New Senju! New Konoha! Uzumaki Orphan

Night fell.

At the Namikaze Minato residence.

The Golden Reaper had just finished a long day and returned home.

"The war isn't going well. I'll rest a bit longer, then head to the front lines. This time, we'll execute the operation targeting Kannabi Bridge. Iwagakure has numbers—strong combat power, tough defenses, and iron wills. They're no pushovers."

"Minato, this mission is dangerous. You have to be careful," Kushina Uzumaki said, worry in her voice.

Hearing this, Namikaze Minato gently took her hand. "Don't worry. I'll come back safely. I promised I'd always protect you, that I'd never leave you alone."

"Mm..."

Kushina's cheeks flushed slightly, warmth filling her heart.

But she didn't yet know how heavy that promise would become.

Knock knock.

The door was knocked on.

"Ogawa Gō?" Namikaze Minato blinked as he opened the door.

"Good evening, Minato-san, Kushina-san." Ogawa Gō flashed a bright smile.

"What's up? At this hour..."

"Well, I wanted you to act as a bridge—let civilian ninja join the Hyūga-Uchiha sparring sessions. I'm planning to bring my students tomorrow too."

Namikaze Minato caught on quickly.

"I see... That does sound like a good approach. Want to come in for dinner?"

"Heh, was waiting for you to say that."

Ogawa Gō stepped inside.

Then he rolled up his sleeves and started cooking.

Kushina found herself pushed aside, while Ogawa Gō and Namikaze Minato worked side by side in the kitchen, chatting as they cooked.

"The war's been heavy lately. If it gets worse, even the kids will have to go to the front. I want them to get used to it early."

"Training them early is a good thing," Namikaze Minato said, guilt creeping into his voice. "Sigh... in the end, it's our failure as adults. I hope the war turns around soon."

"I don't want them to die," Ogawa Gō said. "The road to fight back is long."

They cooked quickly.

Soon, a hearty dinner was ready, and the three sat down to eat.

Kushina was spacing out—she'd been hoping for some alone time with Minato.

"By the way, I've got an idea. Minato, can you weigh in?"

"Oh? What idea?"

Namikaze Minato picked up some food with his chopsticks as he asked.

Ogawa Gō was a civilian ninja elite—someone Minato had saved back when he was a test subject, and they'd fought together through war. That made him a trusted confidant.

After all, a life-debt was a life-debt.

And Ogawa Gō's background was civilian ninja. Everyone knew Namikaze Minato was the current symbol of civilian ninja.

"I plan to reclaim the Senju name, become 'Senju Gō,' then confront Tsunade, deny the First Hokage to her face, force her to take back the Senju surname too. After that, I'll come back, protect all the Senju clan members, and establish the 'New Senju.'"

Silence—

The only sound left at the table was Ogawa Gō eating.

Namikaze Minato and Kushina were frozen, chopsticks suspended midair.

Something this huge, just said like that?

Denying the First Hokage, bringing back Tsunade, founding the New Senju...

"Ogawa Gō..." Namikaze Minato's expression was complicated.

"I'm grateful you saved me. But I never want the Senju clan to be captured for experiments again. The facts show that merging the Senju into Konoha didn't bring them safety. The First Hokage was worthy of the village but failed the Senju. I reject parts of his philosophy... especially the idea that you can sacrifice brothers, friends, or clan for the village. I reject that completely."

"I, Ogawa Gō, don't have that kind of vision."

"I just want the people who share my blood to be safe from harm."

"But I don't reject everything about the First Hokage."

"If I'm going to bear the Senju name, I'll bear the responsibility too."

"This is intel I extracted from an Iwagakure ninja."

With that, Ogawa Gō handed over a file.

Namikaze Minato took it out and read it, stunned.

"In the coming war, I plan to go deep into the Land of Grass to rescue a woman. She's a survivor of the Uzumaki clan."

"Right now, they're draining her blood over and over to restore chakra, torturing her endlessly. If no one saves her, she'll be tormented to death."

"The Senju's broken promise, Konoha's broken promise—I, Senju Gō, will bear them all..."

Beside him, Kushina Uzumaki's pupils also contracted as she leaned close to Namikaze Minato to look at the intelligence.

It was written with various details, including a map—highly credible.

A moment later, Namikaze Minato nodded.

"Ogawa Gō, I've said it clearly: I'll support you. When the time comes, I'll use the Flying Thunder God Technique to send you over silently, and I hope you succeed in rescuing the orphan of the Uzumaki Clan." Namikaze Minato spoke very seriously. "But I can't bring anyone else with me. That might be seen as a declaration of war against Kusagakure. That's not a decision I can make. I can only cooperate with you in keeping this hidden."

"If you succeed, I'll thank you too." Kushina Uzumaki clenched her fists.

For that fellow clansman of the Uzumaki she had never met, she felt empathy—and a strong sympathy...

"Haha, don't be so tense!" Ogawa Gō laughed heartily, as if he were talking about something trivial.

"Come on, eat, eat!"

He cheerfully pointed his chopsticks at the food in front of him.

But Namikaze Minato and Kushina Uzumaki's expressions couldn't immediately lighten.

Night fell.

At home, Namikaze Minato held Kushina's waist from behind.

The two gradually talked about Ogawa Gō's affairs.

"Ogawa Gō really is a man with great ambition," Kushina said, sighing with emotion.

"Mm." Namikaze Minato replied. "He was a civilian ninja like me, hailed as a genius among civilians with high hopes placed on him. Then he was captured by Danzo's Root for experiments... Now he's willing to fight for the village, to risk his life in battle and earn merit by killing enemies, and he's even taken on an oversized disciple. He hasn't wronged the village."

"And what he hopes for is a new village. A village without darkness. He's placed that hope in you too, because you're the representative among civilian ninja, because you're more outstanding, because you saved him..." Kushina Uzumaki said.

Namikaze Minato nodded. "Mm, I know."

"I can understand."

"He's told us everything he plans to do."

"That's certainly a form of 'trust.' I, Namikaze Minato, won't betray that trust and expectation."

Kushina: "Minato, you've already gathered the expectations of many people on your shoulders... without you even realizing it."

Namikaze Minato gave a wry smile. "That sense of responsibility weighs on me too."

Kushina: "Do your best~"

The red-haired beauty cupped the blond's handsome face, her expression infinitely tender.

"Of course." Namikaze Minato's gaze was utterly resolute. "The Konoha of today needs a force for reform!"

"Now, with the New Hyuga rising, the Uchiha Clan actively changing, and with me, Uchiha Miya, and Hizashi Hyuga, a brand-new Uchiha will likely emerge."

"If Ogawa Gō can really pull it off..."

"Then."

"A 'New Senju' will appear too."

Kushina also clenched her fist, unable to help feeling fired up: "It's getting exciting, Minato! New Senju, New Uchiha, New Hyuga! Three great clans, united around you—united around you, Namikaze Minato! You're definitely going to become the Fourth Hokage!"

Namikaze Minato scratched his head sheepishly. "Ah, haha, it's not that impressive..."

"But."

"I absolutely must create a 'New Konoha.'"

"That New Konoha will hold everyone's hopes."

Most importantly, he had to thoroughly protect Kushina...

That was Namikaze Minato's greatest motivation now.