The dark side of the moon, an area never before tread by ninja, was not as desolate as people imagined when gazing at the moon.
Since the Sage of Six Paths sealed Kaguya Otsutsuki, the ninja world had entered an unprecedented era of peace.
Hamura Otsutsuki, his younger brother, knowing his aptitude for ruling the ninja world was inferior to his elder brother's, willingly took on the heavy responsibility of guarding the seal. He departed for the moon with the husk of the Ten-Tails, depleted of its chakra, and a portion of his descendants who wished to leave the ninja world with him.
As the most crucial element for the Ten-Tails' revival, the Gedo Statue naturally required careful handling.
Although over time, the Otsutsuki clan living on the moon, due to differing philosophies, became divided into the main and branch families, much like the Hyuga clan of the ninja world.
Yet, for a thousand years, their vigilance in guarding the seal had never wavered.
But this seal, which had caused no issues for a millennium, was now facing a grave event that struck the entire Otsutsuki clan with panic.
The Ten-Tails' husk, the Gedo Statue, had vanished into thin air.
The main and branch families immediately descended into chaos. After a fruitless search, they began to blame each other for the lapse.
The main family believed the branch family had been negligent, violating the ancestral teachings of Hamura and failing in their duty as guardians.
The branch family naturally refused to accept this, believing that some within the main family had stolen the Gedo Statue for their own nefarious purposes.
Their disputes yielded no resolution, but the conflict between the main and branch families of the Otsutsuki clan grew deeper, a chasm that nearly severed the ties of their thousand-year bloodline.
...
Concurrently, within the Land of Fire, the Hidden Leaf Village's leadership was suddenly alerted to shocking news.
The first Nine-Tails jinchuriki, the wife of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and former princess of the Land of Whirlpools, Mito Uzumaki, had fallen gravely ill and was on the brink of death, soon to join the First Hokage in the Pure Land.
Upon receiving the news, Hiruzen Sarutobi put aside all his work and, accompanied by his two advisors, rushed to the Senju compound.
"There are subtle signs of unrest in the Land of Wind. Ninjas stationed at the border have had several skirmishes with Hidden Sand ninjas disguised as rogue ninjas."
"In the Land of Rain, Hanzo of the Salamander defeated Mifune, the Great General of the Land of Iron, and has returned to the Hidden Rain Village with ninjas from several smaller nations, riding the momentum of his great victory."
"Under these circumstances, for Lady Mito to suddenly fall gravely ill..."
"It seems Orochimaru's suspicions were correct; these are all omens of impending war!"
"Fortunately, I was prepared long ago, or else..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi mused inwardly for a moment, then composed himself and gently pushed open the doors of the Senju compound.
The events destined to unfold in the future could wait. The most pressing concern now was Mito Uzumaki's condition.
If all efforts to save her failed, he would have to proceed with the relocation of the Nine-Tails ahead of schedule.
...
"Grandmother, what exactly happened?"
"How... how did you become like this?"
Tsunade, who had just returned from the Myoboku Cave, knelt anxiously by the bedside. Seeing her grandmother's suddenly aged face, her nose twitched, and she almost wept.
Her trembling fingers gently stroked Mito Uzumaki's wrinkled cheek. Tsunade tucked a strand of her usually neat hair behind her ear, her eyes filled with worry and heartache.
Besides Tsunade and Mito Uzumaki lying in bed, Shizune, trying to maintain composure, was busily comforting two little girls who were crying in each other's arms.
A weary smile touched Mito Uzumaki's face. She held Tsunade's slightly trembling hand and slowly shook her head.
"Shizune, take Amaru and Kushina out first. Your grandmother wants to speak with your sister alone."
"If anyone comes, make them wait outside for a while."
"Tell them your grandmother won't die immediately and there's no need to be so anxious!"
"Go now!"
Shizune instantly understood the hidden meaning in her grandmother's words, her eyes reddening. She pursed her lips, nodded obediently, and led the two girls towards the door.
As the door closed, Mito Uzumaki closed her eyes and took a breath, offering Tsunade a gentle smile.
