Naruto: The Tavern Speech Begins to Make the Land of Rain Great

"Mito-sama."

"Hiruzen, no need to be so polite."

A kind smile appeared on Mito Uzumaki's somewhat wrinkled face.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded respectfully; he had come to visit Lady Mito Uzumaki.

To be precise, it was Lady Mito Uzumaki who came to find him.

Mito Uzumaki was the wife of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. In terms of seniority, she was a whole generation older than Hiruzen Sarutobi.

For the past thirty years since the founding of Konoha, Lord Mito has been diligent and conscientious.

Even now, though Mito Uzumaki is old, she still cares deeply for Konoha.

During the Second Shinobi World War, she thought about going into battle to kill the enemy more than once.

However, time will force even a powerful ninja to become weak.

The same applies to Mito Uzumaki.

At over sixty years old, she could no longer adapt to the high-intensity combat on the battlefield.

Even so, she chose to stay in Konoha and use Kagura's Mind's Eye to monitor Konoha's every move.

Just a few hours earlier, she had sensed something was wrong.

Near Kushina Uzumaki, there were always several similar chakra scents.

Furthermore, the several chakra auras were unlike anything ever seen in the village before, suggesting they were ninjas from other villages.

It was this slight unease that made Mito Uzumaki realize the problem.

Based on the recent peace talks, she realized that someone was trying to sabotage things.

This person is very likely a ninja from another ninja village.

This led Mito Uzumaki to summon Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage.

"Lord Mito, I wonder why you're looking for me...?"

"Hiruzen, things might get a little unsettled in the village soon."

Mito Uzumaki's reminder struck Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart like a heavy hammer.

He knew the elderly man before him all too well.

With Kagura's keen insight, she made accurate predictions for Konoha on many occasions, avoiding many risks.

"Lady Mito, could you please explain in more detail?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned and asked.

"You should know about my Kagura Mind's Eye. Just a few hours ago, I noticed several chakra auras that did not belong to anyone in the village frequently appearing near Kushina."

"From what I can tell, their features are more like those of ninjas from the Hidden Cloud Village."

Mito Uzumaki didn't seem worried at all; she smiled and said.

"However, they haven't made a move yet. They probably want to monitor Kushina and learn about her daily routine."

These words made Hiruzen Sarutobi fall into thought.

If what Mito-sama said is true, then it's likely that the other party's target is Kushina.

Those ninjas were most likely from Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud Village).

But why is Kushina their target?

Was it because he was after her Uzumaki clan bloodline?

Nowadays, the Uzumaki clan has very few members left in the entire ninja world.

The other party's goal is the bloodline of the Uzumaki clan, which makes sense.

However, if that's the case...

Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his head and said solemnly.

"Mito-sama, thank you for reminding me. I will take it seriously."

Mito Uzumaki stared at Hiruzen Sarutobi, whom she had watched grow up and who was now capable of standing on his own, and patted him on the shoulder affectionately.

She looked out the window at the scenery in the distance.

"It's nothing, Konoha is my home."

"I love Konoha, just as Hashirama loved it."

Mito Uzumaki's voice was calm and gentle.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on Mito Uzumaki's wrinkled face.

A few seconds later, Mito Uzumaki turned her head and looked at the Third Hokage.

"Hiruzen, what do you plan to do?"

"I will arrange for the Anbu to provide special protection for Kushina Uzumaki, and find out the identities of those people as soon as possible."

But Mito Uzumaki shook her head.

"I mean, what are your plans after everything settles down?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi understood what Mito Uzumaki's problem was.

She was asking what to do once they captured those Cloud Village ninjas who wanted to harm Kushina.

Should we kill them? Or hold the Hidden Cloud Village accountable? Or... settle things peacefully?

Hiruzen Sarutobi was silent for a moment, then he raised his head and looked at Mito Uzumaki.

"Lord Mito, in my opinion, Konoha needs a peaceful environment."

"So you're going to let them go?"

Mito Uzumaki's eyes remained unchanged, clearly unmoved by Hiruzen Sarutobi's answer.

"Yes, at least for now."

"Okay."

A moment later, Mito Uzumaki revealed a kind smile.

"Third Generation Leader, you've already started to consider the village's needs."

Mito Uzumaki looked out the window again.

"But if it were Hashirama, he wouldn't do that."

Mito Uzumaki's words silenced Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"water..."

"Alright, look, I'm talking about Hashirama again. I'm getting old and I'm really nagging."

Mito Uzumaki slowly got up and walked unsteadily to the bedside.

"Hiruzen, I need to rest."

Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately understood the meaning of those words.

This means they're asking you to leave.

Hiruzen Sarutobi bowed respectfully to Mito Uzumaki before leaving the room.

Hiruzen Sarutobi walked down the streets of Konoha, lost in thought.

Now that it's clear that Kumogakure intends to harm Kushina Uzumaki, and most likely through kidnapping...

Then all we need to do is send ANBU to protect Kushina.

But is it possible to go with the flow and do some things?

Hiruzen Sarutobi witnessed Kushina Uzumaki being ostracized at the Ninja Academy, and he knew that this would cause Kushina to lose her sense of belonging to the village.

The best way to increase Kushina's sense of belonging to Konoha is...

companion.

Perhaps we should find Kushina Uzumaki a companion who can save her in a crucial moment.

Hiruzen Sarutobi recalled a very talented commoner ninja among the students of this year's Ninja Academy.

Minato Namikaze.

In his recent observations, he discovered that Minato Namikaze seemed to have some interaction with Kushina Uzumaki.

Minato Namikaze has great talent and the potential to become an elite Jonin. If he is properly trained, he will become a great general of Konoha in the future.

More importantly, Minato Namikaze's background was clean enough.

Furthermore, he is also an executor of the Will of Fire.

Minato Namikaze is trustworthy and can be kept in Konoha.

What if Minato Namikaze were to rescue Kushina Uzumaki, thus building a relationship between the two?

But isn't that too risky?

Minato Namikaze's strength was roughly at the level of a Chunin.

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned.

Perhaps we could give it a try? If all else fails, we can always send in the Anbu.

As long as the Anbu keep Kushina Uzumaki close at all times and give Minato Namikaze a chance to shine, there shouldn't be any major problems.

If Minato Namikaze hadn't stopped Kumogakure from kidnapping Kushina, then the Anbu could have intervened in time.

If Minato Namikaze can stop the Hidden Cloud Village, that would be even better.

The only thing to be careful about is ensuring Minato Namikaze's safety, since the other side wants to capture Kushina alive, not Minato.

Then let's assign three teams, a total of twelve people, to be in charge of this matter.

As for whether twelve people are enough?

If three Jonin and nine Special Jonin can't handle three ninjas from Kumogakure, then the Anbu might as well disband.

Having made up his mind about this matter, Hiruzen Sarutobi recalled Mito Uzumaki's condition earlier.

Haggard and aged.

It wasn't like this last year.

Was the death of Rope Tree too much of a blow to this old man?

Hiruzen Sarutobi clenched his fists until his fingernails left marks on his palms before he finally loosened his grip.

He recalled what Lord Mito had said to him earlier.

She said she was getting old and needed to determine the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki as soon as possible.

Now look at Mito-sama's current state...

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that this day was gradually approaching.

And once that day arrives...

Konoha will once again lose a powerful figure capable of suppressing the entire village.

The entire burden of Konoha will now fall entirely on his shoulders.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up at the sky as the sun slowly set.

So, what path should we take next?

Confusion reappeared in his eyes.