Chapter 25

If that was truly the case, could she borrow the other party's strength to hold on for a few more years?

It was not that she feared death.

She simply could not let go of Tsunade, Nawaki, and Kushina.

Nor could she let go of the Senju Clan, which had nearly scattered apart.

She knew full well that over the years, the Third Generation and the others had openly and covertly suppressed and tested great clans like the Senju and Uchiha.

It was already like this while she was still alive. Once she closed her eyes for good, she did not even dare imagine how far the Third Generation would go against the Senju.

Uzumaki Mito sighed inwardly.

She was old. She could not hold on for many more years.

And with that monkey sitting ever more firmly in the Hokage's seat, his power growing ever greater, her words no longer carried the weight they once had.

"Grandma, what's wrong? Your complexion looks terrible."

Tsunade noticed that something was off with her mood and leaned closer to ask.

Uzumaki Mito looked up at her and reached out to stroke her head, her voice carrying an indescribable weariness.

"Tsunade, Grandma does not have many years left. When will you truly grow up and take responsibility for the Senju?"

Tsunade's heart suddenly clenched, and she could not speak.

"Grandma, don't say that! You'll definitely live for a long, long time!"

Tsunade hurriedly clasped the old woman's hand, a trace of urgency in her voice.

Uzumaki Mito merely smiled faintly, but that smile hid an indescribable exhaustion.

"Live a long time? When has there ever been such a thing as longevity for ninja?"

She paused, her gaze drifting into the distance.

"The path of a ninja has always been one walked with your life on the line. Your Grand Uncle was so capable, with such vigorous life force, yet didn't he still leave early?"

"If he had not become a ninja, with his constitution, living to a hundred would not have been a problem. What a pity..."

The fiercer the battles, the greater the toll on the body.

The longer one lived, the heavier the price.

Tsunade's heart suddenly ached.

She understood that better than anyone. As a top medical ninja, she had witnessed far too many partings between life and death in her medical practice.

Yet to survive, ninja had to keep refining Chakra.

That in itself was a dead end with no other choice.

"Enough. Let's not talk about such depressing things."

Seeing the confusion written all over Tsunade's face, Uzumaki Mito quickly cut herself off, her tone turning grave.

"You need to grow up too. Before Nawaki has the ability to shoulder the Senju's burden, you must take it on first. Do you understand?"

To be honest, she did not hold much hope for that grandson of hers.

The boy was too soft-hearted, even more naive than Hashirama had been.

Yet unlike Hashirama, he did not have that kind of talent, nor did he have a helper like Tobirama at his side.

For now, she could only rely on Tsunade, his older sister, to bear more of the burden for her brother.

"I... understand. I will."

Tsunade clenched her fists tightly, then furrowed her brows.

"But isn't my teacher still in the village? Nothing major should happen, right?"

Uzumaki Mito was so angry that she laughed.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi? It is true that he is your teacher, but he is also Konoha's Hokage and the clan head of the Sarutobi Clan!"

"Taking you as his disciple back then was merely a way to win over the Senju and your grandmother, so he could secure his position as Hokage. Did you really think he saw anything in that little bit of talent of yours?"

"In his heart, the Sarutobi Clan's interests will always come first. Konoha comes second. Only after that come Danzo, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura's three families."

"As for the Senju? You rank behind even Ino–Shika–Cho, Chunin, and the civilians!"

"For all these years, he has secretly kept the ninja clans led by the Senju under pressure. Have you really failed to notice even a little of it?"

"With you like this, how can I feel at ease handing the Senju Clan over to you?"

"How can I close my eyes in peace?"

The more the old woman spoke, the angrier she became, filled with bitter disappointment.

Before interests, any bond between teacher and student was worthless.

Tsunade opened her mouth, but not a single word came out.

Tsunade stood frozen in place, her mind buzzing as though struck by lightning. The beautiful image she had held of the Third Generation shattered completely into pieces.

"That can't be possible, can it?"

She muttered under her breath, her face turning pale.

Uzumaki Mito gave a cold laugh. "What is impossible about it? Think carefully. Hasn't the way our Senju Clan has fared over these years already made the problem clear enough?"

She had not wanted to say it.

Her old life would not last much longer. If she left Tsunade with this little bit of naive hope, at least the girl could still live more securely in Konoha through the bond between teacher and student.

But the changes on the Uchiha side, and Uchiha Chisato's actions, had completely changed her mind.

The Senju and the Uzumaki Clan could not keep retreating in such humiliation.

"Perhaps... secretly joining hands with the Uchiha would be a way forward?"

Uzumaki Mito considered it silently.

After hearing all this, Tsunade's image of the Third Generation had shattered. Looking back at her clan's situation and the old man's actions over the years, everything she had once failed to understand suddenly became clear.

Her beautiful face instantly turned livid. "So that's how it was... The old man never had good intentions."

"It is good that you can see it clearly."

Uzumaki Mito's expression finally eased somewhat.

Tsunade began to panic. "Grandma, then what should I do next?"

"We'll discuss it after I meet Uchiha Chisato. You will be there too."

Uzumaki Mito shook her head and made the decision.

"Alright."

Tsunade said no more.

She had no idea what to do herself, so she would simply see how her grandmother intended to proceed.

Though she did not quite understand why her grandmother was in such a hurry.

Seeing her granddaughter's worried expression, Uzumaki Mito felt somewhat distressed as well. "I do not want to force you, but the situation is indeed becoming more difficult by the day. Bad news has come from the Uzumaki Clan recently too."

"The other four great ninja villages have set their sights on their Jinchuriki and Sealing Arts."

"Recently, many spies from other villages have appeared in the Land of Whirlpools. Their intentions are clearly ill."

"What?"

Tsunade was startled and hurriedly asked, "Does the old man know about this? How does the village plan to respond? Will they... will they send people to save the Uzumaki Clan?"

By the end, remembering what her grandmother had just exposed, her tone no longer sounded so certain.

Because she vaguely understood that her teacher might not truly be willing to save the Uzumaki Clan for the sake of his own calculations.

Perhaps letting the Uzumaki Clan vanish completely from history would benefit him the most?

He could swallow up the Uzumaki Clan's legacy while also severing one of the Senju Clan's arms.

Things she had once failed to see through while wearing those rose-colored glasses now became completely clear.

Tsunade stood stunned, as if someone had poured a basin of icy water over her head.

She had always lived behind that flattering image, believing her teacher was righteous and the village fair. Only now did she see clearly—during the years her own teacher had held power, the Senju Clan had already been dismantled beyond recognition.

When Second Grand Uncle was still alive, the Senju had been the foremost great clan in all of Konoha, even the entire Ninja World.

And now?

Its glory was long gone.

The branch families had either scattered or merged into the civilian population, and many had even lost all contact. Those who died on missions, those who vanished without explanation—there were too many to count.

The main family had fared even worse. Some were dead, some wounded; not even one in ten remained.

The Senju Clan was on the verge of ruin.

Uzumaki Mito had been watching her expression all along. Only after seeing her face change did she speak in a low voice. "It seems you have finally understood."

"Do not expect that monkey and the others to sincerely help you with this."

"At most, they will take advantage of the chaos to gain something. If they do not kick you while you are down, you should count your blessings."

"I originally wanted the Uzumaki Clan to relocate to Konoha."

"But Lu Ming's stubborn temperament would not allow it. I could not persuade him, so I had no choice but to abandon that plan."

"Now, all we can do is gather the Senju main family and the few branch families still close to us into an elite team, then send them to provide support as soon as possible."

"This trip may cost the Senju the last of what we have."

"But I cannot choose otherwise."