3 Months Later
Huff Huff Huff
Kuro was breathing hard while lying on the cold ground. Lady Mito training has been extensive and exhausting. There were times when he got beaten up so bad he was rushed to the hospital.
The nurse that treated him when he got hit by Kurenai became his personal nurse. Her name was Himeko.
(A/N: Ya, that weird nurse. Not going into detail wink wink)
Today's training was bad but Kuro got lucky as an ANBU arrived and whispered some message to Lady Mito.
Lady Mito immediately dash out of the villa hearing the news. Since she was around, Kuro stayed lying down as he drifted off into the dream land.
***
BANG!
Mito swung opens the door to the Hokage office. Inside, Mito could see a girl with red hair. Danzo was also in the room along with the 2 elders, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane.
Mito was furious looking at Danzo and the others. She turned her gaze toward Hiruzen who was sitting behind the desk.
"HIRUZEN!" Mito roar. "Because of you, the Uzumaki clan is now history! Is this your so-called Will of Fire!?"
Hiruzen's gaze hardened as he looked up from his desk. He sighed, pushing a hand through his thinning hair as his tired eyes met hers.
"Mito, please," Hiruzen began, his voice low and heavy with regret. "I had no choice. The situation was beyond my control. The situation with the Uzumaki clan was complicated, and the political ramifications were too great. If I had acted sooner, it would have meant war. I didn't want that for the Hidden Leaf."
Danzo stood to the side, arms folded tightly, his expression unreadable as always. Mito's gaze snapped to him, her fists clenching at her sides. "So you just let it happen? You knew what was at stake and you didn't lift a finger? Your actions, Hiruzen, or should I say your inactions, have destroyed everything!"
Her voice wavered with a mix of grief and fury. The thought of her home—the Land of the Whirlpools—reduced to rubble because of the village's failure to act felt like a personal betrayal.
Danzo, sensing the tension, spoke up, his voice carrying an underlying threat. "Mito, you know that in this world, decisions are rarely black and white. Sometimes, sacrifices must be made for the greater good."
The red-haired girl in the corner of the room, silent up until now, shifted her gaze between the people gathered.
Mito stepped forward, her expression now a mixture of defiance and sorrow. "You speak of sacrifice, Danzo, but it's the innocent who are paying the price for your decisions. It's always the innocent!"
Hiruzen stood then, his age showing as he slowly made his way around the desk. "Mito, I made the best decision I could with the information at hand. You know I would have done anything to protect the Land of the Whirlpools and its people."
Mito's eyes burned with tears she refused to shed. "Then why didn't you?"
"I don't want to drag the Hidden Leaf into a war! A war at the scale of a Great Ninja War. Even if I send reinforcement, it would be useless."
The tension in the Hokage office was thick enough to cut with a kunai. The weight of Mito's anger, combined with the sorrow that clung to her words, seemed to echo in the silence that followed Hiruzen's last statement. She stood there, fists trembling, her chest heaving as if trying to contain a storm within.
Danzo's cold, calculating eyes never left her. His lips curled slightly. "The Hidden Leaf has always had to prioritize its own survival, Mito. You, of all people, should understand that."
Mito's head snapped toward him, her gaze fiery, the deep pain in her eyes now simmering beneath the surface of her fury. "Survival at what cost, Danzo? How many lives will you sacrifice for your so-called 'greater good'?"
Unable to calm down, Mito turns her gaze to the red-haired girl in the room. "So you are the only surviving member of the Uzumaki?"
The red-haired girl, who had remained silent throughout the exchange, looked up at Mito with caution.
"Yes," the girl replied quietly. "I am… the last of the Uzumaki." Her hands were clenched tightly in her lap, the tremor in her fingers betraying the depth of her own grief.
"At least the only one we could save from all the chaos." Danzo butted in. "She was lucky a Root ANBU was nearby or else she would have been killed by the Hidden Cloud ninja."
Mito's eyes flashed with fury at Danzo's words. His cold, calculating demeanor, as always, made her stomach churn with disgust. She could feel her fists tightening, her nails biting into her palms as she struggled to keep her anger in check. The nerve of him.
