Awakening Of Uchiha [Naruto/One Piece]

Chapter 27: Uzumaki Mito Breaks Tsunade's Naivety

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"Alas! I am getting old and won't live much longer.

On top of that, Monkey's position as Hokage is becoming more secure, and his power continues to grow.

In recent years, my ability to deter others has weakened significantly."

Mito lamented silently.

"Grandma, what's wrong? Why do you suddenly seem so sad?"

Tsunade noticed her grandmother's shift in mood, sensing a deep worry.

Mito looked up at Tsunade, reached out to gently pat her head, and sighed.

"Tsunade, Grandma doesn't have many years left. When will you truly mature and take responsibility for the Senju?"

"This..."

Tsunade felt a pang of unease as her grandmother's words struck her heart. She quickly grasped Mito's hand, her tone filled with concern.

"Grandma, what are you saying? You'll live to be a hundred years old!"

"Hehe," Mito chuckled softly, though her smile carried a hint of helplessness.

"Live to a hundred? Ninjas rarely live that long."

"A ninja's life is short—it's a twisted profession."

"Your great-grandfather, who possessed incredible vitality and strength, died young. What hope is there for me?"

"If not for the demands of being a ninja, your great-grandfather could have lived to be a hundred. But alas..."

The more battles a ninja fights, the more they push their limits, and the shorter their life becomes.

Tsunade felt a wave of sadness wash over her.

As a skilled medical ninja, she understood this truth well. A ninja's survival depends on constantly extracting chakra, inevitably shortening their lifespan.

"Forget it! Let's not dwell on this anymore."

Mito noticed the confusion and sorrow on Tsunade's face and quickly shifted the conversation.

"Still, you're not a child anymore. It's time to mature!"

"Until Nawaki grows up and can shoulder the responsibilities of the Senju, you must bear this burden for him. Do you understand?"

To be honest, Mito wasn't optimistic about Nawaki's ability to take on the Senju's legacy.

The boy's personality was far too naive, even more so than Hashirama's had been.

But unlike Hashirama, Nawaki lacked his grandfather's unparalleled talent, and there was no Tobirama to guide him.

For now, all she could do was place her hopes on Tsunade stepping up as his elder sister.

"This... I understand! I will!"

Tsunade clenched her fists resolutely, but then hesitated and asked, "But don't we have teachers in the village? It shouldn't be a big problem, right?"

"Stupid!"

Mito let out a short laugh of frustration.

"Sarutobi is not just your teacher. He's the Hokage of Konoha and the head of the Sarutobi clan.

"When he took you on as a disciple, it wasn't because he admired your talent—it was a calculated move to win over the Senju and me, ensuring his position as Hokage."

"Do you really think your abilities were what interested him?"

"In his heart, the interests of the Sarutobi clan come first, followed by Konoha. Then come the families of Danzo, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura."

"After that? It won't be the Senju—it'll be the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance or other smaller clans, or even civilian ninjas he's brought into his fold."

"For years, he has been quietly suppressing the clans once led by the Senju. Haven't you noticed this?"

"How can I entrust the Senju clan to you?"

"How can I die peacefully, knowing this?"

Her voice trembled with frustration, her tone filled with bitter disappointment.

Mito felt anger rise within her—a deep, aching resentment. She hated that Tsunade, despite her potential, couldn't yet see the harsh realities surrounding her.

In front of their own interests, the teacher-student relationship becomes unimportant.

"....."

Tsunade was stunned when she heard this. Her worldview was shaken violently, and the filter she had placed on the Third Hokage shattered.

"How could this be?"

She murmured in disbelief.

Mito said unhappily, "Why not? Think carefully. Look at how the clan has developed over the years. Isn't it obvious?"

Originally, she hadn't wanted to break Tsunade's illusions, especially since she was nearing the end of her life.

If she left Tsunade with her trust in the Third Hokage intact, relying on their teacher-student relationship might provide Tsunade with a measure of safety.

But recent changes with the Uchiha clan, particularly Uchiha Kaori, gave her other ideas.

She felt that the Senju and Uzumaki clans could no longer afford to keep giving in and passively waiting for their fate.

"Perhaps, a secret alliance with the Uchiha would be a good idea," Uzumaki Mito thought to herself.

"I..."

Tsunade listened to Mito's words, shattering her naive trust in the Third Hokage. As she recalled the behavior of both the clan and the Hokage in the past, she suddenly noticed many inappropriate actions she had ignored before.

Her expression grew grim. "I didn't expect it to be like this! The old man has bad intentions."

"It's good that you've realized this!" Mito's face looked a bit more relieved.

Tsunade, still feeling lost, asked, "Then what should I do next, Grandma?"

"We'll discuss it after I meet Uchiha Kaori! You must be there when the time comes," Mito said decisively.

"Okay!"

Tsunade didn't refuse.

Since she couldn't figure out her own path, she decided to see what her grandmother would do.

Although she still didn't understand why her grandmother seemed so concerned.

"Hey! I don't want to pressure you, but the situation is becoming more dangerous for us," Uzumaki Mito sighed, noticing Tsunade's worried expression. "There's been bad news from the Uzumaki clan recently."

"Various signs show that the other four major ninja villages are eyeing the Uzumaki's Jinchūriki and sealing techniques."

"Recently, there have been many spies from other villages in the Land of Whirlpools. Their intentions are clearly hostile."

"What?"

Tsunade was shocked. "Then what should we do?"

"Does the old man know? How is the village going to respond? Will... will they send people to help the Uzumaki clan?"

At the end, she remembered her grandmother's earlier words about the true nature of her teacher.

Her tone wavered as doubt crept into her heart.

Could her teacher truly be willing to send aid to the Uzumaki clan?

In fact, wouldn't the destruction of the Uzumaki clan benefit him the most?

Not only could he gain access to the Uzumaki clan's legacy, but it would also further weaken the Senju clan.

She hadn't noticed the existence of this possibility before.

Now that her illusions had been broken, she realized just how much the Senju clan had declined during her teacher's rule.

Back when her second grandfather was alive, the Senju clan was the largest and most powerful ninja clan in Konoha, perhaps even in the entire ninja world.

But now?

The glory of the Senju clan was long gone.

Most of the branch families had been assimilated into the civilian population.

Moreover, many of these clansmen had gradually lost contact, and many had died on various missions.

Even the direct descendants have been killed or gravely injured, with only one in ten managing to survive.

The Senju clan is on the verge of destruction.

Mito had been closely observing Tsunade's expression. Seeing her in such turmoil, she spoke in a deep, resolute voice:

"It seems you've figured it out."

"Don't expect the monkey or the village to genuinely help you in this matter!"

"At most, they'll exploit the situation to gain some profit."

"Originally, I wanted to convince the Uzumaki clan to relocate to Konoha," she continued, her tone heavy. "But Uzumaki Aminari is unwilling. I tried to persuade him, but he won't budge. So, I've had to abandon that plan."

"Now, I'm preparing to assemble an elite force consisting of the direct line of the Senju clan, as well as a few branch members who remain closely connected."

"This force will be sent to support the Uzumaki clan in the near future."

"However, doing so may weaken the last remnants of the Senju's foundation and strength."

"But I have no other choice."

"I can't just stand by and watch the Uzumaki clan be destroyed."

....