Butterflies Must Beat Their Wings / Notify the Uzumaki Clan: Time to Move!

Uchiha Chonhua glanced at them. They stared straight ahead without expression, not even blinking. They seemed lifeless.

It felt... like they were being led around like corpses.

He patted Kushina on the shoulder. "Kushina, let's go home."

"Yeah! Let's go home!"

Kushina's eyes lit up. The word "home" seemed to have a magical power that drew her in.

She knew that the home she was returning to now was Konoha, the Senju Compound, but she couldn't help imagining...

When would she have a home that belonged only to her and Chonhua?

That home... would be even better!

"Lady Mito, this is what happens when you don't have the Anbu protect her."

Shimura Danzō's expression was grim. "They actually brazenly broke into the compound and kidnapped someone. When has anything this humiliating ever happened since Konoha was founded?"

"This is a provocation against Konoha. I can't tolerate this humiliation! Kumogakure must pay!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned from where he stood nearby. "We don't even know for certain that Kumogakure did this."

"Who else could it have been?" Shimura Danzō snapped. "We all know Kumogakure's situation. They shouldn't have started a war at a time like this. We didn't see the reason before, but surely we can understand now?"

"Hiruzen, it's perfectly clear. Kumogakure did this!"

"Cough, cough..."

The frail Mito Uzumaki paid no attention to their argument. She had only one question: "Have you found Kushina? It hasn't been long since this happened, and those spies aren't very strong. Find them and bring Kushina back."

"Lady Mito." Shimura Danzō's expression turned sour. Even though the woman before him was his elder, he had no kind words for her. "That girl is the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, a strategic asset of the nation. She should have been watched and guarded closely from the start. It was you, Lady Mito, who forbade it, saying that surveillance and confinement wouldn't make her stay in Konoha willingly, and that we had to keep her here with love."

"An intangible emotion is no match for practical surveillance. Lady Mito, this all happened because of your momentary lapse in judgment."

"Danzō!" Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at his companion disapprovingly. Shimura Danzō fell silent.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed. "It was right to make Kushina genuinely fond of Konoha, but the Anbu's protection was necessary too. Lady Mito, once Kushina returns, we should increase her Anbu guard."

Mito Uzumaki said nothing. Looking rather helpless, she could only nod.

When she had been in better health, she had been able to protect Kushina herself. But the moment her health failed, something happened.

Her life would eventually come to an end. After that, only Konoha would be left to protect Kushina.

Perhaps...

Mito Uzumaki thought of Uchiha Chonhua. He was there, too. He would surely protect Kushina well. It was just...

Mito Uzumaki sighed inwardly. The Uchiha... there would surely be conflict with them in the future.

She looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō. These two disciples of Tobirama—she could still vaguely remember them as children and young men, brimming with spirit and energy, like saplings growing strong.

Now they had become great trees, with luxuriant branches and deep roots. But as Mito Uzumaki looked at them with her cloudy eyes, she thought: the trees were fine, but their roots had not been well tended.

She wondered what future awaited the Konoha Hashirama had founded in the hands of these two.

She wouldn't live to see it...

"Lord Hokage, Lord Advisor, Lady Mito."

An Anbu member came in to report. "Kushina Uzumaki has returned. Uchiha Chonhua rescued her."

"Uchiha Chonhua?"

Shimura Danzō frowned.

The Anbu member nodded and continued, "Not only that, Uchiha Chonhua also captured the five spies. After investigating, we confirmed that they were shinobi from Kumogakure."

"So they really were Kumogakure shinobi! Hiruzen, hand them over to me. I'll make them reveal how many more Kumogakure spies are in Konoha."

Shimura Danzō's gaze was cold. "Perhaps we can find spies from other villages through them, too."

Chapter 29: The Butterfly Must Beat Its Wings

"Grandma!"

Tears glistened in Kushina Uzumaki's eyes as she flew into Grandma Mito's arms like a bird returning to its nest.

Mito Uzumaki stroked the little head nestled in her arms and comforted her. "There, there. You're safe now."

She looked up at Uchiha Chonhua with gratitude. "Thank you, Chonhua. If it weren't for you, Kushina would have been in danger."

