Half an hour later.
Outside the Senju Old House.
One Anbu Ninja after another stood guard at key points around the area. Even in midair, several Anbu Ninja using Super Beast Imitation Drawing or Flying Summoning Beasts watched over the airspace, vigilantly scanning their surroundings.
Inside the old house's courtyard, Uchiha Gen and the others were led here by an Anbu Ninja.
Besides the Orochimaru Squad, several other ninja were waiting in the courtyard.
Jiraiya sat on a stone bench with his legs spread apart and his hands braced on his knees, silently watching the main hall.
Several elderly ninja, all at least fifty or sixty years old, stood together. Their clothes bore not only Konoha's whirlpool emblem, but also the Senju Clan Crest at their cuffs.
The leader appeared to be around the same age as Great Elder Uchiha Gen. His hair was gray, his face was covered in sallow age spots, and he carried an air of declining years.
These were all elders of the Senju Clan, old acquaintances of Mito and the First Hokage.
Yet besides them, there was one other person whose presence surprised Uchiha Gen at first, though upon further thought, it made perfect sense.
Because this person was Kagami Uchiha's son.
"Is that Cousin Sumi?"
Uchiha Gen spoke to the frail young man sitting in a corner.
He wore a black shirt, and his face was pale, as though he had just recovered from a serious illness and might collapse in a gust of wind. Yet his features were handsome and delicate, fitting people's impression of a gentle, beautiful man.
"It's Gen. Cough, cough... Sorry, I don't go out much normally, and... cough, cough, cough... I haven't interacted with you much either, so I didn't recognize you just now... cough, cough, cough!"
Uchiha Sumi