When Uzumaki Mito spoke, all the attending maids beside her silently withdrew from the room.
After that, Mito glanced at Tsunade.
"You go out as well."
Tsunade was a little confused at this moment. What could Grandma possibly want to say that even she couldn't hear?
But she had always respected her grandmother deeply, so she didn't question it, and slowly walked toward the door.
As she passed by Arata Itsuki, she still reminded him—leaning close to his ear:
"Do your best!"
Tsunade felt that Grandma was likely trying to test Arata, which was why she encouraged him like that.
Arata, however, did not think so. This old lady definitely had something else she wanted to discuss, because ever since he entered the room, Mito hadn't really looked at him at all.
Everything felt far too strange—this was nothing like a grandmother examining her future grandson-in-law.
When everyone had fully exited, the smile on Uzumaki Mito's face slowly disappeared, replaced by a calm, expressionless look.
"Actually… the biggest obstacle to the two of you getting married isn't me."
Her sudden statement left Arata unable to follow for a moment, but he still nodded.
He also knew the Third Hokage and Danzō seemed very unwilling for him and Tsunade to be together—otherwise they wouldn't have immediately sent people to assassinate him back then.
If his strength hadn't improved drastically at that time, he would probably already be a corpse.
"You mean the Third Hokage and Danzō?"
Arata thought his guess would be confirmed, but Mito shook her head.
"Your political instincts aren't bad… but your thinking is still too naïve. The waters of Konoha are far deeper than you imagine."
Hearing this, Arata instantly pressed on.
"You mean… there are others who want to stop our marriage?"
Mito nodded slightly and continued:
"These things should have been said to Tsunade. But her temperament is far too impulsive—she isn't suited to understand these matters."
On this point, Arata also agreed. Even later, when Tsunade became Hokage, many of her decisions were made too casually, sometimes blindly trusting Naruto without proper consideration.
So aside from her strength and lineage, Tsunade truly wasn't suited for politics.
Mito suddenly shifted the topic:
"Do you know what Konoha's true nature is?"
Arata thought for a moment—Mito was clearly testing him—so after carefully organizing his thoughts, he answered:
"Konoha looks like a village, like a nation, but at its core, it's still a collection of ninja clans ruling themselves. They restrain each other.
On the surface, the founding of the village eliminated clan-to-clan warfare, but in reality, all that endless fighting was simply turned into invisible internal struggles."
Listening to his answer, Mito's eyes brightened slightly, and she replied with satisfaction:
"As I expected—you really are different. Being able to see this means you've seriously thought about what a 'village' truly is."
She stared out the window for a moment, then spoke slowly:
"In the past, all clans fought for resources and for the reputation of being the strongest clan.
Now, all Konoha clans fight for something else—the right to control resource distribution, and the highest authority in Konoha… the Hokage."
Arata fully agreed. Although the original story didn't directly explain the struggle for Hokage, anyone could imagine the bloodshed behind it.
Orochimaru, the Third's own disciple, defected right after losing the Hokage selection.
His research had always been ongoing—why did he defect exactly after losing the Hokage seat?
And how convenient that his teacher "discovered" him at the same time?
The coincidence was too perfect. Anyone would think something darker was happening behind the scenes.
Even the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato—he won the Hokage seat, but his death was absurd.
The enemy was the Nine-Tails, yes, but seeing what the Third and Fourth were capable of in the Fourth Great War, there was no way they couldn't have stopped the beast together.
Arata nodded, silently agreeing with Mito's judgment.
But the Third only arrived after Minato died?
Arata would never believe there was no hidden scheme.
Mito continued:
"Danzō and Sarutobi need no explanation. They hold the highest power in Konoha—they were the winners of the previous political struggle.
But they should never have tried to monopolize everything. Their actions have offended every other clan in the village."
Her voice grew colder.
"You've sensed it too—the shinobi world is about to erupt into a massive war.
And this war has nothing to do with national interests.
It is being deliberately triggered by the clans of Konoha… to eliminate their rivals."
Arata's mind instantly flashed through countless images.
Like how after the Second Shinobi War, many clans declined sharply.
The Sarutobi clan fell.
Shimura Danzō's clan was completely wiped out except for him.
Even the currently powerful Hyūga clan ended up with just a few small fry in the end.
The contrast with their present strength was staggering.
For a moment, Arata found himself unable to refute Mito's words. But then he asked curiously:
"You've been in this tower all this time… so how do you seem to know everything?"
Mito gave a faintly mocking smile.
"Remember the sensory barrier that surrounds Konoha? That barrier was created by the Uzumaki clan."
Arata's expression changed—he instantly thought of one possibility.
"You're saying… you can monitor the entire village through the barrier?"
Mito didn't avoid the question—she directly confirmed it.
"That 'peeping crystal ball' Sarutobi uses—it was something I gave him.
Thinking back now, he used to hold a great deal of respect toward me…"
Her voice faded slightly, carrying a cold, knowing amusement.
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