At this time, only the main residence of the head family remained in the Senju clan territory; the rest of the land had been distributed to commoners.
Although Misaki had long known about the heavy casualties and the renunciation of their surname by clan members seeking a reclusive life, seeing the clan territory where she grew up look like this now, she couldn't help but feel a pang of melancholy.
"Is this where Grandma lives?" Nawaki asked at this moment.
"Yes," Misaki nodded, stroking her son's head, and said, "It's a pity you never got to meet your grandfather; he would have liked you very much."
"I wasn't present when the First Hokage passed away. I never imagined that someone as powerful as him would…" the man beside her, Misaki's husband, Uzumaki Kazuhiko, began to say.
"It's all because of Uchiha Madara!" Misaki's voice carried a hint of resentment.
She had never had a good impression of the stern Uchiha Madara, and it was even more so now.
When Uchiha Madara defected, her father still believed in him, but Madara returned with the Nine-Tails, intending to destroy the Hidden Leaf Village.
"Mother," Nawaki said, seeing Misaki's troubled expression, and gently tugged on her hand.
Misaki snapped out of it, smiled at her son, and then said to Uzumaki Kazuhiko, "Let's go.
Mother and my sister must have been waiting for a long time.
Tsunade might be there too."
Upon entering the main residence, a maid at the door immediately went to inform Kana, who rushed out to greet them.
Kana embraced Misaki, saying joyfully, "Long time no see, big sister."
"Long time no see," Misaki patted Kana's back, equally happy.
Releasing her embrace, Kana looked at Uzumaki Kazuhiko, bowed slightly, and said, "Long time no see, brother-in-law."
Then she looked at the boy accompanying Misaki; this child must be Nawaki.
Nawaki, only three or four years old, had dark hair and a face that bore some resemblance to Hashirama, which made Kana feel a touch of nostalgia.
She smiled at him and said, "Hello, Nawaki."
"Hello, Auntie Kana," Nawaki replied clearly, showing no shyness.
"What a lovely child," Kana said, patting Nawaki's head, and then turned to Misaki, "Sister, let's go see Mother.
She's really looking forward to seeing you."
As they walked towards Mito's room, Misaki asked Kana about their mother's recent health.
Kana pondered for a moment and said, "Mother's health is still good, but old age is inevitable.
She's nearly sixty now."
"Is that so?" Misaki nodded slightly.
Although people of the Uzumaki clan lived long, it didn't mean their bodies could always remain vibrant, unless they had special medical secret arts to maintain their vitality.
Arriving at a room, Kana gently opened the door and called out, "Mother."
Mito, who was sitting inside, looked up and, seeing her eldest daughter and son-in-law after many years, smiled gently and said, "You've arrived.
Come in and sit."
Mito was quite old now; her vibrant red hair had almost turned white, and wrinkles had appeared on her face.
Dressed in a simple white robe, she looked like an ordinary elderly woman.
She glanced at Nawaki, who was following Misaki, and beckoned to him.
Nawaki hesitated for a moment, then walked over.
Mito scrutinized Nawaki's face, and like Kana, she saw Hashirama's shadow in him, stirring a sense of nostalgia.
She said, "You must be Nawaki, right?"
"Yes, are you Grandma?" Nawaki nodded, then asked.
"Yes, I am.
You really do resemble your grandfather," Mito said with a smile.
"Really?" Hearing his grandmother say he resembled his grandfather, who was known as the God of Shinobi, Nawaki smiled happily.
He knew his grandfather's legendary stories and admired him the most.
"It's not just his appearance; Nawaki's talent is also outstanding," Uzumaki Kazuhiko said.
"Before, we saw him stimulate plants with chakra.
Misaki and I think this might be…"
"It might be the Wood Release kekkei genkai," Mito finished Uzumaki Kazuhiko's unfinished sentence, her heart trembling slightly.
Her eldest granddaughter, Tsunade, had not shown any kekkei genkai, neither Hashirama's Wood Release nor Mito's Uzumaki bloodline had manifested in the slightest.
But now, Nawaki was showing talent in Wood Release.
"I heard Grandpa ended the warring states period with his Wood Release secret jutsu," Nawaki said, leaning into Mito's embrace and looking up at her, "When I grow up, I'll be just like Grandpa."
"Haha, the ninja world is very peaceful now, so little Nawaki probably won't have a chance to shine," Mito said with a playful smile.
Nawaki looked surprised, scratching his head and asking, "Is that so?"
Suddenly, there was a rush of footsteps at the door, and then it opened.
