Kai sat there in a daze like usual, not even being able to pay Kushina any attention as she was curled up on the other side of the familiar bed. He had rushed here straight after returning to the village to have his chances of meeting Mito again get a bit higher...

He grimaced slightly as his hand reached out to where a familiar set of feet would be waiting for him to massage. Heaving a forceful breath, Kai closed his eyes and then snapped them open. He wasn't a kid and he was prepared for it in the first place. Mito... had a special place in his heart but he has seen death in his previous life and even more in this one. He didn't have tears for Mito but a promise. A promise he intended to keep not to repay any favors.

You can't repay the favors to a dead. Just that he'd made a promise and he didn't have Gamer Mind breathing down his neck like last time to have him break all those promises. But again, he could feel Kushina's sadness. She was heartbroken. But when he dug deeper, he felt that maelstrom of everything that is raging and vindictive within her. Yet... Kai was a little surprised when that presence was somewhat weaker.

He still cannot even hope to fathom the strength of the Bijuu within Kushina but he was sure the beast was weak for some reason.

"Kai... I miss her..." Kushina whispered, feeling even worse now. Kai had returned safe and sound but she couldn't muster a shred of joy or relief at the moment as the thought of Mito lifelessly laying on her legs back then flashed in front of her eyes.

"Yeah, I miss her, too," Kai whispered and changed the subject, "What about you? And..."

"It's a damn fox... dattebane..." Kushina growled before weakly ending it off and explaining softly while slowly shuffling and sitting up before hugging her knees with a despondent expression, "Everyone who knows about Kyubi never told me how dangerous it was. Kai... it was so big... if it wasn't for Grandma Mito, I would have been devoured. But she... she left me with not only the fox but everything."

She looked at him, both of their gazes flashing in sadness again but they were interrupted by one of the servants, "Kushina-sama, Tsunade-sama is here—"

A body flickered into their room. It was Tsunade who pulled a chair for herself and spoke softly, "Sensei just told me after I gave the complete report..."

"Oh..." was the only response Kai could muster while Kushina crawled over to him and buried her head in his lap, silently hugging his waist while he stroked her hair. Even before they became genins, it was apparent to Kushina that Kai was more mature than her and that had led her to tease him often about many things but now she thanked her lucky stars that there was someone for her, or she didn't know what she would have done...

Tsunade merely shared the silence with them. Not offering anything because she had nothing to offer. What should she share? Her own sadness? The only reason she could hold it better than Kushina was her added experience but her clenched fists still quivered.

Realizing something, Kai looked at Tsunade, "Did we miss the funeral?"

"About that..." Tsunade frowned and exhaled a gloomy sigh, "The Hokage has sent a summon for you but you may be excused this time for not making it on time."

Although still a boy and a quirky one at that, Tsunade felt after what the boy had achieved these past few months, treating him like a child, a pitiful one at that would be a recipe for disastrous disrespect. Still, he was a boy and she knew how much Mito doted on him. More than Nawaki and Kushina, too, Tsunade knew. Her hands just fell on his head and as he silently stroked Kushina's head, her hand stroked the top of his head and gently ruffled through his hair.

---

Mikoto looked at the masked shinobi waiting for her in front of the entrance of their compound and nodded. With Tsunade and Kai entering the war front and leaving them behind, Mikoto found her time occupied by missions. Escort missions, delivery missions, and whatnot. Most of it had turned into simpler C-rank missions but Kushina wasn't allowed to take any and that made Mikoto drift from one team to another. What came from this was the fact that she became more well-known.

Not that she was given any chance to care for it. Not having Kushina in missions didn't change a thing as they would train with Nono in the Senju Compound whenever possible to push themselves forward but recent events made Mikoto confused.

Sharingan has three stages, each marked with an addition of a black tomoe mark in their pupils. The base Sharingan has one tomoe, when further developed, it will have two tomoe marks and then finally three. Each development brings an initial strain to the body and a need for recalibration of how the body should move to keep up with the enhanced dynamic vision... but Mikoto was surprised by what caused this development.

Wheel of Love, her father claimed Sharingan to be in a fit of humor than the Circle of Hatred. She felt helpless, a little too much. The thought of not being there for the boy and the consequence of that being his death, or worse circumstances, just pulled something out of her. It tugged on her again but not hard enough when she found Kushina once the death of Mistress Mito was announced.

These past few months truly have been wearier ever with many beginning to realize what the Diplomatic Missions really were. News of such kind cannot really be hidden.

Yet the moment she entered the Hokage office, finding three weary figures with bleak expressions alongside the Hokage behind his desk and the three elders on the seats in front of the table, Mikoto felt a little unnerved. She hadn't known that Kai and Sensei had returned but the Hokage seemed more intent to pursue another aim for this meeting and inhaled deeply from his pipe before speaking with the usual warmth in his tone, "Ah, Mikoto-kun, you will have time to share your experience with Kai-kun and Tsunade later. I do apologize for asking you on such short notice when you returned just a few hours ago yourself."

Making it clear, Hiruzen seemed to be focusing on Kai and let his lips tug into a sad smile, "I'm sorry for your loss, Kai-kun, Mito-san was an inspiration to all of us."

