Dust-Sealed History

"Sister."

Uchiha Yue, her body covered in snowflakes, had just pushed open the front door when she was met head-on by a round, white bundle. Uchiha Izumi, wrapped beneath a white fur cloak, gazed up at her elder sister with a look of pure delight.

Planting her Rain Cutter at the lower back of her belt, Uchiha Yue reached out to pinch her younger sister's pink, tender cheeks, letting her exhausted body and face relax.

At the same time, she noticed the figure standing behind Izumi—someone the exact same age as Izumi, yet exuding an aura of chilling detachment that pushed people away.

"Itachi, sorry for the trouble keeping Izumi company these past two days. I bought some tricolor dango on the way back. Would you like to have some with Izumi?"

Seeing Uchiha Yue return, Uchiha Itachi, who had been about to take his leave, experienced a flicker of emotion in his eyes. Yet, remembering his father's stern instructions, he politely excused himself and left; after all, little Sasuke must have been missing him.

Watching Uchiha Itachi's departing figure, Uchiha Yue's eyes flashed with a hint of worry. The boy's background meant he would likely become the clan head in the future, whereas Yue merely hoped her younger sister would grow up happily. Getting too close to Itachi was not necessarily a good thing.

Before long, however, that trace of worry was chased away by Izumi's joyful laughter. The two sisters hid together in a cozy room, savoring the honey-sweet tricolor dango while comfortably gazing out at the heavy snow beyond the window.

Meanwhile, Aoki Senba, walking through the same snow, wore a rather heavy expression. Having just left his grandfather's bedside, he had received very bad news: the old man's condition was deteriorating day by day, and his time was likely down to his final few days.

The old man had always been in poor health, and though he had long been mentally prepared for this, when it was truly about to arrive, Senba could not help but feel a flicker of lingering dread in his heart.

Carrying that dread, Senba stepped through the gates of the Senju Ancestral Home. Cherry blossom trees were planted all around the ancestral grounds, but alas, the timing was wrong; not a trace of pink-and-white could be seen on their branches, only bare, crisscrossing boughs stretching up into the ash-gray sky.

Gazing at the fallen snow on the branches, Senba felt a stirring of annoyance. Under the somewhat puzzled gaze of a nearby maid, he walked slowly toward the cherry tree, then kicked its thick trunk with a single stride.

The next second, a shower of fine snow came flying toward him. Senba lifted his chin, feeling the icy snowflakes slide across his forehead and cheeks before finally dropping into the scarf at his neck.

Men remain youths until the day they die, let alone Senba, who was a youth in his own right. Such a playful, childlike act finally eased the melancholic depths of his heart just a bit.

"Lady Momoka, Aoki Senba is here."

The old woman, dozing beside the warm fireplace, heard the maid's report and blinked her hazy eyes open as if she had just woken up, gazing at Senba standing out in the corridor as a gentle smile inevitably surfaced on her face.

At that moment, Senba was surrounded by several maids like a puppet. Armed with towels and other items, they brushed the residual snow from his body. Feeling his cheeks being rubbed and kneaded, he managed a strained smile—if he had known, he never would have kicked that tree.

A moment later, Senju Momoka lay on a daybed, listening as Senba sat across from her and recounted the details of his recent mission. She nodded slightly and said:

"You did the right thing. Ninjas are not emotionless swords; acting with careful thought is a good thing. Sometimes, do not be too hasty, or you will lose more than you gain."

"Senba."

Hearing Grandma Momoka's solemn tone, Senba instinctively straightened his posture and looked toward the elder.

"The Senju Clan is destined to vanish eventually. This is not merely the order of Lord Hashirama and Lord Tobirama; it is also what many people wish to see."

"Therefore, I do not wish for you to carry heavy pressures. All you need to do is live well. If you can, extend your protection to the Senju and Uzumaki Clan members whenever it is within your power, just like that pitiful child in the Land of Grass."

At this, Senju Momoka gazed out the window at the raging wind and snow, her eyes carrying a look of desolation and loneliness. Time truly could smooth over all lingering resentment and unwillingness.

Right at that moment, Senba stepped forward, reaching out to grasp Grandma Momoka's withered right hand. He sat down beneath the elder's knees just like a grandchild from any ordinary family.

"Grandma Momoka, tell me about the past events of the Senju Clan after Konoha was established. For instance, why the clan was disbanded back then? Otherwise, if my descendants ask me the exact same question in the future, how am I supposed to answer?"

Senju Momoka looked at Senba, whose eyes flashed with curiosity. After a moment of silent reflection, she finally spoke of the dust-sealed history of the Senju Clan.

More than fifty years had passed since the founding of Konoha. The ninja clans of Konoha, such as the Sarutobi, Hyuga, Shimura, and others, had achieved vigorous development here, yet the two founding clans of Konoha—the Uchiha and the Senju—had met different fates: one was ostracized by the masses, while the other simply vanished into a sea of people.

To put it nicely, the disbandment of the Senju was voluntary; in reality, they were forced into it. And the one who drove the Senju, the premier ninja clan of the Shinobi World, to that point was none other than the First, Hashirama Senju.

Senju Momoka would never forget the time when the entire clan rejoiced because Hashirama Senju had once again defeated Madara Uchiha.

A single sentence—"I have decided to disband the Senju Clan"—shattered the joy within the clan into nothingness.

When a heavily injured Hashirama Senju suppressed all opposition with his sheer presence alone, the man whom the Senju Clan had once regarded as their ultimate pillar of support suddenly became the mastermind behind the clan's disappearance.

"My purpose in founding Konoha was never to treat it as the private property of the Senju, but rather to attain true peace, to spare children from going to the battlefield at a tender age, and to allow everyone to live wonderful lives."

"However, after observing for this period of time, I realized I was mistaken. As long as the Senju Clan exists, everyone will view Konoha as the Senju's village. If this continues, non-Senju villagers will gradually lose the motivation to press forward. Therefore, I have decided to disband the Senju Clan."

"This is my final order as clan head. If anyone wishes to oppose it, you must defeat me. Now, who objects?"

In Senju Momoka's eyes, the clan head had completely shed his usual gentleness at that moment; the majesty in his gaze made it impossible for anyone to look him in the eye. The evening sunset fell upon the crowd, casting a warm orange glow, and the fate of the Senju was much the same—though brilliant, it was already dusk.

At that time, a shred of hope still lingered in everyone's heart. Even if all the clan elders were suppressed, as long as Lord Tobirama Senju, who served as the Hokage's advisor, held an opposing view, there was still room for redemption.

Thus, when the Senju clansmen welcomed Senju Tobirama back to the clan grounds after he finished handling the aftermath concerning Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha...

"I agree with Big Brother's proposal to disband the Senju Clan. Furthermore, upon succeeding to the positions of clan head and Hokage, I will resolutely execute this order until it is successfully completed."

Tobirama Senju's words were like the most fatal finishing blow. Several clan elders vomited blood and collapsed unconscious on the spot, while many clansmen left in sorrow, their deep resentment causing them to cast aside the name Senju and abandon Konoha entirely.

This was the final swan song of the Senju Clan. Hashirama Senju, the man who had elevated the Senju surname to its absolute peak, had personally snuffed it out with his own hands.

Senju Momoka recounted this history in the calmest tone possible, yet her gradually moistening eyes betrayed the lingering pain in her heart.