For Senju Mori, if he wanted to shake Sarutobi Hiruzen's hold on the Hokage's position, the two most crucial powers—besides his own Senju clan—were undoubtedly the Uchiha.
The Uchiha and the Senju were the two greatest clans at Konoha's founding.
Even after losing Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, the balance of power hadn't changed much.
When Madara defected, none of his clansmen followed him, so the Uchiha's strength remained intact.
After Madara left, Uchiha Kagami, who possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan, stood as the Uchiha clan's strongest warrior — and unfortunately, he was a man completely brainwashed by the Will of Fire.
If he were allowed to return alive, even if he couldn't convince the Uchiha to openly support Sarutobi Hiruzen, he would at least ensure they stayed quiet and didn't interfere.
That was unacceptable.
At present, both the Senju and Uchiha clans were still at the height of their power.
If they didn't make a bold move now, the only thing waiting for them would be a slow death.
To Senju Mori, even if it meant forcing the Uchiha clan to step forward and fight for the Hokage position, it was better than letting them remain silent under Kagami's leadership.
After all, it wasn't as if the Uchiha could ever truly become Hokage.
They hadn't been chosen even when Madara himself was alive—without him, their chances were even slimmer.
Only by stirring the waters could Senju Mori create the opportunity he needed.
...
The wind whispered through the trees, branches swaying gently.
Sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting warm patterns on the forest floor—a peaceful scene that felt like the calm before the storm.
Amid their monotonous journey, more than two days passed quickly, and before long, dawn broke on the third morning.
Senju Mori stepped out of the temporary campsite from the night before—a simple earthen hut he had created with an Earth Release technique.
Though shinobi wielded the supernatural power of chakra, they were still human beings at their core.
Even for elite ninja like Mori and Uzumaki Chisawa, it was impossible to travel endlessly without rest.
A few hours of sleep each day remained indispensable—especially when they needed to conserve strength for the coming battle.
After roughly four hours of rest, Mori felt completely recharged.
The exhaustion from the previous day's travel had faded away.
He didn't need breakfast—a single military ration pill was enough to sustain him for two or three days.
For Senju Mori, what mattered most wasn't food or rest—
it was information.
Information from Kumogakure of the Land of Lightning.
Fortunately, he was well-prepared.
Mori drew a kunai, slicing open the tip of his left thumb.
Then, with a swift motion, he pressed his palm against the ground.
Immediately, intricate black sealing script spread out across the soil like a web.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Poof!
With a burst of white smoke, a small figure about half a meter long appeared out of thin air—most of its body concealed beneath a black cloak.
Despite its mysterious appearance, the creature's small, fur-covered brown head betrayed its identity.
Standing upright on its hind legs, its two glossy black eyes darted around mischievously, radiating a sense of sly intelligence.
Behind it, a fluffy tail swished lazily back and forth—so soft-looking that one might be tempted to grab it just to feel its texture.
Although it looked cute, this was not a pet kept by Senju Mori — it was a true summoned beast.
Unlike the Uchiha's ninja-cat summons, the future-famous "Slug Sage" was not a summon every Senju could contract with.
In fact, Mori had never even heard of anyone in the current Senju clan who had a summoning contract with Shikkotsu Forest, leading him to suspect that it was something Tsunade would personally discover on her own in the future.
However, while locating one of the Three Great Sage Regions — such as Shikkotsu Forest — was an almost impossible task, finding an ordinary summoning clan wasn't so difficult, so long as one wasn't seeking sage training or powerful battle companions.
The creatures Mori had contracted with were known as the Transforming Tanuki Clan (Henka-Mujina).
This particular species of summon had almost no combat ability.
As their name implied, even the special individual Mori had just summoned could only perform a few simple Transformation Techniques.
But while weak in combat, these small summoning beasts excelled at stealth, reconnaissance, and intelligence gathering.
Perhaps because there was a new onlooker — Uzumaki Chisawa — the little tanuki didn't stop its theatrical act. Instead, it turned its back dramatically and began to speak in a lofty tone:
"Who dares summon the great Faceless—"
Before it could finish, Senju Mori casually pulled a small stone from his ninja pouch.
The motion instantly caught the tanuki's attention.
"You even prepared a tribute for Lord Kirimaru?! You sly human~!"
Forgetting its act completely, the little creature bounced forward on its pudgy paws, eyes gleaming as it received the glittering stone from Mori's hand.
It was a ruby.
Of course, this wasn't a bribe — but for the Transforming Tanuki, who lived underground, shiny objects were irresistible treasures.
"Any new intel, Kirimaru?"
Mori asked, patting the small creature's head as it admired its new prize.
As always, the soft fur felt amazing — cool to the touch, smooth as silk.
Though still clutching the ruby with both paws, Kirimaru answered obediently, its mouth full of sharp little teeth opening to reveal a strangely childish voice:
"Today's the day when Kumogakure and Konoha officially sign their alliance~!"
"But the Gold and Silver Brothers you mentioned don't seem to be preparing any kind of coup. They went to the Raikage Building early this morning for a meeting~."
"As for what the meeting's about, that I don't know, chu~!"
For the Transforming Tanuki, intelligence gathering was simple. The barrier teams of the major villages rarely paid attention to ordinary animals.
Though it spoke with an odd verbal tic, individuals like Kirimaru — who could actually speak human language — were rare within its clan. Most others were indistinguishable from normal beasts.
Those without chakra, naturally, went unnoticed by Kumogakure's barrier guards.
After exchanging a few more words with Mori, Kirimaru vanished in a puff of white smoke.
"Looks like the Gold and Silver Brothers plan to act during the alliance ceremony," Mori thought silently.
Having received the latest intelligence, he didn't rush to continue traveling. Instead, he took out a folded map from his pouch.
When unfolded, it showed a marked route with several points — their path and previous rest stops.
They had already left the Land of Fire and were now in the narrow Land of Hot Water.
The Land of Hot Water and Land of Frost were two small nations sandwiched between the Lands of Fire and Lightning. Though they each had their own shinobi villages, their military strength was negligible compared to the two great powers.
When the war between Konoha and Kumogakure had broken out, these border nations naturally became part of the battlefield.
Mori marked their current location on the map, then pointed to it as he spoke to Uzumaki Chisawa:
"From Kumogakure to completely leave the Land of Lightning takes about a day. We can reach the Land of Frost ahead of them — let's make that our battleground."
According to Kirimaru's intel, the Third Raikage had been deliberately sent away on a mission, leaving the village in the hands of the Gold and Silver Brothers and their elite troops. But staying too long inside Lightning Country was still too dangerous.
Mori's plan was to ambush Uchiha Kagami in the Land of Frost first, then move into the Land of Lightning to locate Senju Tobirama's whereabouts — or, more likely, his body.
After all, Mori had no intention of saving Tobirama.
As long as he could bring the body back to Konoha, that would be enough to accomplish his ultimate goal.