To Repay My Debts, I'll Become Hokage!

Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled and said, "Uchiha Madara is Uchiha Madara, and you are you. I will not let the mistakes of the past extend into the present."

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked toward the Uchiha clansmen present, all of whom gazed at him with expressions of reverence.

"Right now, sealing the Nine-Tails is the most critical priority. To ensure absolute safety, the power of the Uchiha is necessary!"

"They trust me as their Hokage, so naturally, I cannot let them down."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's words were laden with deep meaning.

Uchiha Chonhua was lost in thought; he understood.

These people, like him, were extremely close to Konoha and the Hokage.

In other words, he and these people were on the same side.

Uchiha Chonhua offered them a friendly smile.

They had long known that the Hokage valued and favored these clansmen, but due to concerns over Uchiha Chonhua's closeness with Uchiha Ryutai and others, they had rarely interacted.

Now that the Hokage had brought Uchiha Chonhua here personally, effectively vouching for him, it meant that Uchiha Chonhua was trustworthy.

Thinking this, these men returned Uchiha Chonhua's gesture with friendly, welcoming expressions.

Sarutobi Hiruzen patted Uchiha Chonhua on the shoulder: "You all should get to know each other better."

"Besides the Uchiha Clan, there is also the Uzumaki Clan."

Sarutobi Hiruzen gestured for Uchiha Chonhua to look in another direction, where several members of the Uzumaki Clan were gathered, golden chains swaying and unfurling behind them.

Although the battlefield in the Land of Whirlpools was still active, anyone with a discerning eye could see that the plans of the Cloud Village and Mist Village to invade the Land of Whirlpools had fallen through, and their desire to attack had diminished significantly.

Because the war in the Land of Whirlpools was not going well, even the northern front had relaxed considerably.

The elderly, women, and children of the Uzumaki Clan had already completed their migration. A while ago, as the pressure of the war in the Land of Whirlpools eased, the Uzumaki Clan Head and Hatake Sakumo decided that some of the younger, able-bodied clansmen should be withdrawn from the battlefield and brought to Konoha.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had summoned these people for the purpose of the Nine-Tails sealing.

He nodded toward the two Uzumaki clansmen at the door.

Those two Uzumaki clansmen led the Konoha Sealing Squad inside.

The Nine-Tails sealing transfer ceremony had begun.

When the Uzumaki Clan, famous throughout the ninja world for their sealing mastery, moved to Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately reorganized the Konoha Sealing Squad, granting the Uzumaki Clan benefits and official positions.

Let professionals do professional work.

With those two Uzumaki clansmen handling the transfer ceremony, the possibility of the Nine-Tails breaking the seal was reduced to a minimum.

Lady Mito is capable of suppressing the Nine-Tails on her own; the sealing transfer ceremony shouldn't run into any issues...

In theory, that was the case, but Mito Uzumaki's life was nearing its end; she was withered and frail, and it was impossible to determine how much strength she had left.

Sealing the Nine-Tails was a major event, and Sarutobi Hiruzen kept adding layers of insurance, striving for absolute perfection.

Everything that could be prepared had been prepared; now, it was just a matter of waiting for the result.

Sarutobi Hiruzen pulled his Hokage hat low and smoked his pipe in silence, the swirling smoke obscuring his expression.

"Grandmother!"

Uchiha Chonhua turned around to see Nawaki running over, panting, his eyes red as he shouted.

Tsunade held onto him with a sorrowful expression.

Nawaki was gasping for air; after receiving the news from home, he had rushed back without a moment's rest.

But in the end, he had not been able to see Mito Uzumaki one last time.

"Nawaki, sob..."

Seeing her younger brother return, Tsunade finally broke down and hugged him tightly, the two siblings weeping in each other's arms right in front of the door.

Uchiha Chonhua sighed and shook his head; infected by the siblings' grief, his own eyes grew a bit red.

Time passed bit by bit, and eventually, Nawaki and Tsunade stopped crying, sitting there in a state of despondency, lacking even the strength to stand up.

