Uzumaki Miyuki arrived at Chinya's house to inform him that Uzumaki Mito wished to see him at the Uzumaki residence.
Chinya replied that he would go immediately.
Miyuki yawned and stretched lazily. "Alright, I've delivered the message, so I'll head off to get some rest now."
Chinya looked surprised. "You're not coming?"
Smiling playfully, Miyuki teased, "Why would I go? Lady Mito only asked me to inform you, not to accompany you. Besides, I suspect Hokage-sama summoned Lady Mito, and now Lady Mito is summoning you—it must be about the Jinchuriki matter. Either way, this is something for you to handle. I just need to wait for the result."
Chinya looked Miyuki in the eye and thanked her sincerely.
Miyuki smiled slightly. "That doesn't sound like you at all. And besides, this was something I promised you from the beginning. Well then, I've had a long and tiring day, so I won't keep you any longer."
Waving goodbye to Chinya, Miyuki left.
After watching her disappear, Chinya made his way toward Uzumaki Mito's residence.
Upon arriving, Chinya met with Uzumaki Mito.
Before him, Mito Uzumaki radiated an aura of death.
With a quiet, weathered voice, she spoke. "Chinya... you've truly succeeded."
Chinya couldn't quite discern her tone—was it regret, or something else?
After a moment of silence, he asked, "Then... since Kushina didn't become the Jinchuriki as you expected... are you disappointed?"
Looking at Chinya with cloudy eyes, Mito smiled gently. "You still hold quite a bit of hostility toward me, Chinya. Believe it or not, what I feel right now is happiness—for Kushina, and for you.
"You must have gone through countless hardships to convince Hiruzen to change his mind. For Kushina's sake, you never gave up, enduring everything alone. That alone proves your resilience and your feelings for Kushina.
"You were right when you said before that I value Konoha more than Kushina, because this village was founded by my late husband Hashirama. Konoha carries Hashirama's dreams. I hope for its continued prosperity.
"But my feelings for Kushina have never changed either. I raised Kushina like my own daughter, holding great hopes for her. Wanting her to become the Jinchuriki wasn't entirely for Konoha's benefit—I also believed Kushina could transform the Nine-Tails' power into her own strength.
"Chinya, some things must be sacrificed. In the future, you will face similar decisions too. Perhaps by then, you will understand me."
Chinya made direct eye contact with Mito Uzumaki and firmly replied, "Lady Mito, I may one day face situations requiring sacrifice—but no matter what, I will never agree with your choice."
Mito looked slightly taken aback.
Chinya continued solemnly, "When you reach a point where you must make a choice, it means both options are incredibly important to you. Lady Mito, ask yourself honestly—is the choice of Jinchuriki limited solely to Kushina? Must it always be someone from the Uzumaki clan?"
If Jinchuriki must come from the Uzumaki Clan, then why do other ninja villages without Uzumaki members still have Jinchuriki?
Lady Mito, you're nowhere near the point where you have to make difficult choices. You've never truly made any sacrifices—you've always had Konoha in mind from the very beginning.
Because Konoha required it, you chose your own clansmen as Jinchuriki.
Don't try to justify it with concerns that other Jinchuriki might more easily cause the Tails to lose control. Although I say that the [Mangekyo Sharingan] can control the Tailed Beasts, you, Hokage-sama, and Elder Danzo all know very well that even the [Triple Tomoe Sharingan] can use genjutsu to control the Tailed Beast—as Madara Uchiha did before.
Even one individual might not be enough, but plenty of Uchiha Clan ninja possess the [Triple Tomoe Sharingan]. If they worked together and used genjutsu simultaneously, there's no doubt they could control the Tailed Beast—helping the Jinchuriki maintain control.
The real reason is that nobody in Konoha trusts the Uchiha anymore.
I don't want to deny your feelings for Kushina, but you and Konoha want to trap Kushina under the name of love—how am I supposed to see that?
Mito Uzumaki was left speechless and couldn't find a response to Chinya's words.
Suddenly, Chinya fixed her with a stare and asked, "Lady Mito, there's something I've always wanted to ask: why didn't you take the Senju surname after marrying Lord First Hokage?"
Mito Uzumaki answered, "At that time, my marriage was political. Village Headman Ashina Uzumaki led Uzushio to forge an alliance with Konoha by signing a peaceful treaty with Hashirama. I married Hashirama and became his wife. Headman Ashina suggested keeping my Uzumaki name, and Hashirama agreed."
Chinya asked, "Then why would Village Headman Ashina make this request to Lord Hashirama?"
Mito Uzumaki guessed and replied, "Perhaps Headman Ashina hoped that I would always remember I am part of the Uzumaki Clan."
A trace of mockery crossed Chinya's face as he questioned, "So you always knew, Lady Mito? But tell me—did you really live by that?"
Mito felt slight discomfort inside. "What exactly are you trying to say?"
Chinya explained further: "It's still about that incident—the destruction of Uzushio. As a member of the Uzumaki Clan, why didn't you offer assistance? Don't give me some excuse about Konoha being unable to help.
Lord Orochimaru told me why Konoha refused to aid Uzushio. Simply put, there was nothing beneficial to gain since you had already passed Uzushio's most powerful sealing techniques to Konoha.
Konoha stood by and watched Uzushio burn without lifting a finger to stop it.
Lady Mito, let me ask you this—if you truly held onto your Uzumaki identity, why didn't you offer help? Even if Konoha decided not to intervene, as an Uzumaki clan member, why did you remain idle?
And if you insist that it was because you were the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki and couldn't leave Konoha for the sake of the village, then I have nothing more to say. In that case, you wouldn't deserve the title of Uzumaki Clan member at all. You'd just be someone bearing the same surname but otherwise having absolutely no connection with the Uzumaki Clan of Uzushio."
Chinya's words, even when spoken to someone as good-tempered as Mito Uzumaki, still managed to provoke her anger.
Yet Chinya ignored Mito's growing irritation and pressed on: "Also, does today's Konoha still follow the founding principles set by the First Hokage?
Regarding the incident involving Lord Sakumo that once stirred so much controversy, I believe Lady Mito must have heard something, right?
And considering all the previous incidents, I just can't understand—what exactly are you trying to protect, Lady Mito? Is it this place called Konoha itself, or the original intention behind its founding by the First Hokage?
Don't you realize that today's Konoha has long strayed from the ideals on which the First Hokage founded it?"
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