The grand hall of the restaurant fell into complete silence, and everyone turned to look in Haruto Saito's direction.
Although Uzumaki Mito was very old, her voice wasn't raspy. It carried a deep, time-worn quality instead.
"Haruto Saito greets Lady Mito!" Haruto bowed respectfully to Uzumaki Mito, performing a standard junior's greeting. She was a figure worthy of immense respect—a great woman who had lived from the Warring States Period to the present day.
"Was it you who threatened Kushina with a knife?" Uzumaki Mito asked, her previous smile vanishing completely. Her tone was calm but carried an undeniable authority.
"Yes," Haruto admitted frankly. "But I was only trying to scare her."
"It was him! It was him! He's the bad guy! He bullied me!" Uzumaki Kushina shouted again. Haruto shot her a vexed glance—this little brat was clearly putting on an act.
Otherwise, how could she suddenly be so obedient?
She used to call Haruto a "big pervert" and a "big jerk," but now she was using such mild words like "bad guy." Clearly, she didn't dare to curse too outrageously in front of Uzumaki Mito.
"Hmph!" Uzumaki Mito snorted lightly, patting Kushina's back to signal her to stand up.
Tsunade stepped forward, pulling Kushina away while giving Haruto a gloating look.
Uzumaki Mito stepped down from the wooden platform and walked toward Haruto.
Despite her age, her movements weren't slow or frail. Her steps were light… In truth, she was only at the end of her natural lifespan. That was all.
As long as she was still alive and able to move, she remained an immensely powerful top-tier ninja. She was a perfect Jinchūriki, capable of completely suppressing—or rather, completely controlling—the Nine-Tails. The fact that the beast was still sealed inside her proved her chakra reserves were still vast beyond measure. If she fully transformed into the tailed beast, even Hiruzen Sarutobi might not be able to match her in a short battle.
Moreover, the purple-blue diamond mark on her forehead still glowed brightly.
The Yin Seal could store a vast amount of chakra, and chakra could be converted into physical stamina. This meant that Uzumaki Mito could unlock her seal to rapidly replenish her stamina and available chakra.
Perhaps due to her age, her senses weren't as sharp as in her youth, and her thoughts might be a bit slower.
But she was still undeniably strong!
Watching Uzumaki Mito approach, Haruto had many thoughts. The original story barely mentioned her, let alone described her strength, but a lot could be inferred.
Haruto had always speculated about the cause of the Shinobi World Wars.
The First Shinobi World War erupted after the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, took office—following the death of Hashirama Senju. Based on the timeline, the Second Shinobi World War likely broke out after Uzumaki Mito's passing.
This was no coincidence!
Haruto believed that among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Konoha stood as the sole superpower, while the other four were merely strong. Konoha had always advocated peace because it was the greatest beneficiary of peaceful times—this stance had never changed.
The first two Shinobi World Wars erupted because Konoha's superpower status became unstable. And why did that happen? Because Konoha lost figures capable of intimidating the entire shinobi world!
The first time, they lost the "God of Shinobi," Hashirama Senju. With his world-crushing strength, no one dared to make a move while he lived.
The second time, they lost Uzumaki Mito. She was the perfect Nine-Tails Jinchūriki—Konoha's trump card, or rather, its ultimate weapon. Though not as strong as Hashirama, she was powerful enough to maintain balance in a village already strong. With her presence, no one dared to act recklessly.
Thus, Haruto deduced that once Uzumaki Mito died and other nations confirmed her passing, a full-scale war would break out—the Second Shinobi World War would ignite!
Perhaps those other nations already knew she was nearing the end of her life. They were simply waiting—for Uzumaki Mito to die!
"What are you thinking about?" Uzumaki Mito asked as she stopped a meter away from Haruto, noticing his distraction.
"I was awestruck by Lady Mito's peerless grace and couldn't help but waver in spirit. Please forgive me," Haruto said earnestly.
His blatant flattery earned a look of disdain from Tsunade.
"Hmph! You sure know how to talk!" Uzumaki Mito chuckled—a warm, kind smile. But realizing that it wasn't quite appropriate for the moment, she quickly suppressed it.
In truth, she didn't dislike Haruto. Though she didn't know him well, the fact that Hiruzen Sarutobi had taken him as a personal disciple meant he wasn't an ordinary individual. In Uzumaki Mito's eyes, Haruto was just a child—like Kushina.
As for their conflict, she simply saw it as children bickering. Perhaps Haruto had gone a bit too far, and Tsunade had spoken ill of him, which was why she had him brought here.
"Apologize to Kushina," Uzumaki Mito instructed, pointing to the side.
"I won't—"
"No! I don't want an apology!" Kushina interrupted before Haruto could refuse. "Lady Mito, weren't you going to punish him for me? Teach him a lesson! A harsh one!"
Kushina refused to accept an apology, and Haruto had never intended to give one in the first place.
A flicker of hesitation crossed Uzumaki Mito's eyes. She truly didn't feel anger over such a trivial matter. It was nothing more than a childish squabble. She couldn't seriously beat Haruto in front of Kushina—that wasn't something she was willing to do.
After a brief frown, Uzumaki Mito said, "Tsunade, take Kushina outside."
"Yes, Grandma," Tsunade responded obediently, pulling Kushina along.
Kushina looked back with every step, glaring and gritting her teeth at Haruto, but she didn't dare resist. Though Uzumaki Mito adored her, Kushina never dared to misbehave in her presence.
Once the two left and the door shut, Uzumaki Mito gestured for Haruto to come closer.
Haruto hesitated before stepping forward obediently.
Uzumaki Mito leaned in slightly and whispered a few words into his ear.
Haruto's eyes widened in surprise. He looked at her in shock—he hadn't expected her to be this… interesting!
Outside, in the courtyard, numerous ANBU shinobi were stationed. Kushina, holding Tsunade's hand, perked her ears up to eavesdrop, her face full of anticipation. But no sound came from inside, making her anxious.
"Aunt Tsunade, do you think that big bad guy is getting punished?" she asked.
"Of course. Grandma will beat him up real good!" Tsunade said, making a fist.
Slap!
A crisp slapping sound suddenly came from inside, followed by Haruto's exaggerated cries.
"Aiyo! Lady Mito, I was wrong! I was wrong! Aiyo! Stop! I really admit my mistake! Aiyo!"
The sound of slaps and heavy thuds echoed repeatedly—it sounded absolutely brutal.
Tsunade froze, surprised that her grandmother would actually take such a straightforward approach to avenge Kushina.
Kushina's chubby little face twitched with every slap she heard—it sounded painful.
Whoosh!Whoosh!
Hiruzen Sarutobi and White Fang appeared at the door simultaneously. Before the surrounding shinobi could salute, they raised their hands to stop them.
After listening for a moment, Hiruzen flickered inside.
Inside, Uzumaki Mito sat perfectly composed on the wooden platform, hands resting on her knees, her posture proper. She looked like she was struggling not to laugh.
Haruto, meanwhile, was clapping his hands to mimic slaps and stomping his feet to create thudding noises while dramatically shouting for mercy.
They had joined forces to fool Kushina.
Hiruzen appeared behind Haruto without a sound, his face blank.
Haruto stomped and howled a few more times before sensing the presence behind him. He turned around and locked eyes with Hiruzen.
Silence.
The atmosphere turned awkward.