(Bonus Chapter for you)
Dim and damp, as though all of Konoha's endless darkness had converged into this labyrinthine underground base.
The base was located on the outer edge of the village's rear mountains.
From the outside, it looked like nothing more than an ordinary limestone cave—but just inside the entrance stood two Root ninja, dressed in assassination garb and wearing masks far more intricate than those of Konoha's ANBU.
—Outside, countless traps and warning lines had been laid, preventing outsiders from approaching or infiltrating.
From the base entrance to every important room, even the corridors within the tunnels, countless "eyes" were hidden everywhere, peering, observing, and guarding this place's security.
This was the headquarters of Konoha's Root organization.
"Has that old thing shown any reaction lately?"
"No."
"Continue surveillance. Report to me immediately if there's any movement!"
"Yes!"
Inside the base, within a windowless room lined entirely with wooden panels.
After finishing his report, the Root ninja standing behind the short-haired middle-aged man vanished directly from the room.
The man's gaze swept across the space. With the harsh white light emitted from the incandescent tube fixed in the corner of the ceiling, everything in the room was clearly visible.
On the wooden walls were displayed many photographs from the past.
The man stared at images from his youth—photos of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama; companions he had once been close to; a younger version of himself; and pictures taken when Root was first established…
"Uzushiogakure… the Uzumaki clan."
"What an uncooperative bunch."
"I merely asked for a few children, yet they dared to outright refuse my goodwill."
"Then don't blame me for being ruthless."
"For Konoha."
"It is absolutely unacceptable for the vessel of a jinchūriki to be controlled by outsiders."
Some time ago, Danzo's Root had gone to the sea region near the Land of Whirlpools. On the way, they encountered Kirigakure ninja—but their numbers were small, their main task being misdirection, relying on intimidation.
However, Danzo quickly realized that both their numbers and quality were weak. He decisively led his Root forces straight through, successfully reaching the island of the Land of Whirlpools and arriving at its only city—
Uzushio City.
There, he met both the former and the current leaders of Uzushiogakure.
Yet just as the Uzumaki believed salvation had arrived, Danzo's threats crushed any thought they had of making amends.
Danzo's exact words were:
"Konoha requires more than ten children under the age of eight, all possessing Uzumaki talent."
"Secondly, all personnel withdrawn from Konoha's maritime outposts will be stationed within the territory of the Land of Whirlpools. This will allow better coordination with Uzushiogakure's ninja in combat."
In short, his demands amounted to letting Konoha swallow both the present and future of the Land of Whirlpools—turning it completely into Konoha's, or even the Land of Fire's, possession.
Enraged, the two clan leaders refused to give Danzo a single person and expelled him from the borders of the Land of Whirlpools. Negotiations completely collapsed.
Danzo, as expected, returned to Konoha and embellished the story—claiming that not only had the Land of Whirlpools rejected past cooperation with Konoha, they now even refused to hand over a single young, talented clan member capable of wielding Tailed Beast power.
In the end, Hiruzen Sarutobi helplessly informed Uzumaki Mito of the situation, and finally reported it to the Fire Daimyō.
—After all, the daimyō had already heard rumors of cooperation between the Land of Whirlpools and the Land of Water. He needed confirmation of Uzushiogakure's current stance so preparations for many alliances could be made in advance.
Thus, by the time the news appeared in the papers, it had already been more than half a month since the negotiations had broken down.
—
At the Senju clan compound—a tranquil, fresh-aired estate surrounded by lush greenery—
An elderly woman with red hair tied into a bun sat formally on her knees. Though advanced in age, her appearance remained youthful.
Before her stood a sandalwood tea table, upon which rested an expensive tea set. In one corner lay today's issue of the Ninja World Daily.
From the center of the ceiling, an electrical wire extended down to an old-fashioned hanging lamp, casting a warm orange glow like sunlight.
That light illuminated the unease on the woman's face—and also the brown, custom-made household shrine set against the wall.
If any native of Konoha saw the photograph enshrined there, they would immediately recognize the man depicted—
The strongest man Konoha had ever known: Senju Hashirama, in his youth.
"Hey, old woman."
"Since Konoha doesn't trust the Uzumaki anymore, why don't you go cause a huge ruckus with me?!"
Outside, the village had already shown its distrust, dispatching more ANBU to monitor her movements.
Within, the Nine-Tails—this troublemaking "pet" that loved chaos—kept whispering temptations into her ear.
"So the Uzumaki clan is going to disappear from the ninja world along with the Senju, huh."
"Really…"
"I can't accept this."
If Konoha's Nine-Tails jinchūriki could fight at full strength, the Second Shinobi World War would never have broken out.
—But age was a fatal weakness. If she were injured or exhausted herself too much, Mito might lose control of the Nine-Tails and die on the spot.
Konoha was the village her husband had founded, the place he had risked his life to protect.
Her clan was her family, her kin.
Faced with these two choices, Uzumaki Mito—now a living nuclear weapon—truly didn't know what to choose.
At that moment, Uzumaki Mito suddenly closed her eyes.
Within the darkness of her vision, perception instantly expanded outward, beyond the ancestral home.
Each chakra reaction corresponded to a living being.
She could sense the approximate shape, quantity, and even strength of every chakra—allowing her to determine what rank of ninja it was, or even whether it was a summoned beast.
This was the Uzumaki clan's bloodline ability—
Kagura's Mind's Eye.
"They're here."
"A ninja skilled in Earth Release… to evade both ANBU and Root surveillance like this…"
As she spoke, Uzumaki Mito opened her eyes, her gaze shifting toward a corner of the room—one that could not be seen from outside through the shōji doors.
"You… just who are you?"
The tatami floor showed no disturbance from the intruder's Earth Release.
Because he had to avoid attracting outside attention, the emergence was slow—taking a full three minutes before his entire body surfaced.
As ever, he wore a rabbit mask patterned with colorful designs, a high-collared cloak of interwoven blue and white, and a small Japanese-style ponytail tied at the back of his head.
"Surgeon."
"I believe I already told Konoha my codename, didn't I?"
"What—could it be that the current Nine-Tails jinchūriki, the strongest ninja in Konoha…"
"…doesn't even know this much?"
The man's gaze shifted, landing on the memorial tablet atop the cabinet, where a photograph displayed Senju Hashirama's youthful smile.
"So that's how it is."
"The village and one's family."
"From the moment priorities are reversed…"
"Darkness had already begun to fester."
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