chapter 86 part 1
Chapter 86: Dance, Madara's Corpse!
Tsukasa Kaede knew what these people were thinking, and if he put himself in their shoes, he could actually understand.
For instance, Iwagakure possessed the Four-Tails and Five-Tails, two Tailed Beasts, which during the Second Great Ninja War, put the Hidden Leaf Village on high alert and caused immense losses.
Ever since the founding Kage distributed the Tailed Beasts, Konoha had always controlled only the Nine-Tails, and it had never been deployed on the battlefield, neither in the First Great Ninja War nor the Second Great Ninja War.
Having said that, it's fine to have a Tailed Beast and not use it, but one cannot be without it when needed. Once a Tailed Beast is lost... the consequences would be catastrophic. A new Ninja World War could potentially break out prematurely, and some Ninja Villages would seize this opportunity to bleed Konoha dry.
Moreover, no one in the Hidden Leaf Village had absolute confidence in defeating a Tailed Beast head-on—even if it wasn't the Nine-Tails, but other Tailed Beasts from other villages, no one could guarantee their success.
Consequently, when the Konoha Higher-ups and elites present saw the Tailed Beast cloak on Tsukasa Kaede, their first reaction was joy. The Nine-Tails hadn't gone out of control, hadn't escaped, and hadn't fallen into enemy hands. It was, at least, controlled by the Village's young genius. What an unexpected blessing amidst misfortune!
Their second reaction was astonishment and silence—not because they directly suspected Tsukasa Kaede would harm the Village. After all, Tsukasa Kaede's growth over the years had long been thoroughly investigated by the Village's interested parties, especially his explosive development in recent years. This burst could also be explained by "Tsukasa Kaede painstakingly researched for over a decade, finally developing and perfecting the Corpse Release Secret Technique."
The main concern was whether Tsukasa Kaede, who hadn't received any education on Tailed Beasts, could become a qualified Jinchuriki. This was a complex and systematic undertaking. Could Tsukasa Kaede ensure the Nine-Tails wouldn't rampage? Probably not, because Tsukasa Kaede hadn't systematically studied Sealing Jutsu, nor did he seem to have mastered other Jutsu Formulas capable of powerfully suppressing the Nine-Tails.
Once Tsukasa Kaede briefly explained the situation, smiles appeared on everyone's faces, and they cast admiring glances at him. If the Third Hokage hadn't been there overseeing, some of the more lively individuals would have surely rushed over to vigorously slap Tsukasa Kaede's shoulders.
"Kaede, you truly didn't disappoint me. You did an excellent job!"
The Third Hokage was generous with his praise. He glanced at the Tailed Beast cloak on Tsukasa Kaede, his gaze lingering on the tail—no, half a tail—behind him.
Tsukasa Kaede smiled wearily, "First, teleporting Lord Mito, then bringing Kushina back. Transporting a Nine-Tails Jinchuriki twice in a row consumed a significant amount of Chakra. A lot of Lord Mito's gift was used up, but I did not fail in my mission. I diligently fulfilled both the Village's and Lord Mito's requests."
The Third Hokage nodded heavily: "You are the new generation the Village relies on. The Village provides shelter when children are weak, allowing them to grow healthy and strong. When these people grow up, they will protect the Village. Where Konoha's leaves dance, fire burns bright. This is..."
"The Will of Fire!"
Tsukasa Kaede's expression instantly turned serious, displaying the right attitude and a practiced earnestness: "I deeply feel this power, and I firmly believe it can change the world."
Everyone, even those who didn't truly believe in the Will of Fire, was somewhat moved at that moment.
Except for Danzo, that fellow. He looked at the Third Hokage, then at Tsukasa Kaede, silently cursing Tsukasa Kaede for being so cunning! The Third Hokage declared the Will of Fire vigorously, not only to stabilize his rule but also because he genuinely believed in it somewhat. But Tsukasa Kaede? Danzo knew very well that Tsukasa Kaede believed in nothing! "Truly heartwarming. The Village's excellent Ninja, through their efforts, ensured the smooth handover of the Nine-Tails, effectively maintaining the Village's stability," Danzo stated emphatically.
