chapter 83 part 2
"Tsukasa Kaede? He learned the Uzumaki Clan's strongest Secret Technique in such a short time?" Mito Uzumaki was astonished.
"That's impossible!"
Kushina exclaimed, completely disregarding etiquette, and shouted, "I have Grandma Mito teaching me, and after cultivating for so long, I've only just begun! Grandma Mito even said I have great talent. How could he have learned it alone? Moreover, this Jutsu is a mutual annihilation Jutsu; if he used it, he must be dead!"
Mito Uzumaki stroked Kushina's head, looking at her fuming clansman, and gently said, "There will always be geniuses in this world. And his 'learning' might not be through step-by-step study like yours. Perhaps he used other methods... right, Danzo?"
Mito Uzumaki also didn't believe Tsukasa Kaede had truly mastered the Reaper Death Seal through normal means; it was too illogical.
Danzo said in a deep voice, "How exactly, I don't know, but he indeed successfully cast the Jutsu... twice! Forcing Hanzo the Salamander to retreat."
Mito Uzumaki listened quietly, her hand unconsciously stroking Kushina's head, as if comforting a restless kitten—Kushina indeed enjoyed the touch. Coming to the Hidden Leaf Village alone, only Grandma Mito made her feel familial warmth.
But Danzo's words made her want to jump up, only to be pressed down by Mito—no matter how aged the body, it was still an Uzumaki bloodline known for its Life Force, far exceeding ordinary people's strength.
As Danzo narrated, Kushina's eyes widened. She looked up at Mito Uzumaki, her eyes full of confusion—using a corpse to activate the Reaper Death Seal? Was that logical? Why would a corpse have a soul? Why would the Shinigami respond to a corpse's summons? "So that's it, what an interesting idea. Using the Corpse Manipulation Secret Technique to perform the Reaper Death Seal. I never thought one could bypass the certain death risk like that."
Mito smiled and nodded. She was indeed very surprised, even a little delighted, to see someone perform the Reaper Death Seal in such an interesting way in the last days of her life.
From now on, no enemy would dare to be careless in front of Tsukasa Kaede. In front of this Space-Time ninja, if one was a bit slow and got touched, the consequences would be dire.
Although Mito Uzumaki understood that such a Reaper Death Seal would certainly have significantly reduced lethality, becoming a Crippling Sealing Jutsu, this usage and effect still astonished Mito.
She knew this wasn't what Danzo truly wanted to say.
"I almost fought Tsukasa Kaede, for the owner of the Rinnegan—Nagato Uzumaki," Danzo narrated in a flat tone.
Mito Uzumaki's movements abruptly paused. Her benevolent face suddenly changed, and her hunched figure abruptly straightened.
"What's the situation now? Is Nagato Uzumaki... still in the Land of Rain?"
"He should still be there. He is Jiraiya's disciple now. Jiraiya hasn't returned to the village these past few years precisely to conceal the news of the Rinnegan, but I discovered it, which is why I came to you... The Rinnegan should belong to the Hidden Leaf Village, and the Uzumaki descendant should also be under your tutelage."
Danzo said, knowing that Mito Uzumaki had made up her mind; she would bring Nagato Uzumaki back to the Hidden Leaf Village no matter what.
Is it proper for a disciple of the Hokage's disciple not to return to the village? Is it reasonable for an Uzumaki descendant not to stay in the Hidden Leaf Village? Mito Uzumaki's intervention would be decisive; no one could stop her.
"Hiruzen, this time, I won after all," Danzo sneered inwardly. Anyway, Mito Uzumaki was already in her twilight years, and as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, constantly expending energy and Chakra day and night to suppress the Nine-Tails further exacerbated her consumption.
Even an Uzumaki clansman, with such daily consumption, definitely wouldn't live much longer.
What Danzo needed most now was this buffer period of a few years. Once he obtained the power he desired and his strength surged, he would be able to look down upon any ninja in this world.
"Kushina, you are to return to the Barrier. Do not come out without my permission. I will apply additional Jutsu Formulas outside the Barrier to ensure no one can harm you."
Mito Uzumaki shed her benevolent and unhurried demeanor, becoming sharp and decisive.
This was actually Mito Uzumaki's true self. How could someone who could be Hashirama Senju's wife and roughly tether a Perfect Form Nine-Tails like a dog be a gentle, agreeable ornamental figure?
"I-I understand! I'll wait patiently for you to return!" Kushina stammered nervously. It was the first time she had seen Mito Uzumaki look so serious.
Danzo said, "As expected of Lady Mito, you've made the correct decision. However, Jiraiya probably won't agree and will fight desperately, considering he dared to attack me."
"You don't need to concern yourself with that. Whether Jiraiya agrees or not, it won't affect the outcome of me bringing Nagato back to the village. No one can stop me," Mito Uzumaki said with an unyielding attitude.
Rinnegan? Uzumaki descendant?
Even with her vast experience, she had never considered connecting those two terms. However, compared to the Rinnegan, she was more concerned about Nagato himself.
Kaedence the extermination of the Uzumaki Clan in the early days of the Second Great Ninja War, the Uzumaki bloodline had undoubtedly dwindled. This was Mito Uzumaki's rediscovery of an Uzumaki descendant's existence, and she would not let him go, no matter what.
Although the Hidden Leaf Village was also rife with internal strife and darkness, joining the Hidden Leaf Village was at least better than Uzumaki descendants struggling to survive on their own.
Mito Uzumaki closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, a mighty aura abruptly erupted from her. Her white garments fluttered violently, then calmed down.
She activated her powerful Sensory Perception, which she hadn't used in many years. The next second, her figure vanished, so fast that even Danzo couldn't see where Mito Uzumaki had gone.
"That speed..."
Danzo fell silent. Was this old woman really on the verge of death? It shouldn't be false. Mito Uzumaki had no reason to deceive the village, especially since it involved transferring the Nine-Tails to Kushina before her death.
So strong even when dying, what would she have been like in her prime? Truly a figure from the First Hokage's era...
But where did Mito Uzumaki go? At that speed, did she go directly to the Land of Rain? Danzo hadn't expected it, and neither had Tsukasa Kaede.
He put down the freshly bought, still steaming dango he had just returned with and slowly stood up.
"We meet again, sir. However, isn't it a bit abrupt for you to barge into my home like this? This is a new house I just bought for 1.5 million Ryo, and my butt hasn't even warmed the seat yet."
"I need to go to the Land of Rain as soon as possible."
"At your speed, it wouldn't take much time to go to the Land of Rain yourself. Why look for me? By the way, want some dango?"
"No, thank you. I heard the details from Shimura Danzō. After the matter is concluded, Jiraiya will surely take Nagato and leave quickly. If I rush there myself, it will waste more time, and I dislike waiting," Mito Uzumaki said.