Uchiha Shuri

On a clear morning, Diejian and the other members of the first graduating class of the ninja training facility held their commencement ceremony.

The children who had successfully passed the final exam and finally earned the status of genin were all immersed in deep emotion, clutching the Konohagakure headbands they had been issued.

Diejian did not even glance at the new headband he had received; instead, he tied his old, battered one around his forehead, trembling with excitement at this moment of long-cherished desire fulfilled.

Overcome with emotion, Diejian let out a joyful shout, leaped out of the classroom window, and raised his fist toward the Face Rock of Hashirama.

A single tear hung at the corner of his eye.

It felt like a time that was both long and fleeting.

He had struggled with his own inner distortions, been saved by Hashirama, saved by Ina, and saved by his friends; Diejian had come all this way.

Although he had been unable to let Hashirama see him wearing the headband in person or repay his kindness, the Diejian of today had grown.

He resolved to walk the path of his future life with his head held high, carrying the pride of a Konohagakure ninja.

He swore that he would repay Hashirama's kindness through this way of living.

He would prove that the judgment of Hashirama, who had entrusted his will and dreams to him, was by no means a mistake by leaving the name "Senju Diejian" to future generations.

And then—Diejian recalled his own secret, one he had never told a soul.

The memories of Diejian's past life, which had been suppressed by Hashirama's words, were gradually but surely returning now that Hashirama had passed away.

Although Diejian did not actively seek to recall those memories, which were as riddled with holes as if eaten by insects, he had developed some thoughts when comparing them to the values of the present.

Therefore, he intended to trace his roots once he possessed the corresponding authority—once he became a jonin or ascended to the position of head of the Senju clan.

At the same time, he also wanted to explore a new path as a "Senju."

Though he sometimes suffered from the dissonance of feeling that "he was not himself," Diejian already knew that he had reliable companions by his side.

He stared at the Face Rock of Hashirama and whispered in his heart: Watch over me.

If left to his own devices, Diejian, intoxicated by his unfulfilled dreams and lost in his own deep reflections, would likely have remained immersed in his longing for Hashirama forever.

Ina slapped Diejian on the back, shouting, "Congratulations!"

Thwack—a crisp, loud sound.

"That hurts, that hurts!" Diejian said, turning his head back.

"Oh..."

"W-well? How do I look?"

Ina was using her headband as a hairband, her cheeks slightly flushed.

Diejian was not the kind of man to coldly brush her off with a "you look average."

Far from it; he even felt a sense of novelty seeing Ina, who usually wore her hair in a ponytail, with it let down, and he honestly voiced his admiration.

"It suits you."

The two of them, busy complimenting each other, looked as though they would keep talking forever if left alone.

At that moment, Yaeha and Chouya, who couldn't read the room, cut in.

"You're in the way, you're in the way," Diejian said, pushing away the clinging Chouya, yet a smile remained on his face.

Just as the atmosphere was becoming lively with Sakumo at the center of the commotion, Tobirama opened the classroom door and appeared.

"You lot, get back to your seats!"

This low, intimidating command echoing from the classroom made the usual rowdiness vanish into thin air.

The children ran back to their seats in perfect unison.

The instructor in charge slumped his shoulders, thinking, If only they were this sharp all the time.

On the other hand, unlike the other children who froze under the pressure of the stern Tobirama, Diejian was surprised that Tobirama hadn't used the Flying Thunder God technique to teleport in this time.

In Diejian's perception, Tobirama = appearing via the Flying Thunder God technique had become a fixed expectation.

The children felt uneasy at the arrival of the village's highest authority.

Except for Diejian, the only one who remained as usual was Sakumo, though even he could not hide his surprise.

However, this facility had been proposed by Tobirama, and he was its highest authority.

Since it was the first class graduating, it was expected that he would come in person.

To break the tense atmosphere, Diejian, who had just sat down, lifted his waist and raised his hand.

"Old man, what's up?"

"You are to call me Lord Second. And use honorifics."

In response to Diejian's question, a correction of his address was all he received.

Diejian felt satisfied with this bit of daily interaction, gave a short "Yes," and settled into his seat.

Tobirama composed himself and began to speak.

The content consisted of a speech and congratulatory words as the leader.

Diejian only took in half of it, but the other children seemed to be on edge, terrified of missing a single word.

The long speech concluded, and Tobirama moved on to the main topic.

Specifically, the children would first be divided into three-person squads.

Building upon the existing basic three-person squad structure, a veteran ninja would be assigned as the jonin leader, adopting a four-person squad format.

