"Mito-sama's final wish... was to see the village she loved one last time," Hiruzen said solemnly, his voice low and reverent.
"Tsunade, Nawaki, Kadoya, Kushina, step forward."
At the sound of their names, the four stepped silently from the crowd. Kadoya's expression was unreadable. Tsunade's was firm, Nawaki looked quietly overwhelmed, and Kushina, though composed, carried a deep sorrow in her eyes.
Under Hiruzen's gaze, the four positioned themselves at each corner of the coffin, lifting it onto their shoulders with measured care.
Koharu and Homura stood nearby, guiding the attendees and maintaining the solemn order of the ceremony.
Per Hiruzen's arrangement, every attending shinobi held a white flower, following behind the coffin in respectful silence. At the very end of the procession, it would be Tsunade and Kadoya who would personally lay Mito to rest.
Hiruzen understood the weight of this arrangement.
Mito had resented him for allowing Uzushiogakure to fall. He hadn't forgotten.
The selection of coffin bearers held deep symbolic weight:
Tsunade, Mito's direct granddaughter and the newly appointed head of the Senju Clan, represented both bloodline and leadership.
Nawaki, though less prominent, was still family, still Senju, and his presence solidified their shared legacy.
Kushina, the last Uzumaki of the village and the current Jinchuriki, was a symbol of endurance and stability in the face of devastating loss.
But the one who drew the most attention... was Kadoya.
Mito's chosen successor, the current Head of the Uzumaki Clan. Student to both Tsunade and Orochimaru. Now firmly within the Hokage succession system.
As Kadoya's hand gripped the coffin, and he moved forward with the others, whispers rippled through the gathered shinobi.
Most of them had no idea why a supposed Uchiha was here at all, let alone carrying Mito's coffin. Even fewer knew of his true standing. But those who did, the high-ranking officials, the inner circle, they understood.
This was a message.
Notably, no Uchiha Police Force members were present, not even the Clan Head.
That absence was no coincidence. Hiruzen had offered them a chance to attend. But Kadoya declined on their behalf.
Hiruzen hadn't asked why. He had simply nodded, perhaps believing Kadoya had thrown his lot in with the Hokage faction.
But Kadoya's reasoning was far more calculated.
He didn't reject the Uchiha.
He wanted them to understand: respect and recognition in this village would not come from the clan's name, but from him.
And after today, the Uchiha clan would begin to understand that truth. And the Clan would have to change.
As the group carrying the coffin moved slowly out of the plaza, guiding Mito through the village she once protected, eyes followed them from every rooftop and alley.
Among them, Uchiha and ANBU, scattered clan members, watched in stunned silence.
Kadoya walking beside Tsunade, Kushina, and Nawaki stirred something deep within the Uchiha, a storm of emotions they didn't know how to name.
For the first time, the position of Hokage didn't feel so far from their grasp.
Fumo Uchiha, the current Clan Head of the Uchiha, and Setsuna Uchiha, one of the elders of the Clan, stare at the boy carrying Mito's coffin.
Fumo's darkened visibly, calculations already spinning behind his narrowed eyes. A direct conflict with Kadoya wouldn't be wise. That much he understood.
And Setsuna...
Setsuna Uchiha's hawk-like gaze stayed locked on Kadoya from a distance, his voice a low, bitter murmur.
"I will never accept this. I will never accept this."
He could see it clearly. Kadoya had taken a different path, one that worked.
But even if it brought success-
Who would pay for Setsuna's suffering?
He remembered the early days of the Third Hokage's rule. How he had opposed it. How he had been crushed under the boots of Tobirama Senju, then Hiruzen Sarutobi. How he was locked away, humiliated.
Even now, though Tobirama was long dead, Setsuna's grudge hadn't faded. If anything, it had festered.
He clenched his fists until his nails dug into his palm.
"Managing politics... what nonsense," he spat quietly. "Kagami's children... I'll turn them into blades."
"Blades sharp enough to destroy everything."
Meanwhile, Kadoya and the group steadily approached the barrier's edge, the final threshold of Mito's journey.
According to the ceremonial plan, Kushina and Nawaki were meant to stop here. The remainder of the path would be carried by Tsunade and Kadoya alone.
