Chapter 75: The Wife of the First Hokage

Led by the maidservants, Kushina headed straight towards the large bed. Suddenly, an indescribable feeling arose in her heart, as if directed towards the person lying on the bed.

"Have you sensed my chakra?" As Kushina stood there, a faint, elderly voice came from the bed, sounding like an old lady. 

Approaching the bed, another maidservant pulled back the curtains, revealing an old lady with a kind smile. Although she appeared very aged, her eyes had a sharp gaze, as if able to see through one's good and evil in an instant.

Kushina narrowed her eyes, observing the old lady's long, completely white hair scattered on the bed. It was easy to imagine how stunningly beautiful she must have been in her youth.

"Who are you...?" Kushina asked, feeling an inexplicable emotion welling up in her chest. Despite it being their first meeting, she felt no sense of unfamiliarity, but rather a sense of intimacy.

The old lady gazed at her with a gentle smile and said, "Like you, I am from the Uzumaki clan."

Upon receiving this answer, Kushina showed no surprise, her expression only slightly trembling.

This emotion was beyond her own expectations.

Immediately, she was startled, wondering what had come over her.

Seeming to understand her thoughts, the old lady gestured for the maidservants to withdraw, then beckoned for Kushina to come closer. Kushina felt unable to refuse her words and instinctively approached her. The old lady stretched out her extremely wrinkled yet once slender hand and grasped Kushina's hand.

"As I said, we are both from the Uzumaki clan, so we share the same chakra. You can sense my chakra, which is why you don't find it strange when I reveal my identity," the old lady explained with a smile, like a grandmother treating her granddaughter.

Hearing this, Kushina nodded, not dwelling too much on the matter.

Soon, the unusual expression on her face faded, and she regained her usual energetic demeanor. Looking at the old lady, she asked, "Grandma, when did you come to Konoha?"

Kushina herself had been found and brought to Konoha by its people from the border of the Land of Fire a little over a year ago. Since the old lady was also from the Uzumaki clan, Kushina was most concerned about this question.

Upon hearing this, a reminiscent expression appeared on the old lady's face, and she replied, "I can't quite remember the specifics, but it was probably over thirty years ago."

"Ah?" Kushina was taken aback. Although not well-versed in theoretical knowledge, she still knew some basic facts about Konoha.

From its establishment until now, Konoha has existed for no more than thirty years. If that's the case, doesn't it mean that this old lady was brought here back then?

And from the moment Kushina entered until now, the environment in which the old lady lived seemed much more restricted, judging by the number of guards present, at least a few dozen that Kushina had seen.

Moreover, although they hadn't engaged in combat, the skills of each guard seemed far more formidable than Kushina's current abilities.

"Hehe," the old lady chuckled, then grasped Kushina's hand and said, "I know you have too many questions in your mind right now, like why you were brought here, and why you even came to the Konoha ninja village."

"Although I cannot tell you all the answers now, you should be able to sense that after coming here, everyone treats you differently from those outside, without malice."

Previously, Kushina had lived on the border of the Land of Fire, which was not a peaceful place. Bandits or people with ill intentions would often appear.

Although the military was stationed at the border of the Land of Fire, they never intervened.

There were other scattered Uzumaki clan members in the village besides Kushina, but Kushina had no relatives, or rather, she didn't even know if her relatives were still alive, who they were, or if she would recognize them even if they stood before her.

Compared to those days, although she was subjected to some constraints in Konoha, as the old lady said, the people here had no malice towards her. Although there were occasional scuffles at the ninja academy, everyone still became good friends in the end.

Moreover, there was someone as radiant as the sun, shining upon her.

With all of this, Kushina already felt fortunate. She didn't want to lose what she now considered her home, a place she wanted to protect.

That's why her dream was to become the Hokage!

"Mmm," Kushina nodded, her small face beaming with a smile.

The old lady before her couldn't help but pause, for she knew everything about this child. Kushina's arrival here was orchestrated by her own hand.

However, perhaps not long from now, she herself might destroy everything Kushina currently possessed.

She was well aware of what a child like Kushina cherished the most.

She also knew that when she took on that heavy burden in place of Kushina, all of this would be taken away from her.

But she wouldn't hesitate, for it was for the sake of the man she deeply loved.

He had risked everything, even his life and that of his brothers, to protect this village, and he would never allow any mishap to occur.

"Grandma, my name is Kushina Uzumaki. What's yours?" Kushina then tilted her small head and said. Since she had no relatives, and the old lady was also from the Uzumaki clan, she was Kushina's kin.

"Mito Uzumaki," the old lady said with a smile. Upon hearing this, Kushina's expression instantly turned to one of utter shock.

With a stunned look, she exclaimed, "You are the legendary kunoichi of the Uzumaki clan... Mito Uzumaki, the wife of the First Hokage?"

Although the Uzumaki clan no longer existed, Kushina knew a fair bit about her clan's history.

The Uzumaki clan and the Senju clan were once distant relatives, and when the Uzumaki clan was still around, there were often intermarriages between the two clans. Among them, the most legendary name was Mito Uzumaki.

Her husband's name was known to all, revered as a god-like figure in the ninja world. It was said that those who had witnessed his power believed he was as powerful as the Sage of Six Paths, the mythical ancestor of all ninjas.

The God of Shinobi, the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju!

Recalling everything she had seen since entering Konoha, it was no wonder the courtyard, corridors, and even the interior decor were all related to trees.

This was most likely Mito's way of commemorating her late husband, for the First Hokage's unparalleled strength stemmed from his unique kekkei genkai, the Wood Release, which only he could use.

(End of Chapter)