Uchiha Chonhua shook his head. "It was all thanks to Kushina's quick thinking. She used strands of her hair as markers, which let me track her. That's how I defeated the shinobi who kidnapped her and rescued her."

His words made everyone in the room look at Kushina's hair.

Only then did they notice that it was uneven, with some parts long and others short.

Mito Uzumaki stroked Kushina's hair, her heart aching for her.

"Thank goodness you rescued Kushina, Chonhua." Sarutobi Hiruzen patted Chonhua on the shoulder. "If they'd managed to take her out of the Land of Fire, the consequences would have been unthinkable."

Uchiha Chonhua looked as if he'd just remembered something. He asked the Third Hokage, "Lord Hokage, why did those people want to take Kushina? I heard them say they were going to take her straight to the Raikage."

He sounded puzzled, as if asking whether Kushina was really important enough to involve such a major figure as the Raikage.

Sarutobi Hiruzen watched Uchiha Chonhua. Seeing that his confusion was genuine, he let out a sigh.

Had the Uchiha Clan's leadership really not told him who Kushina was?

That gave Sarutobi Hiruzen food for thought. Everyone knew Uchiha Ryutai favored Chonhua and was trying to win him over, but now it seemed their efforts hadn't gone well.

"Lady Mito, should we tell Chonhua..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen was inclined to reveal something. Letting another person in on a secret would increase the risk, but it could also bring them closer.

He thought highly of Uchiha Chonhua and wanted to bring him into their circle.

"Hiruzen! This is confidential!"

Ever since Uchiha Chonhua entered the room, Shimura Danzō hadn't taken his eyes off him. His narrowed, sinister gaze glinted coldly as he watched and studied Chonhua like a hawk.

At Sarutobi Hiruzen's words, he stopped watching and quickly cut him off. "Don't forget, he's an Uchiha. Have you forgotten what happened before?"

The Sharingan could control Tailed Beasts.

Shimura Danzō wanted to shout at Sarutobi Hiruzen, Get a grip!

He knew Hiruzen thought highly of Uchiha Chonhua, but that didn't mean he should tell him a secret like this!

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned. "Chonhua will find out sooner or later. I'm only telling him ahead of time. Besides, Danzō, Lady Mito doesn't object."

"She, Kushina, is a vessel for a Tailed Beast—the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki of Konoha."

Mito Uzumaki took the opportunity to reveal Kushina's identity herself.

Shimura Danzō was stunned, then flew into a rage. "Lady Mito, you...!"

Mito Uzumaki suddenly burst out laughing, though it soon brought on a fit of coughing. Kushina quickly patted the old woman's back, helping her breathe more easily.

"Cough, cough..." Mito Uzumaki stopped coughing and laughed. "There. It's not a secret anymore."

"...Hmph!"

Shimura Danzō's face turned livid, and he left the room at once.

Everyone was acting as if they were bewitched. Was Uchiha Chonhua really so worthy of their confidence that they'd even tell him a closely guarded secret?

Had they forgotten Uchiha Madara and the Uchiha Clan's later rebellion?!

The clan was completely untrustworthy, a ticking time bomb that could threaten Konoha at any moment.

And now so many people supported and had faith in Uchiha Chonhua. Shimura Danzō was furious, but also on his guard.

When had this Uchiha brat gathered so many people around him...?

Shimura Danzō's departure did much to ease the tension in the room.

Uchiha Chonhua listened to the explanation about the Jinchuriki, then looked at Kushina Uzumaki with sympathy.

Mito Uzumaki watched him. Seeing no strange look in Chonhua's eyes, only sympathy for Kushina, she felt reassured.

Malice Sensing confirmed that Chonhua's feelings were genuine, which comforted Mito Uzumaki greatly.

Kushina had been catching up with the harsh fate that awaited her, but when she sensed Chonhua's feelings, she pushed it from her mind. Her cheeks flushed as she buried herself in Mito's arms.

Mito Uzumaki chuckled as she patted Kushina's head.

It seemed Kushina had found the love she needed to fill her vessel.

"So Kumogakure plans to kidnap Kushina and use her as the Eight-Tails' vessel?"