"Fortunately, the Uzumaki clan still has a way to contact the Great Sage Katsuyu, otherwise, your grandmother wouldn't know if she'd get to see you."
At this moment, Tsunade's usual carefree demeanor was gone. She wiped away tears from her face, her voice choked with emotion, and asked,
"Grandmother, please don't say such frightening things!"
"Weren't you alright before? How did your condition... change so drastically in less than two months?"
Mito Uzumaki raised her hand, gently wiping away Tsunade's unceasing tears, and sighed softly.
"It's been almost two months since that child Orochimaru left, hasn't it? Why hasn't he returned yet?"
"If only he were here!"
"That child..."
"Grandmother has some questions she wants to ask him!"
Tsunade shook her head vigorously, her voice urgent.
"Grandmother, he'll be back soon!"
"I know Orochimaru, he's a man of his word!"
"He said he would return in two months, so he will definitely be back before those two months are up."
"Just one more day, and you'll see him!"
Mito Uzumaki smiled and nodded, then gently shook her head again.
"Orochimaru is indeed a good child!"
"However, your grandmother might not be able to wait that long!"
Tsunade covered her mouth, heartbroken, fearing her sobs would disturb the elder before her.
Mito Uzumaki looked at her with affection, hesitated for a moment, then seemed to make a decision. Her expression turned serious, and she spoke gravely.
"Tsunade, what your grandmother is about to say, you must not tell anyone except Orochimaru!"
"Do you understand?"
Tears streaming down her face, Tsunade nodded silently.
"You know about the Nine-Tails sealed within your grandmother, as you saw when you helped Orochimaru seal Void that day."
"But what you don't know is that the Nine-Tails' sealing space has revealed some things to your grandmother."
"Your grandmother has thought about it and decided to reveal some of it to you!"
Closing her tired eyes slightly, Mito Uzumaki murmured as if to herself.
"The Nine-Tails has a summoning contract placed upon it by someone. Your grandmother's current state is the result of that person triggering the summoning mark on the Nine-Tails."
"Fortunately, your grandmother did not agree to the Nine-Tails' request to release the seal earlier. With the Adamantine Sealing Chains and the Nine-Tails' full cooperation, she was barely able to counteract the summoning jutsu's influence on the Nine-Tails."
"The final result, as you can see!"
"Although your grandmother has regained the Nine-Tails' chakra, her body can no longer endure."
Upon hearing this, a deep-seated hatred surged into Tsunade's eyes. She clenched her fists, making a cracking sound, and asked through gritted teeth,
"Grandmother, who is that person?"
Mito Uzumaki sighed helplessly.
"I didn't tell you before precisely because I feared you would react this way."
"Orochimaru told your grandmother that the Uchiha is still alive..."
Tsunade froze, and then asked in disbelief,
"Madara Uchiha?"
"How is that possible? Wasn't he defeated by my grandfather back then..."
Mito Uzumaki shook her head and sighed,
"Although it sounds incredible, it is indeed true!"
"Madara Uchiha is alive, and he is far more powerful than he was back then!"
"Orochimaru knows about this, but the Nine-Tails told your grandmother that the greatest possibility for Madara Uchiha's ability to almost summon it out of the Eight Trigrams Seal is, as Orochimaru suspected, that he has awakened the Rinnegan, a legendary eye of the Sage of Six Paths."
"This information is extremely important. Your grandmother doesn't know how much Orochimaru understands about the Rinnegan, but judging by the Nine-Tails' tense attitude, it's likely a formidable pair of eyes."
"Being able to control Tailed Beasts at will, in the future..."
"When Orochimaru returns, please convey this information to him for me."
"And then..."
Mito Uzumaki hesitated for a moment, then spoke with difficulty,
"Please ask him to look after Kushina for me in the future!"
"Your grandmother doesn't trust the higher-ups of the Hidden Leaf!"
After speaking, Mito Uzumaki waited for Tsunade to process some of this information before gently patting her hand.
"Compose yourself, Hiruzen and the others have arrived."
"Take him in alone first, your grandmother has a few more things she needs to ask him!"