But Kushina hesitated.
Something stirred deep within her, an odd silence from the Nine-Tails. That quiet, for once, wasn't oppressive. It was tempting.
She recalled Danzo's cold voice, the way he never used her name. Just "Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."
She clenched her jaw. If she could carry Mito beyond the barrier, if she could endure, would they finally see her? Not as a vessel, but as Kushina Uzumaki?
She wanted that. More than ever.
What she didn't realize was that the silence inside her wasn't peace, it was a snare. The Nine-Tails had narrowed its eyes, quietly channeling chakra through her seal, provoking her longing and pride.
As Kushina stepped past the designated line, she didn't lower the coffin. Instead, in a firm, low voice, she said:
"Tsunade-ne... I can do this. Let me finish it."
Tsunade blinked, startled. It was against the protocol, and on an occasion this solemn, no misstep was acceptable. But stopping now would only draw more attention, and placing the coffin down midway would be disrespectful.
Before Tsunade could respond, Kadoya spoke calmly:
"Kushina, I trust you."
Then, turning to Tsunade, he added, "Sensei... let it continue."
Kadoya narrowed his gaze back toward Kushina. She was not the type to act impulsively.
Well... not all the time.
Still, there is an explanation.
The Nine-Tails.
Kadoya's lips curled slightly. The fox hated him. And truthfully, he didn't care.
Still, Kushina and Nawaki continued to bear the coffin, leaving Tsunade and Kadoya no choice but to match their pace. The procession crossed the threshold of the barrier.
The moment Kushina stepped through, the Nine-Tails roared within her.
Its presence surged forward, trying to shatter the weakened seal.
"Who do you think you are, you miserable container?!"
"This barrier... you'll never be able to get out of here! You'll die alone and forgotten in this place."
"Everyone is lying to you, everyone is using you, haven't you noticed? Your so-called companions, the high-level people in this village, have even forgotten your name, and only refer to you as a container!"
"Hurry up, unlock this seal, so that I can help you free from pain!"
The voice was thunderous, laced with twisted honey, irresistibly tempting.
Kushina's hands began to tremble under the coffin's weight. Flickers of orange-red chakra, savage and boiling, began to pulse from her back, creeping along her shoulders.
Nawaki was frightened, and Tsunade also quickly realized that something was wrong!
The Nine-Tails' chakra was unmistakable, and this close to Mito's body, even the faintest loss of control would be catastrophic.
Tsunade prepared to act, but Kadoya had already beaten her to it.
His eyes flared red, the tomoe of his Sharingan spinning into life as he turned his head toward Kushina.
Their eyes locked.
Kushina's mind, already fraying, was suddenly anchored, seized by the hypnotic pull of his gaze. The Nine-Tails' chakra snapped back, vanishing as quickly as it appeared.
Her pupils spun, turning into the pattern of the Sharingan.
Kadoya didn't look away.
"Tsunade-sensei," he said in a voice low and certain, "I'm going to speak with the Nine-Tails. For now... everything continues as planned."
Tsunade studied him for a long moment, then gave a subtle nod.
In her heart, she was grateful. Had anything gone wrong, not even Hiruzen himself could have cleaned up the consequences.
...
Inside Kushina's inner world, a storm of chakra raged. The oppressive malice of the Nine-Tails pressed in all around her.
She was barely standing, sweating, shaking, locked in a losing struggle.
Then, through the haze, Kadoya emerged.
As Kushina turned to him, her vision swam, and her knees buckled. She dropped to the ground before collapsing into her own inner world.
Kadoya stepped forward, his gaze locked on the massive fox.
And then he smiled.
That cold, arrogant, familiar smile that always seemed out of place, until moments like this.
His voice was low, unbothered. "Kurama... we meet again. Do you still remember me?"
The Nine-Tails' eyes snapped wide open.
A sudden wave of dread surged through the beast as it felt that power, the same pupil force that once shackled its will.
Golden chains manifested around it in an instant. Not Kushina's. Not the Uzumaki's Adamantine Sealing Chains.
These were different.
The fox's limbs tensed as the pointed tips of the chains hovered around him, aimed like spears at a beast already defeated.