Uchiha Chonhua's expression was serious. "After all, the Eight-Tails rampaged not long ago."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. "Kumogakure's sealing techniques are backward, and their Jinchuriki can't restrain the Eight-Tails, so it often runs wild. Kushina, as a vessel for the Nine-Tails, is an excellent choice. There aren't many mediums in the Uzumaki Clan who can match the Nine-Tails as well as she can."

"Since Kushina is suited to being the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, she's naturally suited to becoming the Jinchuriki of another Tailed Beast. That's likely why the Raikage targeted her."

At that, Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head and sighed. "Perhaps we should have brought more children from the Uzumaki Clan along with Kushina. That would have helped mislead the outside world."

"I was careless."

Mito Uzumaki also felt that her original decision had been a mistake. She shouldn't have let Kushina be the only member of the Uzumaki Clan to come.

The Uzumaki Clan specialized in Sealing Jutsu. Its members had enormous reserves of chakra and tenacious vitality, and Mito Uzumaki had been the first Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Now that her life was nearing its end, the other villages knew it was only a matter of time before the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was chosen.

So when word spread that Kushina Uzumaki had entered Konoha, the other villages had taken notice.

Uchiha Chonhua grumbled inwardly. So where exactly was the secrecy in all this?

The other villages already knew Kushina was going to be the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Shinobi with connections in the village, the jonin, and the major clans all knew who she was without needing to say it aloud.

There was nothing secret about it.

"Now that the plan to kidnap Kushina has failed, the war in the north will probably end soon, too."

Sarutobi Hiruzen believed the enemy had started the war to draw their attention and make it easier for Kumogakure's spies to kidnap her.

They had managed to snatch her, but she had been rescued.

Afterward, Sarutobi Hiruzen planned to send the Anbu to keep a close watch and protect her. They absolutely couldn't let someone sneak into the compound and kidnap her again.

Kumogakure's village still needed to be rebuilt. Now that the kidnapping had failed, there was no need to continue the war in the north.

But Uchiha Chonhua had a different opinion. He tentatively spoke up. "Every time the Eight-Tails runs wild, Kumogakure suffers losses. Even if they can keep rebuilding the village, they won't be safe until they deal with the threat of the Eight-Tails."

"Hmm? Chonhua, do you mean...?"

Thinking of what had happened in the original story, Uchiha Chonhua decided to make this butterfly flap its wings.

"The Uzumaki Clan has mediums suited to becoming Jinchuriki, as well as powerful Sealing Jutsu that can make Tailed Beasts submit."

Uchiha Chonhua spoke slowly. "This is just a guess, but could kidnapping Kushina have been a decoy to draw everyone's attention?"

Chapter 30: Notify the Uzumaki Clan: Time to Move!

Uchiha Chonhua's hypothesis was startlingly bold.

Mito Uzumaki and Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at him, both arriving at the same thought.

Chonhua had quite an imagination.

"The Uzumaki Clan has the mediums they need and the Sealing Jutsu they need. It's possible Kumogakure could target the Uzumaki Clan."

Uchiha Chonhua continued, "Lord Hokage, how do the other villages' sealing techniques compare?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen followed Chonhua's line of reasoning. "The sealing techniques of Sunagakure and Iwagakure came from Buddhist temples. They aren't as refined as the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu, but they're good enough."

"In recent years, the Tailed Beasts in Sunagakure and Iwagakure have rarely run wild."

Uchiha Chonhua nodded. Unlike in Gaara's time, when Shukaku often ran wild, the old monk Bunpuku and Shukaku got along fairly well at this point, so rampages were rare.

He didn't know much about Iwagakure, but Roshi and Han had strong wills. They rarely let the Tailed Beasts get the better of them, so rampages were rare there, too.

"We know Kumogakure's sealing techniques are poor. The Eight-Tails often breaks free of its Jinchuriki and runs wild, and the Two-Tails does the same. As for Kirigakure..."

When Sarutobi Hiruzen mentioned Kirigakure, he paused, the corner of his mouth twitching.

"They still haven't established a Jinchuriki system. It's not that they don't want to. They simply can't."

The Land of Water's research into Jinchuriki could not exactly be called nonexistent—but it was barely worth mentioning.