The Third Hokage immediately looked at Kushina, who had wiped away her tears at some point. The young girl's face was taut, her eyes red, but she tried to put on a composed expression.
He sensed the lingering Nine-Tails Chakra on Kushina from up close, confirmed there was no risk of immediate loss of control, and was instantly even more satisfied.
This was excellent; it was the best possible outcome. Kushina was unharmed, and the inheritance and handover of the Nine-Tails went unexpectedly smoothly—although the Third Hokage hadn't witnessed the transfer process, he felt that Tsukasa Kaede would give him an explanation.
"Lord Hokage, I've also brought back Lord Mito's remains."
Tsukasa Kaede summoned the Sarcophagus. Honestly, he didn't really want to hand it over, but if he didn't, he would first become Kushina's sworn enemy and also be heavily scrutinized by the Village, which would be more trouble than it was worth.
The Third Hokage waved his hand, and the surrounding Ninja immediately dispersed, leaving only Danzo standing beside him, with no intention of avoiding suspicion. The Third Hokage glanced at him.
"Danzo, you leave too. This is something only the Hokage can know, and it's also a final gesture of respect for Lord Mito."
"Hiruzen, how can you... hmph!"
Danzo was somewhat displeased, but ultimately he was in the wrong. It seemed that during Tsukasa Kaede's brief absence, he had been reprimanded by the Third Hokage, and his already unpleasant expression was now as dark as the bottom of a pot.
To be fair, he knew things had gotten a bit out of hand.
Danzo approached Mito Uzumaki about Nagato to have her bring Nagato back to the Village, buying him time to scheme for the Rinnegan—once Nagato was in the Hidden Leaf Village, his chances of subduing him would greatly increase.
It was also to prevent the Third Hokage from interfering, as only Mito Uzumaki in the Hidden Leaf Village had the ability to disregard the Third Hokage.
If Nagato became his disciple, and the Third Hokage found out later and tried to stop it, Danzo would have the confidence to push back.
But who would have expected such a result? Mito Uzumaki herself died in battle! This even put the Hidden Leaf Village at risk of losing the Nine-Tails! What exactly happened, only Tsukasa Kaede probably knew the most. Yet, he returned wearing the Tailed Beast cloak, proving he had Mito Uzumaki's approval, which made it even harder to interrogate him, especially with Kushina watching nearby.
If they interrogated Tsukasa Kaede and provoked Kushina, leading to a Tailed Beast Transformation rampage, the trouble would be enormous.
Danzo scoffed, forced to leave. However, in his final moment, he stared at Tsukasa Kaede with a meaningful gaze.
Only then did the Third Hokage carefully reveal Mito Uzumaki's abdomen, seeing the Reaper Death Seal Jutsu Formula, and he could imagine how brutal that battle must have been.
"To the extent of having to use the Reaper Death Seal to perish with the enemy, does such a powerful enemy truly exist in the Land of Rain?" The Third Hokage looked Tsukasa Kaede in the eyes.
Tsukasa Kaede's face was calm: "I'm not sure. I trembled just watching from a distance. I even sent a large number of Zombies into the battlefield to search for intel, but all the Zombies were instantly wiped out... Lord Mito didn't hesitate to release the Nine-Tails to cooperate in battle. That kind of battlefield was not something I could participate in. It was probably related to the Rinnegan, but Lord Jiraiya was protecting the Rinnegan wielder, so perhaps there were others secretly observing, but Lord Mito discovered them."
"Hmm, I think so too. That Danzo shouldn't have acted rashly before, plotting for the Rinnegan without reporting to me, and even causing Lord Mito's death." The Third Hokage sighed.
Such a massive scapegoat, and only Danzo could bear it—of course, the Third Hokage would certainly not publicize Danzo's instigation of Mito Uzumaki, but would keep it strictly concealed. After all, Mito Uzumaki was already dead, and further reprimanding Danzo had no practical meaning; a simple punishment would suffice.