chapter 87 part 4
"Huh?"
"You should refuse me. No one is worth your unilateral efforts, not even me. However you perceive the connection between me, you, and Lord Mito, those are your personal thoughts. All I do is accept Missions and then execute them. If I had to say, I might also be very interested in the Nine-Tails Chakra Lord Mito bestowed upon me."
After thinking, Tsukasa Kaede emphasized again: "You still owe me some Nine-Tails Chakra. Remember to return it to me in the future. This stuff is very useful. Even Hokage wouldn't say anything if he knew."
"Do you think I have a good temper?" Kushina widened her eyes.
"I've certainly heard of your nickname, Red Hot Habanero, when chatting with some juniors. Precisely because of that, don't you think you're quite uninteresting now? Where's your confidence and feistiness? There's no need to demean yourself for external approval; never do that."
Tsukasa Kaede looked up at the bright moon in the sky. He seemed to somewhat enjoy these rare recreational activities, perhaps trying to find traces of the Giant Tenseigan: "Life isn't entirely about seeking validation; the self is the core."
"But Lord Mito never seemed to teach me this way. My mission is to become the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, to use my efforts to protect this Village that generations have poured their countless efforts into. This is my life..."
"The life everyone *hopes* you'll achieve."
Tsukasa Kaede interrupted: "Life itself has no meaning, but if you persevere, you might discover interesting things. Pleasing yourself is the true pleasure."
These were words that Orochimaru would speak in the future, his commentary on life when he could no longer turn back.
"Have some sake."
Tsukasa Kaede opened two pots of sake, handing one—or rather, a bottle—to Kushina.
Kushina paused, hesitated for a moment, and surprisingly, actually took it. Smelling the sake, she wavered, unsure whether to really drink it.
Seeing this scene, the Anbu Ninja grew anxious.
"Captain, how can he encourage the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to drink sake? This isn't right! Kushina has only been a Jinchuriki for a few days; none of us know the extent of her control over the Nine-Tails. If she gets drunk and the Nine-Tails breaks out..."
"Furthermore, Kushina Uzumaki is still underage, and being encouraged to do such a thing also violates Village regulations, doesn't it?"
Some Anbu Ninja were about to jump out in a hurry to stop this outrageous behavior.
"So you bought sake and actually gave this dangerous stuff to an underage Jinchuriki girl to drink?" "Don't move."
"Captain!"
"I said don't move. While you were watching them, you yourself were already being watched. Look above your head."
The Anbu Ninja looked up, their hair standing on end, hearts pounding wildly!
A head hung from the dense leaves, gazing up at him, its greyish-white eyes devoid of any spirit, showing only extreme numbness and dead silence.
"A Zombie? When did it get so close!"
"It didn't get close. Any movement would make a sound, which we would detect. So, it's been here all along? No wonder they walked in this direction; there was a setup here."
"Damn it, how many Zombies has Tsukasa Kaede secretly deployed in every corner of the Village? And looking at this Corpse, it's not rotten, it's fresh, so it has no scent? This is outrageous! Isn't the Village going to do something about it?"
The Anbu Ninja were terrified that a dead body had gotten so close to them, and that if it wanted to, it could bite them at any time, or launch a direct sneak attack, turning them into one of its own. It was too horrifying.
The Captain still spoke in his unchanging cold tone: "There's no way to directly control it. Before orders are even given, the Zombies just run off. How can you control them? This is his Jutsu Formula. If you don't let him use it, then what about other Ninja? Are you going to tell everyone else in the Village not to use their Jutsu? You can try persuading the Konoha Military Police Force to pluck out their Sharingan and not use them; see if they beat you up."
"Forget it, forget it. I heard that Clan has been quite irritable lately. It seems during the lockdown a few days ago, the Village ordered the Military Police Force to stand by and absolutely not move around to maintain order..."
Not letting the "city guards" do their job, having their duties snatched by others, and then being collectively given a vote of no confidence—how could they stand for that?
Even if the Uchiha Clan was stupid, after a few days, they should have figured it out. They must have guessed it concerned the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!
The only slight comfort was that the other two Great Clans were also not allowed near. Even Tsunade was on alert from a distance and did not enter the core area.
But then again, the Senju Clan and the Hyuga Clan didn't handle the Military Police Force's duties!
*Gulp, gulp.*
While the Anbu Ninja were conflicted, Kushina had already downed the sake, her face flushing, followed by a fit of coughing—anyone who chugged their first drink was either asking for a favor or an idiot.
Unfortunately, Kushina was both.
"If you go berserk from drunkenness, I will transfer you out of the Village. Lord Mito's Sealing Jutsu should be very reliable, but you, on the other hand, might not be."
Tsukasa Kaede didn't intend to save Kushina any face, reprimanding her bluntly, then slowly sipping his own sake.
Much later.
Tsukasa Kaede left Kushina's house—formerly Mito Uzumaki's house—quite decisively, dropping her on the bed and leaving. He had important matters to attend to.
The Anbu Ninja exchanged glances, continuing their Mission to protect Kushina, nervously observing her condition, fearing she might transform into the Nine-Tails in her sleep.
In the Hokage's Office, the Third Hokage watched the scene in his Crystal Ball, somewhat relieved.
"So that's how it is. It seems everything went smoothly. However, if things continue this way, it's hard to tell whether it's good or bad."
The Third Hokage took a puff from his pipe, watched the rising smoke, and fell into thought.
According to his thoughts, it would be best to deeply bind a reliable junior from the Hokage Faction with Kushina.
To put it plainly, his most satisfactory candidate was Minato Namikaze. He was his grand-disciple, had a sunny disposition, and outstanding talent; in every aspect, he was a perfect match for Kushina.
If the two formed Bonds, Kushina's lack of belonging to the Village would be resolved. This was the simplest and most effective solution.