Tohka Senju's Protective Instinct

Lady Mito slowly loosened her grip, tea spilling from between her fingers to drip onto the cushion.

She did not look at the mess, instead lifting her head to gaze into the distance.

Her eyes seemed to pierce through the walls, seeing all the way to the far-off Land of Whirlpools.

After a long while, she sighed.

"So that is how it is; Konoha 'deliberately' delayed their arrival."

Her voice was hoarse, heavy with the exhaustion of one who sees through everything.

Given the depth of the sealing arts and the national strength of the Land of Whirlpools, it would have been impossible for them to be completely annihilated in such a short time, even when besieged by several great nations.

Unless Konoha's reinforcements "happened" to be delayed, choosing to sit by and watch them fight.

Furthermore, aside from Kushina, whom Yusuke had brought back, not a single member of the Uzumaki Clan had fled to Konoha to seek refuge.

This only served to confirm the truth: the survivors of the Uzumaki Clan had grown cold toward the village.

Having lived long enough to become a master of human nature, she understood these machinations all too well.

Lady Mito lowered her head, her long hair veiling her face; her expression was unreadable, leaving one to wonder if she had fallen asleep or was lost in deep contemplation.

Yusuke waited quietly, watching this woman who had once been peerless in her grace, now forced to bear the devastating news of her kin's destruction.

After a moment of silence, he asked, "Having learned the truth, have you grown cold toward Konoha?"

Lady Mito raised her head and looked at Yusuke.

Her eyes were now veiled with a layer of murky tears.

She spoke in a low voice, "The village operates according to its own rules."

"The Senju Clan of yesterday, the Sarutobi Clan of today, the Uzumaki Clan, and tomorrow, who knows which clan..."

"The rise and fall of clans is merely a cog in that machine."

"As long as the machine that is the village continues to function, the replacement of clans is simply the norm."

"Perhaps this was one of the reasons why Tobirama insisted on dissolving the Senju Clan back then."

A chill ran through Yusuke; Lady Mito's perspective had transcended the survival or loss of any single clan.

She now stood firmly on the side of Konoha, viewing the Land of Whirlpools with a touch of coldness.

He wondered if she spoke this way only because the Land of Whirlpools had already perished.

He believed she must be struggling internally, torn between the Land of Whirlpools and the village her husband had built.

Lady Mito took a deep breath, her voice returning to its previous steady tone, as if the emotional fluctuation from moments ago had never occurred.

"You brought back more than just that child, didn't you?"

"The keys to the treasury accumulated by the Land of Whirlpools over generations—are they in your hands?"

Yusuke did not hesitate, admitting frankly, "Yes, Lady Mito, the complete set of keys is with me."

It was clearly not wise to lie to an elder so shrewd in the ways of the world.

"Good. Since you have obtained them, study the sealing arts within them diligently."

"The sealing arts of the Uzumaki Clan are profound and vast; they will be of benefit to your future."

"If there is anything you do not understand, you may come and ask me."

Lady Mito nodded, not pressing for further details.

"Yes, thank you, Lady Mito," Yusuke replied respectfully.

"Go and bring that child here," Lady Mito said, waving her hand to signal that the conversation was over.

Yusuke stood up, exited the main hall, and found Kushina under the veranda, watching the goldfish with Nawaki.

He crouched down, looking into the girl's still-anxious eyes, "Kushina, Grandma Mito wants to talk to you."

Kushina's small face tightened instantly, and she instinctively grabbed Yusuke's sleeve.

Yusuke gently patted the back of her hand, his tone gentle, "Don't be afraid. She is the person closest to you in Konoha. Go on."

Nawaki also chimed in from the side, "Don't be afraid, Grandma is really nice."

Kushina gathered her courage, nodded, and walked step by step toward the unknown of the main hall.

Within minutes, the muffled sound of Kushina's sobbing drifted out, soon becoming uncontrollable.

The sound was like that of a small beast, bullied and abused in the wild, finally finding a sanctuary where it could release all its grievances and fears.

Yusuke stood silently under the veranda, his gaze fixed on the meticulously pruned pine and cypress in the courtyard and the shadows beneath them.

The sunlight of Konoha was warm, yet it could not reach certain corners.

After a long time, the sobbing gradually ceased.

The hall door was pulled open a crack, and Lady Mito's voice drifted out, "Yusuke, go attend to your business. Kushina will live here with me from now on."