"ROAR—! Damn you, Mito!! Are you trying to seal me into this little brat!!"

"No! I will never be sealed again!"

BOOM!

Uchiha Chonhua's body suddenly felt heavy, and malicious chakra swept through the area, making it difficult to breathe.

This chakra was incredibly negative, evil, and viscous.

Uchiha Chonhua looked up and saw crimson chakra condensing into the shape of a fox, roaring toward the sky.

The members of the Uchiha Clan and Uzumaki Clan immediately prepared for action; if the Nine-Tails broke the seal, they would have to suppress it—they could not let the Nine-Tails break free!

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned; it was merely a leak of chakra, not yet a critical moment.

"Nine-Tails, accept the seal obediently! Adamantine Sealing Chains!"

Mito Uzumaki's voice rang out, surprising Uchiha Chonhua; the voice sounded full of vigor and clarity, with no hint of the frailty of age.

"Damn you! Damn you humans!!!"

The chakra fox let out an angry roar, but the leaking chakra began to slowly dissipate.

The fox head formed from crimson chakra also vanished into nothingness.

Everything returned to its previous state, as if nothing had happened at all.

Hiss.

The seal on the door dissolved, and a member of the Uzumaki Clan stepped out with a heavy expression.

"The sealing transfer ceremony is complete, and Lady Mito..."

The Uzumaki clansman closed his eyes and sighed, "She is gone."

"Grandma!"

Nawaki and Tsunade rushed into the sealing room, with Uchiha Chonhua following behind, only to freeze in his tracks.

The person lying there was no longer an old woman.

Her hair, vibrant as fire, was spread out, and the diamond-shaped seal on her forehead remained, while her face, delicate as a lotus rising from the water, wore a look of serenity.

Her eyes were tightly shut, her hands—delicate as reeds—folded across her chest, and her crimson lips were slightly curved; the beauty smiled peacefully as she entered eternal sleep.

This was Mito Uzumaki, her final moments frozen at her most beautiful.

That was the last of the life force Mito Uzumaki had unleashed.

Recalling the clear, vigorous voice from just moments ago, Uchiha Chonhua, who was in a sense part of the Uzumaki Clan himself, understood everything.

He bowed three times toward Mito Uzumaki.

Farewell, Grandma Mito.

Leaving this place to the grieving Tsunade and her brother, Uchiha Chonhua went over to Kushina Uzumaki.

He saw her brows furrowed, her teeth clenched, and cold sweat streaming down her face.

Uchiha Chonhua quickly grasped Kushina's hand by the bedside.

"Kushina, I am here."

His voice was deep and firm, conveying a sense of safety and stability to Kushina Uzumaki.

Seemingly hearing Uchiha Chonhua's voice, Kushina Uzumaki's brows suddenly smoothed, and her expression slowly relaxed.

Chapter 53: Talk Therapy for the Big Fox

"Ahhhhh!!!"

Kushina Uzumaki clutched her head and screamed, her small face puffed up in anger.

"Can't that stinky fox just talk properly?! It keeps calling me 'brat' this and 'brat' that—I have a name, you know!!"

Kushina Uzumaki rubbed her stomach, thinking back to her encounter with the Nine-Tails, her teeth grinding together.

"Chonhua, are you sure I can communicate with the Nine-Tails?"

Uchiha Chonhua, standing to the side, heard Kushina Uzumaki's words and smiled: "If you can understand what it says and it can react to what you say, then naturally, you can communicate."

"But the big fox has such a foul temper; the conversation just doesn't flow."

Kushina Uzumaki frowned. Every time she went to talk to the big fox, she ended up fuming with rage, leaving with a belly full of stifled anger.

"The Nine-Tails isn't going anywhere, so just keep visiting and chatting, Kushina. Given enough time, the big fox will slowly come to acknowledge you."

Uchiha Chonhua blinked and said: "Grandma Mito once said that if a Jinchuriki can earn the acknowledgment of their Tailed Beast, they can coordinate with it to reach the level of a Perfect Jinchuriki."

