After Uzumaki Mito and her younger sister had finished settling their emotions, Mito briefly explained her own condition before turning the conversation to the battle itself.
"How did the Land of Whirlpools fare?" she asked. "From the way you all look, it's like you were fleeing. Don't tell me Arata's battle turned unfavorable?"
Though she asked the question aloud, Uzumaki Mito didn't truly believe it. Someone capable of cutting down the Monkey Sage with a single strike couldn't possibly be forced into a disadvantage. Facing an allied force of tens of thousands, if anything, it should have been Arata who held the upper hand.
Once Uzumaki Suigetsu had composed herself, she sighed softly and said:
"Ah… Sister, you might not know this yet, but Uzushiogakure has already been swallowed by the sea. That said, your granddaughter's husband really is terrifyingly strong. Against the allied forces, he held an overwhelming advantage. Honestly, he even reminds me a little of Hashirama Senju."
Hearing that Uzushiogakure had sunk, Uzumaki Mito was momentarily stunned. Then she recalled the strike Arata had used to instantly kill the Monkey Sage—one that had indeed split the island apart.
After suffering an attack of that magnitude, the island sinking was only natural. She had suspected as much earlier; she simply hadn't expected it to truly come to pass.
As for Arata holding the advantage against the allied army, that matched her expectations perfectly.
When Suigetsu mentioned that he carried Hashirama's air about him, Mito thought it over carefully. Arata was young, but steady in action, and backed by terrifying strength. By now, he truly seemed to have reached the peak of the super–Kage tier. In that sense, he really might not be inferior to Hashirama at all.
It was just a pity that Arata and Hashirama were not of the same era—there would never be a chance for the two to cross hands.
After a pause, Uzumaki Mito asked again,
"What do you plan to do from here? Are you thinking of finding another island and rebuilding the nation?"
With Uzushiogakure gone, the Land of Whirlpools existed in name only. The sole consolation was that the Uzumaki clan itself still lived—otherwise, it would have been true annihilation.
Hearing her sister's question, Uzumaki Suigetsu fell into deep thought. She was now the highest-ranking leader of the Uzumaki clan. Her decision would effectively represent everyone.
Moreover, her prestige was more than enough to command respect. She was of the same generation as Mito herself, and among the Uzumaki, almost no one of higher seniority remained alive.
After a long moment, Suigetsu turned and glanced at her elder brother's body—Uzumaki Suikyō—before speaking slowly:
"Rather than standing alone, we should join a major nation. The Uzumaki clan may be strong, but trying to remain independent in today's ninja world is simply too difficult. We were too narrow-minded in the past. The power of a single clan has its limits."
After facing the brink of extermination, this realization wasn't limited to Suigetsu alone. Even Suikyō, now dead, had already come to understand it.
The idea that a powerful clan could stand invincible belonged to the Warring States period. Today's shinobi world was built upon nations, each formed from multiple clans.
The Five Great Nations, in particular, each housed countless ninja families. Compared to such overwhelming national power, the talents of a single clan meant very little.
Perhaps only when pushed to the edge of extinction could the Uzumaki truly see this truth. In the past, they had simply been too proud.
Hearing her sister's words, Uzumaki Mito nodded in satisfaction. It seemed her younger sister had finally grown.
At the very least, when it came to matters of state, she was no longer confined to clan-centered thinking—she could see farther now.
Feigning casual curiosity, Mito asked,
"So… have you decided which country to join?"
Mito already knew the answer. Her sister was undoubtedly considering the Land of Fire. It was the strongest nation in the ninja world, and she herself stood there as support.
More importantly, the Land of Fire had recently produced a monstrous new figure—Arata. He was her granddaughter's husband. With that connection alone, no matter how one looked at it, joining the Land of Fire was the best option for the Uzumaki clan.
Suigetsu didn't hesitate and answered directly,
"Of course, the Land of Fire is our first choice. Konoha has the greatest strength, and with you and Arata there, I naturally want to join Konohagakure. But… Sarutobi Hiruzen probably won't agree."
Although Sarutobi Hiruzen had once tried to recruit the Uzumaki clan, after Suikyō rejected him, relations between the two sides completely soured.
Even this extermination plan had Hiruzen's involvement. Otherwise, why would her sister have been intercepted halfway by that old fox?
When Mito described her own situation earlier, she had mentioned clearly that Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived with a Monkey Sage at the late super–Kage level to block her path.
If Arata hadn't intervened in time, Mito might have perished together with that Monkey Sage.
Suigetsu had no desire to deal with such a scheming man.
Yet Sarutobi Hiruzen was still the Hokage of Konoha. If the Uzumaki truly wished to join Konoha, there was no way to avoid him.
Seeing the worry on her sister's face, Uzumaki Mito smiled faintly and reassured her:
"Don't worry. Sarutobi Hiruzen won't live much longer. The position of Hokage will ultimately be taken by Arata. As long as you're willing to join Konoha, everything will proceed smoothly."
Suigetsu's eyes lit up at those words. A realization struck her. She quickly turned to glance at the clan members behind her, signaling for them to move a little farther away.
Once the Uzumaki had withdrawn, she lowered her voice and asked,
"…Are you preparing a coup?"
Mito reached out and tapped her sister lightly on the head, saying irritably,
"Don't make it sound so ugly. I'm just helping my granddaughter reclaim what was hers to begin with."
As she spoke, Uzumaki Mito's expression darkened. It was clear that, despite her silence over the years, she had never forgotten Sarutobi Hiruzen's actions.
Seeing that look, Suigetsu understood immediately—her sister's life these past years had not been easy either.
Come to think of it, hadn't the once world-shaking Senju clan vanished almost without a sound?
No waves, no uproar—just gone.
Only Tsunade and Nawaki remained as descendants, which was little different from extinction.
And recently, even Nawaki—the only male heir—was rumored to have died in battle. That meant the Senju line was truly finished.
If her husband's clan had been wiped out like that, Suigetsu knew she herself wouldn't have been able to swallow such injustice either. Unfortunately, at the time, Sarutobi Hiruzen held absolute power, surrounded by capable subordinates. Mito could only endure.
Now, however, it seemed Hiruzen's faction had nearly been purged.
Mito had always been sharp-minded. Since she spoke with such certainty, Suigetsu no longer doubted her.
She straightened and declared firmly:
"Then it's decided.
The Uzumaki clan will join Konoha."