Chapter 103: The Crimson Anchor
While the rest of Konoha slept under the false security of its high walls, the air within the Uzumaki Shrine—a secluded, ancient structure deep within the village—began to warp.
Rimon didn't use the front gates. He didn't need to. He had left a subtle Flying Raijin marker on a small, weather-worn stone in the shrine's private garden months ago, during his last official visit.
He materialized with a soft hiss of displaced air. The garden was silent, save for the trickling of a bamboo fountain. The scent here was different from the rest of the village; it smelled of high-grade ink, old parchment, and the distinct, metallic tang of the Four Symbols Seal.
"You're late, Rimon," a voice echoed from the porch. It was soft, but it carried the weight of a thousand storms. "I felt your resonance crossing the border three hours ago. You've spent too much time in the woods."
Rimon turned. Sitting on the veranda, draped in a simple but elegant white kimono, was Mito Uzumaki. She looked every bit the legend she was—her hair still a defiant, deep crimson, though her eyes held a weariness that spoke of decades spent holding back the most powerful entity in the world.
"I had to check on a sapling before I spoke to the garden's keeper, Grandma," Rimon said, dropping his hood. He walked forward, his posture shifting. To the world, he was the Genius Patriarch, but here, in front of the woman who had helped build the very foundations of the Shinobi world, he was family.
Mito's eyes softened, but only slightly. She looked at him—really looked at him—with the piercing gaze of a Master Sensor. "You've grown. Your chakra... it doesn't just flow anymore. It vibrates. You've tapped into the Resonance. And you brought a shadow with you."
On Rimon's shoulder, Black Zetsu remained perfectly still, mimicking a piece of clothing. Rimon didn't acknowledge it. "The Whirlpool is thriving, Grandma. We have the hydroponics, the new defense grid, and the Academy is full of life. But it's missing its heart. It's missing the people who were supposed to lead it."
Mito let out a long, shaky sigh. She leaned back against the wooden pillar, her hand subconsciously ghosting over her seal. "I know why you're here. I know what Danzo is doing to Nawaki. I see the mission reports, even the ones they try to hide from me. Hiruzen... he has grown soft in his peace, and Danzo has grown sharp in his fear."
"Then let me end the fear," Rimon said, stepping onto the porch and sitting cross-legged before her. "Nawaki leaves at dawn. He's going to 'die' in the Rain, Grandma. A localized explosion, a faked corpse, and a one-way ticket to Uzushio. But I'm not just taking the boy. I want the Senju. All of them. The ones Danzo is using as fodder, the ones hiding in the civilian ranks... all of them."
Mito's eyes flared with a sudden, sharp brilliance. "You're asking for a civil war, Rimon. If the Senju vanish, the Leaf loses its soul. Hiruzen would have no choice but to hunt you."
"Let him hunt," Rimon replied, his voice dropping into that cold, absolute tone of the Sovereign. "My walls can take whatever he throws." "But do you think Senju will go with you? This is the village which Senju and Uchiha build togather." Mito said. "I know they will not go with me. That's why I am here to talk to you and Elders. I will use my Flying Thunder God and fake their death when they really going to die in mission. And for that I need help of you and Senju Elders." Rimon said. "If that the case say me brat what help you need." Nothing much just all scroll of Tobirama mainly Edo tensei and Hashiram Senju and also other scroll of Senju and your Sealing Jutsus." Rimon replied cheekily. Mito smile and answered. "No problem. Anything else." I want you
to come and live in Uzushio."
Mito looked out at the garden, her expression unreadable. For a moment, she looked less like a legend and more like a tired woman who missed the sound of the ocean. "I can't, Rimon. This is village of Hashirama I don't want to leave this village. Anyway I donbt have much time. Konoha is trying to seal Nine Tail in someone else. If we find a capable jinjuriki I will be free to go and meet Hashirama in afterlife. By the way, Tsunade... she won't leave. She's too proud. She thinks she can fix this from the inside."
"Tsunade will follow the trail eventually," Rimon said. "When she finds out Nawaki is alive and thriving in a village that actually respects his gift, her anger won't be directed at me. It will be directed at the men who sent her brother to die. I'm giving her a reason to choose the Whirlpool."
Rimon stood up, offering his hand. "Nawaki has already agreed. He's ready to be 'dead' to the Leaf if it means being alive for his family. " Even if you are not coming will you help me with my plan?" Rimon ask and give his hand to Mito.
Mito looked at Rimon's hand—the hand of the boy who had done what Hashirama and Madara couldn't: he had created a place where the children could laugh without a kunai in their hand.
"Danzo thinks he is a master of shadows," Mito whispered, a slow, dangerous smile finally touching her lips. "He has no idea what an Uzumaki can hide when she truly wants to vanish."
She reached out and took Rimon's hand. Her grip was like iron. "Tell me the plan."