Beyond the great clans within the village, Konoha also had one elder whose special status no one could ignore. If she chose to make her stance public, the side she backed would gain an overwhelming advantage even under the jōnin confidence vote system.
It was the twentieth year since Konoha's founding. The village had suffered greatly in recent years: a full-scale shinobi war had erupted, and Konoha's twin pillars—the Senju brothers—had fallen in succession. If one asked who was Konoha's strongest now, the answer was neither Sarutobi Hiruzen, hailed by many as Tobirama's finest disciple and a leading Hokage candidate, nor Senju Mori, the outstanding talent of the young Senju generation.
It was Uzumaki Mito—widow of the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama—and the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails.
A veteran from the Warring States era who helped found Konoha alongside the First Hokage, Uzumaki Mito possessed formidable strength and masterful command of the Uzumaki clan's sealing arts.
For Senju Mori, her attitude was decisive if he hoped to claim the Third Hokage's seat. On his second day back in the village, he donned a formal, plain kimono marked with the Senju crest and went to pay his respects.
Though Hashirama's widow, Mito did not live in the Senju compound. She resided instead in the Hokage Residence where Hashirama had once lived—a tall, round, multi-story building with white walls and red eaves, among the largest in Konoha.
"Lord Mori." The guards and servants at the gate bowed when they saw him. It was clear he had visited Mito before; the household staff knew him well enough to lead him in without announcing him.
"Uncle Mori!"
On the first floor, a clear, bright voice called out. Mori turned and saw little Tsunade. Compared to her future, exaggerated figure, she was now just a tiny bean sprout. Her outfit faintly echoed what Anko would one day favor: blonde hair pulled into a simple ponytail, a short blue-and-red jacket, and a mesh undershirt—a tough weave said to offer a bit of protection.
"Little Tsunade," Mori greeted with a gentle smile despite being barely in his twenties and already called "uncle." "Time really flies. You've already graduated and become a proper shinobi."
Tsunade being here with Mito came as no surprise to him. Her parents lived in the capital of the Land of Fire, and after Hashirama and Tobirama passed away, Mito became one of the few close relatives Tsunade had in Konoha.
"Uncle Mori, are you here to see Grandma Mito?" she asked.
"I am," he said, "but I also brought you a gift." From his sleeve he produced a small scroll. "A real Water Release jutsu. If you learn it ahead of schedule, your team's jōnin and classmates will all take notice."
The Senju archives and Mito's personal collection were both vast, but a girl Tsunade's age wasn't free to browse them. And for fresh academy graduates, nothing is more tempting than flashy ninjutsu. Mori's gift fit perfectly.
Tsunade had been born in Year 13 of Konoha and had only just graduated. If nothing changed, once Sarutobi Hiruzen became Hokage, he would lead the team of her, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya.
A flawless arrangement, Mori mused—Tobirama's handiwork. He refused to take Senju pupils himself yet planned for Tsunade to study under Hiruzen. It curbed the Senju's direct leverage over the Third Hokage seat while subtly soothing and winning over most Senju to Hiruzen's side.
If not for Mori's intervention, even with Tobirama's death outside the village, Hiruzen's political mini-alliance, the Ino–Shika–Chō trio, the Senju clan, and Uzumaki Mito together would have made his elevation to Third Hokage unshakable—no coalition of Uchiha, Hyūga, or other mid-sized clans could have stopped it.
Led by a maid down a long corridor, Mori soon reached the inner rooms. Mito waited in the main chamber of the inner court. The outer hall was hushed, scented faintly by smoldering incense. Mori did not rush in: at the threshold he removed his footwear and aligned the toes outward, then accepted a damp hand towel to carefully cleanse his hands before returning it.
For houses like Senju and Uzumaki, customs were as meticulous as any noble household's in the Land of Fire. An ordinary visitor would have been kept waiting in an anteroom for an audience; Mori was waved through. A minute later a maid slid open the door.
"Lady Mito will see you."
Mori entered and saw Uzumaki Mito herself. Older than Tobirama, she was perhaps around fifty, yet looked far from frail. Her long hair still burned a vivid crimson; locks at either side were tied into buns adorned with ofuda talismans. A fan-shaped golden coronet crowned her head, lending further dignity and authority. More shrine maiden than shinobi in appearance, she wore a red-and-white miko robe.
Like Tsunade in the future, a purple rhomboid mark sat on her brow—the Uzumaki clan's chakra-storage seal, the Yin Seal—and the reason her appearance had changed so little from her youth.