There was no Q&A session; Tobirama continued his explanation in a flat, indifferent tone.

He announced that he would be reading the squad rosters and produced the documents.

He stated that as their names were called, they were to gather in their groups of three and wait for their respective jonin leaders.

At this moment, Diejian was filled with anticipation.

Ina, Sakumo, and himself—they were the trio that always hung out together.

He made no effort to hide his expectations, feeling that even becoming a genin would be quite fun.

Seeing that smile on Diejian's face, Tobirama sneered inwardly.

"Team 3. Akimichi Choya, Nara Rushika. And—Yamanaka Ina."

"What?"

It was Diejian who reacted.

Precisely because he had been so certain they would be grouped together, the shock was all the greater.

On the other hand, Ina wore an expression of "it can't be helped," perhaps having anticipated this, and showed no signs of disappointment.

This was not without reason.

Before the founding of Konohagakure, the Yamanaka Clan had a history of alliance with two other families.

Those were the Nara and Akimichi clans, to which Rushika and Choya belonged.

Proud of their long history of alliance, the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans had developed joint ninjutsu, allowing them to survive the era of war.

For Tobirama, who valued efficiency, it was inevitable that he would prioritize consolidating members who could coordinate well from the start rather than forcing them apart.

He had absolutely no intention of teasing this arrogant student.

"Sorry about that—?"

Ina tilted her head, pressed her palms together, and winked mischievously, looking as if she had expected this decision all along.

"Eh—"

Diejian's voice was thick with undisguised disappointment, and he slumped back into his seat, his half-risen body collapsing.

"Team 6. Hatake Sakumo, Senju Diejian. And—Uchiha Shuri."

"What?"

Once again, it was Diejian who reacted.

Not only him.

Ina and Sakumo also reacted.

"Can you swap Sakumo and Ina?"

"Hey! You!?"

Diejian was the first to speak up.

Sakumo, sitting beside him, gave Diejian a firm knock on the head, while Ina pelted the back of his head with an eraser.

This was only natural.

They assumed Diejian's reaction was because the other person was an "Uchiha."

Although it was a misunderstanding, it would be problematic for Diejian to just let it slide.

As for Uchiha Shuri, she was a member of the first graduating class, a peer of theirs, and as her name suggested, a girl from the Uchiha clan.

The history of conflict between the Senju of the Forest and the Uchiha was an open fact known to everyone in Konohagakure.

Why would he deliberately group two people who might spark a conflict together?

The children's eyes widened.

However, Tobirama offered no explanation for the questions in their hearts, simply saying, "That is all."

After instructing the children to wait for their jonin leaders to arrive, Tobirama offered a few brief words of encouragement and left the room.

The sliding door slammed shut, and the classroom instantly erupted into noise.

Choya asked worriedly, "Are you okay?" as he shook Diejian, who had been knocked down by Sakumo.

Ina also ran to Diejian's side, activating the medical ninjutsu personally taught to her by Mito.

Revived by Ina's treatment, Diejian jumped to his feet and immediately left his seat to chase after Tobirama.

"Old man!"

"You must call me the Second Hokage!"

Diejian caught up to Tobirama as he walked down the hallway, pressing him relentlessly.

He clamored about the team assignments from earlier, asking why Sakumo was allowed to join, but Ina was not.

"Quiet!"

Tobirama barked a command, lowering his voice to tell him he was being too willful.

This was only natural.

Just as Tobirama had said, Diejian did have a tendency to act out as a way of seeking attention by causing Tobirama trouble.

Diejian seemed aware of Tobirama's criticism, and for once, he honestly lowered his head to admit his fault: "I'm sorry."

Seeing his student grow to the point where he could admit when he was wrong, Tobirama placed a hand on Diejian's shoulder with a soft thud.

Regarding the team assignments, as previously mentioned, the decision was made based on the ninjutsu characteristics of the Yamanaka, Akimichi, and Nara clans, but that was not all.

It was also a consideration of the strength of the three—Diejian, Sakumo, and Ina—or, in other words, their academic and practical performance.

Ina, who topped the class in theory.

Sakumo, who excelled in every subject, from taijutsu and ninjutsu to theory.

Diejian, who, theory aside, achieved excellent results in ninjutsu and taijutsu.

Grouping these three into a single squad would clearly result in an excess of combat power—that was the reality of the situation.

Diejian was left speechless.

Come to think of it, while Tobirama's actions often appeared cold, they were mostly reasonable; it was only natural to think this way.

Even Hashirama had been refuted by him in the past, so Diejian stood no chance of winning an argument.

