Konoha Battlefield.
"Clan leader, enough." Senju Shukuma knelt before Senju Toshiki with tears in his eyes. "It's already enough. The Senju clan has sacrificed too much."
He didn't understand why the clan leader kept sending clansmen to the front lines. Even the clan elders did not stop him and instead silently agreed, marching to the front lines themselves. But...
From the start of the war until now...
Too many Senju clansmen had died. From a large clan of several hundred in Konoha, they had been reduced to only a few dozen people.
"Enough." Senju Shukuma prostrated himself, pressing his head tightly against the ground. "The Senju clan cannot continue like this. If it really must be done..."
"Then let me go before the Hokage and take the blame!"
He didn't understand why the clan leader was doing this. Was it really just because the Senju clan was Konoha's family?
Why must the Senju clan sacrifice so much?
"Ah." Senju Toshiki looked at Senju Shukuma and sighed, his eyes filled with sorrow. "Get up."
"Get up now."
"Clan leader..." Senju Shukuma did not rise, still keeping his head lowered. He didn't notice a drop of water land on his hand until it was too late. Realizing what it might be, his heart clenched. He raised his head and saw the tears in Senju Toshiki's eyes. His lips parted. "I..."
But he didn't know what to say.
The clan leader's eyes were red. He slowly closed them and said calmly, "It is enough."
"The Senju clan has given enough."
Senju Toshiki smiled faintly, his eyes still closed. "Now, no one should have any complaints about the Senju."
Senju Shukuma listened to the clan leader's words and suddenly understood what he intended to do. His pupils shrank. "Clan leader, you..."
Before he could finish...
Senju Toshiki opened his eyes and stared sharply at Senju Shukuma. "Immediately issue the order to..."
...
"Everything should be fine on the front lines, right?" Orochimaru looked at the Konoha jonin beside him. "Be extra vigilant during this period."
After the news of the Mangekyo resurfaced, the pressure on Konoha increased drastically. Nearly every major and minor ninja village in the shinobi world had declared war on Konoha.
This Great Ninja War...
Was essentially the entire shinobi world attacking Konoha!!
So they needed to guard against Iwagakure taking advantage of the situation. With the current shortage of troops on this battlefield, some forces had been diverted elsewhere.
"There haven't been any issues. One of the defensive points is held by the Senju clan." The jonin nodded. "They have been resisting large numbers of Iwa-nin on the front lines."
"The Senju clan." Orochimaru's eyes flickered at the mention of the Senju. "Truly worthy of the First Hokage and Second Hokage's clan."
Their love for Konoha ran deep.
In all of Konoha, no other clan would fight so fiercely for the village!!
"Yes." The jonin sighed. "Truly one of Konoha's great clans. But..."
"I heard their losses have been extremely heavy."
"Tap tap..."
Orochimaru drummed his fingers on the table, frowning as he fell into thought.
He didn't know what his teacher intended to do with the Senju clan, but the front-line troops couldn't be moved carelessly. Any redeployment would weaken certain defenses, which could lead to trouble.
For now, they could only wait until their forces were fully assembled before engaging Iwagakure in a decisive battle.
"Where has that idiot Jiraiya run off to now?" Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. "Konoha is at war, yet he's still wandering around aimlessly?" Finally, he sighed. "Send more medics to the Senju clan. No matter what, the Senju clan is..."
Tsunade's clan.
"Understood." The ninja straightened and turned to leave, but...
"Lord Orochimaru." A jonin rushed in, looking panicked. "The Senju clan, the Senju clan..."
"What is it?" Orochimaru frowned. "Why are you so flustered? What happened to the Senju clan?"
The jonin took a deep breath, his face filled with shock. "The Senju clan..."
"They've been wiped out!!"
...
Uzumaki Jun stared at Senju Toshiki, his liver aching. This... this... in just a short time, the Senju clan had been reduced to only a few dozen people?
And most of them were children...
Did they have to be so extreme?
Even if Konoha didn't welcome them, couldn't they just move somewhere else?
Why fight so desperately!!
"The Senju are Konoha's Senju." Senju Toshiki seemed to guess Uzumaki Jun's thoughts. He sighed. "I cannot let the Senju clan be disgraced."
So you decided to send the entire clan to their deaths??
Uzumaki Jun looked helplessly at Senju Toshiki. "So you only intend to leave a few survivors for the Senju clan?"
Uzushiogakure needed adult laborers, not...
"I didn't expect you to bring such young children to the battlefield." Uzumaki Jun glanced at the Senju children before him. The youngest was only about five years old. His heart ached. "What do you plan to do now?"
He understood Senju Toshiki's decision. Though he didn't agree, he couldn't help but feel shocked...
Truly worthy of the Senju clan!!
The clan leader hesitated, his face conflicted. Finally, he sighed and knelt, pressing his forehead to the ground in a deep bow. "I entrust the Senju clan to you."
"Clan leader!!" Senju Shukuma's eyes reddened when he saw the Senju clan leader bowing to someone else. He tried to help him up, but...
The clan leader shook him off.
"You... you..." Uzumaki Jun was stunned. "There's no need for this. No matter what, the Uzumaki and Senju..."
Before he could finish...
"I beg you." The Senju elders also knelt. "Please."
"..."
Uzumaki Jun sighed inwardly. He understood what the Senju clan leader wanted.
"Fine." Uzumaki Jun relented. "In the name of the Uzushiogakure daimyo, I formally accept the Senju clan as citizens of Uzushiogakure."
The Senju clan didn't want the long-distorted old contract. They wanted him to make a new declaration in his own name.
After hearing Uzumaki Jun's words, the Senju clan leader stood, tears in his eyes. "Thank you."
Then...
He turned to Senju Shukuma and said solemnly, "By the authority of the current Senju clan leader..."
"Senju Shukuma is hereby appointed as the next leader of the Senju clan. From this moment onward, all Senju must obey his commands."
"Clan leader!!" Senju Shukuma's eyes widened. "I..."
"Let me stay. I will fight for the Senju clan..."
As a member of the Senju, he couldn't bear to watch the clan march to their deaths while he...
Lived on in hiding.
"Silence." Senju Toshiki's voice was sharp. "From now on, you are the Senju clan leader." But seeing Senju Shukuma's tear-filled eyes, he softened. "No matter what, you must protect the Senju clan."
"If the worst comes..."
"Then abandon the name 'Senju.'"
"I..." Senju Shukuma was about to refuse, but seeing the hope in the clan leader's eyes, he choked out, "I will restore the Senju clan's glory!!"
He understood. From this moment, they could no longer bear the name "Senju." And if the burden became too great, they would discard it—just survive...
Senju Toshiki patted Senju Shukuma's shoulder. "You've worked hard." Then he looked at Uzumaki Jun. "We trouble the Uzumaki clan."
"Ah." Uzumaki Jun sighed. "It really isn't necessary. Uzushiogakure can feed a few more mouths."
In fact, they needed the Senju's earth-style ninjutsu for construction projects!!
"No." Senju Toshiki shook his head firmly. "The Senju are Konoha's Senju."
"We elders will remain here."
"From this moment, the ties between Konoha and the Senju are severed." Senju Toshiki smiled faintly, as if freed. "I hope Father will not blame me in the next life..."
But...
Before he could finish.
"Clan leader, it's bad." A Senju clansman rushed in. "The Iwa-nin have launched another full-scale attack!!"