While the Third Raikage was plotting, Mito quietly returned to Konoha.
That's right, the attack on Kumogakure was indeed her doing. After she left Konoha, she went straight to the Land of Frost and, under Danzo's guidance, silently entered the Land of Lightning. Using sealing jutsu to conceal her presence and prevent detection was incredibly easy for a sealing expert like her. She managed to get close to Kumogakure without being discovered.
The rest was simple. Mito directly used the chakra she "borrowed" from the Nine-Tails to condense a massive Tailed Beast Bomb and threw it straight at the Hidden Cloud Village. She didn't even wait to see the result before immediately retreating. Mito had initially aimed for the center of Kumogakure, but the Third Raikage, by utilizing his perfected Lightning Release Chakra Mode, managed to slightly alter the bomb's trajectory, causing it to detonate on the right side of the village.
However, Mito never intended to destroy Kumogakure with a single attack; her visit was merely to teach them a lesson. This level of damage was just right; it deterred the Hidden Cloud without crippling them. Once the news spread, even if Konoha denied it, the other great nations would implicitly believe Konoha was responsible, making them wary and less likely to provoke Konoha so easily. In short, Mito's purpose this time was to intimidate and vent her anger, not to genuinely instigate a war.
After completing her task, she immediately rushed back to Konoha. The round trip spanned thousands of kilometers. Even though a ninja's physique far surpasses an ordinary person's, such a long journey was still taxing for someone of her age. When she returned, although she wasn't injured, the exhaustion was palpable. Therefore, she rested for a full day before rejoining everyone.
The Third Hokage was the first to come and greet her.
"Lady Mito, you have shaken the entire ninja world with your power. It is a strength that rivals Lord Hashirama's. It's a pity it must be kept secret; otherwise, the villagers would revere you even more."
Mito simply waved her hand. "What do I need that reputation for? I only hope my impulsive action hasn't disrupted your plans."
"After this, Kumogakure has quieted down," the Hokage confirmed. "I imagine the ninja world will be peaceful for a while longer."
Soon after, the Third Hokage bid farewell and left. *It seems this little stunt put a lot of pressure on that old monkey, Hiruzen,* Mito mused. She then touched her abdomen; the Nine-Tails inside seemed a bit restless.
Dinner that evening was a lively affair, returning to a semblance of normalcy. Kushina had stayed with her mother for a few days before returning, and Nawaki had also finished his survival exercise at the academy, boasting that he had performed exceptionally well. Tsunade also didn't dare to be lazy and obediently came to the dinner table.
After dinner, it was time for Mito's usual teaching session. However, before she began, she first tested them on the knowledge they had learned previously. As expected, Tsunade failed again. Kushina, having been away, hadn't reviewed her lessons, so her results were also unsatisfactory. Kyuushin, as always, performed flawlessly, and Nawaki's performance this time also pleased her greatly. She then turned her gaze to Tsunade.
"Tell me, why did you run off a few days ago? You didn't think that just because I wasn't in Konoha, I wouldn't be able to sense that the barrier I placed on you was broken, did you?"
Tsunade glanced at Kyuushin upon hearing this but was too embarrassed to tell the truth and remained silent.
"Hmph! I'm punishing you to copy all the knowledge points I taught you three times. You are not to leave until you are finished. And Kushina, you will copy it once."
"Three times is too much..." Tsunade mumbled softly. Mito immediately shot her a dangerous look. Tsunade flinched and dared not speak another word.
Then, she praised Nawaki and Kyuushin and prepared to teach them a new ninjutsu.
However, Kyuushin declined this time. "Grandma, I learned Lady Tsunade's Monstrous Strength and Lord Orochimaru's Body Flicker Technique a few days ago. I haven't mastered them yet, so please teach me something new next time."
"Hmm?" Mito looked sharply at Tsunade. "Who told you to teach him such things randomly? Kyuushin is still so young; what if he hurts himself?"
Tsunade shrank her head and said nothing.
"Um... Grandma, I've learned them. I just haven't perfected them yet."
"Ah?" Mito was genuinely surprised this time, but after a moment, she remembered the special power within Kyuushin. "You used *that* to train?"
"Yes."
"Reckless! Didn't I tell you not to use it casually?" This was the first time she had spoken so harshly to Kyuushin. "Come here. Let me check you."
Kyuushin obediently walked to Mito's side. Nawaki, learning for the first time that Kyuushin knew the technique, cast a resentful look at Tsunade. He had coveted his sister's Monstrous Strength for a long time, but she always said he wasn't qualified. Now, he felt she had deceived him. Tsunade was speechless under his glare. She couldn't very well tell her brother that Kyuushin was a monster who could learn it, while he was just an ordinary person. That would be too disheartening.
Mito finished checking Kyuushin's body and found nothing abnormal. But she still cautioned, "Although there seems to be nothing wrong now, if you plan to activate it again, you must tell me beforehand. Understood?"
Kyuushin nodded.
Mito turned and saw Nawaki staring at his sister. "Your sister's jutsu is indeed not suitable for you to learn now. Kyuushin is a special case. There is no need to compare yourself to him."
"Oh." Nawaki was a little disappointed.
Mito sighed. "It's not that I don't want you to learn powerful ninjutsu now. The main reason is that these techniques have very high learning requirements, needing excellent chakra control and a deep understanding of the jutsu's essence. If you force yourselves, you might accidentally get hurt or even become permanently disabled. Do you know why you must wait until after graduation to be taught chakra control? The reason is that you're too young, and your mental energy isn't sufficient. At this stage, you would get very little reward for a great deal of effort. It is better to use that time to build a solid foundation. Then, when you reach your teens, your strength will enter an explosive period of growth. Do you understand?"
After Mito's explanation, Kyuushin finally understood why the Ninja Academy didn't teach tree climbing or water walking. He had always wondered why such simple yet practical techniques weren't taught; it had seemed unreasonable. So, that was the reason.
"Although the effort might outweigh the reward, if we start training now, won't we still have an advantage later?" Kyuushin asked.
Mito nodded, then shook her head. "There will be a certain advantage, but it won't be significant. Alright, since you want to learn, you can. But you'll have to wait until summer to start water walking training. I won't have you freezing yourselves, alright?"
Nawaki and Kushina nodded enthusiastically.
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