Uzumaki Mito felt utterly exhausted.

  Sora… this child is far too guarded, she thought.

  Even now, though she had made it clear that she could see through his mask, he remained posed. His tone and words were fwless as if refusing to let even a sliver of truth slip through.

  With a resigned sigh, Mito said, "Sora, 't we have an ho versation? No one else will know about what we discussed today. If your hostility toward me stems from Kushina's situation, the me remind you—I am speaking to you not as a Jinchūriki or as Konoha's elder, but simply as Kushina's elder, your elder as well."

  Sora tilted his head slightly, his expression calm yet unreadable. His voice, however, was ced with a quiet edge as he responded, **"Master Mito, as Kushina's elder, did you ever ask her if she wao bee a Jinchūriki? If you didn't give her that choice, then do my thoughts really matter?

  No matter what I say or think, Kushina will repce you as Konoha's ails Jinchūriki, correct?

  So… does it even matter?"**

  Uzumaki Mito's eyes flickered with aion she couldn't hide. He was right. Kushina's future as the ails Jinchūriki was already decided, aability that her Sora's objes nor Kushina's desires could ge.

  But still…

  Mito met Sora's pierg gaze, her expression softeni growing more determined. "It does matter. Because your thoughts matter to Kushina."

  Silence fell between them. Sora stared into Mito's eyes for a long moment, his emotions unreadable. Finally, he broke the silence, his voice quiet but firm. "I only want Kushina to always be happy."

  His answer was clear.

  Being a Jinchūriki was synonymous with a lifetime of suffering and isotion. While Uzumaki Mito had avoided much of this paio her status as the First Hokage's wife and her mastery of powerful sealing teiques, other Jinchūriki in different vilges had endured much harsher fates.

  Most Jinchūriki were forced to battle their tailed beasts for trol of their bodies, a stant struggle that brought immense pain. Worse still, if a Jinchūriki's power went out of trol, i lives were often lost, leading to widespread fear and hatred toward them.

  The greatest agony came if the tailed beast was extracted. Because the boween a Jinchūriki and their tailed beast was one of life ah, removing the beast from its host's body meaaih for the Jinchūriki. The process was excruciating, a soul-tearing pain that no one could endure unscathed.

  Sora's response, his wish for Kushina to always be happy, was a clear reje of her fate as a Jinchūriki. It was an i but firm statement against the path that had been chosen for her.

  Uzumaki Mito let out a heavy sigh. "But… being a Jinchūriki is Kushina's destiny…"

  At those words, Sora felt a sudden surge of frustration and bitterness. His voice was sharp as he retorted, "Destiny? No, it's because Kushina is powerless to choose otherwise. The word 'destiny' is just a ve excuse for f her into this role and making her accept it. I think you, Mito-sama, uand this better than anyone else. So please, don't speak to me about destiny."

  Mito was taken aback by his words. For the first time, she saw the storm of emotions he so carefully kept hiddeh his calm exterior.

  Her gaze softened, but she didn't flinch. Instead, she asked him directly, "Since you want Kushina always to be happy, does that mean you io ge this oute?"

  Sora lowered his head slightly once more and said, "I am just an ordinary ninja in Konoha. These matters are beyond me. Lord Hokage and the others will naturally make the arras."

  Uzumaki Mito felt a headache ing on.

  Here we go again. Why is it so difficult to have an ho versation with this boy?

  She khere was no point in tinuing. Sora wouldn't lower his guard around her, and she uood the reason all too well.

  The reason was Uzumaki Kushina.

  As long as Kushina was set to bee the sed ails Jinchūriki, Sora would never open his heart—not to her aainly not to Konoha. In fact, his hostility toward the vilge would only deepen.

  Finally, Mito asked o question. "Sora… is Konoha important to you?"

  Sora responded with a question of his own. "Mito-sama, is Kushina important to you?"

  Mito's expression grew mencholic.

  Was Kushina important to her?

  Of course, she was.

  But pared to Konoha?

  Konoha was more important.

  Mito's silence was answer enough. Sora's aoo, became clear without him needing to say it. He had things in his life that were more important than Konoha.

  To Sora, it seemed Uzumaki Kushina wasn't truly important to Uzumaki Mito—not in the way she should be.

  Mito exhaled tiredly and spoke in a softer voice. "Sora, I love Kushina very much. Whether you believe me or not, I truly hope that you live a good life in Konoha."

  Sora bowed slightly, his tone courteous but distant. "Master Mito, of course, I believe you love Kushina. After all, you are her only remaining family. And please rest assured—I live a good life in Konoha and have always been grateful to the vilge."

  Mito sighed deeply, feeling the weight of the versation. She waved her hand dismissively. "Very well, go. Kushina has been eagerly awaiting your return every day while you've been away, so I won't keep you any longer."

  Without another word, Sora turned ahe room.

  As the door closed behind him, Mito let out a sigh of relief.

  Sora is just a child… but when he speaks, he's no different from a seasoned shinobi, perhaps even a sly old fox.

  She reflected on their versation, particurly the moment his mood had shifted when she mentioned Kushina's "destiny" as a Jinchūriki. Aside from that single pse, Sora's words had been airtight, giving her no room to probe further.

  A faint, weary smile crossed her face. "What a little fox," she murmured to herself. Despite everything, her smile carried a sense of approval.

  Not far from the door, Sora spotted Uzumaki Kushina crouched on the ground, engrossed in something.

  He approached her and squatted beside her. "What are you looking at so ily?" he asked with a smile.

  Kushina poio a tiny wildflrowiween the cracks in the floorboards. "Look, Sora! A flower mao grow here, in a pce like this! Doesn't it feel prettier than all the other flowers?"

  Sora followed her gaze to the small, resilient flower. His eyes flickered with a faiion as he replied, "Yeah… it really is amazing. To bloom in a pce like this… how could it not be beautiful?"

  As Sora admired the flower, Kushina suddenly climbed onto his back, her face lighting up with excitement. "Enough with the flower talk! Time waits for no one! Let's go!"

  Sora chuckled, hoisting her onto his bad seg her legs. "Alright, let's go. You used to treat me to meals, but today, I got my first mission reward, so it's my turn to treat you!"

  Typically, when a Genin pletes a mission, a portion of the reward is given to the team leader. However, Orochimaru, Sora's team leader, had deed to take his share, allowing Sora to keep the full 60,000 ryo from the k mission.

  From her per Sora's back, Kushina pumped her fist in the air. "In that case, I'm going to eat a lot!"

  "No problem!" Shed, his steps light as he carried Kushina out of Mito's mansion.

  The cheerful pair departed, leaving behind the weight of the serious versation, heading toward a brighter moment of camaraderie.

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