Temporarily Eliminating Future Troubles, First Meeting with Kurama!

Once the agreement was signed, Sarutobi Hiruzen wore a warm yet utterly cold smile:

"May this agreement truly bring the dawn of peace to every nation and village."

He stood up, glanced at the devastated Kumogakure envoys, swept a look over the gloating envoys from the other nations, and finally turned to look at Uzumaki Qi Luna, nodding slightly before walking out of the conference room.

Qi Luna and Minato also remained silent, following calmly behind Sarutobi Hiruzen as they slowly departed.

Only when the fluctuating chakra in the conference room vanished along with his figure did the envoys from the various nations finally let out long sighs, collapsing into their chairs in exhaustion.

Dodai was no different; looking at the agreement in his hands, his eyes held nothing but endless bitterness and lingering fear.

A sky-high ransom of fifty million ryo!

This was not only a massive strain on Kumogakure's finances, but a heavy blow to its prestige!

Once the news spread, the entire Ninja World would know:

Kumogakure had suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Konoha Village! Not only had their operation failed with heavy casualties, but they had been forced by Konoha, in a deeply humiliating manner, to sign terms that "forfeited sovereignty and humiliated the nation"!

Nearly a full year passed after the turmoil of the conference.

Using her remaining life force as a catalyst, supplemented by Uzumaki secret arts, Uzumaki Mito finally succeeded in erasing the curse seal Old Man Madara had left on the Rinnegan without causing the slightest harm to Nagato. She protected this child of Uzumaki blood and tragic fate, ensuring Nagato would no longer have to worry about being controlled by others or becoming a puppet in the future.

Furthermore, thanks to the seal Uzumaki Mito placed upon him, Nagato was no longer constantly drained by the Rinnegan. Instead, he could gradually unlock the Rinnegan's abilities and adapt to its high-pressure load as his own strength grew.

But the price for all this was that the woman who had once been peerless in grace—the first Nine-Tails Jinchuriki who had guarded Konoha for decades with her immense chakra and sealing techniques, the wife of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama—Uzumaki Mito, had reached the end of her life, her vitality nearly exhausted.

Deep within the Senju Clan Compound stood an ancient ancestral hall.

Countless barrier formations wrapped around the entire hall, layer upon layer, inside and out.

Inside the hall, the aged and weary Uzumaki Mito sat at the center of the altar. She looked withered and frail, like a candle flickering in the wind, yet her emerald eyes remained as clear and bright as a spring!

Standing solemnly before her was none other than Uzumaki Qi Luna!

A year of time had made his frame more upright. His half-tied red hair "burned" like flames behind his head, his emerald eyes were as calm as ever, and the fluctuating chakra that once surrounded him had vanished, leaving his temperament soft and warm.

"Xiao Ya... come closer..."

Mito's voice was hoarse yet clear, carrying a warmth tinged with the melancholy of twilight.

Qi Luna obeyed, kneeling before Mito. He could clearly feel the immense, violent chakra within Uzumaki Mito—the Nine-Tails Demon Fox—which faintly seemed to be struggling to break free from its restraints!

It seemed to sense Uzumaki Mito's intentions and its own future "destiny," becoming restless and emitting waves of heart-stopping pressure!

Uzumaki Mito slowly raised her withered hand to stroke Qi Luna's cheek one last time, her eyes filled with immense solemnity and resolve:

"Child, my time is coming to an end. The 'burden' of protecting Konoha in the future, and the 'duty' of sealing the Nine-Tails, will be left to you."

"Grandmother knows this isn't fair to you, but even though we are vessels for the Nine-Tails, there are ways to find happiness, even while living as a Jinchuriki."

"First, you must fill the vessel with love; if you do that, you can find happiness even while living as the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki."

"However, that is something you can never obtain if you merely wait for it."

"The Uzumaki clansmen have long since scattered to the winds. Although we have lost everything we once had, we have integrated into the Ninja World just like the whirlpools in nature..."

"As ninjas known for our vitality and sealing arts, we were once a clan famous throughout the Ninja World... while our power was used in war, it also brought peace to the world..."

"In my eyes, Xiao Ya is an excellent ninja!"

"Like a spiral staircase, a whirlpool is a static plane, but a spiral is three-dimensional. Although they look like the same rotating things, as long as you follow the changing stairs, the scenery changes too!"

"We may indeed be at the center of the whirlpool, but as long as we take the initiative to climb, we will surely find 'love'! In this way, the whirlpool will eventually become a spiral..."

Uzumaki Mito stroked Qi Luna's cheek with her withered palm, her smile as kind as ever.

"Grandmother hopes that in the future, Xiao Ya will also find his own love..."

Qi Luna bowed his head deeply, gently gripping the old woman's hand with both of his, tears streaming from his eyes like a broken dam.

"Grandmother... Xiao Ya knows..."

"Sister Tsunade, Brother Nawaki, Kushina, Minato, Nagato, Yahiko, Konan, Hayama, and Nonou... these people who care about me, they are the love that belongs to me..."

Hearing Qi Luna's answer, Uzumaki Mito finally smiled with a sense of relief...

"ROAR—!!!"

The Nine-Tails' roar, filled with rage and unwillingness, echoed from the void. Inside the Four-Symbols Seal, it struggled madly, tearing at the chains! Crimson chakra, like molten lava, scorched the spirits of Uzumaki Mito and Qi Luna, as well as the Adamantine Chains!

A trace of blood spilled from the corner of Uzumaki Mito's mouth, but her eyes remained as firm as rock! Under her absolute control, the nine golden chains were not broken; instead, they tightened, beginning to steadily channel the beast into Qi Luna's body!

"Four-Symbols Seal, SEAL!"

At this moment, the voices of Qi Luna and Mito seemed to merge into one!

Mito slammed her hands together in a seal, and all the golden runes on the altar surged toward Qi Luna like a hundred rivers returning to the sea!

At the same time, the Four-Symbols Seal on Qi Luna's abdomen, guided by Mito and supported by his own vast chakra, flared brightly, forming a whirlpool-shaped seal surrounded by four incantations.

The crimson torrent of chakra was instantly swallowed by the seal, pouring madly into the seal on Qi Luna's abdomen! The Nine-Tails' roar and its phantom were forcibly dragged, compressed, and finally submerged completely into the newly formed Four-Symbols Seal!

"Damn you, Mito! To think you would dare seal me inside the body of such a brat. One day, I will surely make you pay the price!"

"Hehe~ Nine-Tails, you must get along well with Xiao Ya..."

After completing the final ritual, Uzumaki Mito's figure seemed to lose all support, like a candle burned to the wick, and she slowly fell backward.

The wrinkles on her face smoothed out, replaced by a look of relief and immense gratification as she gazed tenderly at Qi Luna:

"Konoha... the future... is entrusted to you all..."

She murmured, her voice barely audible, like a sigh drifting away on the wind like a dandelion, and the final light in her emerald eyes faded like a dying star.

A legendary figure, the first Nine-Tails jinchuriki, Uzumaki Mito had passed away!

Her body was wrapped in layers of seals by the remaining incantations on the altar, eventually transforming into a stone sarcophagus, where she now sleeps quietly within the shrine.