Everyone looked to see Tsunade leaning against the doorframe, catching her breath, and then saying, "Long time no see, Mother.
Where's my little brother?"
Seeing her daughter's boisterous demeanor, Misaki secretly frowned.
Having lived in the capital of the Land of Whirlpools, she had very high standards for etiquette.
She gently admonished, "Tsunade, after so long, why have you become even more unrestrained?"
Tsunade pouted and said, "I'm a ninja.
How can I be like those noble ladies?"
Misaki was speechless and could only say, "If you keep this up, you won't be able to get married."
"What does it matter!
Am I afraid no one will want me?
Besides, I don't have time for that now; we'll see later," Tsunade said with great confidence.
As the granddaughter of the First Hokage, if she truly wanted to marry, would she ever fail to find someone?
"Kana, how do you usually teach Tsunade?" Misaki complained to Kana, seeing her daughter's defiant attitude.
Kana still had no engagement, and Misaki felt that Kana's attitude had given Tsunade the wrong impression.
Kana smiled helplessly and said, "Tsunade is still young; there's no need to consider that yet."
"That's right, Tsunade is still young; she'll understand when she's older," Uzumaki Kazuhiko advised his wife and said to Tsunade, "Long time no see, Tsunade."
"Father." Tsunade nodded to her father.
After all, they hadn't seen each other for many years, so their relationship wasn't that intimate, but at least the father-daughter bond was still there.
"Are you Sister Tsunade?" At this moment, Nawaki left Mito's embrace, ran to Tsunade, and looked up, asking.
"Yes, you must be Nawaki, you're so cute," Tsunade said, taking Nawaki's hand, a gentle smile on her face.
"Big sister will take you out to play.
There are many fun things in the village."
"Really?
More fun than card games?" Nawaki's eyes lit up.
"Card games?
That's ancient history from years ago.
You must be playing the last generation's version.
Noble families still use those, but the village has long since updated them," Tsunade snorted with a laugh.
"Let big sister open your eyes.
Let's go."
"Wait, Tsunade." Before Misaki could finish, Tsunade had already taken Nawaki out.
Misaki said somewhat angrily, "I don't know who she takes after."
"It skips a generation," Mito said slowly.
"Tsunade and Nawaki both resemble Hashirama in some ways.
There's no need to worry."
"Did Father used to be like that too?" Misaki was slightly startled; she really hadn't known about this.
"You wouldn't know what he was like as a child," Mito shook her head and said, "Let's not talk about those old stories.
It's good for Nawaki to see what the village is like anyway.
He'll probably stay here in the future, right?"
"Mother, did you figure it out?" Misaki quickly said upon hearing this.
"You specifically mentioned the possibility of Nawaki having the Wood Release kekkei genkai in front of me.
It's obvious there's another purpose," Mito said with a chuckle.
"I've lived most of my life.
Do you think these little tricks can fool me?"
Uzumaki Kazuhiko and Misaki looked a little embarrassed.
Misaki glanced at her husband, and Uzumaki Kazuhiko, understanding her unspoken thought, said, "Mother, actually, there's something I need to discuss."
"Speak, I'm listening," Mito said calmly.
"Actually, it's about our clan's affairs.
I'm sure Mother knows that our Uzumaki clan's sealing jutsu is the strongest in the ninja world, which makes many people wary.
Thanks to our relationship with the Hidden Leaf Village, no one has attacked the Land of Whirlpools yet.
However, after the last ninja war, pirates have been causing trouble along the coast of the Land of Whirlpools."
"It's the Land of Water, isn't it?" Mito immediately guessed the reason behind it.
"Yes.
As an island nation like ours, sea merchants often travel, which tends to attract the covetous eyes of certain individuals.
That's how pirates emerge.
It's said that some fallen ninja clans from the Warring States period make a living this way.
Previously, the coast of the Land of Whirlpools had never encountered such issues, but now they suddenly appear.
It must be due to the animosity formed with the Hidden Mist Village during the ninja war," Uzumaki Kazuhiko expressed indignantly.
"That's the village's fault; the Land of Whirlpools shouldn't have been dragged into it," Mito sighed.
"It's just that the situation was tense at the time, and we had no choice but to rely on the power of the Land of Whirlpools."
"No, Mother, I didn't mean to blame the Leaf Village," Uzumaki Kazuhiko chuckled awkwardly, then said, "I brought this up to say that the Land of Whirlpools isn't as safe as we imagine.
Even without the ninja war, wouldn't the Land of Whirlpools be targeted by others with ulterior motives?"
"I know that theory; Mr.