Kai wanted to cut short that he needed nothing of this. Inspiration? What a joke! She was pure menace restrained only by her wrinkles. The kind of grandma who'd either force cookies or a violent thrashing! She was no inspiration but a figure to fear and love... and aspire to become.

But it wouldn't do to blow his fuse until he could beat the man's ugly mug... damn he was irritated!

"Before leaving Kushina-chan with everything as her successor, Mito-san wishes for her body to be delivered to the Uzumaki Clan. Her last wish dictated that this mission should be given to Team Tsunade and none other. For that reason, we waited and preserved Mito-san's body in the hospital. She's been fully sealed and aside from that, Mito-san also wishes a sealed object to be delivered to Uzushiogakure."

The room was in heavy silence as Team Tsunade processed the information before Tsunade grunted with an annoyed scowl, "There's a but, isn't it? Would've thought you'd save our time from your theatrics and just be on with it."

Hiruzen sighed and nodded, "But in this sensitive moment, Konohagakure cannot allow Kushina to leave. This mission, if chosen to be accepted as Mito-san kept it optional for you, must be undertaken with Team Tsunade excluding Kushina Uzumaki."

The redhead bit her lower lip with obvious indignance while Tsunade narrowed her eyes, "And why are the three elders still present?"

Not letting Hiruzen speak for him, Danzo spoke up, "Because it is in Konoha's interest that such a decisively strong team doesn't leave the village or you may get targeted by the enemies. For that reason, we're here to persuade you."

"No!" Kushina snapped with a shocked expression, "At least let Grandma get her last wish dattebane!"

"Kushina-chan, the war is quite dangerous—"

"But after so much Grandma has done!" Kushina interjected with a less than moderate growl as she was burnt off of tears and she did NOT take the news kindly with her hair swaying gently due to the outrageous outburst of chakra in her words.

"Kushina!" Tsunade glared at the girl sternly while Mikoto had a deep frown. Not at Kushina's well-founded outburst but Danzo's following words as he spoke patiently, "A shinobi must become a tool and toss away their emotions."

'Your fucking mom is the village's tool, dumb bitch,' Kai scoffed internally and stated after a moment of another heavy silence as Tsunade didn't know which direction to take.

"Chunin Kai advises Team Leader Tsunade to accept the mission with the village's condition," Kai shrugged as if he wasn't despondent just a few seconds ago.

Danzo and the other elders frowned but having had enough of this farce, Tsunade hummed, "Suggestion noted. We will take this mission, Sensei."

"Understood," Hiruzen leaned back with a soft sigh and nodded, "Everyone except the elders and Kushina should return to the office tomorrow at 4 am for the mission's briefing."

---

"There, there... why the hell are you guys so intent on hugging me? Don't get me wrong, it feels good now that you finally started growing—" Interrupting his monologue that tainted the heartwarming hug Mikoto intended for it to be by shoving him away with a snort, the girl held Kushina's hand as Nono seemed to have forgotten her usual airheadedness and sat not far away from them.

"We will recover," Tsunade looked at the kids in front of her, "In my experience, Time is the definition of best iryo nin. It heals all wounds. What we're feeling now may never pass but we WILL live to adapt to it. Remember, our life and missions work alongside the possibility of death. Besides, even if I didn't see it, I am willing to bet everything that Grandma died with a smile."

Kushina flinched but then heaved a deep breath and nodded, "She did."

"Hmm," Tsunade nodded and cast a brief glance in Kai's direction who recovered his blank expression and nodded inwardly. Hurting or not, it was Kai who suggested that they took the mission and it wouldn't do if the boy was breaking apart.

Changing the topic, Tsunade looked at Kushina and sighed softly, "Kushina... Jinchurikis are restricted but I'm sure the clan in Uzushiogakure would have at least told you what was expected of you even if not speaking anything about Bijuu, right?"

Kushina nodded with a disgruntled huff while Nono pointed her obliviousness to the word, "Bijuu?"

"Right, it wouldn't do if ignorance on the matter and a few rumors caused misunderstanding within ourselves."

And with that, Tsunade explained once and for all to the group about Bijuu, Mito being a Jinchuriki of the strongest Bijuu, the Nine-tailed fox Kyubi, and how only individuals with astonishingly large chakra reserves can only hope to seal the chakra beast and suppress it under their own.

Nono nodded, accepting the information with a hint of healthy eagerness while Mikoto's hand squeezed Kushina's palm a little tighter.

"What about Uzushiogakure?" Kai questioned, being war buddied with the likes of Jiraiya and Orochimaru had its perks and Kai knew how the Uzumaki clan fiercely protected their neutrality, going as far as sealing themselves within their village. Tsunade's gaze flashed for a moment. She still remembered how Mito deduced that Senju and Uzumaki are being threatened...

The former turned out to be true but preparations and staying on top of things made sure to increase the clan shinobi's survival rate.

And about the latter...

Tsunade grew a bit more cautious.

"Alright! You have five more minutes. Make peace with everything. After that, I want to seriously assess your growth," She looked at Mikoto and Kushina with a brashness evident in her tone, "If Grandma knew we're wasting time sulking instead of preparing for her mission, she'd come down and give you the bamboo."

***

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