With the goal of promoting mutual understanding and familiarity, the friendly and harmonious "Uzumaki-Konoha" training battle concluded in a pleasant atmosphere.
The winner was naturally pleased with the outcome, and similarly, if techniques like [Adamantine Sealing Chains] could be displayed, the Uzumaki side certainly didn't look bad either—at the very least, Haseo found it quite surprising and impressive.
Haseo now understood the abilities of the Uzumaki clan members, and at the same time, he had demonstrated his own presence—Though I may not have any bloodline advantages, we all possess extraordinary abilities. That makes us even.
With such first impressions formed on both sides, what remained was simply getting along through daily work and life.
So, Haseo believed this joint training session worked out pretty well. With the abilities he had shown, combined with his previous achievements as explanation, he felt he'd proven himself to be a trustworthy person—when it comes to trusting another ninja, the first step is usually about proving your strength. Other forms of trust come only after that foundation is established.
Especially since Haseo was preparing to take on leadership responsibilities for an organization, this was particularly important—in the Ninja World, a skilled fighter isn't always a leader, but every leader must certainly be strong in battle.
Although the battle itself wasn't overwhelming, whether among the three participants or the watching Uzumaki ninja, everyone should have clearly seen that Haseo had actually won with ease, indicating he still held back some strength during the fight.
Yes, this is called "the composure of a strong individual."
Getting to know each other bit by bit through daily life is one way to build trust, while "convincing others through virtue" is another approach. Overall, their effects are quite similar… just like how both Naruto Uzumaki and Mito Uzumaki can access Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
Because of the commotion caused by the event, details regarding this small battle and its outcome were naturally reported to the head of the Uzumaki clan and Mito Uzumaki.
"It seems the young people got along really well."
After hearing about the incident, Mito Uzumaki merely smiled and offered this evaluation. Given her age and wisdom, she obviously understood what Haseo was doing. In fact, she fully supported his approach—shouldn't the way young people interact be exactly like that? Would they rather behave like the Hokage Council meetings—full of formalities, political maneuvering, and endless debates?
Compared to Haseo's and the Uzumaki clan members' performances during this minor training exercise, Mito Uzumaki paid more attention to the performance of the young ninja Sakumo Hatake. After all, unlike Haseo's abilities or the Uzumaki members' condition—which Mito had previously investigated herself—Sakumo was different.
Given Mito's status and position, along with her retired identity within Konoha, it had been difficult for her to learn about ninjas like Sakumo Hatake before. However, after Haseo brought him into the organization and arranged this mission together, she finally learned of Sakumo Hatake's name.
And after this training session, she took note of Sakumo Hatake's strength.
Now Mito Uzumaki had to admit, Haseo really did have quite an insightful way of judging people… although maybe that's pushing it a bit—after all, anyone with the same knowledge as Haseo would naturally become good at reading others.
This delegation stayed in the Uzumaki village for seven days. During that time, all the important (and not-so-important) details about the Uzumaki clan's move to Konoha were sorted out—in accordance with the Third Hokage's requirement of "proceeding gradually," the Uzumaki planned to spend five years relocating slowly toward Konoha without stirring up unnecessary attention.
Among them, the first group consisted of these twelve young individuals joining the "Kagenami."
For twelve Uzumaki ninja, led by Mito Uzumaki, to enter Konoha wasn't particularly noticeable.
After settling all the clan affairs on the seventh morning, Mito Uzumaki led everyone back toward Konoha. As a jinchuriki, staying away from the village for so long was already a bit longer than usual. Although no one would ever criticize her for it, there were times when she needed to set an example.
They arrived as eight but returned as twenty—their numbers modestly increased. Mito glanced toward the east, then bid farewell to the Uzumaki clanspeople who had come to see them off. Then, gently patting the heads of several young Uzumaki accompanying them, she finally said,
"Let's go."
She could sense the unease bubbling beneath the surface among the young ninja heading to Konoha. The anxiety of leaving home for an unfamiliar ninja village could never be truly hidden… Perhaps when Mito Uzumaki herself had left this place long ago, she had felt much the same.
But what exactly had that feeling been like? So much time had passed—those emotions belonging to a young girl were now impossible for present-day Mito Uzumaki to clearly recall.
The group of twenty soon left the Uzumaki village behind. Unless something unforeseen happened, this was likely the last time Mito Uzumaki would ever set foot on the Land of Whirlpools. Soon enough, their village would disappear entirely, but at least, even if the village was gone, the Uzumaki would still come closer to her.
As this small procession exited the Land of Whirlpools, relief came from the other side of the map—it was clear that when Mito Uzumaki prepared to leave, her gaze toward the east hadn't been without reason.
"That person has finally left. Her presence brought enormous pressure upon us, especially considering the Mist had just lost Lord Second Mizukage. Our Third Mizukage's succession and internal village stability remained unstable..."
"Captain, I heard that during this Great Ninja World War, we didn't launch any attacks against the Land of Fire precisely because of Mito Uzumaki... Is that actually true?"
The factors influencing the outbreak of war are too complex to attribute the previously peaceful status between Kirigakure and Konoha to a single individual. Yet, it's undeniable that after the deaths of the First and the Second, the weakening of Konoha wasn't as significant as imagined.
To put it simply, even if the Countries of Wind, Earth, and Lightning really invaded the Land of Fire, as long as Mito Uzumaki was still present, victory for them would be nearly impossible.
Yet all they saw were the facts that the First and the Second were gone, completely overlooking the presence of Mito Uzumaki.
After Mito Uzumaki left, the surveillance ninja stationed by Kirigakure on the sea finally felt at ease and could speak freely. Before this, they had kept a distant watch over the Land of Whirlpools with great caution, yet never dared approach too closely. After all, if Mito mistook such surveillance as hostility, no one would survive to return to Kirigakure.
Born in the Land of Whirlpools, perhaps because of such geographical factors, Kirigake paid special attention to her. While other ninja villages somewhat neglected this woman standing behind the First Hokage, Kirigakure alone remained especially vigilant.
Because Mito Uzumaki truly warranted vigilance.
Thanks to the Uzumaki Clan's abilities, naturally they could sense Kirigakure's sudden increase in surveillance forces, but this kind of alertness was exactly what Kirigakure wanted to see. It indicated that Mito hadn't lost her deterrent capability.
And that sense of deterrence was what ensured their safety...
Kirigakure's surveillance upon the sea was merely passive observation. But once the Konoha delegation departed from the Land of Whirlpools and stepped back into the Land of Fire, Mito suddenly furrowed her brows.
She turned her head slightly, looking in a certain direction as if sensing something, then came to a halt. "Hold on… There's someone watching us, around two kilometers ahead at a fifteen-degree angle. I can't tell how many."
Her sensing wasn't clear—fuzzy, even—but even this vague disturbance was enough to warrant serious caution. Given Mito's usual precision in sensing enemies, the fact that she couldn't pinpoint them now suggested something was off.
The surveillance behind them from Kirigakure could be ignored, but the surveillance blocking their path inside the Land of Fire required immediate action.
As Mito's words faded, the entire squad instantly entered a battle-ready state. Anbu and Uzumaki clan members quickly surrounded and protected Mito at the center. Then Haseo and Sakumo Hatake exchanged a glance before rushing immediately toward the direction indicated by Mito.
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