"It's useless. No matter how much you struggle, you'll never shatter Enkidu," Kadoya said with a sinister smile, watching as the Nine-Tails thrashed violently against the golden chains binding it, the so-called Chains of Heaven.
"Kadoya… what is this?" Mito asked as she stepped closer. Her fingers brushed against the luminous chains, warm, solid, and divine in presence.
They glowed the same gold as the Uzumaki's Adamantine Sealing Chains, but it was something else entirely.
"This," Kadoya replied, tilting his head back coolly, "is Enkidu, the Chains of Heaven."
Mito's eyes narrowed. "And how exactly did you get something like this?"
"I picked it up," he said casually, as if he'd found it lying on the street.
Mito: "..."
Nine-Tails: "..."
Neither believed him for a second, but neither pressed further.
Mito, because she was silently pleased to see the current head of the Uzumaki wielding a power so similar to their most sacred technique.
The Nine-Tails, meanwhile, had no choice but to remain silent.
The beast was entirely cocooned in golden bindings, unable to so much as twitch its tails.
"Anyway..." Kadoya muttered, retracting Enkidu with a flick of his fingers, the chains vanishing into his body like smoke, releasing the Nine-Tails from its suffering.
"I think I can handle anything a Tailed Beast throws at me," he added with a confident smile.
With Enkidu and Kuriboh at his side, what could any Tailed Beast possibly do to him?
Hell, he could summon Tiamama and have an all-out Kaiju brawl before even developing his Susanoo.
He still had time to grow. There was no rush.
Mito smiled at his response, then quietly exited the inner world.
Kadoya turned back to the Nine-Tails, staring up at the massive fox with unreadable eyes.
"A piece of advice," he said coolly. "You being sealed... is for your own safety, Kurama."
The fox's eyes widened.
'He knows my name...?'
But before Kurama could speak, Kadoya vanished.
Congratulations! Hidden Quest Complete: "The One That Changed This World: Act 1: Warning Kurama!"
Reward: + Skill: [Tailed Beast Chakra]
[Tailed Beast Chakra] - The user can now generate chakra similar to that of a Tailed Beast.
Kadoya raised a brow, staring at the new skill on his status screen with a blank expression.
He already had Tiamat sealed inside him, but unlike the Tailed Beasts, she didn't pay rent. At all. No chakra rent, no power tax. She'd just been sleeping inside him like a cosmic freeloader since day one.
'Right... she's not even from this world. No chakra system.'
He recalled the first time he tried tapping into her power. Nothing. Nada. Zero output.
Tiamat possessed a terrifying ability called Sea of Life, or Primordial Sea, depending on how poetic you wanted to get. It was her Divine Authority as Beast II, the primordial ocean from which all life originated. It allowed her to cycle the True Ether of Earth's genesis, a limitless supply of magical energy, within her domain.
To put it short, she is using her Divine Authority to draw unlimited Magical Energy and power from the world itself.
But unfortunately, he couldn't do that.
In fact, he couldn't do anything that she normally could.
He doesn't have her mystical eyes laser, he couldn't use the power of the Sea, heck, he didn't get her regenerative ability.
Seriously, he really wants an ability from her, but he didn't get anything.
Tiamama! Please pay your rent!
Leaving the Senju Compound, Kadoya felt his heart was a bit heavy.
The wind tugged at his long scarf, and the playful tone in his mind slowly faded.
In two days, Lady Mito would begin the transfer, passing Kurama to Kushina, making her the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
Because of his existence and title as the Uzumaki Clan Head, Mito has entrusted the task of helping and protecting Kushina to him. Instead of trying to hold on for a few more years, she has decided that she is tired and now wants to rest a bit earlier than in the original story.
This meant that he, Tsunade, Nawaki, and Kushina would lose the one person shielding them from Konoha's higher-ups. Mito's presence was a wall, and once that wall crumbled, the Konoha higher-ups would come.
They wouldn't honor her wishes.
They'd wait for her to die… and then pick apart everything she built.
Kadoya paused as his eyes lifted toward the mountain carved with the faces of the Hokage. His gaze locked onto the First.
Hashirama Senju, the god of shinobi. The man who dreamed of peace.
Kadoya's scarf fluttered in the wind as a bitter thought crossed his mind.
'What would you say if you saw what they did with your dream?'
With his special existence, Kadoya fully understood the dream and vision the founders of Konoha had when forming this village.
They envision a world.
A world where no child had to march off to war.
A world where the strong protected the weak.
A world where people didn't have to live in fear.
Can a world like that... exist?
...
Meanwhile, back in the Senju Compound…
"MITO! THAT KID ISN'T WHO HE SAYS HE IS!!" the Nine-Tails roared, its voice shaking the inner realm like a thunderclap.
Its eyes blazed with panic, something rarely seen in the ancient beast, who had once stood beside the Sage of Six Paths himself. That man had given the Tailed Beasts their names. Since then, no human has even known them.
No one... until now.
Someone had called it by its true name, not "Nine-Tails," but Kurama.
And that someone was a descendant of Indra, a boy with those cursed eyes.
"Mito Uzumaki! Who is he!?"
Mito blinked slowly, seemingly unbothered by the Tailed Beast's turmoil. "He's just Kadoya Uzumaki, current head of the Uzumaki Clan," she replied with a small chuckle, brushing off the gravity in Kurama's voice.
"You're LYING!" Kurama growled. "He's an Uchiha! And not just that, he knows me!"
Mito raised a brow. "Of course he does. I told him about you."
"NO! That's not what I meant!" Kurama thrashed, chains rattling in the void. "He knew me... That boy isn't hum-"
The rest of its rant was cut off by a dull thump as Mito closed the seal, silencing the fox like hitting a mute button on a tantrum-prone child.
