Land of Fire.
Konoha.
The Senju Clan compound was still the same quiet courtyard as always.
Looking around, neither Kushina nor Nawaki was present—it seemed they had gone out on a mission.
Senju Yukika sat upright with a solemn expression, and across from him, Mito Uzumaki sat calmly in a chair. Behind her, Yugito Nii quietly and respectfully massaged her shoulders.
The little "kitten" was surprisingly well-behaved now.
It wasn't for no reason— even back when she was still in the Hidden Cloud Village, she had heard rumors about Uzumaki Mito.
At the time, all she knew was that Mito was the wife of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.
But after coming into contact with her, Yugito realized this elderly woman was the first person in the village who didn't treat her with hostility.
Even though she was technically a hostage.
But beside this elder, Yugito felt safe.
And there was something about Mito—her natural warmth and quiet kindness—that helped Yugito's heart settle, just a little.
As for resisting?
Making a surprise move and trying to flee Konoha?
That thought flashed through her mind once—but only for a second before it completely vanished.
The reason was simple: the Two-Tails inside her told her that if she tried anything like that, she would definitely die.
Of course.
Uzumaki Mito had the Nine-Tails sealed within her!
And more than that…
The Raikage was gone.
He hadn't even sent someone to see her before leaving.
What did that mean?
Was the Hidden Cloud Village… done with her?
Did she no longer matter to them?
And if that was true, then what purpose did she have left in this world?
Yugito lowered her head in quiet confusion.
"Yukika, everyone outside is talking about you now."
After a long silence, Mito finally sighed and looked down at her grandson.
Truly remarkable.
The moment his words from the Hokage's office spread through Konoha, it caused a huge stir in the village.
Even those Senju clansmen who had long "integrated" into Konoha began stirring again.
The Senju name had finally returned to the spotlight.
Yukika didn't say a word. He was waiting for what Mito would say next.
"Today, I wanted to sit down and talk with you properly."
Mito sighed again, and though she didn't ask Yugito to leave, the girl instinctively understood that what was coming probably wasn't something she was meant to hear.
She gave Mito a respectful bow and prepared to excuse herself.
"Stay."
Just as she turned to leave, Yukika stopped her with a glance.
Was he afraid she'd leak something?
There was no need.
Anyone who was by Mito's side… didn't need to be feared.
"Yukika…"
"At first, I thought all you wanted was to restore the Senju Clan's strength—maybe even bring back the clan's glory, and make the name 'Senju' shine once again as the number one clan in the shinobi world."
"But when I look back on everything you've done lately…"
"I find myself… unsure. I don't know what you're really trying to achieve."
Mito's gaze lingered on her grandson as she voiced a question from the deepest part of her heart.
If it was just about restoring the Senju name…
There was no need to go to this extent.
And certainly no need to set himself so directly against Konoha's leadership—to the point where things now seemed almost completely irreconcilable.
Yes. That was the word.
Irreconcilable.
Yukika seemed to harbor deep dissatisfaction toward Hiruzen Sarutobi. And what could that kind of dissatisfaction lead to? The answer wasn't hard to guess.
If things continued down this path, it was clear that in the end, only one side—either the Senju or the current leadership—would remain.
Especially after the Hidden Cloud incident, Yukika had now been completely pushed into the spotlight.
The bold and fiery words spoken by the current Senju clan head had already echoed through the village:
"See you on the battlefield?"