"Yes, Lady Mito." Yusuke acknowledged and departed. Nawaki, not wanting to remain immersed in the sorrowful atmosphere, turned and followed him away.

Arriving at the entrance of the residence, Yusuke stopped and looked at Nawaki, his tone earnest: "Nawaki, I leave Kushina in your care."

"She has just lost all her kin. You are her brother; you must protect her well."

A solemn expression appeared on Nawaki's face as he nodded vigorously: "Don't worry, brother-in-law. I will absolutely not let anyone bully my sister!"

Watching Nawaki's retreating figure as he ran back into the residence, Yusuke sighed.

Kushina had found a place to settle in Konoha, but the treatment of those Uzumaki clansmen scattered elsewhere was not nearly as fortunate.

"This is war," Yusuke sighed.

Yusuke bought some fresh tea snacks and a pot of sake on the street before heading toward the residence of Tohka Senju.

After spending this time together, Yusuke and this outwardly cold teacher had grown quite close.

He had figured out that she was the typical "cold on the outside, warm on the inside" type, treating him with a mix of severity and care akin to how one might treat a grandchild.

Yusuke also enjoyed this kind of interaction, which was not tainted by too many ulterior motives.

The courtyard remained quiet and secluded.

Yusuke walked into the living room with practiced ease, as if returning to his own home.

Tohka Senju was sitting at a low table by the window, sipping tea in a leisurely manner with a scroll spread out in her hands.

Sensing Yusuke enter, she didn't even lift her head, merely asking indifferently: "You're back. How does it feel to have truly stepped onto the battlefield of the Great Nations' power struggle for the first time?"

Yusuke placed the items he had brought into the kitchen and sat down across from her.

"Brutal. Human life in that place is worth even less than a blade of grass."

He briefly described the ruins and corpses he had seen along the way, but he deliberately omitted the life-and-death struggle with Shimura Danzō.

Tohka Senju listened, her gaze never leaving the scroll.

Only after Yusuke finished speaking did she lift her teacup and blow on it gently.

Her gaze rose, suddenly and precisely locking onto Yusuke's pale lips—a clear sign of someone who had just recovered from a serious injury.

"These wounds—were they inflicted on the battlefield by those small-fry?"

Her voice turned abruptly cold, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop by several degrees.

Yusuke, however, heard a hint of concern in those words. He paused, knowing he couldn't hide anything from the eyes of this genjutsu master.

"Not entirely. Most of it came from within the village."

"But there are some troubles I hope to resolve myself."

Yusuke's tone was calm yet firm.

As someone who preferred to play it safe, he would seek a backer if an enemy were completely beyond his own strength to defeat.

But since the enemy was already within his kill range, Yusuke's personality wouldn't allow him to let others do the work for him.

Furthermore, Tohka Senju currently held no real power and was being watched by the high-ranking officials of Konoha; her own position was equally awkward.

Tohka Senju did not press for details, simply taking a sip of her tea.

"Oh? You'll resolve it yourself? How do you intend to do that?"

Yusuke revealed a portion of his plan: "I intend to use their own strength against them and divert the disaster elsewhere."

Tohka Senju listened quietly. After a long moment, she set down her teacup.

"As you wish."

"If you need anything, just ask."

"It wouldn't hurt for these old bones of mine to get some exercise."

Her voice returned to its usual coldness, but the words laced with concern lingered.

She said it nonchalantly, yet her protective nature was laid bare.

She, Tohka Senju, would be his solid backing.

Yusuke felt a warmth in his heart and nodded: "I understand. Thank you, Teacher."

After a long while, Yusuke still asked a somewhat ridiculous question: "Teacher, why does war happen?"

A look of reminiscence appeared on Tohka Senju's face, as if she were reflecting on her nearly sixty years of life.

"War? It is merely a means to achieve peace."

"Is that so?" Yusuke pondered.

After a long silence, the two chatted about insights into genjutsu and chakra cultivation. Tohka Senju offered a few pointers, and before they knew it, the sky had darkened.

Yusuke stood up to take his leave: "Teacher, it's getting late. I'll head back now."

"Mm, take care of yourself."

"Remember, you have no power base of your own. It's not shameful to lose a fight; coming back alive to find your elders is the sensible thing to do."

Tohka Senju picked up the scroll again and continued reading.

Yusuke smiled, turned, and walked into the thickening night.