"Orochimaru, what's the deal with this little girl?"
"You didn't kidnap her from somewhere, did you?"
"Tsk tsk!"
Tsunade looked at Aruma, who was sleeping peacefully in Orochimaru's arms, and nudged him with her shoulder, saying with a mischievous grin.
"Huh?"
"Don't talk nonsense!"
Uzumaki Mito scolded the tactless Tsunade, glaring at her fiercely. She then turned to Orochimaru and said gently,
"This child has the same pure Uzumaki bloodline as Kushina. She will surely inherit the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques in the future."
"I can't believe there are still Uzumaki clan members wandering outside the ninja world, and such a pure-blooded little girl too."
"Orochimaru, I really don't know how to thank you!"
Tsunade's eyes widened in surprise. She sidled up to Uzumaki Mito, shamelessly reaching out to pinch the little girl's cheek.
Uzumaki Mito's face immediately stiffened, and she smacked Tsunade on the head.
"Get away! You don't know how to be gentle!"
"Ouch!"
Tsunade yelped, clutching her head and hopping away to nurse her bruised ego.
Orochimaru looked at Tsunade acting like a child in front of Uzumaki Mito and shook his head speechlessly.
After performing a respectful junior's bow to Uzumaki Mito, Orochimaru explained how he had encountered the little girl during his pursuit of Shennong.
"Tsunade must have told you what I was doing, right? This child was rescued from an Sora ninja spy lurking in Konoha."
"If I'm not mistaken, that Sora ninja, who is highly skilled in human modification, also discovered the special nature of this child's bloodline."
After casually explaining, Orochimaru observed Uzumaki Mito's expression. He hesitated for a moment, then reached into his embrace and produced the wooden box that sealed the Zero-Tailed beast.
"This box seals a demon. According to the spy, their original plan was to steal Konoha's sealing techniques and then seal it into this child's body."
"Afterward, this child would become the power source to propel the aerial fortress back into the sky."
Uzumaki Mito's smiling expression as she looked at the child in her arms froze. Flames of fury erupted in her eyes.
"How dare they!"
"Where is that spy now? To dare treat an descendant of the Uzumaki clan as a tool, I..."
Mid-sentence, Uzumaki Mito suddenly remembered her current identity and the fate that awaited Uzumaki Kushina. Her eyes flickered, and she closed her mouth with a sense of dejection.
Orochimaru saw the complex emotion in Uzumaki Mito's eyes and guessed what the elder was thinking. He gently reassured her,
"Mito-senpai, although it might seem ill-timed."
"But I still have to say..."
"Even those who are Jinchuriki of tailed beasts or demons are not all the same!"
"We will not have any different opinions of you or Kushina just because there is an additional power within you."
"Besides..."
"This child has already escaped her original fate, hasn't she?"
Uzumaki Mito looked up and gave Orochimaru a deep gaze.
After a long pause, she let out a long sigh.
"Mmm..."
"Orochimaru, you are a good child!"
After a moment of silence, seeing Orochimaru still holding out the sealed scroll, Uzumaki Mito remembered that Orochimaru had mentioned a request earlier. She nodded in understanding.
"Orochimaru, I am truly delighted that you have rescued our lost clan member for me today."
"Didn't you say you had something you wanted to ask for my help with?"
"While I, this old woman, still have some capabilities, just ask for whatever you desire."
"As long as it's something Konoha possesses, Orochimaru, I will do my best to fulfill your request!"
This was a tremendous temptation!
Even for someone of Orochimaru's disposition, hearing Uzumaki Mito's promise made his breath hitch for a moment.
The Forbidden Scroll, authority over Konoha's vital locations, various secret techniques...
These immensely valuable things flashed through Orochimaru's mind, only to be cast aside.
He gritted his teeth, solidifying his true desire. Without further hesitation, Orochimaru formed a hand seal and opened the sealed scroll in his hand.
The wooden box containing the Zero-Tailed beast was now exposed to the three of them.
"I have but one request!"
"I implore Mito-senpai to use sealing techniques to strip away or seal the intelligence of this demon, and then..."
