The True Reason for the Disappearance of the Senju Clan

"Damn this brat!"

Inside the Hokage's office, Danzo slammed his fist onto the desk with such force that the documents scattered across the floor, his face twisted with undisguised fury.

Clearly, in the mind of this arrogant man, his own dignity had suffered a humiliating blow.

Having served as the Hokage's advisor for over a decade, Danzo had long since developed a temperament where his word was law and dissent was intolerable. Yet, he had suffered a major setback at the hands of Ye Ning, being pointed at and scolded; given his personality, how could he possibly endure it?

However, Ye Ning's status meant he had no way to vent his anger directly, leaving him to only lash out in private before the Third Hokage.

The Third Hokage showed no reaction to Danzo's outburst, merely puffing away at his pipe. The usual kindly expression he wore had vanished, replaced by a pair of sharp, piercing eyes.

Only in this state did he possess a fraction of the aura of the Shinobi Hero.

"The Daimyo truly has a clever hand..."

The Third Hokage mused, only now realizing the true purpose behind the Daimyo's actions.

Leaving his only son in Konoha seemed like an absurd and foolish move; it appeared that as long as Konoha controlled this heir, they controlled the Daimyo. But in reality, Ye Ning's presence was like a shackle the Daimyo had placed upon Konoha.

Ye Ning was the Daimyo's only son, and given the Daimyo's debauched behavior in recent years, it was foreseeable that he would remain his only heir.

If anything were to happen to this future successor within Konoha, heaven knows what kind of madness the Daimyo might unleash.

A year's worth of fiscal funding gone?

No!

If Ye Ning suffered any accident in Konoha, it was likely that all future funding for the village would vanish!

Even more terrifying was the possibility that the Daimyo of the Land of Fire might choose to fund other ninja villages directly.

While it sounded unlikely, if his only son were harmed, a crazed Daimyo was truly capable of such a thing.

Therefore, not only would Ye Ning remain in Konoha, but Konoha was also obligated to ensure his safety!

As long as Ye Ning's actions weren't too excessive, they had no choice but to indulge him!

Testing Konoha's bottom line step by step?

The Third Hokage was forced to consider the situation with the utmost gravity.

Although the Daimyo had been well-behaved in recent years and supported Konoha's war efforts without hesitation, that did not mean he was merely a figurehead or a fool.

Whether this was the Daimyo finally baring his fangs, the Third Hokage could not be certain.

But for now, Konoha had no choice but to follow the Daimyo's will and grit their teeth to protect Ye Ning.

Just then, an Anbu ninja responsible for surveillance appeared abruptly in the room and reported in a low voice:

"Lord Third Hokage, ever since Ye Ning entered the Senju Clan grounds, he has not come out. It seems he went directly to find Lady Tsunade."

The Third Hokage rubbed his brow and waved his hand, signaling for the Anbu ninja to leave.

Once the Anbu had vanished via Body Flicker, the Third Hokage finally spoke:

"Danzo, keep your subordinates in check. Do not pull any petty tricks. If the Daimyo truly loses his temper, Konoha cannot afford the consequences! I will also notify the heads of the major clans to avoid conflict with Ye Ning as much as possible and to satisfy his needs. Danzo, you should understand what the consequences are!"

The Third Hokage was not worried about the major ninja clans or other shinobi; a simple warning would suffice to keep them from provoking Ye Ning.

But as for Danzo, he had to issue repeated warnings.

Danzo was the most likely person to pull something behind his back!

Danzo was merely venting his frustrations in front of an old friend; in truth, he did not dare to engage in any underhanded schemes at the moment.

However, the Third Hokage's tone left him feeling deeply displeased.

"Hmph!"

Seeing this, the Third Hokage finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Danzo hadn't given a direct promise, the Third Hokage, who knew his temperament well, understood that Danzo grasped the severity of the situation and had essentially conceded.

In just this short while, the ground was already littered with empty wine bottles, leaving Ye Ning speechless.

Is this even drinking?

This is just chugging!

The crate of wine had barely been brought over, and before they could even exchange a few words, Tsunade had already downed two bottles.

What kind of normal person drinks like this!?

With several bottles down, a rosy flush climbed onto Tsunade's fair cheeks. Her eyes were hazy, and as she leaned back against the ground, gazing up at the sky, she possessed a rare, tranquil air. The lingering sorrow in her eyes made it all too easy to stir a sense of pity in one's heart.

Compared to the version of her that would pound on his chest with her small fists at the slightest provocation, Ye Ning felt this version of Tsunade was much more pleasant to look at.

Ye Ning hesitated for a moment before speaking softly:

"On my way here, I passed many houses within the Senju Clan grounds, but they all seemed empty. With a clan as large as the Senju, where have all the members gone?"

"Some died, some left; there aren't many people left."

The implications behind her words were shocking, yet Tsunade recounted them in a remarkably calm tone.

"Ever since my grandfather, my Second Granduncle, my grandmother, and the elders who lived through the Warring States period passed away one after another, the Senju Clan fell into an awkward period of decline. While there are still quite a few people, our voice within Konoha has grown weaker with each passing day."

"In order to regain a voice in Konoha and secure greater benefits for the Senju Clan, the clan gradually split into two factions. One faction volunteered to step onto the battlefield as Konoha's vanguard, hoping to reclaim power through merit. The other faction wished to follow the vision once proposed by Second Granduncle, gradually withdrawing from Konoha's upper echelons to disperse the family and integrate completely into the village."

"Neither faction could convince the other. In the end, the pro-war faction became Konoha's vanguard and set foot on the battlefield of the Land of Rain. However, the hardships of the war in the Land of Rain far exceeded expectations; the Senju Clan suffered heavy casualties, and even Nawaki died there."

"The other faction followed Second Granduncle's advice and left the Senju compound. Perhaps they dispersed to every corner of Konoha, or perhaps they found a place where no one could find them to live in seclusion; even I do not know where they went."

"Therefore, only a few people remain of the entire Senju Clan to continue guarding these estates."

Tsunade's narration was very calm, and she would occasionally take a swig of wine, showing no sign of emotional fluctuation.

But Ye Ning could feel the desolation hidden beneath her calm words.

That was Tsunade's family, her own kin.

How could there be no ripples in her heart?

She could only be forcing herself to hold on, using each sip of wine to mask the sorrow within.