She let out a long, tired sigh.
"I'm too old for this," she muttered, lying back down. Her joints ached, her head pounded, and Kurama's voice was not how she wanted to spend her remaining hours.
...
The days passed quickly, and at last, the time had come.
Mito Uzumaki looked around at the shinobi present, smiled, and nodded.
"When I complete this final task," she said with quiet resolve, "I will at last be reunited with Hashirama."
There was no fear in her voice. Only peace.
"Even though I'll be gone, your mission is only beginning. Do your best... and protect Konoha well."
Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped forward, his gaze steady, voice deep with respect. "I will live up to your trust, Mito-sama."
Kadoya, standing just behind him, silently observed the solemn moment. His expression mirrored the gravity of what was about to happen.
With Kadoya's assurance as the Uzumaki Clan Head, the ceremony could begin. It was time to transfer the burden of the Nine-Tails.
Mito turned to the red-haired girl standing tall beside her. "Kushina, are you ready?"
Kushina nodded firmly. "Mito-sama, I can do it!"
Mito offered a soft smile, then began weaving her hand seals.
Suddenly, the air split with a violent crackle.
A mass of ominous chakra erupted from her, swirling in an overwhelming vortex of orange, red, and finally, a deep, sickly crimson. The chakra condensed midair, forming a fox's snarling head that roared with rage, its sound echoing like thunder.
The gathered shinobi, veterans all, flinched as that malevolent presence pressed down on them.
This wasn't just chakra, it was hatred made manifest. The sheer negative energy wormed into the mind, evoking memories best left buried, feeding dark thoughts with every second of exposure.
But Mito didn't waver.
Clasping her hands together, she summoned golden chains as thick as her wrist and bound the roaring chakra-beast in midair.
"Mito Uzumaki! You'll regret this!" the Nine-Tails howled, thrashing against the chains.
"I'm warning you! That boy isn't what he seems! He's not-"
Mito gave a flick of her wrist. The chains whipped tighter, snapping shut around the fox's mouth, silencing it in a flash of gold.
The Nine-Tails' fury reached a fever pitch. Its slit pupils widened in rage, until they locked eyes with him.
Kadoya.
The Uchiha's twisted, unreadable smirk sent another surge of violence through the beast, who thrashed harder. It had so much more to say, but Mito would not let it.
She was tired.
Even with her life force waning, she held the beast firm. Her gaze turned to Kushina.
"Come," she said gently.
Kushina stepped forward. Her breath hitched as she stared up at the chained monster, this embodiment of hatred, rage, and destruction. Was this truly about to become a part of her?
Mito reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Don't be afraid. You're different from it. You won't be alone."
The golden chains pulsed, dissolving the fox's chakra construct. The raw power began flowing into Kushina, burning like fire as it surged into her body.
Kushina's red hair whipped in the storm of energy, her face contorted in pain as the transfer continued.
Mito's eyes dimmed with a faint trace of disappointment. Kushina was strong, but the way her body reacted meant she might never wield the Nine-Tails as a weapon. Only contain it.
Still... there was Kadoya.
With his Sharingan, with Enkidu, and with whatever strange truths the Nine-Tails feared in him... perhaps he could help Kushina master it. Mito chuckled weakly.
Of course, that would be a problem for another day.
Mito focused one final time, placing her palm on Kushina's abdomen.
A vortex-like seal glowed into existence, locking the Nine-Tails' chakra into place.
"Four Symbols Seal!"
She whispered, drawing in a final deep breath.
Kushina gasped but smiled through the pain. "Mito-sama… it worked!"
Behind them, Minato clenched his fists tightly. His heart ached. He knew Kushina was strong, but this was a burden no one should carry alone. And all he could do was stand here and watch.
Mito gave him a knowing look, then sat down slowly.
She glanced around the room once more, at Hiruzen, at Tsunade, at Kadoya, Nawaki, and even Danzo.
"This is farewell," she murmured. "Hashirama… I'm coming."
With a peaceful smile, she closed her eyes.
And never opened them again.
The silence in the room was deafening.
Even Danzo Shimura stood still, the ever-pragmatic war hawk, bowing his head with honest respect.
Mito Uzumaki, hero of the Hidden Leaf, Jinjuriki of the Nine-Tails, and wife of the First Hokage, was gone.
Hiruzen's heart trembled. He had prepared himself for this moment, but it didn't make it any easier. This death would shake the shinobi world.
With Mito gone, Konoha had lost not just a powerful kunoichi, but a symbol of stability. The other villages would hear of it soon... and they would act.
But for now, mourning came first.
Tsunade stepped forward, her hands glowing faintly green, smoothing her grandmother's final appearance. Hiruzen and a few others lifted her gently into a Sengoku-era coffin, carved with the crests of both the Senju and the Uzumaki.
Nawaki sobbed quietly into Saiguu's shoulder. She tried to look strong, but tears glistened in her eyes too.
When the ceremony was complete, Hiruzen turned to the crowd.
"A new era has begun," he said firmly. "We must all work harder than ever to uphold Mito-sama's legacy… and protect the Will of Fire."
"Yes!" came the chorus of voices.
But then Danzo stepped forward.
"Hiruzen," he said coolly, "how will we handle Mito-sama's funeral?"
The tension in the air shifted.
Danzo's next words struck the room like a needle to the heart.
"Her death carries great weight. If news reaches the other villages, we will be vulnerable. After all… we cannot guarantee the new Jinchuriki can control the beast inside her."
Everyone went quiet.
Kadoya said nothing.
To Danzo Shimura, Kushina had already lost her name the moment she became a Jinchuriki.