"Seal it within my body!"
As soon as Orochimaru finished speaking, not only Uzumaki Mito but even Tsunade, who had been holding her head, jumped forward.
"Orochimaru, are you crazy?"
"Do you know what a demon is?"
"There are so many ways to gain power. You could ask Grandma to teach you some powerful ninjutsu! Why would you risk letting such a dangerous thing enter your body?"
Orochimaru remained unfazed, gently shaking his head and looking at Uzumaki Mito with determination.
Uzumaki Mito narrowed her eyes slightly, looking solemnly at the wooden box in Orochimaru's hand.
The power of the Nine-Tails within her was constantly sending strong warnings of malice. Although the Zero-Tails' power was insignificant compared to Uzumaki Mito and the fully formed Nine-Tails within her, it could very well be a fatal poison to the current Orochimaru.
"My promise is still valid!"
"Even if you wanted to succeed your teacher and become the Fourth Hokage, I would use my abilities to make it happen!"
"Have you thought this through?"
Orochimaru nodded firmly.
"Yes!"
"I may desire the position of Hokage, but with war looming, I will not let go of any possibility to increase my strength."
"Therefore, please grant my request, Mito-senpai!"
Uzumaki Mito nodded thoughtfully and gently stood up, handing Aruma, who was in her arms, to Tsunade.
"Take this child inside to rest!"
Tsunade blinked and instinctively took the child. Worriedly looking at the two of them, she carried Aruma back into the room, throwing a thin blanket over her haphazardly, and then rushed back out.
"Since you have made your decision, I will naturally not go back on my word."
"And coincidentally, today, I will let the two of you witness the power of the strongest tailed beast in the ninja world."
"Lest you become arrogant in the future!"
Uzumaki Mito glanced pointedly at Tsunade, who immediately pouted in defiance.
"People probably wouldn't believe me if I told them, but I, in the future, actually fought the Nine-Tails."
"Although it was only half of it..."
"Although most of the time, I was the one being beaten..."
Orochimaru recalled the future scene of his battle with Uzumaki Naruto after his hands were crippled, his eye twitched, and his expression was somewhat unnatural.
Uzumaki Mito, unaware of Orochimaru's inner thoughts, no longer hesitated after confirming his intentions. The chakra within her, from stillness to motion, began to boil.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
*Poof poof...*
Four puffs of smoke exploded around Uzumaki Mito. Four shadow clones moved at her will, positioning themselves in the four corners of the courtyard. They formed a series of complex hand seals and pressed them against the ground simultaneously.
"Four Symbols Seal!"
A semi-transparent barrier, modified by Uzumaki Mito from a sealing technique, rose from the ground, separating the Senju clan's compound from the outside world of Konoha.
This barrier, modified from a sealing technique strong enough to neutralize even a tailed beast, would not disturb Konoha village no matter how much commotion occurred within.
"Tear off that talisman!"
"I want to see what kind of demon, you call the Zero-Tails, is truly capable of!"
Uzumaki Mito's red hair fluttered, showing none of the frailty expected of an elderly woman. Simply standing there, the terrifying surge of chakra within her made her seem like the ruler of this world.
This was Orochimaru's first time experiencing one-fifth of the power of Uzumaki Mito, a formidable individual who had always stood behind Senju Hashirama, her voice rarely heard. Suppressing a tremor of fear, he tore off the sealing talisman on the wooden box.
The Zero-Tails, sealed within the wooden box, had been constantly waiting for an opportunity to break free. The moment the talisman was removed, the Zero-Tails within sensed it.
A large amount of dark, cold chakra surged out of the wooden box, quickly forming a serpent-like body before the three of them.
Wearing a somewhat comical white mask, the Zero-Tails' sharp voice echoed in their ears.
"Hahaha..."
"Foolish humans, you have no idea what a great being you have unleashed!"
"Tremble before an immortal god!"
Uzumaki Mito frowned and pointed a finger at the Zero-Tails, which was still laughing maniacally. Eight brilliant golden chains shot out from her sleeve, instantly binding the Zero-Tails tightly.
"Noisy!"