Chapter 27

At this point, Uzumaki Mito looked wistful. "If she hadn't damaged the foundations of her life and soul while researching forbidden Sharingan techniques back then, and lost sight in one eye after using a forbidden technique, how could her legend have ended there?"

"If she'd stayed at her peak, would Sarutobi and his lot have dared to quietly suppress the Uchiha all these years?"

"Now that she's recovered, things are naturally different."

"With her uncompromising personality, merely warning you with her presence today was already showing restraint."

"Of course, she was also telling us that there's no need to keep testing her. Her strength really has returned."

"The fact that she's willing to sit down and talk means she isn't opposed to making a deal with us."

"As for whether it works out, that depends on whether we can agree on the terms."

Uzumaki Mito wasn't worried about that.

As long as Chisato was willing to talk, there was hope.

If the terms weren't satisfactory, Mito could make more concessions.

That was far better than dying early, letting the Senju and Uzumaki Clan fall into complete decline, and having something terrible happen to Tsunade and Nawaki.

"Was she really that formidable before?"

Tsunade looked astonished after hearing all that.

The moment she thought of how even her second grandfather had been told off by Uchiha Chisato and could do nothing about her, her lingering hurt and resentment vanished.

It all came down to comparison.

"Of course she was. Otherwise, why would Sarutobi and the others have been so cautious about targeting the Uchiha all these years, testing the waters little by little?"

"And why would they be this nervous after learning that she seemed to have returned to her peak?"

Tsunade's eyes curved with her smile as she chimed in. "The old man would never guess that you aren't planning to rein Lady Jiri in at all. You're actually hoping to join forces with her!"

"When he finds out the truth, the look on his face will be priceless!"

The more she thought about it, the more satisfying it felt.

The Third Hokage was about to destroy her family and wipe out her entire clan. If she still played the obedient granddaughter, she'd have to be out of her mind.

Thinking of Uchiha Chisato's legendary feats and unfathomable strength, Tsunade had unconsciously changed how she addressed her.

There was genuine respect in her voice.

She admired a powerful woman like that from the bottom of her heart.

Uzumaki Mito snorted. "Just wait and see. It's time that old fool suffered a few setbacks. Otherwise, he'll really think he can push us around."

Changing the subject, Tsunade frowned. "Grandma, why does Lady Jiri insist on waiting twenty days before meeting? Won't that delay things for the Uzumaki Clan?"

"I'm not sure."

Uzumaki Mito shook her head. "She must have her reasons for arranging it this way. We just have to wait."

"And you don't need to be too anxious about the Uzumaki Clan. The Four Great Shinobi Villages are still testing the waters and gathering intelligence. There's no sign of troops moving yet, so we should still have enough time."

"If we really start running out of time, I'll go to her myself."

But if it came to that, she would lose all initiative.

It would also trigger a series of unnecessary repercussions and arouse the suspicions of the Third Hokage and his allies.

She would avoid going if she could.

Hearing that, Tsunade finally breathed a sigh of relief. "As long as you have things under control, I can stop worrying."

She gave a long stretch as she spoke, feeling much more relaxed.

"If there's nothing else, I'll head back and rest. Today really wore me out."

She had spent the day performing surgery nonstop at the hospital, then come home to all these twists and turns and learned so many secrets. Mentally, she was already at her limit.

Uzumaki Mito smiled and waved her off. "Go on."

Yet inwardly, she thought, A few more ordeals like this should help you grow up faster.

Otherwise, if Tsunade remained this naive and left an old woman like her to shoulder everything, what kind of arrangement was that?

Not long after Tsunade left the Uchiha Clan Compound, the Third Hokage received word.

Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't sit still. He immediately set off for Uzumaki Mito's residence.

Once they met, he asked her straightaway how things had gone.

Uzumaki Mito didn't beat around the bush. "I've delivered the invitation. She agreed to meet, but she scheduled it for twenty days from now."

"So just wait patiently."

"I also sounded her out. Tsunade confirmed that Uchiha Chisato's body has indeed recovered completely. She isn't bluffing."

"You'll have to decide how to handle that yourself."

"After all, you know perfectly well that she isn't easy to deal with. Heh."

Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't shake the feeling that Uzumaki Mito's final chuckle carried a hint of amusement at his predicament.

His heart sank. It seems Lady Mito knows all about what we've been doing to the Senju over the years.

He would have to rein things in a little from now on.

And the more Hiruzen Sarutobi thought about it, the more he felt that asking Uzumaki Mito to invite Uchiha Chisato and test her might have been a foolish move.

He had no idea how Uchiha Chisato had recovered, or whether the same method would work for Uzumaki Mito.

Worse still, he knew nothing about what exactly had been wrong with Uchiha Chisato, and he was equally in the dark about Uzumaki Mito's physical condition.

That left him with no way to assess the situation accurately.

Ah, I can only take things one step at a time.

He couldn't exactly rush over and stop Uzumaki Mito from meeting Uchiha Chisato, could he?

He had neither the nerve nor the ability.

After all, he had only been in power for nine years, and his authority was not yet fully secure. He was nothing like the Third Hokage of later years, whose word carried absolute weight and whose prestige was unrivaled.

Besides, Uzumaki Mito and Uchiha Chisato were both still alive.

Once he had learned what he needed to know, the Third Hokage didn't linger at Mito's residence. He soon took his leave.

For now, he had no intention of telling Danzo and the others about his suspicions or Uchiha Chisato's true condition.

He was afraid Danzo might act recklessly behind his back.

That hothead didn't understand fear. He wasn't afraid of anything.

If he found out, he might actually interfere and sabotage the meeting between Uzumaki Mito and Uchiha Chisato.

If things really came to that, the Third Hokage couldn't bear the responsibility.

If Danzo dared to stop them, he'd probably get beaten so badly his own mother wouldn't recognize him.

The Third Hokage shuddered inwardly.

Things were peaceful on Xunjing's end.

As the days passed, his body grew stronger and sturdier.

Nourished by medicine and Sea King meat, and regulated by the Life-Nourishing Art, his life origin recovered faster and faster.

He even continued to shoot up in height.

Four days later, Dr. Kureha finally developed the Super Nutritional Potion and the Body-Tempering Potion.

In just two days, Xunjing used those two potions to concoct a whole assortment of weakened versions.

He produced Nutritional Potions and Body-Tempering Potions at every potency from one-tenth to eight-tenths of the originals.

He also mixed Sea King meat with some medicinal herbs and rolled it into Nutrient Pills.

Then he made a whole range of Weakened Pills at strengths from ten to ninety percent.

Another seven days passed.

He also diluted the Conditioning Potion, which treated hidden injuries and restored vitality.

He didn't stop there. Building on that formula, he added Nutrient Pills and Nutritional Potion to create a mild preparation that could flood the body with a large amount of vitality in a short time.

Xunjing called it the Life Potion.

"Hmm, this should solve Uzumaki Mito's problem."

"Provided that depleted vitality really is her only issue."

Uchiha Xunjing held the bottle of potion, which radiated gentle vitality, and mulled it over.

After all these years of hard work, his medical skills had reached a modest level of mastery, and he had even progressed a little beyond that.

He hadn't neglected his other abilities either. They had improved considerably.

"Oh, this little concoction of yours is rather interesting!"

"Especially for shinobi like you, who rely on cellular energy. It couldn't be more suitable!"

"With this, you basically won't have to burn through your lives to keep up your output anymore."

"But it can't be cheap, can it?"

Dr. Kureha strolled over, eyed the Life Potion in Xunjing's hand, and asked with a smile.

"That's right."