Mito Uzumaki slowly loosened her grip. Tea slipped through her fingers and dripped onto the cushion.
She didn't look at the mess. Instead, she lifted her head and gazed into the distance.
Her eyes seemed to pierce the walls and reach the faraway Land of Whirlpools.
After a long while, she sighed.
"I see. Konoha deliberately dragged its feet."
Her voice was hoarse, weary with the knowledge that she had seen through everything.
With the Land of Whirlpools' mastery of Sealing Jutsu and its national strength, it could never have been completely destroyed in such a short time, even if several great nations had joined forces against it.
Unless Konoha's reinforcements had "happened" to be delayed, leaving them to fight among themselves.
And aside from Kushina, whom Yusuke had brought back, not a single Uzumaki had escaped to Konoha to ask for help.
That only confirmed it further: the last survivors of the Uzumaki Clan had lost hope.
With age had come wisdom, and she already understood the scheme.
Mito Uzumaki lowered her head, her long hair veiling her cheeks. Her expression was hidden; it was impossible to tell whether she had fallen asleep or was deep in thought.
Yusuke waited quietly, watching the old woman who had once been peerlessly beautiful and now had to bear the devastating news of her clan's destruction.
After a moment of silence, he finally asked, "Now that you know the truth, have you lost faith in Konoha?"
Mito Uzumaki raised her head and looked at Yusuke.
Her eyes were clouded with tears.
She spoke softly. "A village has its own rules for how it operates."
"The Senju Clan yesterday, the Sarutobi Clan today, the Uzumaki Clan, and some unknown clan tomorrow..."
"The rise and fall of clans is just one part of those rules."
"As long as the village can keep running like a machine, the changing of clans is only natural."
"Perhaps that was one of the reasons Tobirama insisted on dissolving the Senju Clan back then."
Yusuke felt a chill in his heart. Mito Uzumaki's perspective had gone beyond the survival or decline of any one clan.
She had sided with Konoha now, and seemed almost cold toward the Land of Whirlpools.
Perhaps she wouldn't have said such things if the Land of Whirlpools hadn't already fallen.
Maybe she had once wavered desperately between the Land of Whirlpools and the village her husband had founded.
Mito Uzumaki took a deep breath. Her voice returned to its former steadiness, as though her emotions had never wavered.
"You brought back more than just that child, didn't you?"
"The key to the Treasure Vault, passed down through generations in the Land of Whirlpools—is it in your hands too?"
Yusuke admitted it without hesitation. "Yes, Lady Mito. I have the complete key."
Lying to a worldly and perceptive old woman like her clearly wouldn't be wise.
"Good. Now that you have it, study the Sealing Jutsu inside carefully."
"The Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu is profound and far-reaching. It will benefit you in the future."
"If anything gives you trouble, you can come ask me."
Mito Uzumaki nodded and didn't press him further.
"Yes, thank you, Lady Mito," Yusuke replied respectfully.
"Go bring that child over." Mito Uzumaki waved a hand, signaling that their conversation was over.
Yusuke stood and left the main hall. Under the veranda, he found Kushina watching the goldfish with Nawaki.
He crouched down and looked at the unease in the girl's eyes. "Kushina, Grandma Mito wants to talk to you."
Kushina's little face tensed at once, and she instinctively grabbed Yusuke's sleeve.
He gently patted the back of her hand. "Don't be afraid. She's the closest person you have in Konoha. Go on."
Nawaki chimed in beside them. "Don't be scared. Grandma's really nice."
Kushina gathered her courage and nodded, then walked step by step toward the unknown waiting in the main hall.
A few minutes later, Kushina's muffled sobs drifted faintly from inside. Before long, she could no longer hold them back.
She sounded like a little beast that had suffered every cruelty out in the world and had finally found shelter, releasing all her fear and sorrow.
Yusuke stood silently beneath the veranda, his gaze fixed on the carefully pruned pines in the courtyard and the shadows beneath them.
Konoha's sunlight was warm, but it couldn't reach every corner.
After a long while, the sobbing faded.
