Don't Be Afraid, Don't Panic, Don't Be Reckless

As Senba stood there, his eyes growing weary from waiting, in the center of the Senju clan grounds' backyard, Tsunade sat unnaturally on the tatami mat. The haori representing the clan head made her feel uncomfortable.

However, seeing Grandma Momoka's kind smile across from her, she forced herself to endure the physical discomfort and sat properly in front of the elder.

"Don't worry, once the ceremony is over, you won't have to wear it anymore. The Senju Clan is a thing of the past, after all. I won't go against Lord Hashirama's orders."

Listening to the somber tone and watching Grandma Momoka slowly stand up, her movements carrying the unique slowness and stiffness of old age, Tsunade couldn't help but lower her head with a look of shame, her eyes slightly moist.

As an elder who had survived the chaotic times, witnessing the decline of the Senju Clan, which she had dedicated her life to, the immense psychological gap was unbearable. No one knew how many of her peers, like Grandma Momoka, had died of melancholy because they couldn't understand or resist the orders of the two clan leaders, ultimately passing away in sorrow.

"Little Tsunade, come and help an old woman walk. I'm getting on in years, I probably can't walk much further."

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Seeing Tsunade, who had wiped her eyes and hurried to her side to support her, Senju Momoka reached out her right hand and gently wiped the corners of the younger woman's eyes.

"Don't be afraid, don't panic, don't be reckless. Remember, Tsunade, you are the sole successor of Lord Hashirama and Lord Tobirama. The Senju integrated into Konoha are your shield, and only you are worthy of it."

Senju Momoka, in her seventies, didn't know how much longer she had to live. Nawaki's death had filled her with self-blame, so she absolutely could not let Tsunade suffer the same fate.

This was also the first time since the Senju Clan split that Senju Momoka had defied the orders of the two clan leaders and gathered the Senju's strength.

Now was the best opportunity. After the Nine-Tails' attack, the village was in dire need of mid-tier strength. Even if they knew these people were of Senju blood, the village's higher-ups couldn't discard them and had to secretly divide them until, after a generation or two, the name Senju completely disappeared.

But by then, Tsunade might not even be alive. What was the point of the Senju Clan's existence then?

As the two powerful figures of the Senju family walked forward, the Senju Ancestral Home was already bustling with activity.

Senba, hiding in a corner, watched the crowd before him, feeling a sense of unease. This was hardly a small gathering; it felt like nearly thirty percent of Konoha's ninjas had been summoned.

There were ninjas from clans like Akimichi, Gekko, and Shiranui, wearing their clan symbols, as well as many civilian ninjas like Senba who had no clan emblem, all gathered here.

Furthermore, Senba noticed that most of these people were quite old, with very few young ninjas. But it was precisely because of this that Senba felt shocked. The Third Shinobi War had ended not long ago, meaning ninety percent of the people here were veterans who had survived the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars.

Before the emergence of large-scale ninjutsu like summoning meteorites with a snap of the fingers, these people were the village's most precious asset.

"So, how will the Third Generation feel when he sees this scene?"

While Senba was lost in thought, his presence was incredibly conspicuous. As time passed, many people's gazes fell upon him.

A small figure stood silently in the corner of the courtyard, dressed in faded dark blue clothing, a white belt tied around his waist. His spiky white hair was neatly combed, and the fringe on his forehead partially obscured his eyes.

Some of the older individuals, their cloudy eyes widening, seemed to fear their vision was deceiving them. They muttered to themselves:

"How can he look so alike? Could this be a descendant of Clan Leader Tobirama? But the Clan Leader... he..."

"Forget it, you know as well as I do that Clan Leader Tobirama never married. But this resemblance is just too..."

Although everyone knew Clan Leader Tobirama wasn't married, the resemblance was uncanny. As the crowd buzzed with discussion, a figure appeared beside Senba.

"Little Senba, come, stay by my side."

Senju Yunhua ruffled Senba's hair and brought him closer, walking towards the crowd. It was evident that today's gathering put him in a good mood.

As Senju Yunhua exchanged pleasantries with everyone, Senba's identity gradually became known. Upon learning that his bloodline originated from Aoki Miki, who was distantly related to the main family, their faces showed doubt.

However, despite this, many still offered Senba friendly smiles. Regardless of the bloodline's proximity, based on his face alone, Senba had earned a sliver of their goodwill.

In contrast, Senba, trailing behind Senju Yunhua, maintained a stiff smile on his cheeks while enduring the gnawing hunger in his stomach, feeling he truly embodied the "nin" in "ninja."

Finally, as the bell chimed, the clan ceremony was about to begin. At the same time, the Third Generation Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived. At this point, Senba, given his status, could no longer follow behind him, so someone led him to his seat to wait.

Upon being led to his seat, Senba saw several boys around his age and realized that all his peers were gathered here. However, looking at their stern and serious expressions, Senba lost any interest in talking. Moreover, he was genuinely quite hungry. God, when can we eat?

"Grandma, it's him, Aoki Senba. The Slug is very close to him. Intelligence reports say he has a stable personality and solid basic ninjutsu skills, but this evaluation seems inaccurate."

Tsunade, sitting in the back hall, pointed at Senba, who was fidgeting restlessly, and expressed her disappointment with the Senju's remaining intelligence system.

Hearing Tsunade's assessment, Senju Momoka merely smiled slightly. After summoning a maid and giving her quiet instructions, she looked at Senba and said, "His appearance is even more exaggerated than Yunhua described. If I didn't know Lord Tobirama and Miki, I would also believe he was a direct descendant of Lord Tobirama."

"Since a situation similar to Lord Hashirama's has appeared within him, regardless of whether he will possess Lord Hashirama's power in the future, we cannot ignore it. Otherwise, this child's fate will not be good."

Senju Momoka was well aware of the village's obsession with Wood Release, that Kekkei Genkai that could pacify the world and was coveted by countless people.

In fact, at the beginning, many Senju clan members voluntarily participated in experiments, all hoping to become the next Hashirama Senju.

But what was the final outcome? Thinking of this, Senju Momoka closed her eyes slightly. The horrific scenes she witnessed still made her unable to look directly at them.

The Senju Clan had already sacrificed enough for the village since its founding. They didn't need to sacrifice anymore. They didn't need to.