“Renye, you’re back,” Uzumaki Mito said softly without turning her head.
With her powerful sensory abilities, she had long since detected Renye’s arrival.
Renye stood beside Mito, looking at Hashirama’s grave without speaking.
It was normal for Uzumaki Mito to feel sad about Hashirama’s “passing.”
If he hadn’t known the truth, he would have felt sad too.
Uzumaki Mito lowered her gaze to her husband’s grave, a small mound with no tombstone, the burial place of the Ninja God, Senju Hashirama.
The wind stirred the white hairs at her temples, and the sorrow in her eyes was hard to conceal.
Renye silently watched Mito’s sadness, a mix of emotions churning within him.
If he hadn’t promised Senju Hashirama, Renye would have revealed the truth.
But this was Hashirama’s choice, and he could not interfere.
Perhaps when he finds Madara, he will return to the Village and reunite with his wife.
There was also another possibility: that he would never find Madara and eventually die on the way.
After all, his body hadn’t truly recovered, and there was always a risk of death.
No one could guarantee that Hashirama would live forever.
If Renye told Uzumaki Mito the truth now, making her anticipate her husband’s return…
And Hashirama never returned, wouldn’t that make her even sadder?
Sometimes, dashed hopes are crueler than facing the facts…
The expectation in one’s heart stretches time, making every second immersed in the illusion of “wish fulfillment.”
Rather than living in beautiful anticipation, it was better to choose to accept the cruel reality.
After all, he didn’t know if Senju Hashirama would return to the Village alive.
Thinking of this, Renye dismissed the idea of telling Uzumaki Mito the truth…
Uzumaki Mito stared blankly at her husband’s grave, seemingly recalling every moment they had spent together.
Renye just watched silently, not disturbing her.
Just then, Uzumaki Mito suddenly asked Renye a question.
“Renye, is Hashirama really dead?”
Hearing this, Renye’s hair suddenly stood on end, and a fleeting flicker of panic and tension flashed in his eyes.
What did Uzumaki Mito mean by that?!
Did she already know about Hashirama’s feigned death?
No, this was definitely a bluff…
After such a long time, it was impossible for the matter to be discovered.
The most likely time for exposure would have been the night of the feigned death.
As long as Uzumaki Mito didn’t notice anything unusual that night, the matter wouldn’t be exposed!
Just as Renye was about to explain, Uzumaki Mito’s next words stunned him.
“That night, I guarded Hashirama’s body all night…”
She paused, then continued, “Hashirama really can’t lie.”
“Uzumaki Mito, what exactly are you talking about?” Renye feigned confusion.
He felt that Uzumaki Mito had noticed something amiss, and was saying these words to trick him.
“Before I left the room, I sensed a faint pulse from Hashirama. I immediately realized something was wrong, so I left the room for a while.”
Uzumaki Mito looked at Renye with a slight smile and said softly,
“When I returned to the room, Hashirama’s pulse was gone.”
“Uzumaki Mito, maybe you sensed it wrong,” Renye explained softly.
As long as there was no concrete evidence, he would deny it to his dying breath.
Uzumaki Mito remained noncommittal to Renye’s statement.
“Renye, do you know how long Hashirama’s Wood Clone takes to turn into wood after losing Chakra supply?”
She held up three fingers, “Three months. Hashirama’s Wood Clone can last for a maximum of three months.”
Upon hearing this, Renye’s pupils suddenly constricted, and an absurd thought appeared in his mind.
Uzumaki Mito wouldn’t dig up the grave, would she?!
If it was true, the news of Hashirama’s feigned death would definitely be discovered.
“The dead cannot return to life…” Renye subconsciously swallowed, comforting her, “Uzumaki Mito, calm down.”
Uzumaki Mito nodded in agreement, her expression calm: “I know the dead cannot return to life… But what if the person isn’t dead yet?”
Renye’s face darkened, and he said in a deep voice, “Uzumaki Mito, are you really going to dig up Hashirama’s grave?”
“Yes, I know Hashirama isn’t dead. Since you’re unwilling to speak, I’ll investigate the truth myself.”
“Alright then, dig away.” Renye no longer stopped her.
He was gambling, betting that this was just a bluff.
As long as Uzumaki Mito didn’t dig up the grave, the matter wouldn’t be exposed!
“Renye, you don’t think I really have no evidence, do you?” Uzumaki Mito chuckled softly, her Chakra surging.
Her stance clearly indicated she intended to destroy the grave.
Seeing this, Renye sighed helplessly, knowing the secret could no longer be kept.
“Uzumaki Mito, when did you find out the truth?”
A triumphant smile appeared on Uzumaki Mito’s face, and she said softly:
“Renye, I didn’t find out, oh.”
Renye: “???”
He had been tricked.
He was still too young.
Indeed, the older ginger is spicier.
Uzumaki Mito looked at Renye’s expression and explained with a smile:
“Actually, it’s not that I didn’t find out. At that time, Nine-Tailed told me Hashirama wasn’t dead…”
“Nine-Tailed?!” Renye’s eyes widened in shock.
He knew how this matter could be exposed; it turns out it was that damned Nine-Tailed causing trouble!
Tailed Beast can sense the Chakra and emotions of people around them.
At that time, Nine-Tailed had sensed Hashirama’s emotions!
How could a dead person have emotions?!
Nine-Tailed immediately guessed that Senju Hashirama wanted to feign death to escape…
To get revenge on Senju Hashirama, it told Uzumaki Mito about its discovery.
It was just that at the time, Uzumaki Mito didn’t believe Nine-Tailed’s words.
She thought Nine-Tailed was causing trouble and ignored it.
As time passed, she began to notice something unusual.
Coupled with Nine-Tailed’s explanation, she gradually believed that Hashirama was not dead.
Uzumaki Mito had been coming here these days, hesitating whether or not to dig up the grave.
As a result, she happened to encounter Renye, who had just arrived…
Facts proved that Nine-Tailed had not deceived her; Hashirama was indeed not dead!
Hearing this explanation, Renye didn’t know what to say.
He and Hashirama had calculated everything, but they hadn’t expected Nine-Tailed to cause trouble.
Now, the matter was exposed.
Renye even felt like killing Nine-Tailed.
…
In the sealing space.
Nine-Tailed saw Renye’s grim expression, and its nine tails behind it wagged happily, clearly in a very good mood.
“Haha, you hateful Uchiha brat, this great one had already seen through your tricks!”
As its low laughter echoed, it carried an undisguised sense of triumph.
Because of Uchiha Madara, Nine-Tailed had begun to despise every Uchiha!
If it weren’t for Uchiha Madara, it wouldn’t have been sealed here.
Of course, Senju Hashirama and Uzumaki Mito weren’t good people either!
Especially that scoundrel Senju Hashirama!
He would say its power was too strong, and then easily capture it.
It was precisely because of its dissatisfaction with Senju Hashirama’s actions that it told Uzumaki Mito the truth.
Its only purpose was to prevent Senju Hashirama and the Uchiha brat’s plan from succeeding.
It didn’t even know the specifics of their scheme, nor the reason for Senju Hashirama’s feigned death.
Simply causing trouble, nothing more.