Don't Be Afraid, Don't Panic, Don't Lose Your Head

As Senba stood there waiting until he could hardly bear it, Tsunade sat stiffly on the tatami in the center of the backyard of the Senju Clan Compound. The haori that marked her as clan leader made her feel uncomfortable.

But when she saw Grandma Momoka's kind smile across from her, she forced herself to ignore her discomfort and sat properly before her.

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

Hearing the desolate tone in Grandma Momoka's voice, Tsunade watched her slowly rise to her feet, her movements marked by the stiffness and slowness of old age. Tsunade lowered her head, guilt showing on her face, her eyes faintly moist.

As someone who had survived the chaos of war, the old woman had watched the Senju Clan she'd devoted her life to go from prosperity to decline. That tremendous emotional blow was almost impossible to bear. No one knew how many people of Grandma Momoka's generation had shared her fate, unable to understand or defy the orders of two clan leaders, and had eventually died in sorrow.

"Little Tsunade, come help Grandma walk a little. I'm old now. I'm afraid I can't go very far."

Watching Tsunade hurriedly come to her side and support her after wiping her eyes, Senju Momoka gently reached out and brushed the corner of the younger woman's eye.

"Don't be afraid, don't panic, don't lose your head. Remember, Tsunade, you're the sole heir of Lord Hashirama and Lord Tobirama. The Senju who've joined Konoha are your shield, and only you are worthy of carrying on their legacy."

Senju Momoka was well past seventy and didn't know how much longer she had to live. Nawaki's death had filled her with regret, so she couldn't let Tsunade suffer the same fate, no matter what.

This was also the first time Senju Momoka had defied the two clan leaders' orders since the Senju Clan Split, gathering the Senju's strength.

Now was the best opportunity. After the Nine-Tails Disaster, the village was desperately short of experienced shinobi. Even knowing these people had Senju blood, the village's leadership couldn't afford to leave them unused. They could only quietly divide them up, until, a generation or two later, the Senju name disappeared completely.

But by then, Tsunade might not even be alive. What would it matter whether the Senju Clan still existed?

As the two people in charge of the Senju Clan headed toward the front, the Senju Ancestral Home was already bustling with people.

Senba was hiding in a corner, watching everyone around him. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. What part of this was a small gathering? Hadn't they assembled nearly a third of Konoha's Ninja?

Akimichi, Moonlight, Shiranui, and other clan shinobi wore their clans' insignia. Many civilian shinobi like Senba, without a clan crest, had gathered there as well.

Senba also noticed that most of them were quite old, with very few young shinobi among them. But that was exactly why he was so shocked. The Third Shinobi War had ended only a short while ago, which meant that nine out of ten people here were veterans who had survived the Second Shinobi World War and the Third Shinobi War.

Before those oversized techniques appeared that could summon a meteor with a single hand sign, these people were the village's most precious assets.

"I wonder what the Third Generation will think when he sees this."

While Senba's mind wandered, he didn't realize that he stood out even more than the others. As time passed, more and more people turned their gazes toward him.

A small, slender figure stood silently in a corner of the courtyard, dressed in a faded dark blue outfit with a white belt tied around his waist. His white hair was neatly combed into spikes, and his bangs partially hid his brows and eyes.

Some of the older men strained to open their cloudy eyes, as if worried that their vision was playing tricks on them. They murmured to themselves:

"How can he look so much like him? Is he Clan Leader Tobirama's descendant? But the clan leader... he..."

"Don't be ridiculous. You know Clan Leader Tobirama never married, but that face is just too..."

Everyone knew Clan Leader Tobirama had never married, but the resemblance was just too uncanny. While the crowd debated, someone appeared beside Senba.

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

Senju Yunhua ruffled Senba's hair and brought him along as he walked toward the others. He was clearly in high spirits about the gathering.

As Senju Yunhua chatted with everyone, Senba's identity gradually became known. When they learned that his bloodline came from Miki of the Aoki Clan, whose blood was very distantly related to the main family, they all looked doubtful.

Even so, many people smiled warmly at Senba. Whether his bloodline was close or distant, his face alone had already earned him a little goodwill.

Meanwhile, Senba followed behind Senju Yunhua, keeping a stiff smile on his face while enduring his hunger. He felt he was embodying the "endure" in the word "Ninja" to perfection.

At last, the bell rang, signaling that the clan ceremony was about to begin. The Third Generation, Hiruzen Sarutobi, arrived as well. Given Senba's status, he couldn't stay at Hiruzen's side, so someone led him to his seat to wait.

Only after reaching his seat and seeing several boys around his age did Senba realize that the other children were all gathered there. But they all looked so stiff and solemn that he had no desire to talk. Besides, he was really hungry. Good heavens, when would they serve the food?

"Grandma, that's him, Aoki Senba. Slug is very fond of him. The report says he's level-headed and has a solid grasp of the basic techniques, but that assessment doesn't seem quite accurate."

In the rear hall, Tsunade pointed at Senba, who was fidgeting in his seat. She was deeply disappointed in the Senju's remaining intelligence network.

Hearing Tsunade's assessment, Senju Momoka smiled faintly. She called a maid over and gave her a quiet instruction, then looked toward Senba.

"He looks even more like Tobirama than Yunhua said. If I didn't know Lord Tobirama and Miki, I'd have thought he was Lord Tobirama's direct descendant, too."

"Since a situation like Lord Hashirama's has appeared in his body, we can't turn a blind eye, whether or not he'll ever have Lord Hashirama's power. Otherwise, this child's future won't be bright."

Senju Momoka knew how obsessed the village was with Wood Release, the Kekkei Genkai that had brought an end to the chaos of war and that countless people coveted.

In the beginning, many Senju Clan members had even volunteered for the experiments, hoping they could become the next Hashirama Senju.

But how had it ended? At the thought, Senju Momoka slowly closed her eyes. Even now, she couldn't bear to look at those horrifying scenes.

From the very moment the village was founded, the Senju Clan had already given enough to it. They didn't need to give any more. They didn't.