Uzumaki Rion

Since the mission was completed near nightfall, and coupled with the two battles against the Hyuga and the Yin-Yang users the previous day, Senju Zhenyang found a spot, set up defenses, and rested outside for the night.

Returning to the clan grounds the next day, Senju Zhenyang took the scroll to collect the bounty and informed the other two that they would proceed with the next mission in three days.

Regarding the bounty, Senju Zhenyang took seventy percent for himself, with the remainder split equally between Tobirama and Hiugo.

However, neither young master was short on money, so they didn't care much about that portion; after heading to the apothecary to apply some medicine, they each went home.

Upon entering his door, Hiugo felt something was slightly off.

It was too clean—how was it even cleaner than when he had left?

His cheapskate old man never cleaned; every time, it was Hiugo himself who had to scrub and wipe everything down.

Senju Genma walked out of a room, saw Hiugo standing blankly at the entrance, grabbed him, and tossed him toward the bathroom. He left a set of clothes outside the door and said, "Hurry up and wash. We're meeting someone important soon. You brat, you're quite lucky."

Someone important?

Hiugo was confused, but he closed the door and obediently took a bath. According to his memories, although this cheapskate old man often pushed him hard, almost everything he said was useful.

When Hiugo finished dressing and stepped out of the room, he saw two figures standing before the door—a man and a woman, both with distinct red hair.

The man was slightly older, his face showing a kind expression, and one could vaguely sense the powerful chakra and vitality within his body. He was currently chatting with Senju Genma, his face full of smiles.

The girl was about his own age, with delicate features, bright eyes, and skin like congealed fat. Although she was still young, she already possessed a gentle and virtuous temperament.

The signature red hair of the Uzumaki clan was enough to reveal the identities of the two at the door.

But why were they here?

Hiugo was slightly stunned, only to see the young girl at the door looking at him.

"Senju Hiugo?"

"I am. And you are?"

"Uzumaki Rion. Please take care of me in the future."

Future, take care...

Hiugo's expression turned strange; he had roughly guessed what this was about.

Sure enough, Senju Genma began the introduction in the next second:

"This is the Second Elder of the Uzumaki clan. You will call him Grandfather from now on, and Rion will be your wife in the future."

"Since you've just returned, take Rion out for a stroll. Sometimes, you need to relax a bit from your training."

Since the old man had spoken, Hiugo could only comply, and the girl followed obediently behind him.

Hiugo was already very familiar with the Senju clan grounds, but the girl was full of curiosity, looking left and right along the way.

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

"You can just call me Rion. It is indeed my first time out. How did you know?"

"Because when I first went out, I was roughly the same as you, full of curiosity about the new scenery around me."

As Hiugo spoke, he casually picked up a wooden rabbit carving from a roadside stall, paid for it, and handed it to Rion.

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

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

The girl looked conflicted. "Grandfather doesn't let me accept things from others easily."

Hearing this, the boy revealed a playful smile. "Then... am I 'others'?"

Rion's face turned bright red. She hurriedly reached out to take the carving, and after a while, she whispered:

"You're quite different from my cousin-in-law."

"Hashirama?"

"Mm."

"How am I different?"

"If I say it, you aren't allowed to get angry."

"Fine."

"Cousin-in-law is very kind, but he's a bit of a ditz. You're also kind, but you're a bit... mischievous."

Hiugo chuckled twice; the assessment was quite fitting.

However, Hashirama was only a ditz because he hadn't met Madara yet. The naturally arrogant Madara was the only one who could be completely suppressed by the big pillar, to the point where he even believed that a single kunai could kill the God of Shinobi...

"You seem very happy?" Rion asked, puzzled.

"Just remembered some things. Quite interesting. Let's go, I'll take you to eat something delicious. A child should act like a child."

"We're about the same age, aren't you a child too?"

"I only look like a child on the outside; my heart is far beyond that of an ordinary person."

"Hmph hmph~"

At this moment, inside the Senju clan leader's residence, Tobirama was rummaging through documents in his room:

"Water Style has a wide range, but its single-target damage is too low. If I face an Earth-style opponent again, it will inevitably be difficult to resolve the situation effectively..."

He sighed and put away the scroll, his eyes revealing a sense of determination:

"Since the clan's ninjutsu doesn't have what I need, I will develop it myself. If others can create ninjutsu, I can too."

As he spoke, he opened a blank scroll and began to write.

Outside the room, a youth with hair half-black and half-white looked into the room with concern:

"Is Second Brother alright? He locked himself in the room the moment he got back."

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

Behind him, a youth with brown hair spoke up. Notably, there was a cross-shaped scar on the right side of his face.

He had sustained this injury during training at the age of three, which was why their father, Butsuma, was no longer as harsh toward his fourth son.

Senju Butsuma walked into the house, looked at his two sons, Itama and Hashirama, and asked:

"Have you finished your training today?"

"We have, Father," they replied in unison.

Butsuma nodded, ignored his two sons, and walked toward his own room.

He might still pay some attention to his second son, Senju Tobirama, but he was far less invested in his third and fourth sons.

Although the third son, Itama, had higher talent than the average clansman, he was still a distance behind Tobirama, and in his eyes, the fourth son, Hashirama, had a somewhat cowardly personality.

Of course, it was impossible to keep producing children like Hashirama and Tobirama.

Senju Butsuma also understood that having his eldest son, Hashirama, inherit the position of clan leader, with his second son, Tobirama, assisting him, and having Hiugo inherit his father's elder position, was the best scenario for continuing their family's rule.

The previous clan leader had attempted to divide the Senju's power equally, but the Great Elder and the Third Elder were no match for him and Genma. Although they faced some obstacles, the general situation was decided directly by the two brothers.

This was even more true for the next generation; the talent displayed by Hashirama, Tobirama, and Hiugo as they reached adulthood already equaled or even surpassed his own, and their future growth would change the Senju clan's system of divided power.

Old man, no matter how you try to divide it, you can't change the facts. In the end, the Senju clan will still be run by our lineage.

Senju Butsuma sneered in his heart. Just yesterday, he had persuaded the Second Elder of the Uzumaki, who was originally intended to marry into the Senju Great Elder's family, to switch to Genma's boy instead.

Of course, the primary reason was that Hashirama had just married into the Uzumaki Great Elder's lineage; if they gave Tobirama the Uzumaki Second Elder's lineage as well, the Uzumaki clan would object.

Because they belonged to the same family, it would be too much of a concentration of power.

Switching to the Second Elder resulted in much the same outcome, but since it already belonged to the faction of the clan leader and the Second Elder, there was no need to refuse.

A shadow appeared beside Butsuma and handed him a scroll. They were the secret ninja belonging exclusively to the clan leader, responsible for delivering intelligence and protecting the leader's safety.

Butsuma took the scroll, glanced at it, and said softly:

"The Uchiha clan has dispatched a squad to wipe out the Fujiwara clan..."

The Fujiwara clan was merely a small family. Logically speaking, the Uchiha would usually disdain attacking them, much like the Onibi clan that Hiugo had visited previously; they existed purely because the nearby families were too lazy to fight them, as there was no profit to be made.

"What is the specific reason?"

"It is suspected that the Fujiwara unearthed 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 only send a single squad? I think he's become muddled from being away from the battlefield for too long."

"Notify Genma. Tell him to go there, and while he's at it, prepare to have the Third Elder step down."