Uzumaki Rion

Since they finished the mission near nightfall, and had fought two battles—first against the Hyuga, then against the Yin-Yang pair—Senju Zhenyang found a place to set up camp. After settling in, they rested outside for the night.

The next day, they returned to the clan compound. Senju Zhenyang took the scroll to claim the bounty and told the other two they would take on another mission in three days.

As for the bounty, Senju Zhenyang took seventy percent, and Tobirama and Hiugo split the rest.

But neither young master was short on money, so they didn't care much about their share. After each of them stopped by the medicine hall to apply some ointment, they went home.

As soon as he stepped inside, Hiugo sensed that something was off.

It's so clean. How is it even cleaner than when I left...?

His cheap old man never cleaned. Hiugo was always the one who had to wipe things down and scrub them.

Senju Genma came out of a room and saw Hiugo standing stupidly in the doorway. He grabbed him, tossed him toward the bathroom, then left a set of clothes outside. "Hurry up and wash. You're going to meet someone important later. You're a lucky kid, you know."

Someone important?

Hiugo didn't understand, but he still shut the door and dutifully took a bath. As far as he remembered, his cheap old man might often push him hard, but almost everything he said was useful.

When Hiugo got dressed and walked out of the room, he saw two figures standing by the entrance, a man and a woman. Both had unmistakable red hair.

The man was somewhat older, with a kind expression. Hiugo could faintly sense the powerful Chakra and vitality within him. He was chatting with Senju Genma, a wide smile on his face.

The girl looked about Hiugo's age. She had delicate features, bright eyes, and skin as smooth as cream. Though she was still young, she already had a gentle, gracious air about her.

The distinctive red hair of the Uzumaki Clan made the two people at the entrance easy to identify.

But what were they doing here?

Hiugo paused in surprise, then saw the girl at the door look toward him.

"Senju Hiugo?"

"That's me. Who are you?"

"Uzumaki Rion. I hope we'll get along from now on."

From now on, get along...

Hiugo's expression turned strange. He could more or less guess what was going on.

Sure enough, Senju Genma began making introductions the next second.

"This is the Second Elder of the Uzumaki Clan. From now on, you'll call him Grandpa. And Rion will be your wife."

"Since you're back, take Rion out for a walk. Even training needs a break now and then."

The old man had spoken, so Hiugo could only obey. The girl followed meekly behind him.

Hiugo knew the Senju Clan Compound well, while the girl was full of curiosity, looking all around as they walked.

"Uzumaki Rion, is this your first time going out?"

"Just call me Rion. It is my first time out. How could you tell?"

"Because I was pretty much the same the first time I went out. I was curious about all the new things around me."

As he spoke, Hiugo picked up a wooden rabbit from a roadside stall. After paying for it, he held it out to Rion.

"Thank you. How did you know I liked this?"

"You glanced at everything else and moved on, but you lingered over this for two seconds."

The girl hesitated. "Grandpa says I shouldn't accept things from other people."

At that, the boy gave her a playful smile. "Then... am I someone else?"

Rion's face turned bright red. She hurriedly reached out and took the wooden rabbit, then said softly after a while,

"You're pretty different from my cousin's husband."

"Hashirama?"

"Mm."

"How am I different?"

"I'll tell you, but you can't get mad."

"Okay."

"My cousin's husband is nice, but a little silly. You're nice too, but a little mischievous."

Hiugo chuckled. That was a pretty accurate assessment.

But Hashirama only seemed silly because he hadn't met Madara. The naturally aloof Madara was only ever completely outmatched by Big Pillar. He'd even believed that a kunai could kill the God of Shinobi...

"You seem happy," Rion said, puzzled.

"I just remembered something amusing. Come on, I'll take you to get something tasty. Kids should act like kids."

"We're about the same age. Aren't you a kid too?"

"I may look like a kid, but I'm already more than ordinary on the inside."

"Hmph-hmph~"

Meanwhile, at the residence of the Senju Clan head,

Tobirama was searching through documents in his room.

"Water Release has a wide range, but its damage against a single target is too low. If I face another opponent with an Earth nature, I might not be able to deal with them effectively..."

He sighed, put away the scroll, and looked up with determination in his eyes.

"If the clan doesn't have the right Ninjutsu, I'll develop one myself. If others can develop Ninjutsu, so can I."

As he spoke, he opened a blank scroll and began writing.

Outside the room, a boy with hair that was half black and half white watched anxiously.

"Is Second Brother all right? He locked himself in his room as soon as he got back."

"He's fine, Itama. Tobirama knows what he's doing."

A brown-haired boy spoke from behind him. What stood out was the cross-shaped scar on the right side of his face.

He'd gotten the injury while training at the age of three. Because of it, their father, Butsuma, had become less strict with his fourth son.

Senju Butsuma entered the room and looked at his two sons, Itama and Hashirama. "Have you trained today?"

"We have, Father." x2

Butsuma nodded, paid no further attention to his two sons, and headed toward his own room.

When it came to his second son, Tobirama Senju, he might still pay him some attention, but he wasn't as invested in his third and fourth sons.

His third son, Itama, had better talent than the average clan member, but still fell short of Tobirama. As for his fourth son, Hashirama, Butsuma thought he was a little too timid.

Of course, it was unlikely he'd keep having children like Hashirama and Tobirama.

Senju Butsuma understood that the best way to maintain the family's rule was to have his eldest, Hashirama, inherit the clan leadership, his second son, Tobirama, support him, and Hiugo inherit his father's position as an elder.

The previous clan head had tried to divide the Senju's power equally, but the First Elder and Third Elder were no match for him and Genma. Though they'd run into obstacles on some matters, for the most part, the brothers made the decisions themselves.

It would be even more so in the next generation. The talent Hashirama, Tobirama, and Hiugo had shown as they grew up already matched or even surpassed his own. Once they matured, they would change the Senju Clan's system of divided power.

You old fool. No matter how you divide it, you can't change the facts. In the end, the Senju Clan will still be ruled by our branch.

Senju Butsuma sneered to himself. The day before, he'd even convinced the Uzumaki Second Elder, who had originally planned to form a marriage alliance with the Senju First Elder, to instead arrange it with Genma's boy.

The main reason, of course, was that Hashirama had just formed a marriage alliance with the branch of the Uzumaki First Elder. If Tobirama also married into the branch of the Uzumaki Second Elder, the Uzumaki Clan would object.

It would concentrate too much power within the same family.

But switching the arrangement to the Second Elder had more or less the same result. Since the alliance would now be between the clan head and the Second Elder's factions, there was no need for them to refuse.

A shadow appeared beside Butsuma and handed him a scroll. They were Dark Ninja assigned exclusively to the clan head, responsible for delivering intelligence and keeping him safe.

Butsuma took the scroll and read it, then murmured,

"The Uchiha Clan has sent a squad to wipe out the Fujiwara Clan..."

The Fujiwara Clan was a small clan. Ordinarily, the Uchiha wouldn't bother attacking them, just as they hadn't bothered with the Ghost Fire Clan Hiugo had visited before. The only reason such clans survived was that the nearby clans couldn't be bothered to attack when there was nothing to gain.

"What's the exact reason?"

"The Fujiwara Clan may have discovered Chakra Metal. The Third Elder has already sent people over."

"Did he go himself?"

"No..."

"Fool. If it really is Chakra Metal, how could Tajima have sent only one squad? He's been off the battlefield too long. I think he's lost his wits."

"Notify Genma and have him go over. Also, get ready to have the Third Elder step down."