In the evening, at the Senju Residence.
A red-haired woman was leisurely sitting on a rocking chair under the pomegranate tree in the courtyard, squinting her eyes to admire the afterglow of the setting sun. She held a folding fan in her hand, which she shook occasionally.
Time seemed to have frozen in the courtyard, it was quiet and peaceful.
The woman appeared to be only around twenty years old. Her bright red hair was tied into twin tails, and there was a purple diamond-shaped imprint in the center of her forehead. She wore the traditional white dress of the Uzumaki Clan.
Although she looked young and beautiful, there was a temperament of experiencing vicissitudes that made people not dare to underestimate her.
"Grandma Mito, Grandma Mito..."
At this moment, cheerful shouts came from outside the door, breaking the tranquility of the courtyard.
A silhouette with equally bright red long hair hurriedly ran in, carrying a large box of things.
Obviously, this red-haired woman addressed as "Grandma Mito" was the widow of the First Hokage, the current Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and the stabilising force of Konoha—Uzumaki Mito.
Upon hearing the girl's call, Uzumaki Mito slowly opened her half-closed eyes. Seeing the appearance of the girl, a faint smile appeared on her lips.
"It's Kushina, huh? What's it? Did you cause trouble again?"
Although the years had not left any marks on her, in reality, Mito was already quite old at this point, and her thought process and approach showed signs of an old experienced individual..
Growing up with loved ones, experiencing their growth, and bidding farewell to those who passed away, she now favored Kushina the most, even though they weren't directly blood-related.
Part of the reason was that Kushina was of the same clan, bearing a similar destiny. But more importantly, through their daily interactions, she genuinely liked this strong and optimistic girl.
Despite leading a life of exclusion in the village, Kushina never gave up, diligently proving herself every day. She even declared, "I am going to be the first woman who becomes the Hokage!"
However, this child also inherited the impulsive temper of the Uzumaki Clan. In the face of challenges, she never yielded, always responding with brute force causing trouble quite often.
Whether she was beating up a member of the Sarutobi clan or challenging the young leader of the Shimura Clan, Mito was frequently troubled by Kushina's actions.
So, when Mito saw Kushina rushing to find her, she habitually thought she had caused trouble again. But this time, she was clearly wrong.
Kushina placed the box in her hands on a nearby stone table and pouted unhappily, saying, "I didn't cause trouble this time! Grandma, don't you remember? Today, I became an assistant at the Academy. You are the one who arranged it for me!"
Mito tilted her head, pondering for a moment. Eventually, she remembered that there was indeed such a thing.
It all started not long ago when she caught a slight cold, a minor ailment. Although seemingly trivial, it sent ripples through the entire Konoha because the Uzumaki Clan was known for their strong life force and for rarely falling ill.
"Uzumaki Clan doesn't catch a cold," was as widely accepted in the Ninja World as "an idiot doesn't catch a cold." This meant that Mito was aging.
Even though her appearance still retained youthfulness, her bodily functions had begun to decline. Apparently, the chakra in the Yin Seal was no longer sufficient to keep her body in optimal condition.
Although Mito claimed it was nothing serious, and she even seemed to enjoy having her first cold, jokingly saying that she was happy to finally remove the "idiot" title, the higher-ups in Konoha were not as optimistic.
After all, besides being the wife of the First Hokage, Mito also held the position of the Jinchuriki for the Nine-Tails. The fragile peace in the Ninja World owed much to the deterrent effect brought by these Tailed Beasts.
Moreover, recent tensions and frictions between countries in the Ninja World indicated that a war engulfing the entire region might be brewing.
Therefore, whether it was Mito's aging and weakening, leading to the unsealing of the Nine-Tails, or Mito dying with the Nine-Tails, both outcomes were consequences Konoha couldn't afford.
If it weren't for Mito's special identity, Konoha might have already replaced the Jinchuriki. However, since that day, Konoha had been prepared to change the Jinchuriki at any moment.
As the primary candidate for the second Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Kushina was completely restricted within the village. The frustration of being unable to leave the village, the imminent passing of Mito, and the fear of becoming the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki herself—all these burdens were placed on the slender shoulders of the fifteen-year-old Kushina, making her increasingly restless.
The frequency of getting bullied by the children of various major ninja clans also increased significantly.
To divert Kushina's attention and prevent her from causing trouble, Mito started looking for things for her to do, realizing that work was a cure for everything.
Although she had found several jobs for Kushina before, Kushina didn't stick with any for long. Until yesterday, when Biwako came and consulted her about some opinions on Sealing Jutsu class.
Mito learned interesting anecdotes about the new Sealing Jutsu sensei and the surge in enrollment for Sealing Jutsu class from Biwako. Acting on a whim, she asked Biwako to arrange a job for Kushina as an assistant.
Even though it happened just yesterday, Mito found herself taking quite some time to remember.