However, no one is perfect.

Even Tobirama was no exception.

The seemingly perfect Tobirama had a weakness.

That was his burning heart.

Outwardly cold, but possessing a passionate soul, Tobirama often took excessive measures due to his own intensity.

In those moments, the only person who could stop Tobirama from spiraling out of control was Hashirama.

But Hashirama was no longer of this world, so Tobirama's decisions would not change, no matter what.

Perhaps simply putting Sakumo and Diejian on the same team was already Tobirama showing enough kindness.

"Diejian. You, didn't you say you wanted to swap Uchiha Shuri for Yamanaka Ina?"

Hearing Tobirama's words, a sulky expression appeared on Diejian's face.

"I haven't sunk that low yet."

That was a given.

There were probably few people who could say to a classmate they weren't particularly close with, "There's someone I'd rather be on a team with than you, so disappear."

At the very least, Diejian was not one of them.

Watching Diejian's back as he scratched his head and walked away, muttering, "It can't be helped," Tobirama watched him go in silence.

★

"Ah, it's Diejian. We've been waiting for you."

Waiting for Diejian's return was a young man with naturally curly black hair and gentle, drooping eyes.

It seemed that while Diejian was off chasing Tobirama, the jonin in charge of Team 6 had already arrived.

To Sakumo, who said, "You're too slow," Diejian offered a hearty apology: "Sorry, sorry."

Then, there was Uchiha Shuri, sitting quietly in the classroom.

This feels like it's going to be quite the eccentric squad, the man, Kagami Uchiha, thought as he scratched his head in confusion.

Kagami Uchiha.

True to his name, he was a member of the Uchiha clan, and as someone with a unique constitution, he had already awakened the Kekkei Genkai, the Sharingan, making him an excellent ninja.

—I want to fight for the village.

Having shown his talent from a young age, Kagami later wished to participate in the war known as the "First Shinobi World War" of his own volition.

The intense will burning in Kagami's chest at the time even managed to persuade Hashirama, who had been hesitant to let him join because "he is still just a child."

Moved by the "Will of Fire" burning fiercely within the young boy, Hashirama kept Kagami by his side as a subordinate.

Although he did not let him participate in direct combat in the end, Hashirama felt that "this kid might have what it takes," so he looked after him and passed his own "Will of Fire" on to him.

Now, because of that bond, Kagami served as one of the few "Uchiha" trusted by Tobirama, acting as a close aide to the Second Hokage.

—I want to entrust Diejian to you.

When Kagami was summoned and suddenly heard Tobirama say this, he couldn't help but mutter, "What am I supposed to do with this?"

The boy was the grandson of the revered First Hokage and a direct descendant of "that" Senju line.

Was it really appropriate for him, an "Uchiha," to be the jonin in charge?

Kagami felt deeply troubled.

But Tobirama told him that it was precisely because he was the kind of person who would worry like this that he wanted to entrust Diejian to him.

Facing Tobirama, whose attitude was sincere and whose eyes held a firm resolve, Kagami finally nodded.

Then, as he listened to Tobirama recount his grand vision, Kagami felt a surge of excitement he hadn't experienced in a long time.

—With the passing of the First Hokage, his older brother, Diejian was the last Senju who held no prejudice against the Uchiha.

Hearing Tobirama be so blunt, Kagami was startled.

Because this was tantamount to openly declaring that all Senju, including Tobirama himself, harbored some form of prejudice against the Uchiha clan.

However, he also expressed his understanding.

This was precisely because, although it had not been long, he had served as Tobirama's close aide and had learned his way of thinking.

It stemmed from a pride in always having taken the best course of action, a strong will that believed his ideas would surely benefit Konohagakure, and a brilliant mind that could even treat himself as a pawn when necessary—even as an Uchiha, Kagami could not help but marvel that such a ninja existed in this world.

So he thought, Tobirama was not trying to disparage the Uchiha, but was merely conveying the current situation as a matter of fact.

Due to Madara's attack, the Uchiha's standing was not very good.

Kagami's thoughts were correct; Tobirama continued: the Uchiha's love, if left without a clear direction, would be dangerous if left unchecked—.

That was certainly true.

As a clansman, it pained Kagami to say this, but precisely because he was a clansman, there were some things he could understand.

Even Kagami could not assert that a second or third Madara would not appear.

For Kagami, who loved the village, this was an unbearable thought.

Therefore, Kagami agreed with Tobirama's idea of intentionally focusing the direction of "Uchiha love" toward the "village."

