Resolution of the Senju Clan

In the village of Konoha, lit by the lights of countless homes, an urgent secret letter from the front lines stirred the peaceful atmosphere into a maelstrom of intrigue and undercurrents.

The core area flanking the Hokage Building at Konoha's center was occupied by the Senju and Uchiha clans. The sheer size of either clan's compound could easily accommodate the Yamanaka, Akimichi, Nara, Sarutobi, and Shimura clans—five in total—without feeling cramped. Upon receiving the news, the Senju Clan urgently convened a meeting. In the conference hall at the heart of their compound, a dignified and elegant mature noblewoman, exuding authority without anger, slowly entered. The Senju clansmen, who had been whispering and murmuring, immediately sat up straight with respectful expressions, as if finding their pillar of strength, their unease and fear gradually dissipating.

This mature noblewoman was none other than Hashirama Senju's wife, Tobirama Senju's sister-in-law, the terrifyingly powerful Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and the princess of the Land of Whirlpools, a master of sealing techniques—Mito Uzumaki. Possessing the Yin Seal technique, which preserved her youth, Mito Uzumaki maintained the appearance of her physical prime. She had the distinctive red hair of the Uzumaki Clan, tied into two buns with hair reaching her waist, and wore a crown-like ornament symbolizing her noble status as a princess. On her forehead was a purple diamond-shaped mark representing the Yin Seal, and from her hair buns hung talisman-like decorations that swayed gently by her ears as she moved. Dressed in a white kimono, Mito Uzumaki took the seat of honor in the conference hall, her hands resting on her abdomen. The slightly taut fabric subtly outlined the curvaceous figure of this fully mature noblewoman as she swept her dignified and commanding gaze downward.

With the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline secret technique, Mind's Eye of the Kagura, and the Malice Perception ability she gained as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, this mature noblewoman easily detected the chaotic and tangled emotions of the crowd. She looked at the once-spacious hall that could accommodate a hundred jonin sitting cross-legged in lively discussion, now reduced to a gathering of the old and the young within Konoha's clan grounds, with only about a dozen clansmen of jonin-level strength. The direct lineage inheriting the clan leadership, which might awaken the divine power of Wood Release, had dwindled to the brink of extinction. The Senju of the Forest, spanning nearly a millennium, was visibly in decline.

(Now that the Uchiha have produced another young Mangekyo, facing their impending aggression, the Senju Clan's path ahead will be like walking on thin ice.) With countless worries in her heart, Mito Uzumaki's face, both majestic and beautiful, betrayed no negative emotion as she spoke slowly. "Everyone knows the situation. Tobirama has fallen. The Uchiha Clan, emboldened by slaying the Second Raikage, will surely not let go of the position of Third Hokage. Speak your minds freely."

"Mother, this matter is full of doubts. Lord Tobirama had the Flying Thunder God Technique—how could he die at the hands of Kumogakure? And what a coincidence that the entire Kage Guard under Lord Tobirama perished, with only Uchiha Takeyasu returning victorious. It's so convenient it insults everyone's intelligence!" The speaker was Senju Moriki, Tsunade's father. His hands clenched on his knees, his face burning with rage and killing intent. "That evil Uchiha brat must have killed Lord Tobirama!"

During Tobirama Senju's administration, alienating and opposing the Uchiha was political correctness. With Senju Moriki, the direct heir, saying this, the remaining branch clansmen immediately erupted in fervor. "Enough. This is the clan's meeting hall, not the Uchiha council. What's all this noise? Do you want the Uchiha next door to laugh at us? Actually, they're probably laughing right now." The moment Mito Uzumaki's words of displeasure left her mouth, the hall fell silent, and everyone bowed their heads.

In the silent meeting hall, Mito Uzumaki looked at her son, Senju Moriki—ambitious but impulsive, deemed unfit to be Hokage by both Hashirama and Tobirama Senju, denied by Tobirama from going to the battlefield, and left with the duty of expanding the clan—and asked with neither joy nor anger, "Moriki, do you have evidence?"

"The evidence is in that Uchiha brat's head!" Senju Moriki said with an air of confidence. "Just have the Yamanaka Clan search the Uchiha brat's memories, and everything will come to light." His seemingly reasoned argument left Mito Uzumaki speechless. She realized that this child had almost zero sense of the bigger picture, and all these years of nurturing had been wasted. Senju Moriki inherited his father Hashirama Senju's naive "take-it-for-granted" personality but not the Wood Release bloodline of the God of Shinobi. So, some things Hashirama could do, Senju Moriki could not.

(Why do you keep looking at me like that? I'm doing this for the Senju Clan!) Meeting Mito Uzumaki's disappointed gaze, Senju Moriki gritted his teeth, feeling hollow inside. He began to realize that many things had changed since his father's death, and with his uncle Tobirama's mysterious demise, a string inside him was fraying, ready to snap at any moment.

"Don't mention searching Uchiha Takeyasu's memories outside this hall. Also, his status as a rogue ninja will be revoked tomorrow at the Hokage Building." Mito Uzumaki's calm words carried an undeniable authority. "Remember this now: he is the hero who slew the Second Raikage, one of the few top-tier shinobi in Konoha, even the entire ninja world. When you meet him, address him respectfully as Lord Takeyasu."

Senju Moriki bowed his head in silence. He understood that in this household, once Mito Uzumaki decided something, even Hashirama and Tobirama sometimes had to yield. All his suggestions would only be vetoed by her. After Tobirama's death, Senju Moriki was the clan head of the Senju. He would seek justice for his uncle's death in his own way.

"Mito-sama, we understand." "Without evidence, we won't say anything that harms Konoha's unity." "The Senju Clan is indeed not suited for a direct confrontation with the Uchiha right now." An elder from the Warring States period spoke up. "But the Uchiha are coveting the position of Third Hokage. We can't let them have it. Who in the village do you think is suitable to inherit the title?"

"No one is suitable." Contrary to everyone's expectations, Mito Uzumaki revealed her carefully considered plan. "Whoever takes the position now, the Uchiha will be dissatisfied. If we appoint someone, it could trigger large-scale armed conflict. You all know the power of the Mangekyo." Having witnessed the world-ending divine might of the Valley of the End battle between Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, the crowd nodded in fear.

"Moreover, the Uchiha Clan rose to power through blood and fire. If we can't wipe them out completely, no one can guarantee how many Mangekyo will emerge from their love and hatred. In the end, it might be a pyrrhic Uchiha victory, with Konoha destroyed. Can any of you accept that outcome?" Seeing the silence, Mito Uzumaki said calmly, "Only a result that leaves the Uchiha Clan utterly convinced can eliminate the conflict from the start."

Understanding her meaning, the Senju elder's eyes lit up. "Mito-sama, you mean to hold a jonin assembly?"

"Exactly. Let all jonin vote for the most suitable candidate for Third Hokage." Mito Uzumaki said flatly. "With an open and upright approach, the Uchiha will have nothing to say." As she spoke these words, most had already guessed the outcome, and their gazes toward Mito Uzumaki added three parts more awe and joy. The position of Third Hokage would still be held by the Senju Clan!