Supplies and Letters

There is actually another reason why the villagers of Konoha contributed more to this recruitment drive than the ninja clans: Senju Hashirama had previously dispersed the members of the Senju Clan among the ordinary villagers of Konoha.

Although Senju Hashirama's original intention was to prevent petty villains from coveting his Wood Release and targeting his clansmen, these Senju members naturally supported the recruitment drive with great enthusiasm.

The reason is simple: Senju Tobirama is also a member of the Senju Clan, and since he is currently sitting in the position of Hokage, who else would they support if not him?

By the same logic, the reason why Tsunade was able to outshine Jiraiya and Orochimaru (well, Orochimaru doesn't really count) to become the Fifth Hokage in the manga is that there were many Senju clansmen scattered among the villagers of Konoha.

Villagers are not highly educated and are easily incited or coerced; when everyone around you says it is great for Tsunade to be the Fifth, you naturally start to think so too, without ever considering the deeper underlying reasons.

This is quite normal; in fact, whether it is these ordinary villagers with little education or the technologically advanced era where everyone was literate that Yuya lived in during his previous life, ordinary people are always the type easily swayed by the masses.

Yuya is also taking advantage of this kind of coercion this time.

However, those ninja clans are different from the ordinary villagers.

The reason they acknowledged Konoha was because of Senju Hashirama; now that Senju Hashirama is dead, whether Senju Tobirama can withstand attacks from other nations remains a question.

Yuya knows their thoughts: if they win, they remain a ninja clan within Konoha; if they lose, then sorry, Konoha? What Konoha? We have always been the XX Clan, don't talk nonsense, I don't know any Konoha.

It is very realistic, but this is the norm for ninja clans.

More than a decade ago, they were the ones who survived by fighting through various wars.

Only a dozen years have passed, and the people in power are still the same group.

Except for the Uchiha Clan, who were beaten into submission by Senju Hashirama and, having grown weary of endless war, followed him wholeheartedly, all other clans viewed Konoha with an attitude of watching a high building rise, watching the guests feast, and waiting to see if it could withstand the pressure later on.

Truth be told, some clans even felt that the establishment of Konoha had fragmented their power, and that it was better during the old war days.

These people are typical puppets of power; they don't care how much pain war brings, as long as the power in their hands remains firmly within their grasp. Hokage? What is that?!

Senju Hashirama was very clear about this situation, and Senju Tobirama is equally aware of it.

The two men even had the exact same solution.

That is to set their sights on the next generation of each clan.

Why did Senju Tobirama teach Sarutobi Hiruzen, Utatane Koharu, and the others at the academy?

Do you really think the students were chosen at random?

Go look at the positions these people hold on the battlefield now, and you will understand; Senju Tobirama is playing a long game.

Theoretically, if Senju Tobirama did not die, Konoha would transition smoothly with Sarutobi Hiruzen becoming the leader of the Sarutobi Clan, Shimura Danzō becoming the head of the Shimura Clan, Torifu Akimichi becoming the head of the Akimichi Clan, Kagami Uchiha becoming the head of the Uchiha Clan, and Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura becoming the bridges of communication between the village and the Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire...

With the Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire and all the major clans of Konoha standing with Senju Tobirama, the Senju clansmen scattered throughout the village would also support him.

It can be said that ten years later, Senju Tobirama would be the true, undisputed supreme leader of Konoha.

And ten years later, Senju Tobirama would only be in his fifties; in the original course of history, after completely clearing out the internal troubles of Konoha, he could have begun cultivating the next Hokage.

No matter who the candidate was, as long as it was determined by Senju Tobirama, no one would have any objections.

Even if it were to completely win over the hearts of the Uchiha Clan by letting Kagami Uchiha take the stage, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō would not have had any complaints.

Because this decision would have been made by Senju Tobirama, and that one reason would have been enough.

However, who could have imagined that in a war already won, the Second Hokage would insist on taking his personal guard to someone else's territory for negotiations, only to lose his life, causing the team to scatter, the Uchiha Clan—who already had a solution—to rush headlong down a path of no return, and Shimura Danzō to think, "Why should that dog Sarutobi Hiruzen be Hokage? I don't accept it," and start causing trouble.

Well, with Yuya here, it is basically impossible for this lifetime to end with Tobirama taking his squad and his hand-picked successors to their deaths.

Returning to the recruitment drive in Konoha, Senju Tobirama's expression was calm as he nodded gently at Yuya: "I understand. You may go now."

After Yuya left, a very obvious look of anger appeared on Tobirama's face.

These bastards; this war could be called the founding battle of Konoha. If they win, it will prove that even without the protection of the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama, Konoha is still the most powerful force in the Shinobi World.

If they lose, Konoha will certainly be attacked by all the other nations combined.

At a time like this, they are still playing these kinds of schemes with me?!

The anger on Senju Tobirama's face gradually faded into calmness.

What is there to be angry about?

Didn't I already know what kind of character these clans have?

Fine, since they refuse to help at this time, then once we win, they shouldn't expect to get any benefits from me.

Everything depends on the final outcome of this war.

As Yuya walked out of the tent, he was met by a man wearing a Konoha forehead protector, his pupils revealing the blood-red three-tomoe.

"Huh, it's you?" Kagami Uchiha's first reaction upon seeing Yuya was to look him up and down.

Yuya knew he was using his Sharingan to see if he was a transformation technique.

Yuya was speechless: "Uncle Kagami, is that necessary? If the enemy has already reached this point, then we have definitely lost this war."

Kagami Uchiha looked a bit embarrassed, then said to Yuya: "Can you stop calling me uncle? I'm only in my twenties... can't you call me brother?"

Yuya picked his nose: "Oh, is that so? A man who is already married and about to become a father wants me to call him brother?"

Kagami Uchiha scratched his head with a sheepish smile: "But you really are making me sound old."

Then Kagami Uchiha sighed: "Forget it, uncle it is. I'm going to talk to the Hokage about something, you go ahead and busy yourself."

Kagami Uchiha spoke as he walked into Senju Tobirama's tent.

Yuya was full of question marks; did this guy have something wrong with his ears? Did he not hear what I just said?

Then, he saw the tent flap suddenly open, and Kagami Uchiha poked his head out to look at Yuya: "What did you just say?! I, I am about to what?!"

Yuya stared with dead fish eyes, took a letter out from his bosom, and handed it over: "Here, a letter written to you by Aunt Masako."

Kagami Uchiha immediately snatched the letter from Yuya's hand in excitement.

Yuya chuckled, not minding the other's rudeness, and turned to walk outside.

He still had many more letters to deliver.

Sorry, Uncle-Master, I'll be graciously accepting this opportunity to harvest hearts.

For Senju Tobirama, what he valued most were naturally the supplies that Yuya had brought over.

But Yuya knew that by finding the families of these frontline ninjas back in Konoha and offering to help them write letters to the front, he was doing something else entirely.

During wartime, these letters were a thousand times more important to those on the front lines than those supplies.

This is the human heart.