Indeed, if all clansmen could love the village as Kagami did, the village leadership, led by Tobirama, would have no need to be wary of an Uchiha betrayal.

Then, the Uchiha clan would no longer have to feel stifled.

This was not a bad thing.

Although this could be called an excessive method bordering on brainwashing in a sense, for Kagami, who loved the village, there was no other way.

However—Tobirama crossed his arms.

He said that while it would be fine if this method could be completed in his generation, before his policies took effect, there was no guarantee that a second or third Madara would not appear.

Tobirama believed that in addition to the policies he had devised, there needed to be a force that could act as a deterrent against the Uchiha.

That would be "Kagami Uchiha," "Diejian Senju," and "Shuri Uchiha."

Kagami, who was heterogeneous among the Uchiha, with a direction of love similar to that of the Senju.

Diejian, who, despite being a Senju, had once manifested a paranoid love.

And "Shuri Uchiha," who had yet to awaken her Sharingan and happened to be in the same year as Diejian.

In short, he intended to use the values of Kagami—an Uchiha who had inherited the Will of the Senju—to cultivate Diejian and Shuri.

Especially Shuri; she was Kagami's younger sister, and the possibility of her growing up like her brother was high.

If this could be combined with Diejian... even if Shuri had some issues, as long as it was before the awakening of the Sharingan, the crystallization of sorrow and hatred, they could be corrected one way or another.

Tobirama, who saw potential in Diejian—who had begun to reveal his true nature after Hashirama's death—perhaps had anticipated this long ago; he remembered his late brother.

Otherwise, he would not have used such circuitous means, and would likely have just taken the approach of isolating the Uchiha and keeping them away from politics.

But even so, this strategy was ultimately only a second or third layer of insurance, and Tobirama never explicitly stated that the essence of his Uchiha policy lay in the isolation of the clan.

★

Shortly after leaving the classroom, Diejian and the others were taken to a training ground in a corner of the village.

Kagami looked at the three of them standing in a row before the large logs driven into the ground, urging them to introduce themselves.

He first made sure to introduce himself as a demonstration.

Next, Sakumo and Diejian gave some bland introductions, such as "disciple of Sasuke Sarutobi," "grandson of the previous generation," "favorite food is peaches," and "uses a short blade."

But only "Shuri Uchiha" stood silently.

Her black hair, characteristic of the Uchiha, was meticulously groomed and glossy, and the hair bundles tied on both sides of her head—twin tails—looked so smooth and silky just by looking at them that one could almost visualize the strands slipping through one's fingers.

Seeing this girl, who swayed her two bundles of hair while remaining silent and clearly appearing unsociable, Diejian could not just ignore her.

Ignoring Sakumo, who had realized what was happening and tried to stop him, he spoke to the girl.

"We haven't spoken yet, have we? I'm Diejian Senju. You might have some thoughts because of the relationship between the Senju and the Uchiha, but I don't care about that. Please look after me from now on."

Diejian ignored Sakumo, who was holding his head and muttering "Ah, this is bad," and with a bright smile on his face, he reached out his hand to Shuri, asking for a handshake.

Watching the girl silently staring at his outstretched hand, Diejian wondered if she was shy.

A warmth welled up in his heart.

Diejian had similar traits himself, so he felt it wasn't right to force a handshake.

He was thinking with some regret that since they would be a team from now on, there would always be a chance to get to know each other, and just as he was about to pull his hand back, a stinging, numbing pain struck Diejian.

He opened his eyes wide and looked to the side, discovering that his hand had been struck and sent flying right up to his face.

What was that for!?

A startled Diejian shifted his gaze back to Juri—and locked eyes with those beautiful, pitch-black orbs that seemed as if they could suck a person in.

Those deep eyes, which seemed capable of swallowing a person whole, were currently twisted as if looking at filth.

Why did he have to be looked at with such a gaze?

Diejian was bewildered and at a loss, but then he noticed the staff gripped in Juri's hand.

Her stance was quite professional.

He analyzed that she was a staff user; it was that very weapon that had just knocked his arm away.

Juri took a step back to put distance between them, using the staff to scrape a line into the ground with a harsh grating sound, as if to say "don't come any closer," before swinging the staff horizontally in a flash, slicing through the air.

"I have no intention of getting chummy with a Senju."

"Ah..."

"So that's how it is."

Diejian understood; he finally grasped the reason for the commotion in the classroom when Tobirama had said he and Juri were on the same team.

On the other hand, Kagami clutched his head: "What are we supposed to do right out of the gate?"