Kazama seems to have mentioned it before, Mother," Kana's voice became cheerful, as it always did when she mentioned Kazama Masaki.
Mito looked at her youngest daughter with affection and said, "That's right.
He believed that the Uzumaki clan's sealing jutsu was very powerful, yet they lacked a strong nation as a backing.
Furthermore, being far from the mainland and located in the ocean, the allied Leaf Village had no suitable water-based ninja.
In the event of an emergency, they would be easily out of reach, so he suggested that the Land of Whirlpools find a way to protect itself as soon as possible."
"Exactly, I have the same thought, and it's not that no one in the country has considered it.
It's just that they believe maintaining a neutral stance and not helping any country can avoid being drawn into ninja wars, just like the Land of Iron — this idea is simply too naive!" Uzumaki Kazuhiko's voice became serious.
"Is that the opinion of most people in the country?" Mito's brows furrowed.
"Yes, it's all for self-preservation.
If the Land of Whirlpools were similar to countries like the Land of Hot Water, I don't think it would matter.
However, the Uzumaki clan's sealing jutsu does indeed arouse the apprehension of many.
Even if we maintain our neutrality, it's impossible to be like those small countries," Uzumaki Kazuhiko said.
"So what do you mean?" Mito asked.
Uzumaki Kazuhiko replied, "My initial idea was to have the clan join the Hidden Leaf Village, but the clan members are unwilling to give up their status as rulers, so not many people are willing to support this proposal."
Upon hearing this, Mito couldn't help but shake her head.
She knew of the common human pursuit of power.
The Uzumaki clan was the only special group in the ninja world that was both ninja and nobility.
While it seemed like a good thing, it also added unnecessary concerns for the Uzumaki clan.
If they were purely a ninja clan, they could join the Hidden Leaf Village without reservation.
If they were nobility, they wouldn't possess such formidable sealing jutsu and could rely on other great nations like the Land of Hot Water.
However, the Uzumaki clan, combining both, possessed intimidating power yet couldn't abandon everything and join the Hidden Leaf Village like ordinary ninja clans.
Mito, who was well aware of this, often felt helpless, especially when she foresaw that the Uzumaki clan's situation would not be good.
This helplessness became even more pronounced.
"So, do you have any ideas now?" Mito asked.
Uzumaki Kazuhiko bowed slightly and said, "I don't know if it's feasible, but my idea is to preserve the Uzumaki clan's legacy by sending a portion of the clan members to the Hidden Leaf Village under certain pretexts.
Even if the Land of Whirlpools truly encounters trouble and the Hidden Leaf Village cannot provide timely support, it can ensure that our bloodline does not die out."
"This is a desperate measure," Mito sighed deeply.
Uzumaki Kazuhiko's expression was one of deep helplessness.
If he could, he truly wished to bring the entire clan into the Hidden Leaf Village, but those within the clan who were blinded by power adamantly opposed it.
Even if he told them of the great danger, they would delude themselves into believing there was still room for maneuver.
Unless they encountered a genuine crisis of national destruction, they would never give up.
And the greatest fear was that by that time, the Uzumaki clan wouldn't even have the chance to regret it.
"One must prepare for a rainy day.
I can only do this.
First, Nawaki must be sent to the Leaf Village," Uzumaki Kazuhiko said.
"If there are any other opportunities in the future, I will continue to send more clan members here."
"Then you can pay attention to any children born in the clan with powerful chakra," Mito said calmly.
"At that time, let that child come to the village as the second generation jinchuriki, and bring some escorts with them under that pretext."
"Mother!" Misaki and Kana exclaimed in surprise; Mito's words seemed to foreshadow something.
"Don't be so surprised; it's something that will happen sooner or later," Mito said, touching her abdomen, where the sealing jutsu for the Nine-Tails resided.
"In recent years, my body has been getting worse, and my chakra has weakened.
Just suppressing the Nine-Tails requires a lot of effort, and I can't do much else during the day.
It's time to cultivate a new successor."
"But, someone with chakra as powerful as yours, Mother…" Misaki said with a solemn expression.
"Hmm, to suppress a being like the Nine-Tails, an extraordinary amount of chakra is required.
Originally, choosing from my own offspring would be most suitable, but neither you nor Kana possess such power, so we'll have to search among others in the clan," Mito said.
"Since someone like me could appear in the clan, there should be a second.
If not, we can only choose the most outstanding person and find a way for them to bear the Nine-Tails' power and live without hindrance."
"I will go back and pay attention," Uzumaki Kazuhiko said.