When Uzumaki Mito heard her sister's decision, she felt an immediate sense of relief.
She hadn't wanted to interfere with her sister's choice in the first place—but since the decision had been made of her own will, Mito naturally welcomed it wholeheartedly.
At the very least, once they were in Konoha, she wouldn't be so lonely anymore. With fellow Uzumaki around her, her sense of belonging and identity would be far stronger.
The only question was… would the Uzumaki clan eventually end up like the Senju, quietly drowned by the tides of ninja history?
Thinking of Arata's character, Uzumaki Mito felt that probably wouldn't happen. That boy might kill without hesitation when necessary, but he was not someone who slaughtered the innocent indiscriminately.
As long as the Uzumaki didn't bring ruin upon themselves, Arata likely wouldn't commit something as extreme as clan extermination.
With that thought, Uzumaki Mito said,
"Very well. Then make the arrangements. Let everyone be mentally prepared."
After all, the Uzumaki were a sizable clan. No matter how high Uzumaki Suigetsu's seniority was, she couldn't make every decision alone.
Especially since this meant joining Konoha-a decision of enormous importance-she still had to seek the approval of the clan's elite jōnin as well as the older generation of elders.
Just as Uzumaki Suigetsu turned to leave, she suddenly froze.
At some point—she didn't know when—a figure had appeared silently behind Mito.
Both she and Uzumaki Mito were outstanding members of the Uzumaki clan. In terms of sensory perception, they were in no way inferior to the Hyūga's Byakugan.
Yet the two of them—both at least Kage-level—had failed to notice anyone approaching from behind.
Upon closer inspection, the man standing behind Mito was wrapped entirely in white, plant-like matter. His face was covered by a swirling mask formed from those white growths, revealing only a single eye—
A three-tomoe Sharingan.
Seeing this, Uzumaki Suigetsu instinctively stepped back and raised a hand to speak.
But the moment she moved, Uzumaki Mito realized someone was behind her. She hurriedly turned around, trying to see who could possibly evade the perception of both herself and her sister.
The instant she turned—
Her heart shattered.
From Suigetsu's perspective, the man cloaked in white plants moved at a speed neither of them could comprehend. With a casual, almost careless motion, he thrust a hand forward and crushed Mito's heart in a single strike.
Truth be told, if Mito had been at her full strength, she might not have fallen so easily to a sneak attack. But she had already expended far too much chakra earlier and had exited her Yin Seal state. Her strength had dropped to mere Kage peak at best.
Coupled with her advanced age, her speed and reaction time had declined to around mid-Kage level.
Only now did the man with the Sharingan dispel the white plant matter surrounding him.
The growths peeled away and shifted aside, forming a completely white humanoid figure—one that looked human, yet whose structure made it impossible not to see it as something closer to a plant.
As for the man with the Sharingan, his true appearance was finally revealed.
He had spiky hair streaked with gray, clearly advanced in years. His face was lined with deep wrinkles, his skin dry and creased—his age likely comparable to Mito's.
He wore red armor that only ninja from the Warring States period would wear, layered over a black long robe.
Though aged, the familiar contours of his face made Mito recognize him instantly.
"Uchiha… Madara…"
Because her heart had been destroyed, Mito's life was rapidly slipping away. It wouldn't be long before death claimed her completely.
Her hair faded swiftly, losing its once-vivid crimson hue.
Hearing her call his name, Uchiha Madara replied in a low voice,
"Yes. It is me."
His indifferent demeanor made it clear he didn't value her life in the slightest. This was Hashirama's wife—once one of the strongest figures in the ninja world.
Yet in his hands, she was nothing more than trash, casually discarded.
Upon hearing his confirmation, Uzumaki Suigetsu cried out in disbelief,
"That's impossible! After the battle at the Valley of the End, you were killed by Hashirama!"
That was exactly what Mito herself wanted to know. She had personally seen Madara's body placed into a coffin all those years ago—how could he possibly still be alive?
And yet, Madara's chakra was unchanged. It was just as sinister as ever—no, even more refined than before. Mito knew she couldn't be mistaken.
Madara responded calmly,
"Who knows… Today, I've only come to take back my pet."
Within Uzumaki Mito's body, the sealed Nine-Tails—Kurama—shuddered in terror at those words, memories of Madara's domination resurfacing instantly.
"That bastard Madara… Is he going to toy with me again?! Damn Uchiha!"
As Kurama roared in her mind, Mito's consciousness steadily faded. She knew she was beyond saving.
What she regretted most was that she had no way to transfer the Nine-Tails before dying.
Madara—vanished from the shinobi world for decades—had reappeared at this very moment.
Her thoughts turned to Arata.
In the end, even in death, she had brought him trouble. The Nine-Tails was not something just anyone could control—but in Madara's hands, it was different.
Madara was already terrifyingly strong. With the Nine-Tails as support, his power would rival Hashirama's.
Having said his piece, Madara had no interest in idle conversation. He had always despised the woman who stole Hashirama from him—killing her with his own hands now was nothing but satisfying.
The next instant, he pulled his arm free from Mito's body—dragging out vast quantities of orange chakra along with it.
Uzumaki Suigetsu recognized it at once.
That orange chakra was the Nine-Tails' true form. Madara had effortlessly undone the seal.
Though the Nine-Tails struggled violently, it was still ripped free. When all the chakra left Mito's body, a thunderous explosion rang out.
A colossal shadow blotted out the sky.
Orange fur. Nine massive tails.
The Nine-Tailed Fox—once a terror to the entire shinobi world—had returned.
But before it could even revel in its freedom, its pupils transformed into three-tomoe Sharingan.
With the Nine-Tails secured, Madara glanced at the stunned, motionless Uzumaki Suigetsu.
Then he widened his eyes.
Dark-blue skeletal arms manifested around him, one gripping a blue samurai blade—its tip aimed directly at the defenseless Uzumaki Suigetsu.
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