27. Uzumaki Mito Breaks Tsunade's Naivety

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'Alas, I am getting old and will not live much longer.'

'Meanwhile, Monkey's position as Hokage will grow more stable, and his influence will increase. Over the years, my ability to deter others has weakened significantly,' Uzumaki Mito lamented inwardly.

"Grandma, what's wrong? Why do you suddenly look so sad?" Tsunade asked, noticing the heaviness that had crept into Mito's expression.

Hearing her granddaughter's concern, Mito looked up, reached out, and gently touched Tsunade's head. "Tsunade, my child, your grandmother doesn't have many years left. When will you truly grow up and take charge of the Senju clan?"

"This..." Tsunade felt a sudden wave of unease. She wasn't sure why her grandmother's words left her so unsettled.

Quickly, she grabbed Mito's hand and said with concern, "Grandma, don't say things like that! You'll live to be a hundred years old!"

"Heh." Mito gave a soft, helpless laugh. "Live to a hundred? Ninjas don't live that long, Tsunade."

"The life of a ninja is brief—a twisted existence that takes a toll on us all. Even your grandfather, with his extraordinary vitality and strength, died young. And me? How could I hope for anything different?"

Mito sighed, her tone carrying the weight of experience. "If it weren't for the profession of a ninja, your grandfather could have lived to be a hundred. But fate had other plans..."

She paused, her gaze distant. "The more a ninja fights, the more they push themselves. The greater the toll on their body, the shorter their life becomes."

Tsunade felt her chest tighten at these words. As a skilled medical ninja, she understood all too well the truth of what her grandmother was saying. A ninja's survival depended on the constant extraction of chakra, a process that inevitably wore down the body.

"Enough of this gloomy talk." Mito shook her head, brushing the topic aside. She turned her attention back to her granddaughter and warned, "Tsunade, you're not a child anymore. It's time for you to mature."

"Until Nawaki grows up and is ready to shoulder the responsibility of the Senju clan, that burden will fall to you. Do you understand?"

Mito's expression was grave, but deep down, she harbored doubts about Nawaki's potential to lead. His naivety reminded her of Hashirama, but unlike her late husband, Nawaki lacked Hashirama's raw talent—and there was no Tobirama to guide him.

For now, her hope rested on Tsunade.

"This... I understand. I'll do my best," Tsunade replied, clenching her fists in determination. Yet, a question lingered in her mind. "But don't I have my sensei? It shouldn't be that big of a problem, right?"

"Foolish girl!" Mito's voice grew sharp, and a flicker of anger crossed her face.

"Sarutobi Hiruzen may be your teacher, but never forget that he is also the Hokage of Konoha and the head of the Sarutobi clan."

"Do you think he took you on as a disciple purely because of your talent? No! He did it to win over the Senju clan—and me—to secure his position as Hokage."

"To Hiruzen, the interests of the Sarutobi clan come first. After that, the well-being of Konoha takes priority. Then come the families of his inner circle: Danzo, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura."

"Only after all of them does he even consider the Senju clan. Even then, we rank below the Ino-Shika-Chō alliance and the small or medium-sized ninja clans he's cultivated relationships with, including civilian ninjas."

Mito's voice lowered, but her words were firm and unyielding.

"For years, Hiruzen has been quietly suppressing the Senju clan's influence. Have you not noticed this?"

"How can I trust you to lead our family? How can I pass on the legacy of the Senju to you and rest in peace?"

Her frustration and disappointment were clear as she looked at Tsunade, who remained silent, her mind racing with the implications of her grandmother's words.

"In the face of their own interests, the so-called bonds of teacher and student mean nothing."

Tsunade, who had been listening in stunned silence, felt her world begin to crumble. Her long-held beliefs about her teacher, the Third Hokage, shattered in an instant.

"How could this be?" she murmured, disbelief evident in her tone.

Mito glanced at her granddaughter, her expression firm. "Why not? Think carefully. Look at the state of the Senju clan over the years. Isn't it clear enough?"

Originally, Mito had intended to let Tsunade hold onto her idealized image of the Third Hokage, especially since her own time was running out. That illusion might have offered Tsunade a sense of security after Mito's death.

But recent events—particularly the growing tension with the Uchiha and the actions of Uchiha Mikasa—had forced Mito to reconsider.

She couldn't afford to let the Senju and Uzumaki clans continue to retreat passively.

"Perhaps a secret alliance with the Uchiha might be our best option," Mito mused inwardly.

"I..."

Tsunade's voice trembled as the reality of Mito's words sank in. With the filter of blind trust now gone, she began recalling the past actions of her teacher and the village. She started noticing all the signs she had ignored, signs that didn't sit right.

Her expression turned grim. "I didn't realize it was like this... The old man had ulterior motives all along."

"It's good that you're beginning to understand," Mito said, her tone softening slightly.

Still unsure, Tsunade asked hesitantly, "Grandma, what should I do next?"

"We'll discuss that after I meet with Uchiha Mikasa. Be present when the time comes," Mito decided firmly.

"Alright," Tsunade replied without hesitation. Lacking direction herself, she resolved to follow Mito's lead for now, even if she didn't yet fully understand the reasons behind her grandmother's urgency.

Mito sighed, seeing the worry etched on her granddaughter's face. "I don't want to pressure you, Tsunade, but the situation is becoming more dire by the day."

Her voice grew grave as she continued. "There's troubling news from the Uzumaki clan. The other four great ninja villages are starting to eye our sealing techniques and the Jinchūriki we've protected."

"Spies from the other villages have been appearing in Uzushiogakure with increasing frequency. Their intentions are clear—and far from good."

"What?!" Tsunade exclaimed, horrified. "What are we going to do about it? Does the Third Hokage know? How is the village planning to respond? Will... will Konoha send help to protect the Uzumaki clan?"

She trailed off, her confidence faltering. Her grandmother's earlier words about Sarutobi Hiruzen resurfaced, making her doubt her teacher's willingness to assist.

A dark thought crept into her mind: 'If the Uzumaki clan were to fall, wouldn't it actually benefit the Third Hokage?'

The Senju would lose one of their closest allies. Konoha could claim the sealing techniques and other legacies of the Uzumaki, and the Senju's influence would diminish even further.

'How had I not seen this before?'

For years, she had failed to notice how much the Senju clan had been weakened under the Third Hokage's leadership. During her great-uncle Tobirama's era, the Senju had been the most powerful clan in Konoha and arguably the entire ninja world.

But now?

The glory of the Senju was long gone. Branch families had been scattered, absorbed into the civilian population, or severed from the clan entirely.

Many of their shinobi had died on dangerous missions, and even the clan's direct line was diminished to the point of near extinction.

Senju was a shadow of its former self.

Mito, observing Tsunade's turmoil, spoke in a low but resolute voice. "It seems you've finally realized the truth. Don't expect the Monkey and the village to truly help us in this matter."

"At most, they'll take advantage of the situation for their own gain."

She sighed heavily, her expression tinged with sadness. "I wanted to persuade the Uzumaki clan to relocate to Konoha for safety. But Uzumaki Aminari refuses to leave. I couldn't convince him, so I had no choice but to abandon that plan."

Mito paused, her gaze firm as she laid out her next steps. "We must prepare. I'll organize an elite force from the remaining Senju clan—both the main family and a few loyal branch members."

"We'll send them to support Uzushiogakure when the time comes."

She sighed again, her voice heavy with the burden of the decision. "I know this will further deplete what little remains of the Senju's strength, but we have no other choice. I cannot sit idly by while the Uzumaki clan is destroyed."