A Murder Worthy of No Excuse!

The last rays of the setting sun bathed all of Konoha in golden light. The four of them parted ways at Konoha Gate. Because of his status, Uchiha Shisui hadn't returned with them.

After saying his goodbyes, Senba stretched and headed for the Senju Ancestral Home. He'd spent the last few days roughing it on the road, and once he got back, he was definitely going to soak in a nice, long bath.

As he passed through the streets destroyed by the Nine-Tails, he looked at the new commercial district taking shape, its orderly rows of buildings flanked by scaffolding, and couldn't help sighing.

After destruction came the beginning of a new order. When Konoha was first established, no one had expected it to grow to its current size. As a result, viewed from above, the buildings below were laid out rather haphazardly.

After this disaster, the village had begun to reorganize its layout, giving Konoha a more orderly appearance. Of course, this was also because some clans that had lived in the heart of Konoha had been moved elsewhere.

That brought the Uchiha Clan to mind. They were the most miserable of all the ninja clans. When Danzo redrew the boundaries, he had blatantly sabotaged them.

And even after all that, Uchiha Fugaku had chosen to take the high road and let bygones be bygones. Interesting. Was his Summoning Beast a Ninja Turtle or something?

By then, the sun had sunk behind Kage Rock, and Senba had stepped into the bustling night market. It was where all sorts of rumors in Konoha converged, with new absurd stories cropping up every day.

But today, what reached Senba's ears was different. The easygoing look gradually vanished from his face, and he quickened his pace. He hadn't expected someone to let the news out already.

Suspecting that something major might have happened in Konoha, Senba went straight into the Senju Ancestral Home and hurried toward the back courtyard.

"If it's true that Orochimaru has been experimenting on people from the village, what do you think, Senba?"

Grandma Momoka was just as she always was, reclining on a couch with a hand warmer in her arms. Beside her, a black-haired maid was making tea. The maid seemed curious about Senba and kept sneaking glances at him.

Senba didn't understand why Grandma Momoka hadn't dismissed the maid, but he trusted the household's security. "He deserves to die! It doesn't matter if he's one of the Sannin or the Hokage. Anyone who lays a hand on the people of their own village deserves to die!"

"Oh?" Grandma Momoka seemed taken aback by his decisive tone. She sat up slightly and studied him. "But Orochimaru's experiments might benefit the village. What if his research could bring the Wood Release of our Senju Clan back into the world?"

"Then he still deserves to die!" Senba's tone remained firm. He had always loathed experiments like these. And even if they succeeded, how much would ordinary people really benefit?

He would never agree to dressing up such vile acts in a grand, noble guise. Before, he hadn't been in a position to know what went on behind the scenes. Now that he was being asked to speak up, he wasn't going to pretend otherwise.

A look of approval flashed in Grandma Momoka's eyes as she met Senba's resolute gaze. Someone with principles would surely treat his own clan well.

If Senba had said something like, "It's a necessary sacrifice for Konoha," Grandma Momoka's view of him would have changed.

Senju Momoka had lived for more than seventy years. In a Shinobi World where the average person didn't even reach forty, what bizarre things hadn't she seen? She had even taken part in some of them herself.

But in the end, they had only benefited one or two people. Everyone else had become nothing more than a pile of bones beneath their feet.

She remembered how, that morning, Hiruzen Sarutobi had brought the lifeless young Ninja to ask for Lord Hashirama's notes. The boy called Yamato had seemed like a puppet.

"The rumors are true." Grandma Momoka wearily leaned back against the couch. The maid hurried over and gently massaged her temples. "Whatever the circumstances, the outcome is already set. Now we can only see what Hiruzen will do."

"Then the Third Hokage is probably going to disappoint everyone." Senba smiled as he walked over to Grandma Momoka, picked up a cup of tea, and took a sip. Not bad.

As he savored the aftertaste and felt the immense vitality beside him, Senba raised an eyebrow. Interesting.

"The Third Hokage is getting on in years. It's not that old people cling to the past; his strength has simply declined too much." As Senba spoke, he recalled Hiruzen Sarutobi's current circumstances. He really was a lonely old man.

"Orochimaru, on the other hand, is in his prime. And there's no need to mention his strength—his legend still lives on across the battlefields. Grandma Momoka, what do you think the outcome will be?"

Grandma Momoka understood what Senba meant. If Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to prevent another major upheaval in Konoha, he would have to keep this matter as quiet as possible.

"That's right." Grandma Momoka sighed softly. "Though Orochimaru has kept to himself in recent years, he still has quite a few former followers in the village."

If Orochimaru summoned a Summoning Beast in the village and then stirred up a little trouble, the Ninja there might well turn on one another.

Very few people questioned Orochimaru's leadership or his ability to manipulate people.

"Enough. Let Hiruzen deal with it. What can a clan that's half retired do, anyway?" Grandma Momoka gently stroked Senba's forehead and smiled warmly. "Kana."

At her words, the black-haired maid rose and walked over to Senba. She dropped into a formal dogeza before him.

"I'm Kana Uzumaki, a survivor of the Uzumaki Clan. I pay my respects to my young master. Thank you for rescuing my daughter and me from our desperate situation."

Taken aback by her sudden gesture, Senba hurried forward to help her up. "Please, get up. I only passed along some information. You should thank Grandma Momoka and Grandpa Yunhua instead."

Kana Uzumaki refused to rise, no matter what he said. Senba helplessly turned to Grandma Momoka.

"This girl's identity is too sensitive, so she'll stay by my side and take care of our daily needs. You'll have someone to help you with all sorts of things, too."

"Her public identity will be as a maid of the Senju Clan. That was her request as well."

As she spoke, Grandma Momoka drew Kana Uzumaki closer and gently stroked her ink-black hair. "Senba, you're their hope for reclaiming their true names someday. You deserve this bow."

Come on, there was still a terrifying guy from the Uzumaki Clan in the Land of Rain, Senba thought to himself, unable to stop the snarky remark. But he knew it was only a joke. Nagato Uzumaki had no real attachment to the Uzumaki Clan.

So, under Kana Uzumaki's hopeful gaze, Senba nodded. He had enough to worry about already. Compared with the Uzumaki Clan, reviving the Senju Clan was the harder task.

After meeting Karin Uzumaki, who was only four years old, Senba finally soaked in the hot spring he'd been looking forward to. This was the life!