Outside, the biting wind swept fine snowflakes up from the ground, forming a white curtain that drifted through Konoha. Countless people gave up braving the cold, curled up in their warm beds, and enjoyed this rare moment of leisure.
Inside the Senju Ancestral Home, seated around a warm brazier, Senju Momoka continuously cracked seeds with her withered hands as she recounted the events that had unfolded after the Senju Clan disbanded.
Senba, sitting beside her, would occasionally pour a handful of kernels into his mouth with a rustle. His teeth snapped together, filling the room with a steady chorus of crunches.
Savoring the kernels' crisp texture and salty fragrance, Senba unconsciously narrowed his eyes, a pleased smile tugging at his lips. So good. Then he tossed another handful into his mouth.
Short of death, there was no problem a meal couldn't solve. And if there was, then he'd have another meal.
As Senju Momoka recounted the past and saw Senba's expression, a kindly smile appeared on her face. After what had happened in Kusagakure, the old woman, who had remained unmarried all her life for the sake of her clan, had come to regard Senba as her own direct descendant.
When Senba had finished the kernels in his mouth, he lowered his head in thought and reached for more. There were none. He reached again. Still none.
Only then did Senba look up, just in time to see Grandma Momoka smiling at him as she held a plate of pastries. He instantly felt embarrassed and scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin.
"Go ahead and eat. You're at the age when you can eat as much as you want. Don't wait until you're old like us, when nothing tastes good anymore."
"Senba, just keep what I told you in mind. Grandma isn't telling you all this to put pressure on you. I only hope the Senju Clan won't be forgotten."
Senju Momoka leaned her head to one side as she reminded him, then relaxed back onto the couch.
"Don't worry, Grandma. I'll remember what you said. I don't think Clan Leader Hashirama and Clan Leader Tobirama were wrong, but the Senju Clan shouldn't have disappeared. One day, I'll bring the Senju name back to the Shinobi World."
"But, Grandma, I can't promise I'll raise it to the heights it reached under Clan Leader Hashirama. I'm someone who cares more about enjoying life."
A hint of relief flickered in Grandma Momoka's eyes at Senba's promise. That was all she wanted. She simply hadn't wanted the Senju Clan to disband, but she also knew that if the Senju truly returned to what they had been in Lord Hashirama's time, it would be a disaster. She knew all too well what Hiruzen and Danzo had done to the Uchiha Clan.
"Senba, what kind of person do you think the Third Hokage is?"
Senba had just finished his pastries and was wiping his hands with a damp cloth. He paused at the question. It seemed like an odd topic, but since Grandma Momoka had brought it up, he shared some of what he truly thought.
"I haven't had much contact with the Third Generation. But judging by his actions, whether he's too power-hungry or too weak-willed, one thing is certain."
"He has good intentions toward Konoha. It's just that, in putting them into practice..."
He didn't think much of the Third Hokage, but he couldn't deny the contributions he had made to Konoha.
Senju Momoka didn't respond right away. Instead, she fell into quiet thought. Senba didn't disturb her. He simply closed his eyes and dozed. His Chakra had increased a little lately, and he needed to get used to it.
The room seemed to have become a realm of absolute silence. The only sound was the soft rustle of snowflakes blown against the window by the cold wind outside.
After an unknown length of time, Senju Momoka slowly rose to her feet. With Senba supporting her, she walked to the window and gazed at the snowy scenery outside.
"Little Senba, you and little Tsunade are very different. You don't limit your view to just one clan. If anything ever happens to her, you must help her."
That was something Senba would have done anyway. Their blood ties were distant, but they were both Senju—and she was his teacher, besides.
After Senba promised, Senju Momoka smiled with satisfaction and led him toward the main hall, where a sukiyaki pot was already bubbling away.
A snowy day was perfect for sukiyaki. While Senba was eating to his heart's content, someone elsewhere stared at the food in front of him, unable to swallow a bite. He had no appetite at all.
"Sarutobi, this attack on Kusagakure by unknown Ninja could be a sign that war is about to break out again. Danzo isn't wrong—we have to be on our guard."
Mitokado Homura pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with concern. Hiruzen was fiddling with his pipe, his face hidden beneath the Hokage's hood.
A moment later, Hiruzen put the pipe stem between his lips and gently pinched his fingertips together. A faint flame appeared from nowhere. As he breathed, a dim red glow flickered inside the pipe.
He exhaled, sending a long white dragon of smoke into the air. It slowly faded away. "What do you all think? The attacker was skilled in Water Release. It could very well have been someone from Kirigakure, which would have nothing to do with Konoha."
"If we deploy troops to the border without careful consideration, Iwagakure could easily become suspicious. Otherwise, Iwagakure will turn its attention toward Kirigakure."
"Why waste the village's strength?"
Through the smoke, Hiruzen Sarutobi swept his gaze across the three people in front of him: Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, and Shimura Danzō, whose ambition was impossible to hide.
They were all getting old. Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help sighing at the thought. That sigh was about more than just the aged faces before him.
"Hiruzen, there's something strange about this! Don't forget the situation Kirigakure is in right now. Someone could be impersonating Kirigakure. For example..."
"The Rain Ninja, right? Danzo, you're trying to say the Rain Ninja, aren't you?"
Hiruzen cut Shimura Danzō off, leaving him unable to finish. A flash of anger crossed his one visible eye. Hiruzen Sarutobi was clearly stringing him along.
Seeing Shimura Danzō's face turn red with frustration, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu lowered their heads, barely suppressing their laughter. They didn't want to add fuel to the fire.
Ever since their team had formed, Danzō had been completely outmatched by Hiruzen.
Hiruzen hadn't deliberately targeted Danzō in most cases, but somehow, whatever Danzō wanted always ended up in Hiruzen's hands.
But remembering what Danzō had promised them, the two straightened their expressions and continued trying to persuade Hiruzen Sarutobi.
In the end, the meeting concluded with Hiruzen Sarutobi yielding halfway. He sent elite Ninja from the Hokage's faction to the border of the Land of Fire, led by the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.
Hiruzen had expected Danzō to be angry about not being given command of the Ninja. Instead, Danzō had agreed without a change in expression.
Unable to fathom what Danzō was thinking, Hiruzen Sarutobi soon put it out of his mind. He had more important things to do. Now that the village had stabilized, he needed to meet with the Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire.
Whenever the Hokage changed, the new Hokage had to meet with the Feudal Lord. Otherwise, his position would lack legitimacy.
He also wanted to visit Senju Yunhua. Danzō's suspicions were a concern for him, too.
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