"You call this luck?" Mito's voice was low, trembling with emotion, but her glare never wavered. "Luck? You're talking about the last of the Uzumaki like she's some kind of commodity to be used and protected for your own agenda!"
Danzo's eyes narrowed, his expression barely changing. "Sometimes, Mito, survival is about making the hard choices. The 'greater good' often demands sacrifices. The truth is, this girl's survival is important, not just for her, but for the future of this village."
Mito recoiled, her face a mixture of disgust and disbelief. "I will be taking her under my wing. She will be living with me from now on. Let me not see any of your faces or Root around her. If I do, mark my words. That would be the last time you will see the sun."
Mito threatens those in the room before turning toward the red-haired girl. "What is your name?"
"My name is… Kushina Uzumaki." Kushina replied after some hesitation.
"Well Kushina, my name is Mito Uzumaki. Which means you are not the only Uzumaki." Mito's eyes warm as she looks at the kid.
Kushina's eyes widened slightly, her heart fluttering at the mention of Mito's name. "You—you're an Uzumaki too?" She looks at Mito before running toward her, crying her eyes out.
Mito's warm gaze softened further, her smile growing more genuine. "Yes, I am," she said softly. "Now let's get out of here."
Mito lifted the crying Kushina's into her arm as she made her way out of the Hokage office. Before leaving, she glared at those left inside. "Don't think I don't know why you saved her. You only save her so that there can be a Jinchuriki for the nine-tails." With that, she closed the door hard.
BANG!
***
Mito carries Kushina back to the villa. She looks at the kid in her arms who has gone through something someone her age should not have.
Opening the door to a room, she laid the girl on a bed, who had long fallen asleep after crying. Her small body was curled up on the bed, her face still damp with the remnants of her tears. Mito couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow as she watched the girl.
She gently pulled the covers over Kushina, tucking her in carefully. Her fingers brushed a stray lock of Kushina's red hair, and a tender smile tugged at the corners of Mito's lips. This girl, this last surviving Uzumaki, was not alone anymore.
Mito stood there for a long time, watching the rhythmic rise and fall of Kushina's chest, listening to the quiet of the villa.
Mito walked to the small window, gazing out at the horizon. The Hidden Leaf village sprawled in the horizon, peaceful for the moment. Yet, she knew that the pain of the Uzumaki clan's destruction would still linger, and that there were people out there who would never stop seeking control, manipulating the world for their own gain. People like Danzo.
Turning back to the bed, Mito quietly sat in the chair beside it, her eyes still on Kushina, now calm in sleep. She reached for the small pouch of herbs she always carried with her—a mixture for calming and healing the mind. It wouldn't undo everything Kushina had endured, but it would help her rest easier for now.
As Mito worked, she spoke softly, as though speaking to herself, but loud enough for Kushina to hear, should she wake. "I know what it feels like, to lose everything. But you're not alone anymore. I'll be here. I promise."
With one last glance at the sleeping girl, Mito stood and quietly left the room, making sure the door was left slightly ajar.
Mito made her way toward the center garden, where she saw Kuro sleeping like a log.
Instead of waking him up, Mito sank into a chair. Her body heavy with exhaustion.
She glanced briefly at Kuro, a lazy Nara, sprawled out like a log in the sun, snoring softly. It wasn't unusual for him to sleep through most of the day—an ability Mito had long since learned to tolerate. Today, though, it didn't bother her.
In fact, the sight of Kuro, oblivious to the world around him, brought a small, fleeting sense of peace. It was almost comforting to see someone so carefree.
Mito closed her eyes, her mind buzzing with the thoughts of betrayal. Hiruzen's words echoed in her mind, the way he justified his inaction, the way he and the elders had so easily dismissed the Uzumaki clan's fate. The bitterness of their decisions still stung deeply.
As the soft breeze of the garden washed over her, she found herself slipping into a dreamlike state. Her muscles relaxed, the tension in her body easing as she drifted off to sleep.