Around the middle of the banquet, the flow of people coming forward to toast Senju Mori gradually thinned. Only then did Uzumaki Chisawa walk over with a cup of sake in hand, smiling softly.
"Brother Mori."
He spoke quietly, clinking his cup against Mori's with a crisp, clear sound.
"Seeing you and Rei standing together… I suddenly feel that every danger we went through was worth it. This is the perfect ending we dreamed of back then."
His gaze drifted toward his younger sister, who was chatting softly with the other women nearby. His tone was warm and sincere, yet also held an unshakable firmness.
"No matter what happens in the future, Brother Mori, I will always stand by your side."
Just as the two were speaking, a member of the Anbu appeared beside Senju Mori and whispered a report:
"Lord Hokage, Lady Mito has an extremely important matter. She requests to speak with you in private."
"Understood."
Senju Mori's expression grew noticeably more serious. He knew that Uzumaki Mito would never interrupt at such a moment unless the matter were truly urgent.
After giving Chisawa a brief explanation, Mori followed the Anbu through the lively banquet and into the quiet, secluded corridors deeper within the shrine.
Inside a meditation room faintly scented with sandalwood, Uzumaki Mito sat waiting on a cushion. Upon seeing Mori arrive, a gentle smile appeared on her face.
"Mori, you're here."
She motioned for him to sit across from her, her gaze filled with the warmth of an elder looking upon an exceptional junior—gratified, yet tinged with nostalgia.
"Seeing you genuinely inherit Hashirama's will fills me with relief. With Hashirama and Tobirama both gone, and myself growing weaker with age… Konoha's future must be shaped by your generation."
"You overpraise me, Lady Mito. Without the foundation laid by you and the previous Hokage, Konoha would not be what it is today."
Toward this elder, Mori remained respectfully humble; becoming Hokage had not changed that.
"I have something I must entrust to you."
Beside Mito lay a large scroll. Its ends were decorated with blue-and-white patterns, and in the center were two bold characters: 'Slug.'
Senju Mori's eyes sharpened.
"Lady Mito… could this be…"
"Yes."
A faint recollection softened Mito's expression as she explained with a gentle smile:
"This is the contract scroll left behind by Hashirama—the one that allows you to form a summoning contract with Shikkotsu Forest, one of the Three Great Sage Regions."
"I had originally intended to give you some Uzumaki sealing scrolls as a wedding gift for you and Rei, but after thinking carefully… it may be better for Rei to teach you those techniques herself."
"I don't have many other things of true value anymore. This scroll is, perhaps, the most meaningful gift I can give you now."
As she spoke, Mito's expression grew solemn, her voice dropping slightly.
"Mori, there is something I must warn you about."
"Do you know? The Nine-Tails sealed within me has an unusually sharp sense for malice in this world. When I draw on its chakra, I can temporarily borrow that perception."
"And during today's ceremony… I faintly sensed a tremendously heavy malice."
She paused, doubt flickering in her eyes.
"But when I used Kagura's Mind Eye to investigate further, that malice vanished without a trace—as though it had never existed at all. I couldn't find its source anywhere."
"Malice…"
Senju Mori repeated quietly, his expression grave.
Yet in his heart, he had already formed a few suspicions—about an enemy so concealed that even Kagura's Mind Eye could not detect them.
"Now that you are Konoha's Hokage, you are the pillar of the entire village. And as Rei's husband, you are the pillar of your new family as well."
Mito's gaze sharpened.
"You must take your own safety seriously. You cannot repeat Tobirama's fate and meet with some 'unexpected accident' one day."
"The Slug is not only a powerful summoning beast—it is also the key to learning Sage Mode, just like Hashirama once did…"
"Once you fully master Sage Mode, it will bring about a complete transformation."
"Your abilities will be enhanced across the board, and you will gain extraordinarily powerful sensory abilities. Remember, Hashirama's sensory prowess was even stronger than mine."
"Thank you, Lady Mito."
Senju Mori bowed slightly, then stepped forward to take the large summoning scroll.
As he set the scroll down and slowly unrolled it, row upon row of names written in blood came into view. The most recent entry, still bold and vivid, was "Senju Hashirama."
This was not Mori's first time signing a summoning contract. Without hesitation, he cut his fingertip, wrote his name in fresh blood, and pressed five crimson fingerprints onto the scroll.
"I am not a contractor of Shikkotsu Forest," Mito explained.
"I merely kept this scroll for Hashirama. Now, it is yours."
"The slug that resides in Shikkotsu Forest is named Katsuyu. It is very easy to get along with—but do not offend it lightly. You may address it as 'Sage Katsuyu.'"