Chapter 35

But the problem was, if she survived, it would be much harder for him to move against the Uchiha and get his hands on the Sharingan later.

Fuck.

Danzo cursed inwardly.

Seeing that he had fallen silent, the Third Hokage said no more and changed the subject.

"What do you think about the Uzumaki Clan situation?"

With his pipe between his teeth, he frowned. "Now that Lady Mito has recovered somewhat, should we still send a large force to support them? Or stick to the original plan?"

The Third Hokage wasn't sure himself.

From what he had seen, Uzumaki Mito had recovered only a small fraction of her vitality. In theory, she shouldn't have much strength left to act. But that woman was a master of sealing arts, and her thoughts ran deep. Who knew whether she was deliberately holding something back?

What if she had already returned to her prime?

If they followed their original plan and angered Uzumaki Mito, the consequences would be far beyond what he could bear.

Uzumaki Mito's prestige in Konoha had yet to fade.

Saying that hundreds would answer her call might have been an exaggeration, but it wasn't far off. The Senju Clan still had influence. If she truly wanted to stir things up, he might even be removed as Hokage, or forced to the point of **.

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura both froze at his words.

After thinking it over, they felt that continuing down this path really might be unwise.

If Uzumaki Mito held them accountable, things would be difficult to resolve.

"What's wrong with it?"

Danzo, however, didn't care in the slightest and spoke with a cold laugh.

"We're acting in the village's interests. What have we done wrong?"

"We already warned the Uzumaki Clan and told them to move their entire clan to Konoha. Uzumaki Luming was the one who refused."

"Even if they're wiped out later, how can they blame us?"

He added, "Besides, no one knows when the other shinobi villages will strike."

"Even if they do, they'll send a handful of elite shinobi on a surprise raid at most."

"They'll make sure it's a single, decisive strike."

"By the time our main force arrives, it'll all be over."

"What, are we supposed to station a large force near the Land of Whirlpools in advance and stand guard over them around the clock?"

"Does the Uzumaki Clan deserve that?"

Danzo's voice dripped with disdain. Clearly, he felt the Uzumaki Clan didn't know what was good for them.

Fools who couldn't read the situation had only themselves to blame if their clan was wiped out.

Still, those sealing arts must never fall into another village's hands.

Otherwise, their jinchuriki would become fully developed.

"True."

Mitokado Homura had to nod in agreement with Danzo.

What could they do if the Uzumaki Clan insisted on getting themselves killed?

They had already done everything they could reasonably be expected to do.

"How about sending some elite shinobi to support them when the time comes?"

The Third Hokage spoke again.

"We can arrange for a group of Anbu and Root elites to remain ready to deploy."

"I expect Lady Mito will also send the Senju Clan's elite shinobi over immediately."

"We can move together with them."

"During the rescue, how much effort we put in will be up to us."

"Even if we fail to save the Uzumaki Clan in the end, Lady Mito won't be able to blame us."

"What do you think?"

In any case, according to the recent intelligence from the Anbu and their informants, the other Four Great Shinobi Villages would likely make their move within the next few days.

No matter what happened, they had to bring back the Uzumaki Clan's sealing arts and legacy. They absolutely could not let another village take them.

Utatane Koharu said, "That works."

Mitokado Homura said, "Agreed."

After hearing this, particularly the possibility that Uzumaki Mito would send the Senju Clan's elite shinobi, Danzo's eyes flickered as plans began to form in his mind.

Outwardly, however, he still feigned reluctance. "Then let's do that."

"All right. It's settled."

Meanwhile, on Xunjing's side.

After returning home, Uchiha Chisato waved her hand and took out the ninjutsu and sealing arts scrolls.

She told Xunjing and Mikoto, "All the ninjutsu and sealing arts we traded for this time are here. Pick whichever ones you want to learn."

"Okay."

