Senju Momoka, a formidable warrior from the Warring States period, had slain countless enemies in her lifetime. She never feared death. Yet, in her final moments, she found herself worrying about something unexpected—what would become of Kakuzu in the years to come? How would he endure the seemingly endless passage of time?
As Senju Momoka looked at the newly taken-in child, "Ni," she finally smiled in relief. Grasping Kakuzu's hand tightly, she seemed to find solace at last. The warmth of life slowly faded from her palm, and then, she closed her eyes forever.
Another powerhouse of Konoha had fallen.
The Konoha encampment was draped in mourning. White funeral curtains billowed in the breeze, whispering a sorrowful elegy to the departed.
"Kakuzu-san, thank you for your assistance this time."
Dressed in white, Sakumo Hatake bowed respectfully to Kakuzu.
"Konoha's entry into White Tree Town was an accident. On behalf of Konoha, I am willing to compensate you for any losses."
Kakuzu merely smiled without responding. The damage Konoha had inflicted on White Tree Town had largely been smoothed over by Senju Momoka. As for the remaining issues, they were beyond Sakumo's authority to resolve. Kakuzu would need to seek out the real decision-makers.
...
The Hokage's Office
From here, one could overlook Konoha's broad streets. Children ran about, playing without a care, immersed in the joy of their youth. Despite the war raging across the ninja world, Konoha's children still had the luxury of innocence.
It wasn't that they were naive—it was simply that the foundations laid by Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju were too solid. However, no matter how strong those foundations were, they would eventually be exhausted. Unless Konoha produced another powerhouse on Hashirama's level, their golden age would inevitably come to an end.
Before reaching the office door, an intense argument could already be heard from inside.
Danzo stood firmly in Sarutobi Hiruzen's path, his voice sharp and unyielding.
"Hiruzen, Sunagakure has been crushed, and Iwagakure is in no position to retaliate. We must take this opportunity to press harder against Kumogakure! Deploy all available forces—I want those barbarians to learn a lesson!"
"Danzo, that's too reckless! Sunagakure only collapsed due to internal turmoil, and Iwagakure has merely retreated temporarily. We're still engaged in battle with Hanzo in the Land of Rain. We've been at a stalemate with Kumogakure for so long without breaking through their defenses. A full-scale attack now will only lead to heavy losses!"
"Hiruzen! This is our chance—Sunagakure and Iwagakure's struggles buy us time! If we concentrate our forces and strike Kumogakure hard, we can catch them off guard! A fleeting opportunity, once lost, never returns. As for Amegakure... Hah! Just a tiny nation! Haven't your three students already pinned Hanzo down? If necessary, send someone to negotiate with him, hold him off temporarily. Once I've crushed Kumogakure, we can deal with Hanzo at our leisure!"
The argument grew more heated. There was no clear right or wrong—war was unpredictable, and no one could foresee what the next moment would bring.
Hiruzen was cautious, unwilling to take risks without absolute certainty. Danzo, on the other hand, was aggressive, as long as he had even a fifty percent chance, he was willing to gamble.
Two men with fundamentally different ideologies—how could one possibly persuade the other?
By the time their argument reached its peak, both were red-faced and fuming. Realizing that Hiruzen wouldn't budge, Danzo decided to play his trump card.
Taking a deep breath, he fixed Hiruzen with a piercing glare and roared,
"Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"
Hiruzen, now thoroughly incensed, shot back without hesitation,
"I am the Hokage!"
Boom!
The sheer force behind those words struck Danzo like a tidal wave. He stood there, stunned, momentarily speechless.
Seeing his opportunity, Hiruzen grasped the office door handle, ready to make his escape.
Danzo, unwilling to back down, hurriedly followed, determined to continue their argument inside the office.
However, the moment the door swung open, Hiruzen froze, immediately on high alert.
Danzo, confused at first, soon realized the severity of the situation. Sitting in the Hokage's chair, facing away from them, was a lone figure.
A person had entered Konoha undetected and made it all the way to the Hokage's office. This was no ordinary ninja—this was a true master. One neither Hiruzen nor Danzo could handle alone.
In that instant, their rivalry was set aside. Moving instinctively, they positioned themselves on either side of the office, ready for battle.
The figure in the chair slowly turned.
The moment they saw his face, Hiruzen exhaled in relief, a look of realization dawning upon him.
"So... it's you, Kakuzu-san."
There was a tinge of shame in Hiruzen's voice. He had always regarded his teacher and senior as the standards he aspired to reach. But standing before Kakuzu now, he finally understood how far he still had to go.
To be fair, Hiruzen wasn't weak.
At the dawn of the Second Shinobi War, when Kumogakure's forces had stormed Konoha's borders, what had stopped their overwhelming assault?
It was said that Hiruzen had personally led the troops on the front lines, stabilizing the situation.
His reputation as a great ninja began to rise from that moment.
His mastery over all five chakra natures had undoubtedly left the shinobi of Kumogakure wary. But against a true powerhouse, mere elemental mastery meant little.
If Hiruzen Sarutobi had truly mastered the forbidden techniques left behind by his teacher, he might actually be able to hold his own against Kakuzu. Unfortunately, his understanding of forbidden jutsu was likely inferior even to Danzo's.
As for Danzo, when he saw Kakuzu, a strange look flashed in his eyes. He lowered his head slightly, as if lost in thought about what would come next.
Kakuzu took in their subtle expressions without missing a beat. But dealing with Danzo could wait—he was here for Hiruzen first.
He placed a stack of documents—over sixty pages thick—on the table.
"I recall that Momoka had a younger sister. Why isn't she listed among the surviving Senju clan members?"
That's right. You heard correctly. Kakuzu had investigated the current state of the Senju clan. According to the records, there were barely over sixty people left.
If he remembered correctly, back in the Warring States period, the Senju clan had been on par with the Hyuga in terms of numbers, boasting at least a thousand members at their peak. Though many had perished in that era, by the time Konohagakure was founded, there had still been at least six to seven hundred of them.
Now, their numbers had dwindled to barely a tenth of that. It was a sobering reality—one that didn't quite add up.
Hearing Kakuzu's question, Hiruzen let out a helpless sigh.
"The First Hokage issued a decree that forbade the Senju from using their surname."
"And then?"
Kakuzu had been present when Hashirama Senju announced that order, so he knew about it. But that alone couldn't explain why there were only a few dozen Senju left today.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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