The fear he had once felt returned in a single heartbeat.
Although it didn't know what Enkidu truly was, it could tell that, unlike the Adamantine Sealing Chains, which seal off its power, Enkidu made it feel completely powerless. No matter how hard it resists, how much it struggles, it could never break the Chains of Heaven.
The Nine-Tails let out a roar, but the defiance in its voice was already fading."Who are you?! Tell me your name!"
The roar had lost its magic to seduce people. It sounded more like the barking of a cornered animal.
Kadoya stepped closer, his eyes glowing. "My name... is Kadoya Uchiha."
The chains launched forward, wrapping around Kurama's neck and yanking his massive head downward. The fox snarled, no matter how much it struggled, it still couldn't even break free, as more and more golden chains came out, wrapping themself around it massive body and pinning it to the ground.
"And I'll be your new master." Kadoya said with a sinister smirk, before pulling out a blank summoning contract he bought from his shop system.
Kadoya's humiliating words and the empty summoning contract made the Nine-Tailed Fox even angrier, but at the same time, panic and fear surged in its heart.
Its memories flashed, memories of Madara Uchiha, and the forced contract, the loss of control, the humiliation.
Now it was happening again.
The fox's rage exploded, but its chakra went nowhere. The chains didn't even flinch.
"A pet should act like one, don't you think? Kurama..." Kadoya whispered, tucking the contract away after forcing Kurama to sign it.
He smiled again, this one darker.
"In fact... I hope you do break free one day. I'd love to be your next Jinchuriki. I think we'd have a very happy life."
Its pupils shrank. Cold sweat pooled beneath the fur of his brow. It tried to speak, but no words came.
"How about a sneak peek of your new home?"
Kadoya raised one hand to his shoulder, cracked the seal open slightly, just enough.
His crimson eyes spun.
In the next instant, the Nine-Tails found itself inside a black empty space.
Where there is no sky nor land. Just black void.
The Nine-Tails flailed instinctively, but there was nothing to land on, nothing to grasp. Only an eternal abyss. Distant, scattered objects floated in the darkness.
Five stone plates, humming with otherworldly power.
A box, with a single open eye, staring, unblinking.
A sword that seemed to be alive somehow.
Two fruit-like orbs...
And finally...
A small girl, asleep.
That girl.
Its fur bristled. A chill crawled through his soul.
She radiated... love. A love that felt like it was staring right into the sun.
But also... an ocean of sorrow.
The beast's breath hitched.
This girl gives a sense of both good and evil that makes even if feel dizzy trying to comprehend.
Before it could ponder further, the scene vanished.
The fox was back in Kushina's mindscape.
Its breath was heavy, and cold sweat was running down its orange fur.
Kadoya stood where he had been, unbothered.
"I'll visit often, Kurama... if I get the chance." He smiled one last time and faded into the mist.
The Nine-Tails, still trembling, lay down on the ground, feeling terrified and exhausted, even now its body won't stop shaking from the fear it felt. For now, the beast just wanted to rest and forget about the recent fear and humiliation.
Who is that girl? Who is Kadoya Uchiha?
The thoughts clawed at its mind. But it quickly forced them down. It didn't want to think about it anymore.
...
Outside, in the real world, the burial proceeded quietly.
Kadoya and the others had already stepped into the tomb that had long been prepared. There, beneath the silent stone, Mito Uzumaki was laid to rest.
With that, the ceremony was complete.
One by one, Konoha shinobi stepped forward, some in silence, others with bowed heads, to offer their final farewells.
Standing off to the side, Tsunade and Kadoya observed it all in respectful silence.
After a moment, Tsunade spoke softly, her voice tinged with relief and gratitude.
"Kadoya... thank you. If not for you-"
Kadoya shook his head gently, cutting her off.
"Tsunade-sensei," he said calmly, eyes still fixed on the tomb and the notification on his system, "I only did what needed to be done."
Congratulations!
Quest Complete: "Even A Tailed Beast Fear You!"
Reward: + 2 System Points
Title Unlocked: [Kurama's Fear], [Uzumaki Clan Head]
Reward: + One-Tailed Chakra Cloak + Uzumaki's Strong Vitality