"When that happens, not only will your strength see a massive leap, but you won't have to live in constant fear, worrying about the beast breaking the seal."

Once they reach the level of mutual trust and heart-to-heart connection, the seal itself becomes unnecessary.

"This is a goal even Grandma Mito didn't achieve, but I have high hopes that you can do it, Kushina."

This was something Mito Uzumaki had realized in her later years. It was a pity that she had spent most of her life strictly guarding against the Nine-Tails, using the Adamantine Sealing Chains to bind it so tightly that it couldn't move.

The Nine-Tails would hurl insults at her, and the hot-tempered Mito Uzumaki would hurl even more back, treating the Nine-Tails entirely like livestock.

She would take its power at will, without ever asking for its consent!

Damned humans!!

This had driven the Nine-Tails half-mad, causing it to roar repeatedly as its fury soared.

Uchiha Madara was the person the Nine-Tails hated most, followed by Mito Uzumaki, with whom it had spent so much time; Senju Hashirama actually ranked last, which shows just how much Mito Uzumaki had infuriated the beast.

In her youth, Mito Uzumaki had been satisfied with the power of the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, but in her later years, she realized she had traded a watermelon for a sesame seed, missing out on the more perfect Jinchuriki Tailed Beast mode.

By the time she wanted to improve her relationship with the Nine-Tails, it was like the tip of a needle against the edge of a blade—they couldn't stand the sight of each other.

Mito Uzumaki had many regrets, but fortunately, she realized the existence of the Perfect Jinchuriki and passed that knowledge on to Kushina Uzumaki.

Kushina Uzumaki didn't really want to deal with the Nine-Tails. As for the great power of the Perfect Jinchuriki mode, to be honest, she had no desire to become stronger, and she felt no real connection to that power; whether she had it or not didn't matter to her.

However, since it was Grandma Mito's wish, she would try her best.

More importantly... Kushina Uzumaki snuck a glance at Uchiha Chonhua.

Chonhua also hoped that she would be able to become a perfect Jinchuriki.

"Phew—alright!" Kushina Uzumaki let out a long breath, clenching her small fists to cheer herself on.

"Stinky fox, I'm going to pester you every single day. I refuse to believe that after a long enough time, you won't start talking to me properly!"

[ROAR! You brat, I really want to tear you to shreds and swallow you in one bite!!]

The roar of the Nine-Tails echoed in her ears. Kushina frowned and dug at her ear; it was so noisy, that stinky fox.

"For now, just try to communicate more with the Nine-Tails."

Uchiha Chonhua patted Kushina's small head and said, "Kushina, study your sealing techniques well. When the time comes, you'll be able to give the Nine-Tails a more comfortable environment."

Pinned to the giant rock, bound by the chains of the Adamantine Sealing Chains, the Nine-Tails was rendered unable to move, just as Mito Uzumaki had done.

There was no freedom for the beast to speak of; no matter how much they communicated, even if the Nine-Tails wavered, the moment it thought of its current predicament, its rage would immediately surge with renewed intensity.

Kushina Uzumaki felt a bit embarrassed; this was still a result of her own insufficient ability.

Mito Uzumaki had sealed the Nine-Tails that way out of habit, whereas Kushina Uzumaki had continued the seal simply because she lacked the skill to do otherwise.

Kushina Uzumaki nodded and said, "I will work hard to learn sealing techniques. Hmph, and then I'll get the big fox a comfortable nest."

[You brat, watch your mouth! What do you mean, a nest! Do you take this old man for a house pet!?]

"That's only because you started it! I'm not stinky at all!!"

Kushina Uzumaki and the Nine-Tails began yet another round of bickering.

Uchiha Chonhua shook his head and looked up at the clear, azure sky, feeling the breeze brush against him and the warmth of the sunlight soaking into his body.

It was a beautiful day today.

Time flew like an arrow, and the days passed like a shuttle.

After the New Year had passed, Cloud Village and Mist Village finally grew tired of the fighting.