A few days later, the village held a grand, quiet funeral for Uzumaki Mito.
Everyone wore black.
The sky was gray and cloudy, as if the village itself was crying for her.
Many people came to show their final respect.
Even the Uchiha clan came.
For a long time, the Uchiha and the Senju were great rivals.
But today, they walked in with their heads bowed in pure respect.
They recognized Lady Mito and the Senju as their true equals.
Near the front of the crowd, little Kushina stood wiping her red eyes.
She wasn’t alone.
Two young girls walked up and stood closely beside her.
One had straight, dark black hair and kind eyes.
Her name was Mikoto Uchiha.
The other girl had gentle, pale white eyes.
Her name was Hanako Hyuuga.
Both of these young girls were very important.
They were the daughters of the main leaders of their powerful clans.
“We are so sorry for your loss, Kushina,”
Mikoto said softly, reaching out to gently hold Kushina’s hand.
“Lady Mito was a wonderful and strong woman.”
Hanako nodded and took Kushina’s other hand.
“You do not have to cry alone,”
Hanako told her with a warm, comforting smile.
“If you ever need to talk, or just want to play, we are here for you.”
Kushina sniffled and wiped her nose.
“Thank you, Mikoto-chan. Thank you, Hanako-chan,”
Kushina whispered, feeling a little bit of warmth in her sad heart.
Not far away, Dale stood completely still next to Tsunade.
He held Tsunade’s hand tightly as she mourned, but his sharp eyes were quietly watching the crowd.
He watched Mikoto and Hanako comforting his little sister.
Then, his eyes moved to the other young kids from the major clans standing nearby.
He saw a serious, quiet boy named Fugaku Uchiha.
Standing next to him were two young twin brothers with pale white eyes, Hizashi and Hiashi Hyuuga.
Dale watched how they acted.
He listened to the quiet way they spoke to each other.
He burned their names and faces into his memory.
He knew these small, crying children would grow up to become the most important and powerful figures in the village.
They would be the future clan leaders, generals, and parents of the next generation.
Dale took a deep breath of the cool air.
He had chosen to leave his old life behind completely.
He was going to live in this ninja world for a very long time.
If he wanted to keep Tsunade, Kushina, and his new family perfectly safe, he needed to know exactly who his future friends—and potential enemies—were going to be.
The crowd grew completely quiet.
Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly walked to the front to give his speech.
He did not look like the strong leader of a village today.
He just looked like a very sad, tired old man.
As Hiruzen spoke about Lady Mito’s great life, his voice shook.
Dale could easily tell that the Hokage’s sadness was deep and real.
To Hiruzen, Mito was not just a powerful woman.
Hiruzen’s own teacher had been Tobirama Senju, the younger brother of the First Hokage, Hashirama.
Because of this deep bond, Lady Mito was like a strict, loving “Aunt Master” to him.
He was saying goodbye to his own family.
Suddenly, the hair on the back of his neck stood straight up.
His natural Sage energy picked up a cold, dark feeling.
It felt exactly like a poisonous snake hiding in the tall grass.
Dale turned his head slightly.
He saw an older man standing near the back of the crowd.
The man had a dark, stern face, a cane, and bandages wrapping the right side of his head.
Dale leaned his head close to Tsunade’s ear.
“Tsunade,”
Dale whispered softly, not taking his eyes off the crowd.
“Who is that old man in the back? The one with the bandages.”
Tsunade carefully looked over her shoulder.
When she saw the man, her face instantly became cold and hard.
“That is Danzo Shimura,”
Tsunade whispered back, her voice full of dislike.
“He is a village elder. He was also on the same ninja team as my Sensei when they were young.”
Dale frowned.
“I can feel danger coming from him,”
Dale said simply.
“A lot of it.”
“You should,”
Tsunade nodded seriously.
“Danzo is a hard man. He lives in the shadows. He believes he must do all the dark, dirty work to protect the village. It is best to avoid him.”
Dale looked back toward the edge of the crowd.
Danzo was already staring right back at him.
The old man’s single visible eye did not hold any sadness for Lady Mito.
Instead, his eye was cold, sharp, and shining with a very dangerous light.
Danzo looked at Dale from head to toe.
