."
Though Uzumaki Kuming's body had fallen asleep, his mind remained clear. Back in his Mind's Eye world, he began carefully observing the changes in his body.
"Lady Mito, the Third has arrived," a female shinobi reported from the doorway, kneeling on one knee.
"Hiruzen? Tell him to go back. I'll take care of Kushina and her brother from now on. He doesn't need to trouble himself."
"Also, notify the Ninja Academy that my granddaughter will be joining a class. She's still young, so put her in first grade."
猿飛日斩 hadn't expected to be turned away before he'd even reached Mito's residence. After hearing the reply, Hiruzen peered through the doorway, then left with a helpless look. He could go anywhere else in Konoha, but this residence was not somewhere he could enter whenever he wished.
If Mito didn't want to see him, there was nothing he could do.
"Lady Mito said she wants Kushina to study at the Ninja Academy."
The female shinobi who served Uzumaki Mito was still a Konoha Ninja, and she felt somewhat nervous speaking to the Hokage. She told Hiruzen in a low voice.
"Mm, I understand."
Hiruzen had still felt a little uneasy, but the news immediately cheered him up. The Ninja Academy was one of his spheres of influence. Though he'd held the Hokage Position for some time, he still didn't have complete control over Konoha.
The Uzumaki Clan had sent one of their own to the village to become the second Jinchuriki. Mito's decision to send Kushina to the Ninja Academy meant that she approved of him as the Third, too. Once the second Jinchuriki was at the Academy, the Third would have ample time and reason to teach Kushina about the Will of Fire, making the girl from another village loyal to the Hokage and the village.
These past few years, being Hokage had been a real struggle for Hiruzen. But with the arrival of a new Jinchuriki, an opportunity to change his circumstances had finally appeared.
In a village as vast as Konoha, there were actually very few places where Hiruzen could wield his influence. For one thing, he hadn't been able to fully bring either of Konoha's two Kekkei Genkai clans, the Uchiha and the Hyuga, under his control.
The Senju Clan, though fallen into decline, was under Uzumaki Mito's protection, and even there, his influence was limited.
Even the Anbu, the Hokage's own unit, had lost some members to Danzo. Whenever they held internal meetings, his two old comrades would argue with him.
The reason Hiruzen's Hokage Position had remained stable so far wasn't just because the Second Hokage had appointed him on his deathbed. His own strength was only one of many factors. The most important factor was the balance among the various clans.
While Hiruzen was in office, the conflicts among the clans had been mediated to some extent, keeping Konoha's political situation balanced. But if he could control the Jinchuriki, Konoha's power structure would undergo a major change.
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