The hall door opened a crack, and Mito Uzumaki's voice came from inside. "Yusuke, go take care of your business. Kushina will live with me from now on."
"Yes, Lady Mito," Yusuke replied and left. Nawaki didn't want to remain in the sorrowful atmosphere either, so he turned and followed.
At the entrance to the estate, Yusuke stopped and looked at Nawaki, his voice serious. "Nawaki, I'm leaving Kushina in your care."
"She's just lost all her family. You're her big brother, so protect her."
Nawaki's face turned solemn. He nodded firmly. "Don't worry, brother-in-law. I won't let anyone bully my little sister!"
Watching Nawaki run back toward the estate, Yusuke sighed.
Kushina had found a home in Konoha, but the Uzumaki scattered across other places wouldn't be so fortunate.
"So this is war." Yusuke sighed.
Yusuke bought some fresh pastries and a flask of sake on the street, then headed for Tohka Senju's home.
After spending this time together, Yusuke had grown quite close to his teacher, whose exterior was cold as ice.
He'd realized she was the typical sort who was cold on the outside but warm within, treating him with the stern affection and concern of a grandparent.
Yusuke enjoyed their relationship, too. There wasn't much self-interest mixed into it.
The courtyard was as peaceful as ever.
Yusuke walked into the living room as if he were coming home.
Tohka Senju sat by the window at a low table, leisurely sipping tea with a scroll spread before her.
She sensed Yusuke enter but didn't raise her head. She simply asked, "You're back. How did it feel to set foot on the battlefield of the great nations' power struggle for the first time?"
Yusuke put what he'd brought in the kitchen, then sat down across from her.
"Brutal. Human lives were worth less than grass out there."
He briefly described the ruins and corpses he'd seen along the way, but deliberately left out his life-or-death fight with Shimura Danzō.
Tohka Senju listened, her eyes never leaving the scroll.
Only after Yusuke finished did she pick up her teacup and gently blow across it.
Then her gaze lifted and fixed precisely on Yusuke's pale lips. He was clearly recovering from serious injuries.
"Did those nobodies on the battlefield give you those injuries?"
Her voice suddenly turned icy, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees.
Yusuke could hear the concern beneath her words. He paused, knowing he couldn't hide anything from a master of genjutsu like her.
"Not all of them. Most of the trouble came from inside the village."
"But there are some things I'd like to handle myself."
Yusuke's voice was calm but firm.
As someone who believed in keeping a low profile, he would seek help if an enemy were completely beyond his ability to defeat.
But if an enemy was already within his killing range, Yusuke's nature wouldn't let him leave the job to someone else.
Besides, Tohka Senju didn't have much real power these days. The Konoha High Command was watching her, leaving her in an awkward position as well.
Tohka Senju didn't ask for details. She simply picked up her teacup and took a sip.
"Oh? You'll handle it yourself? How?"
Yusuke shared part of his plan. "I want to turn one force against another and divert the trouble elsewhere."
Tohka Senju listened quietly. After a long pause, she set down her teacup.
"Do as you like."
"When you need help, say so."
"These old bones of mine can still get moving."
Her voice returned to its usual coolness, but her next words carried concern.
She said it as if it were nothing, but her fiercely protective nature was plain to see.
Tohka Senju would be a solid backing for him.
Yusuke felt a warmth in his heart and nodded. "I understand. Thank you, Teacher."
After a long while, Yusuke finally asked a question that felt almost absurd. "Teacher, why do wars happen?"
Tohka Senju's face took on a wistful look, as though she were recalling the nearly sixty years of her life.
"War is just one means of achieving peace."
"I see." Yusuke pondered her words.
After a long silence, they talked about genjutsu and their experiences with chakra training. Tohka Senju offered him a few pointers, and before they knew it, night had fallen.
Yusuke rose to leave. "Teacher, it's getting late. I should head back."
"Mm. Be careful."
"Remember, you don't have much influence of your own. If you can't win, there's no shame in it. Come back alive and ask your family for help—that's the sensible thing to do."
Tohka Senju picked up the scroll again and continued reading.
Yusuke smiled and turned into the deepening night.
Before you continue