Senju Grounds.
Having just returned from the Forest of Death, Kushina rushed inside in a hurry. "Granny Mito, Mai—I'm back!"
She didn't call out to Tsunade because Kushina knew well that at this hour, Tsunade would never be home.
"Welcome back, Kushina." Mai, who had been studying sealing techniques under Uzumaki Mito, responded quickly.
Although she had been in Konoha for several days now, her past experiences in Grass Village had left her with a deep lack of security.
As a result, even when facing members of her own clan like Mito and Kushina, she still carried herself with a sense of inferiority. Kushina, still young, didn't fully grasp Mai's psychological burden.
But the sharp-eyed and wise Uzumaki Mito saw it clearly. She let out a quiet sigh.
This wasn't something that could be resolved with a few words. Mai would have to adjust at her own pace. That said, Mito genuinely liked Mai. The girl had an excellent aptitude for both sealing techniques and medical ninjutsu.
Because Tsunade had been swamped with duties assigned by Hiruzen—leaving early and returning late every day—Mito had taken on the role of instructing Mai in her stead.
"Konoha has a lot of fun places and great food! I'll take you around!" Excited to finally meet someone her own age and from her own clan, Kushina was brimming with enthusiasm.
"This might not be our original homeland—but I'm sure you'll fall in love with Konoha too!"
"I think… I already have."
---
Meanwhile—
Inside the Hokage's Office.
The jonin Otani and Kawakawa, who had led the Grass Village team, were voicing their protest to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
First, over the complete annihilation of their Genin team in the Forest of Death. Second—and far more important—over Mai.
This second point was the real reason for their visit. Although Grass Village was a minor shinobi village, the loss of eight Genin was still tolerable.
But Mai was different. She was the key to Grass Village's ability to efficiently accept and complete future missions.
Unlike Konoha, Grass Village lacked a fully developed medical ninja system. In fact, for Grass, investing resources into cultivating combat ninjas was often preferred over training medical ones.
That made Mai's abilities exceptionally valuable.
Though ninja possessed chakra—an immensely powerful force—they were still made of flesh and blood. Injuries still required long periods of rest to recover.
During recovery, an injured ninja couldn't take on missions and thus couldn't generate income or contribute to the village.
But with Mai, things were different. No matter how serious the injury, just a single bite could restore someone instantly.
There'd be no downtime; injured shinobi could return to missions right away. This drastically boosted mission efficiency and attracted more clients to Grass Village.
Had it not been for the joint Chūnin Exams hosted by Konoha, Mai would never have left the village. Now, if Otani and Kawakawa couldn't bring her back, they knew they'd be punished.
"Hokage-sama, Mai is a shinobi of Grass. She's one of our comrades. You have no right to detain her here—this is kidnapping."
"Grass Village will never abandon a comrade."
"Even if it means going to war!"
He deliberately took a hardline stance, hoping to pressure Hiruzen into backing down. After all, Konoha was widely known for being peace-loving and conflict-averse.
If that weren't true, the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, would never have handed out Tailed Beasts to the other villages.
Otani believed that Konoha wouldn't risk diplomatic fallout over someone like Mai. After all, Grass Village had once nearly ruled the entire shinobi world.
So even if it was now a minor village, its strength couldn't be underestimated. But in that moment, Otani subconsciously ignored one crucial fact: Grass Village had once been destroyed.
It had only been rebuilt with the tacit approval of the Five Great Ninja Villages. Compared to them, Grass still had no standing.
So, after a deep drag from his pipe, Hiruzen's expression grew solemn. "Mai's of the Uzumaki Clan, and the Uzumaki have always been eternal allies of Konoha."
"Your village mistreated her. The fact that we haven't held you accountable is already a mercy."
With that, Hiruzen gestured to the ANBU to escort them out.
Seeing Hiruzen's unquestionable resolve, Otani and Kawakawa's faces darkened with fury. But they could only grit their teeth and leave.
This was Konoha—before the Hokage himself. They wouldn't dare stir up trouble here. Once outside the Hokage building, they had no intention of staying in Konoha any longer and immediately prepared to return to Grass Village.
After all, all their Genin had already perished in the exams. More importantly, how to handle the situation with Mai was beyond their authority.
They had to return and report to the village chief.
Grass Village was located in the Land of Grass, bordering the Land of Fire. At Jonin speed, Otani and Kawakawa returned in just one day.
"Chief, our Genin team was completely wiped out in Konoha. And Mai… has been detained. The Hokage has no intention of releasing her." With just one sentence, he gave a full summary of the situation.
As he anxiously braced himself for punishment, the village leader merely told him to leave. That surprised Otani and Kawakawa.
The leader had always been strict with rewards and punishments—there were never exceptions. Not daring to ask more, he hid his relief and quickly took his leave.
Once they were gone, the Village Chief immediately summoned the ANBU and ordered them to gather all the important Jonin-level figures for an emergency meeting.
Soon, everyone was present.
"What's the reason for calling us all here, Chief?" One of the older Jonin spoke first.
The Grass Village is currently divided into two dominant factions:
One faction advocates for decisive action and hardline stances toward other villages, believing strength and assertiveness are the only paths to survival in the shinobi world.
The other favors diplomacy and restraint, placing their faith in negotiation, strategic alliances, and a mindful approach to conflict.
This ideological divide shapes nearly every decision within the village, creating a constant undercurrent of tension among its leaders.
After scanning the room, the Village Chief calmly relayed the intelligence brought back by Otani and Kawakawa.
"What are your thoughts?"
As soon as he finished, one of the Jonin with a hardline stance burst into outrage. "Konoha is going too far! Just because they're one of the Five Great Hidden Villages, they think they can look down on us!"
"Exactly! If word of this spreads, how will other nations view us? We can't back down—if we must, we'll go to war with Konoha!"
Their declaration immediately drew objections from the others.
"Are you mad? Konoha is the strongest village in the ninja world. How exactly do you plan to go to war against them?"
"Calm down! Declaring war would bring only destruction. Have you forgotten what happened last time?"
That last time referred, of course, to the previous destruction of Grass Village.
The room fell silent before one of the Middle-aged Jonin spoke. "We must reopen the Box of Ultimate Bliss!"
The Box of Ultimate Bliss—a legendary ninja tool said to have been in the world since the era of the Sage of Six Paths thousands of years ago—and was rumored to grant any wish once opened.
The last time Grass Village nearly conquered the ninja world, it was thanks to the box's power.
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