Senju Raizo

Senju Arashi ignored the stunned members of his clan and introduced Qiancao and Wuming. "This is my father, Senju Raizo, and this is my mother, Senju Ryoko."

Wuming had no idea how to greet them. She had killed quite a few members of the Senju Clan, and now that she was on their turf, she felt awkward from head to toe.

Qiancao, on the other hand, had no such reservations. He bowed politely to Senju Arashi's parents. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Uncle and Auntie!"

Senju Raizo frowned. "Did you get their name wrong? They're Uchiha, not Ubo, aren't they?"

Senju Arashi answered firmly, "I said Uchiha."

Senju Raizo tilted his head slightly toward the sky, as though checking whether the sun had really risen in the west. After calming himself down, he glanced at the crowd around them and snapped,

"What are you all staring at? Get back to work!" Then he turned to the three of them. "Come with me and explain everything."

As soon as Senju Raizo turned around, he couldn't help spitting to the side. "What kind of ridiculous mess is this?!"

At their clan leader's words, the crowd dispersed. The few injured Senju who had gone out with Senju Arashi were also led away to recover.

In the Senju Clan's meeting hall, everyone took their seats. Aside from Senju Raizo and his wife, only one person remained from the Senju Clan: a young man with thick eyebrows and large eyes, who kept grinning at Qianshu and Wuming.

As soon as they sat down, Senju Raizo eagerly asked Senju Arashi, "What exactly happened? Where did you meet these two, uh... friends?"

Senju Arashi smiled and told his parents the story of what had happened along the way. He focused on Black Zetsu, who had impersonated Uchiha Keisuke, and emphasized the danger of Black Zetsu driving a wedge between the two sides.

When they heard that Senju Arashi had been defeated by Wuming, a little girl, the Senju couple looked at her in disbelief. The thick-browed young man's eyes lit up, and he sized Wuming up and down.

When they then heard that Qiancao had protected Senju Arashi from Black Zetsu, Senju Ryoko gave Qiancao a grateful look, and her impression of him improved considerably.

After the whole story had been told, Senju Raizo couldn't help saying, "Although these two Uchiha have helped you a great deal, Xiaolan, bringing them into Senju territory could have an incalculable impact on our clan."

"Let's leave it at that for today. Send them back tomorrow."

At that point, the Senju youth, who had barely spoken until then, spoke up. "Let me introduce myself to our two Uchiha friends first. My name is Senju Seiichiro, and I'm Senju Arashi's cousin."

After introducing himself, Seiichiro turned to Senju Raizo and said,

"Uncle, there's no need to be so wary. We may have had plenty of clashes with the Uchiha Clan, but these two helped Xiaolan. Wouldn't sending them away reflect poorly on our Senju Clan's generosity?"

Senju Raizo snapped, "I know exactly what you're thinking, brat! You heard that this girl beat Xiaolan, and now you're itching for a fight, aren't you?"

Senju Seiichiro only smiled, effectively conceding that Senju Raizo was right.

Then he shot Senju Arashi a look that meant, I've done all I can. You're on your own now.

At that moment, Senju Ryoko spoke up. "I can see that these two young Uchiha have powerful seals on them. I'm afraid your plans are going to fall through, Seiichiro."

Qiancao and Wuming looked at Senju Ryoko in surprise. Senju Arashi explained,

"My mother comes from the Uzumaki Clan and knows a great deal about all kinds of seals."

Senju Raizo frowned and asked his wife, "Are you sure?"

Senju Ryoko shot Senju Raizo an exasperated look. "Why would I lie to you?"

"I can sense that the seal has locked their chakra pathways tight. They probably can't even use a tenth of their strength."

Senju Seiichiro looked clearly disappointed, but Qiancao caught a flash of delight on Senju Raizo's face.

Senju Arashi continued, asking his mother, "Can you remove their seals?"

Senju Ryoko rose from her seat and came over beside Qiancao. She asked gently, "May I take a look at the seal on you?"

Qiancao nodded and lifted his shirt to expose his stomach. Senju Raizo and Senju Seiichiro leaned forward in their seats to get a look, making for a rather comical sight.

Senju Ryoko studied the seal's pattern carefully. Only after a long while did she frown and say,

"I saw this pattern once, twenty years ago. This seal must be an improved version of it."

"I've fallen behind on the latest sealing techniques since joining the Senju Clan. To undo this one, we'll have to go to the Uzumaki Clan and find Xiaolan's aunt."

Senju Arashi was a little disappointed, but soon brightened up again. "I haven't seen Auntie in ages. This will be a chance to see her again!"

Senju Raizo frowned from his seat, displeased once more. "Why are you heading out again as soon as you get home? Can't you stay here quietly for a while?"

Senju Ryoko ignored her husband and continued asking,

"A seal like this takes an enormous amount of chakra to apply. Why were these two children given such a complicated seal at such a young age?"

Senju Arashi looked to Qiancao and Wuming for permission, then carefully recounted their backgrounds. When Senju Raizo heard the story, he slapped the table and roared again,

"Evil Uchiha! They'd even lay a hand on children so young!"

Then he turned to Qiancao and Wuming. "Don't worry, you two. Now that you've come to the Senju Clan, you're our friends. I, Senju Raizo, will protect you with my life!"

Senju Ryoko pressed one hand to her forehead, looking utterly exasperated with her husband.

Senju Raizo went on to offer the two Uchiha some words of encouragement, mostly saying that since they had left the Uchiha Clan, they should make sure to be good people.

He also told Senju Arashi to get some rest and come speak with him again tomorrow, then left with his wife.

After the clan leader and his wife had left, Seiichiro visibly relaxed. He came over to the three of them with a smile. "Once your seals are removed, you'll have to spar with me."

Senju Arashi introduced him to the other two. "Don't mind him. He never does anything useful; all he does is look for people to fight. Everyone's sick of it."

Seiichiro protested, "Come on, don't put it like that! Apart from Uchiha Eiki, you're the first young person from the Uchiha side in ages who can beat me. How can you keep him all to yourself?"

Then he turned to Qiancao. "You'd better not wander around too much over the next few days. I'm sure you understand why. If you get bored, at least bring Xiaolan along."

Then Seiichiro headed for the entrance. As he opened the door and left, he said, "I hope you enjoy your stay with the Senju Clan. Hahaha."