Inside the wooden house, Kaito's words fell one after another, yet Uzumaki Mito—kneeling on the tatami—did not reveal even a flicker of emotion.
Silence lingered.
Steam curled from the cup in her hands, rising in thin white ribbons.
"I know something must have gone wrong somewhere in all of this," she finally said.
"But I… can do nothing."
Kaito glanced at her as she lifted the teacup again.
"How would you know," he replied calmly, "if you don't try?"
The soft thud of porcelain meeting wood echoed faintly.
"For the sake of the village," Mito said, eyes lowered, "this is the only choice I can make."
The room fell silent once more.
After a long moment, Mito raised her head, her gaze sharp:
"That incident… it was you who intervened, wasn't it?"
Kaito said nothing.
"Thank you. If not for you, my grandson would have died that day."
She paused. "As repayment, what do you wish to receive?"
"..."
"You came to me today not simply as a 'Konoha shinobi' questioning me about the Uzumaki clan, no?"
Kaito tilted his head.
"And if I said I'm not a shinobi of Konoha at all?"
"Then it depends," Mito answered coldly, a glint of killing intent flashing in her eyes,
"on whether you intend to threaten this village.
If so—no matter who you are—I will kill you before you ever get the chance."
"How cruel~" Kaito chuckled softly, unbothered.
"Is that how you treat the person who saved your grandson's life?
Tell me… if Tsunade or Nawaki threatened the village, would they deserve to die too?"
Mito's chakra trembled, the air quivering as her anger exploded—
walls rattling, dust falling from the ceiling, tatami vibrating underfoot.
Outside, ANBU and Root operatives stiffened, sensing the disturbance—
but none dared to enter.
Everyone knew what it meant when Mito-sama lost her temper.
"You… dare court death?"
"Ara~ frightening indeed," Kaito teased.
"Worthy of being the perfect jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails.
Worthy of being the First Hokage's wife—Uzumaki Mito."
Even as the house shook around him, Kaito stood relaxed, arms folded, not a trace of fear in his eyes.
"Your strength," he said quietly,
"is undeniable.
But your heart—
…has long ceased to be strong."
With that, he tossed a tightly bound scroll toward her.
Mito caught it effortlessly. "What is this?"
"Kirigakure's plan," Kaito replied.
"Compiled from the information I've collected while operating outside the village."
"I won't claim it's perfectly accurate—
…but the outcome will be exactly as written."
He turned to leave.
"So, Mito-sama—
as someone who works from the shadows, I'm very curious."
"Will Uzushio's fate unfold exactly as I predicted?"
With that, his body sank into the floor—Doton swallowing him whole.
Outside attention was meaningless now; Mito's earlier outburst would cover him perfectly.
"Ja na."
A minute later, Kaito was gone.
Her chakra aura faded with him.
Whether she had shielded his exit on purpose…
or whether the outburst had truly stemmed from her own fear—
only Mito herself knew.
Outside the room
Four masked operatives—two ANBU, two Root—stood tense in the corridor.
One slid the door open, bowing.
"Mito-sama! Was something the matter?"
Their eyes flicked rapidly across the room—
the slightly raised tatami mat…
the scroll on the floor by her tea table…
Their faces tightened.
Had the Senju clan been hiding an unregistered elite shinobi?
No one noticed an intruder.
Someone strong enough to evade all their senses…
Mito slowly turned her head.
A crushing aura surged forth—
the overwhelming killing intent of the perfect Nine-Tails jinchūriki.
To the four, it felt as if a colossal fox loomed behind her, baring its fangs at them.
Only after several suffocating seconds did the pressure ease.
Cold sweat drenched their backs.
"Leave," Mito ordered softly.
"No one can harm me in this place."
"Yes!" the four chorused, stumbling out.
After they left
Once the presence outside faded, Mito unrolled the scroll.
Inside her, the Nine-Tails snorted.
"Old hag, you aren't even worried the scroll might explode in your face?"
She ignored it.
She read.
Line after line.
Prediction after prediction.
The fall of Uzushio…
Konoha's delayed response…
Only one young survivor returning to inherit the Nine-Tails…
Then one final, mocking phrase:
"A tailed beast weapon belonging solely to the village."
"Weapon," Mito murmured, smiling bitterly.
"What a fitting word."
The Nine-Tails perked up, sensing rebellion.
"That's right! Now you're talking!
Come on, old woman—let's tear this miserable village apart!"
The chains binding it tightened abruptly, grinding against its body.
"Ghh—! What—what are you doing?!"
"Nothing," Mito replied coolly.
"It simply seems you've misunderstood something."
"You've been inside me all these decades, and still you cannot let go of your hatred for humans."
"Perhaps…"
she whispered, closing her eyes,
"…I have failed too."
"I don't care!" the fox roared.
"When you die, I'll destroy Konoha! Flatten it! Burn everything you hold dear!"
"Then try," Mito said calmly.
She finished reading.
The scroll outlined Kirigakure's intentions with frightening accuracy—
the Three-Tails project…
their need for sealing jutsu…
their scheme to frame Uzushio so the whirlpool clan would not dare assist Konoha…
Ridiculous as it was, Kaito's "prophecy" had matched reality perfectly.
Almost unnervingly so.
Back at his home, Kaito finally allowed himself to relax.
He checked the surroundings with his sensory field—
no ANBU following, no sudden killing intent nearby.
Safe.
Only then did he shrink down his mask and cloak.
"…Damn. I forgot she was going to give me sealing techniques."
A long sigh.
"Free sealing jutsu… gone."
"Couldn't memorize all of Byakugō either. Too many damn kanji."
He collapsed onto his couch, staring at the instant noodles on his shelf.
His stomach growled.
"…Whatever. Midnight snack it is."
Meanwhile — Konoha streets
Uzumaki Mito walked straight toward the Hokage Tower.
Both ANBU and Root scrambled to report her movements.
In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen paled when he heard a "hidden Senju jōnin" supposedly still existed.
"Don't speak of this to anyone," he ordered.
Then Mito arrived.
She tossed the scroll at him and left without a word.
Hiruzen stood frozen.
When he finally read it—
His face went numb with fury.
"So that's what happened…"
"Danzo—you actually used Konoha's own coercion tactics on the Uzumaki clan…"
"No wonder you claimed you were 'driven out'…"
His fists clenched around the scroll.
To read advanced Chapters, head over to p@treon:
patreon.com/nani_kaito