"Ah, I am getting old, my memory's not as good," Mito sighed.
However, with her young and beautiful appearance, there was a sense of whimsicality to her complaints.
Knowing that her grandma was genuinely feeling a bit sad, Kushina quickly walked behind Mito and started massaging her back, exaggeratingly saying, "Come on! Grandma is still very young! By going out for a walk you can charm countless boys."
Mito touched the Yin Seal on her forehead, shaking her head and smiling, "Hehe, let's not talk about this old lady's matters. Tell Grandma, how was your first day as an assistant? What did you do today?"
"I did a lot today!"
To divert her grandma's attention, Kushina spoke without hesitation.
However, as soon as the words came out, her facial expression instantly froze, and the hand that was massaging Mito's back also stopped.
Because Kushina just realized that while she did a lot today, there weren't many actual tasks!
It wasn't suitable to tell her grandma about it.
"Hmm? Why aren't you talking?" Hearing her grandma urging her to continue, Kushina knew she couldn't delay.
Not wanting to lie to her grandma, she had to omit some "irrelevant" parts.
She started speaking hesitantly, "Um... I started by entering the Sealing Jutsu office... and then had a discussion about
Sealing Jutsu insights with Natsuhiko sensei, who is in charge of teaching Sealing Jutsu."
Even though it happened while she was hanging in midair.
"Then Natsuhiko sensei gave me a set of problems to solve, and after finishing, he praised me for having a solid foundation..."
Even though she almost went crazy with the later problems, especially the chicken-rabbit-in-a-cage issue.
"Oh, by the way," Kushina suddenly remembered something, "what are we having for dinner tonight, Grandma?"
"Grandma is not sure, but if you have something you want to eat, you can tell the cook in advance."
Mito found it a bit strange why Kushina suddenly brought up the topic of dinner, but she still truthfully replied.
"Then tonight, I want to eat chicken..."
"...and rabbit!"
Let them coexist!
I want you both at the same table!
It seemed that the problem had caused quite a psychological impact on Kushina, and she couldn't let go of it.
Unfortunately, Mito clearly couldn't comprehend Kushina's hardcore thoughts.
She turned her head, widening her eyes in surprise to look at this rabbit-eating enthusiast, "How can you eat such a cute creature as a rabbit?"
"And besides, you won't find it so easily, right? Even if you find it, the cook won't know how to prepare it."
"Well... forget it, it's actually nothing serious."
Kushina felt a bit uneasy under Mito's gaze and awkwardly dismissed her sudden thought.
But she hadn't completely given up on this plan.
Right, Natsuhiko had been to so many places, was experienced and knowledgeable. Perhaps he would know how to cook and eat a rabbit. She could ask him when she had the chance.
Thinking like this, under Mito's urging, Kushina continued to tell her "experiences".
"...Finally, Natsuhiko sensei taught me how to make the teaching tools needed for tomorrow's Sealing Jutsu class."
Even though she indulged in playing cards until the end of the school day without starting her work.
After reluctantly sharing her abbreviated version of the day's events, Kushina couldn't help but wipe away some sweat.
"It seems like you had a fulfilling day!" Mito nodded contentedly.
Looks like this job could last a bit longer.
"Ah? Yes, indeed, very fulfilling," Kushina said nervously.
To avoid her grandma's detailed questions, Kushina decided to change the subject.
She clapped her hands together, pointing at the box on the stone table, "Grandma, look, I brought back a lot of teaching tools to make. Do you want to see them?"
Initially smiling, Mito's brows slightly wrinkled upon hearing this.
"Why are you still doing these after work? That Sealing Jutsu sensei is really good at making people work."
Although she wanted Kushina to focus on her career and alleviate worries, she never thought of turning her into a workaholic.
"I remember his name is Natsuhiko, right? Should I talk to Biwako about it..."
"No, don't!"
Kushina exclaimed, her voice echoing in the courtyard.
Mito turned her gaze to Kushina with a puzzled look.
Why such a big reaction all of a sudden?
Kushina felt distressed in her heart but forced a smile on her face, explaining, "Grandma, it's my first day at work, and it's hard for me if you do this."
"And these are the things I requested to bring back for my own practice in Sealing Jutsu."
"Oh?" Mito looked teasingly, "Why weren't you this enthusiastic when studying Sealing Jutsu before?"
Kushina whispered softly, "If learning Sealing Jutsu had been this much fun before, I would have been this enthusiastic every day."
"Fun?" Mito raised an eyebrow.
Although hailed as the strongest Sealing Jutsu Master of the time, she rarely associated Sealing Jutsu with the word "fun."
The little toys she made to teach Sealing Jutsu to little Kushina back then were already her limit.
"Well then, I'd like to see the fun part."
Mito, unusually competitive, felt a bit of a challenge.
(End of this chapter)
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