Finally able to go out and play with Jiraiya, Nawaki was so happy that he practically bubbled with excitement.
Although he admired Orochimaru, Nawaki liked playing with Jiraiya the most.
That's because Jiraiya never minded his childishness and always took him along, no matter what.
Well, except for when helping out distressed young ladies—that was the only time Jiraiya would leave Nawaki behind.
After a while, Nawaki got very attached to Jiraiya.
The village moved quickly. Soon, Nawaki went with Jiraiya, bringing a group of people and gifts to visit the Daimyo's mansion.
Meanwhile, back in the village, preparations for the transfer of the Nine-Tails began.
The transfer location was the Senju ancestral home. Mito Uzumaki, dragging her aging body, held Kushina close and gently comforted her:
"Don't be afraid, child. Grandma will be watching you grow from above, my good girl."
"Wahh... Grandma Mito, I don't want you to go," Kushina cried, her eyes and nose turning red. Her once beautiful, large eyes were filled with sorrow, and blood vessels were visible across the whites of her eyes.
"Silly child, Grandma doesn't want to leave you either, but this is our fate. Don't be sad. I've long since decided that it's time for me to go find your Grandpa Hashirama. Without me around, that old man is bound to be causing trouble."
With Mito's continuous comforting, Kushina gradually calmed down.
Outside the ancestral home, Tsunade paced restlessly, but she couldn't rush inside—she needed to handle a part of the sealing process.
Like medical ninjas, sealing specialists were treasures to any village.
Tsunade was publicly known as a medical ninja, but in truth, she also had considerable talent in sealing jutsu. Secretly, she had been handling duties as a sealing ninja.
"Monkey, let's begin," someone said.
Outside, the new 'Four Elders' group waited patiently.
With Danzo Shimura imprisoned, Torifu Akimichi had taken his place.
Even though he didn't want to step into the limelight, Mito wouldn't let him keep hiding at home.
That's right—after the scandal involving Danzo Shimura assassinating fellow villagers and leaking village secrets, Mito Uzumaki didn't trouble the Third Hokage. She simply made one suggestion.
The suggestion was for Torifu Akimichi to replace Danzo as an advisor to the Hokage.
Torifu wasn't happy about it. Stepping into the spotlight meant the Ino-Shika-Cho trio would need to lay low, be discreet, and he had no interest in getting involved in the village's inner workings. He disliked trouble and didn't want to do things against his conscience like the Third Hokage and his peers.
But Mito wouldn't give him a choice. She dragged him out and put him in the Hokage advisor's seat.
As the Hokage advisor, Torifu was now in charge of the medical division and Konoha's medical system, which significantly reduced the influence of the Third Hokage, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado.
Before the tailed beast transfer, Mito pulled Torifu out and forced him into the advisor's position, giving him control over the medical system and compelling the Ino-Shika-Cho trio to align with Tsunade.
Whether they liked it or not, she was going to push them forward.
After Danzo's chaotic actions, and with Tsunade's urging, Mito gritted her teeth and made these strategic arrangements.
Tsunade's reasoning for persuading Mito was straightforward:
"Grandma, even if you don't think about me and Nawaki, at least consider Kushina.
Once Kushina becomes the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki, the old man will surely let Danzo out. What will happen to Kushina then?"
Having raised the Third Hokage and his peers, Mito knew Danzo well—petty and ambitious.
Originally, she had no such thoughts, but eventually, she was moved by Tsunade's words.
Tsunade and Nawaki's positions were too special—even if Danzo resurfaced, he wouldn't be able to touch them. But Kushina?
Danzo had always been harsh with Kushina.
Thus, a certain lazy, food-obsessed man had to bear the consequences.
Upon learning of Mito's plans, Torifu was dumbfounded. He begged and pleaded, almost dropping to his knees, but Mito left him no room to refuse.
Now that the Ino-Shika-Cho trio leaned towards Tsunade, and Torifu held a powerful advisor position, even if he wanted to back out, the three families behind him wouldn't allow it.
Torifu Akimichi and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio were now firmly marked as belonging to Tsunade.
As for why Tsunade proposed this arrangement...
A certain someone, passing his time at the border camp, insisted it had nothing to do with him. All he had done was casually suggest it, not knowing Mito had such determination.
That night, the Senju ancestral home was heavily guarded, filled with people standing watch.
No one in the village knew what was happening.
According to some villagers' recollections, they heard a beast-like roar in the middle of the night.
The transfer of the tailed beast was successful. Kushina, with her exceptional talent and the Uzumaki clan's unique sealing jutsu, managed to subdue the Nine-Tails with the help of Mito and the sealing formation.
The poor Nine-Tails, after being sealed for so many years, only had time to take a deep breath and let out a roar before it was sealed inside Kushina again.
"Mito Uzumaki!! Curse you!!"
In the sealed space, the giant fox—bound tightly by chains—roared in frustration.
As the fox struggled, the chains clanged together. But the sealing chains were too strong. No matter how much the Nine-Tails struggled, it was futile.
Like Wood Release and the Sharingan, the Uzumaki clan's unique sealing jutsu naturally restrained tailed beasts.
Even though Kushina was just a child, after the Nine-Tails was successfully sealed, she could still suppress it steadily.
Unlike the seal during Naruto's time, the Nine-Tails in Kushina's sealed space couldn't even relax.
In Naruto's era, Kurama could lie down and rest comfortably in his sealed space.
With Mito and Kushina, the Nine-Tails couldn't even dream of a moment's peace. The numerous specialized chains bound the Nine-Tails tightly from head to tail—not sparing a single inch.
Kushina was too young, and they were worried that the Nine-Tails might act out, so they made sure to bind it extra tight, leaving the Nine-Tails suspended in an awkward position.
Its rear end faced upwards, nine tails bound tightly with its hind legs, leaving it immobile.
Its front legs were tied to its torso, and its head was pinned at a ninety-degree angle to the ground. The shame of the position aside, it was excruciatingly uncomfortable.
The Nine-Tails cursed loudly in its fury. But Kushina, heartbroken over the loss of Grandma Mito, ignored its curses.
Even though the Nine-Tails' struggles made Kushina uncomfortable, she had no intention of making things easier for it.