The corners of Xunjing's mouth lifted. He nodded, stepped forward, picked up the Flying Thunder God Technique scroll, and quickly skimmed it.

Then he frowned. "Tsk, you need to understand sealing arts before you can even start on this thing."

"Fine, I'll set it aside for now and study sealing arts first."

With that, he went through the Water Release Ninjutsu scrolls as well, committing everything to memory.

Only then did he untie the bulky Sealing Arts Archive and bury himself in reading.

He intended to cram all the contents into his head first, then practice them at his leisure.

"Huh? Auntie, I get a share too?"

Uchiha Mikoto looked a little stunned. She pointed at herself and turned toward Uchiha Chisato.

Uchiha Chisato smiled. "Of course."

"You already call me Auntie, and you've signed a contract with Xunjing. How could I leave you out?"

"I'm counting on you to get stronger soon so you can lend Xunjing a hand."

"So study hard. Learn as much as you can."

"But don't get greedy at the start. Pick a few to practice first."

"Once you've mastered those, come back and learn more."

Otherwise, taking in too much at once might leave her unable to digest it all and slow her progress instead.

"Yes! Thank you, Auntie!"

Mikoto's eyes grew warm. She nodded and, under Uchiha Chisato's encouraging gaze, reached for the Flying Thunder God Technique scroll too.

After reading a few pages, she gave up, her brows knitting tightly. "This is way too hard. I can't learn it yet. I'd better start with sealing arts."

As for Water Release?

She had no water-affinity chakra, so she had no plans to touch it for now.

"Just do what you think is best."

Uchiha Chisato didn't object. She took the Flying Thunder God Technique scroll and said as she read, "Is this Flying Thunder God really that tricky? Let me have a look."

Before long, she pinched the bridge of her nose and set the scroll down. "It really is a tough one. Tobirama Senju was a real freak to come up with something like this."

"When it came to inventing ninjutsu, he truly was a genius."

She had to give him that.

Then she picked up a Water Release scroll and began reading, muttering, "Water Release, huh? Since we'll be visiting the Pirate World often, learning a few techniques should be useful."

"It could produce some unexpected results at sea."

"Especially against those Devil Fruit Users."

"Huh?"

Mikoto paused. "Then should I learn some Water Release too?"

"There's no rush."

Uchiha Chisato waved a hand. "You're still young, and you don't have a water affinity. Leave it for later."

"Focus on mastering Fire Release, Lightning Release, and sealing arts first."

"Add taijutsu, haki, and the Life-Nourishing Art, and your schedule is already full. You can't pile on anything else."

"Wait until you've thoroughly mastered the shape transformation and nature transformation of one release before considering it."

That way, she wouldn't hold back her explosive growth in strength.

"No problem."

Mikoto nodded at once.

That made sense.

"Xunjing, what's your plan from here?"

Uchiha Chisato asked casually as she continued reading the Water Release scroll.

"Me?"

Xunjing glanced up at his mother, then lowered his head and continued memorizing the sealing arts. After a moment's thought, he replied, "First, I'll go to Warship Island, get some dragon bone, and refine Longevity Pills."

"Then I'll visit Cocoyasi Island and Foosha Village, scout them out, and see if there are any promising kids."

"Finally, I'll go to Shimotsuki Village, find a teacher, and learn the Pirate World's swordsmanship."

"When the time comes, I'll probably have to trouble you to help unlock the map, Mom, and come along with me."

He had a clear route laid out for himself.

Chakra, ninjutsu, taijutsu, body tempering, swordsmanship-he couldn't neglect any of them.

He couldn't stop practicing the Life-Nourishing Art either. He might as well make it his after-meal exercise to aid digestion.

That would save time while helping him digest and absorb nutrients, boost his vitality, and extend his lifespan.

Two birds with one stone.

"Sure, no problem."

After hearing him out, Uchiha Chisato nodded. "Speaking of which, I already unlocked Loguetown on the map yesterday. I kept forgetting to tell you."