He looked at him like a hunter inspecting a powerful, wild weapon.
Dale felt a cold chill run down his spine.
Without a single word being spoken, Dale knew he was a target.
Danzo wanted something from him.
Danzo finally turned around and quietly walked away, fading into the gray shadows of the trees.
Dale squeezed Tsunade’s hand tightly.
He did not feel afraid, but he knew he had to be incredibly careful from now on.
He remembered a famous saying from the history books in his old world.
*Beware of an old man in a profession where men usually die young.*
In this violent ninja world, most fighters died before they reached thirty.
But Danzo Shimura had lived to be an old man.
That meant Danzo was smart, ruthless, and deadly.
Dale promised himself right then and there.
If Danzo ever tried to hurt his new family, Dale would not show any mercy.
Time moved forward, but the dark clouds of war did not leave.
The battles grew fiercer.
The Hidden Leaf Village needed its strongest fighters on the front lines.
One morning, Hiruzen called his three greatest students to his office: Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru.
He gave them a very important and highly dangerous mission.
They had to march deep into the rainy, muddy battlefields of the Land of Rain.
Back at the Senju estate, Tsunade quickly packed her weapons and armor.
Dale stood by the door, watching her with soft, caring eyes.
“I have to leave tonight,”
Tsunade said, her voice tight with worry.
Dale walked over and wrapped his arms around her.
“You will be fine,”
Dale said confidently, kissing the top of her head.
“You are the strongest woman in this village. And because of the new healing seals and stamina boosters you created, your team will survive. You have increased the survival rate of our ninjas exponentially.”
Tsunade sighed and rested her head on his chest.
It was true.
Her modern medical tools had saved hundreds of lives, protecting the Senju Clan and the rest of the village from suffering even more terrible losses.
“I am worried about the clan,”
She whispered.
“We have already suffered damage from this war. It is hard to leave them right now.”
“Do not worry about the clan, and do not worry about Kushina,”
Dale promised, holding her tightly.
“I will take care of our home. I will protect everyone while you are away. Just focus on your mission, and promise me you will come back safely.”
Tsunade looked up and gave him a beautiful, determined smile.
“I promise.”
The next morning, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru left the village gates.
Not long after she left, an ANBU messenger knocked on the Senju door.
Hiruzen wanted to see Dale.
Dale walked into the Hokage’s office.
Hiruzen was standing by the window, watching the busy village below.
“You asked for me, Lord Hokage?”
Dale asked gently.
“Do you need me to go to the front lines?”
Hiruzen turned around and shook his head.
“No, Dale,”
Hiruzen said smoothly.
“I need you right here in the village. The war is taking away all of our experienced teachers. But our children still need to grow. They still need to be guided.”
Hiruzen walked back to his desk and picked up three small files.
“I have a very special team of new Genin,”
The Hokage explained, his eyes turning very serious.
“They are the daughters of the most powerful clans in the village. They have massive potential, but they also carry heavy burdens. They need a teacher who is strong enough to protect them, and kind enough to understand them.”
Hiruzen handed the three files to Dale.
Dale looked at the names and photos on the papers.
A warm smile grew on his face.
It was Kushina Uzumaki.
Along with her were her two best friends: Mikoto Uchiha and Hanako Hyuuga.
“They asked for you specifically,”
Hiruzen chuckled softly, blowing a puff of smoke from his pipe.
“The Uchiha and Hyuuga leaders agreed. You saved Uzushiogakure, and you are engaged to Lady Tsunade. They respect your power. But more importantly, the girls trust you completely.”
Hiruzen looked deeply into Dale’s eyes.
“Dale,”
The Hokage asked officially.
“Will you become their Jonin Sensei?”
Dale closed the files.
He thought about Kushina’s bright red hair, Mikoto’s kind smile, and Hanako’s gentle voice.
In a dark, violent world, these three girls were a bright light for the future.
He was not going to let the war put that light out.
“I accept,”
Dale said, his voice firm and proud.
“I will be their teacher. And I promise you, Lord Hokage, no one will ever lay a finger on my students.”
Miso: Alright this is the last chapter.
I will start upload again on May 1st.
If any of you want to read more before that.