"At this time?" Sen took the letter, read it quickly, and then sighed, "It seems that we really have to go."
The situation was urgent, so he immediately found Mikoto to say goodbye.
"Great Elder is critically ill, I must go back immediately." Sen looked at Mikoto, his eyes full of reluctance, "The ninjutsu and skills I taught you should be enough for you to cope with it for a while."
Mikoto nodded obediently and arranged his clothes for him. "I understand, go back quickly, Great Elder definitely wants to see you."
After saying goodbye, Sen packed up his equipment and supplies, and under the cover of the moonlight, ran at full speed in the direction of Konoha.
The fierce yet kind face of Uchiha Setsuna kept popping up in his mind.
Unexpectedly, in just a few years, this once all-powerful elder of the hawk sect would actually reach the end of his life.
At the same time, he is also a little worried about Kushina. For some reason, Kushina's replies have stopped recently.
Two days later, Sen arrived at Konoha. He didn't even return home and went straight to Uchiha Setsuna's courtyard.
"Sen! Here!" Uchiha Hikaru, who was guarding the door, waved as soon as he saw him.
The two quickly entered the room, and a strong Yakumi hit their faces.
Uchiha Setsuna was lying on the bed with his eyes blank, his eyes were cloudy, as if they would go out at any moment.
"Great Elder," Uchiha Hikaru whispered into his ear, "Sen is back."
Hearing this name, a glimmer of light suddenly lit up in his cloudy eyes.
He sat up with the support of Uchiha Hikaru and said with difficulty, "Sen... sit..."
Sen sat beside the bed and said in a deep voice, "Senior Setsuna, I'm back."
Setsuna waved to Yan, who immediately injected him with a powerful stimulant.
After a while, Setsuna's condition improved significantly.
"Just come back..." He stretched out his withered hand and gently stroked Sen's face, "The only person I want to see and the person I should see is you."
He looked at the sadness in Sen's eyes and said slowly, "Don't be sad, everyone will die eventually. It's not too bad to die when spring is coming."
"I understand, senior." Sen lowered his head, thinking that he had spent countless weekends in this small courtyard, and he couldn't help feeling sad.
"Is there anything else you need me to complete?"
Uchiha Setsuna stared at him and his voice became extremely solemn. "I know everything about you on the battlefield.
I opened Three Tomoe, and I was still entangled with that little girl Mikoto... but these are not the most important."
His tone became more and more serious, and at the end, it was as if he was taking an oath:
"I asked you to come back, and I just want to ask you a question.
Have you really made up your mind to compete with Uchiha Fugaku for the position of the next Clan Leader? You have to know that once you embark on this road, you will never stop!
Do you have the confidence to lead us Uchiha Clan to true glory?"
Sen raised his head, met the old man's burning gaze, and nodded solemnly. "Yes. Whether it is for the family, for myself, or for Mikoto, I am bound to win this Clan Leader position!"
Only by getting this position can I show my talents and rebuild the glory of Uchiha!"
"Hahaha! Well said!" Uchiha Setsuna's eyes burst out with astonishing brilliance, and he praised repeatedly.
Immediately, he changed the topic and said to Uchiha Hikaru on the side, "Uchiha Hikaru, are you willing to be loyal to Uchiha Sen?"
Hearing this, Uchiha Hikaru knelt down on one knee without hesitation and said solemnly to Sen: "I am willing! From now on, we will be loyal to Lord Sen just like we are loyal to you Great Elder!"
Regardless of success or failure, we will do it until death!"
Seeing that the two of them reached a consensus, Uchiha Setsuna smiled happily, "In this way, I have no regrets anymore. It's a pity that I can't see the grave-digging and whipping corpse you mentioned before."
"Is this so..." Sen After listening, he silently pulled out the short knife behind him.
"Sen, what do you want to do?" Yan frowned and asked quickly.
"Hahaha!" Uchiha Setsuna laughed loudly, "You are indeed the hawk of me, Uchiha! I'm not dead yet, and you want to take my eyes! You have the style of our clan back then!"
Seeing the strange looks in their eyes, Sen quickly explained, "Don't get me wrong, I just want to take a strand of senior's hair so that I can resurrect him if I have the opportunity in the future."
"What? Can he be resurrected?" Yan asked quickly after hearing this.
"Impure World Reincarnation?" Setsuna, after all, is well-informed. "You may never have the opportunity to come into contact with that kind of Forbidden Jutsu. But... you said that, but it also gives me more hope."
He took Sen's short knife and cut off a strand of gray hair himself.
After doing all this, he seemed to have exhausted all his strength, panting and waving his hands. "Sen... You first... go home and take a look... If something happens... I will call you..."
Sen looked at Yan, saw him nodding, and then slowly exited the room.
In the evening, Sen had just tidied up the room he had not lived in for a long time when he heard a knock on the door.
When I opened the door, it was Yan whom I had just met in the afternoon.
"Sen," Yan's eyes were red and his voice was hoarse, "Great Elder... passed away in his sleep. Thank you for coming back and letting him leave without leaving too many regrets."
Sen sighed softly and comforted, "Sorry. He is also my elder. Is there anything I can do?"
"He has no children, and we, the orphans he adopted, are his only relatives." Yan's eyes were red and swollen, and he suppressed his emotions and said, "You are the person he values the most. If possible, I hope you can keep vigil for him."
"I understand," Sen nodded, "Let's go together."
Uchiha Setsuna's funeral, like his own, had no complicated ceremonies and everything was kept simple.
For three days, all the clan members in Konoha came to pay their respects, and in their words, they all lamented the end of this hawkish hero.
On the third night, when only Sen was left in the mourning hall, the current Clan Leader Uchiha Sōgaku left and returned.
He put a stick of incense on Uchiha Setsuna, and as the green smoke curled up, he turned around and said to Sen in a calm tone:
"The era of Sen, Uchiha Setsuna has passed. A real and complete past.
Now, why don't we talk about the new era that belongs to us Uchiha Clan."
Sen didn't change his expression, he just looked askance at this man who was talking about power and strategy in someone else's mourning hall.
"If anything happens, Clan Leader, just tell me."
"Young man, you are really quick to talk." Uchiha Sōgaku nodded, not sure whether it was approval or sarcasm.
"The intensity of this war is no less than that of First Shinobi World War. The core combat forces of each village have been mobilized. I heard that you have experienced Tailed Beast Bomb's attack before, and your survival is almost purely due to good luck."
Uchiha Sōgaku had a warm smile on his face, but there was a hint of temptation in his words:
"But luck will not be on your side every time. If you are willing, give me the command of the people Setsuna left for you. I can apply to Lord Hokage so that you don't have to set foot on the battlefield again in the next year."
He took a step forward and lowered his voice, like a devil's whisper:
"Sen, you have to think carefully. You are still so young, and the war in the future will only become more cruel. If people die like Setsuna, then... nothing will happen."