The Disbanded Senju Clan

The house Mika newly rented was an ordinary apartment located on the second floor, with residents living both above and below.

Mika opened the door with her key. The room contained a bed and some furniture, but lacked any daily necessities; there were no sheets, quilts, or anything else.

"This will have to do for now. It's too late, and nothing is open to buy anything."

She felt a sense of helplessness, never expecting the Uchiha Clan to be so ruthless, driving the mother and son out in such a hurry.

After the night's turmoil, both were exhausted. They washed up with tap water, found a spot, and drifted into a heavy, dreamless sleep.

Waking up in the morning, Ito Makoto found that his mother had already bought breakfast.

As he ate, he chatted with his mother.

"Mom, I'm no longer part of the Uchiha Clan, and I've even lost my surname. What should I call myself now? I can't just be called Makoto, right? Should I change my surname to Senju?"

"I actually forgot about that!" Mika said with a smile. "Since you've lost your surname, take your mother's! But not Senju—it's Ito."

Ito, Ito Makoto.

Makoto suddenly felt a sense of crisis emerge. This name seemed to carry immense causality; in the dark, it felt as if a kitchen knife had crossed space and time to aim at him.

I am actually the legendary Makoto-bro.

"Mom, aren't you a descendant of the Senju Clan? Why did you change your surname to Ito?"

Makoto looked at his mother with resentment. His mother was truly a pitfall; she had led him into a trap without even realizing it.

"The Senju Clan disbanded back when your grandfather was alive," Mika said calmly. "It is said that the First Hokage and the Second Hokage hoped the Senju Clan would integrate into the village, so they disbanded it. The clansmen all changed their surnames and blended into the village."

So that was it. This was the first time Ito Makoto had heard his mother speak of the Senju Clan. No wonder his mother never mentioned the Senju Clan even when she was being bullied by the Uchiha Clan.

The First Hokage and Second Hokage's desire for the clan to integrate into the village was not wrong. Otherwise, with the strength of the Senju Clan, they would inevitably have become a privileged clan far exceeding the Uchiha. A "state within a state" would have been inevitable.

It was fine while the First and Second were alive, but if they were gone, would the village listen to the orders of the succeeding Senju clan head or the Hokage? The Hokage's authority would inevitably be severely challenged, and Konoha Hidden Village might have fallen into division and infighting.

While dispersing the clan was good for the village, for ordinary Senju clansmen, it meant losing their greatest support. Like his mother, who suffered bullying from the Uchiha without anyone to stand up for her.

A speck of dust from the era, when it falls on an individual, is a mountain. A trivial matter never even mentioned in the original manga had caused such serious consequences for the two of them.

"Mom, why have you never mentioned Grandfather before? What kind of person was he?"

Seeing the atmosphere grow heavy, Ito Makoto tried to change the subject.

"Your grandfather was a very powerful Jonin. The Earth Spear you use was his signature ninjutsu, which he created himself. Relying on this technique, he rarely got injured even on the battlefield."

Speaking of her father, Mika revealed a smile. However, her tone soon turned sorrowful.

"It's just that your grandfather died in battle when I was very young. His teammates retrieved his body, but his heart was nowhere to be found. I don't know much about your grandfather either."

Earth Spear, a heart—when these two things were linked, it looked like the work of a certain someone, that monster with five hearts—Kakuzu.

Was that earth-attribute heart of Kakuzu actually my grandfather's heart? Ito Makoto felt everything clicking into place.

Good lad, I've written Kakuzu's name in my little notebook. Once I grow up, if Uzumaki Naruto doesn't finish you off, I'll do it myself.

"Mom, don't worry. When I grow up, I will personally kill the enemy who murdered Grandfather."

Ito Makoto puffed out his chest to comfort her.

"You brat, you only know how to say sweet things to coax people," Mika felt a bit better and scolded him with a smile. "So many years have passed; the enemy might have already died of old age. Why do you need to take revenge? I'll thank the heavens if you can just safely become a Chunin."

After breakfast, Mika took Ito Makoto to visit their neighbor on the third floor, Haruno Mebuki. She was the friend who had helped Mika rent the apartment earlier.

After buying a gift, the two arrived on the third floor. Unlike on Earth, the buildings in the world of Naruto had stairs and corridors on the outside.

He knocked on the door, and it opened to reveal a young woman with yellow hair.

Seeing them, she said happily, "Oh, it's Mika! Please, come in."

The mother and son were welcomed into the room.

"Thank you so much, Mebuki. If you hadn't helped me find this place in advance, we might have ended up on the streets," Mika said.

"What are you saying? It was just a small favor. There happened to be a vacancy downstairs, so I just gave the landlord a heads-up."

Haruno Mebuki smiled and turned to look at Ito Makoto.

"Is this your child? He's so cute. How old is he now?"

"Auntie Mebuki, I'm three years old now," Ito Makoto said, intentionally acting like a child.

"What a good boy. My daughter is the same age as you; let me go call her out."

Haruno Mebuki stood up, walked into a room, and brought out a little girl.

The little girl had pink hair and fair, delicate skin, and her clothes were very neat. She looked like a porcelain doll, hiding timidly behind her mother.

"This is my daughter—Haruno Sakura. She's a bit shy."

Haruno Mebuki said, pulling the girl in front of her.

"Sakura, come and meet Auntie Mika and Big Brother Makoto."

"Auntie Mika, Big Brother Makoto," the girl said timidly before hiding behind her mother again.

Ito Makoto felt his eyes opened. Is this really Sakura? The 'Sakura-bro' who could lift mountains and conquer the world? She's so shy, it feels like she's been soul-transmigrated by Hinata.

"Sakura, take your big brother Makoto to your room to play. Your Aunt Mika and I have some things to discuss."

Mika also gave Ito Makoto a gentle nudge, pushing him forward so he would leave with Sakura.

Ito Makoto followed Sakura into a room. It was filled with a girlish atmosphere: pink walls, a pink desk, and all sorts of dolls greeted his eyes.

Ito Makoto found a chair and sat down, while Sakura stood quietly, saying nothing. The air was unnervingly still.

He suddenly felt incredibly awkward and couldn't stop scratching his head.

He wanted to say something, but didn't know where to start.

How on earth was he supposed to get along with a shy little girl? To him, it was a global-scale problem. He would rather wrestle a bear than face this situation; after all, with ninjutsu, his chances of beating a bear to death weren't low at all.

Fortunately, it wouldn't be long. Once his mother finished chatting, he should be able to leave.

After a while, the door opened. Haruno Mebuki and Mika appeared in the doorway, and Mebuki said to Sakura, "Sakura, your Aunt Mika and I are going out shopping. You and Makoto stay here and watch the house."

Mika also added a reminder, "Makoto, take good care of Sakura."

"Mom, why don't we all go shopping together?" Ito Makoto interjected, desperate to get out of there.

"No," Mika shook her head, "you have a task to complete."

"While chatting with your Aunt Mebuki, I learned that Sakura is currently learning chakra refinement to prepare for the Ninja Academy entrance exam. Your Aunt Mebuki and her husband are both civilians and don't know anything about chakra."

"Take this opportunity to teach Sakura how to refine chakra."

Chakra refinement? That simple stuff? That was fine; it shouldn't take long.

Ito Makoto nodded and agreed.

Mika smiled and said, "Teach her well. If you succeed, Mom has a reward for you!"