The Senju Clan Gathers

"I just want an apology and justice. Can you give me that?

"All you have to do is find Sarutobi Shinnosuke, the one who tried to kill me."

Senju Nawaki's face was full of grievance. Even Jiraiya had nothing to say.

Judging by what had happened so far, Senju Nawaki was the victim. The only sticking point was exactly what Senju Nawaki had said: where was Sarutobi Shinnosuke? What had he done?

The conditions he proposed sounded simple enough.

All they had to do was find Sarutobi Shinnosuke.

But Sarutobi Shinnosuke was now inside Senju Nawaki's Soul Space. How could anyone possibly find him?

That cut off the Senju Clan's path back to Konoha.

"Sarutobi Shinnosuke?"

Hatake Sakumo murmured the name.

He was also looking for signs that Sarutobi Shinnosuke had been there.

They had all seen Sarutobi Shinnosuke walk in with their own eyes.

But had that really been Sarutobi Shinnosuke's Shadow Clone? If not, where was the real one?

As soon as he had entered, he had been drawn to the injuries on Senju Nawaki. Then he had started searching for traces of Sarutobi Shinnosuke, but he couldn't find any.

Could what Senju Nawaki said really be true?

Had the Sarutobi Shinnosuke who had just walked in been nothing more than a Shadow Clone?

Holding the Forehead Protector in his hand, he let out a long sigh.

He was beginning to believe that Senju Nawaki was a victim of the power struggle among Konoha's leadership.

He could already foresee the predicament Konoha would face in the future.

On one side was the Sarutobi Clan, who held power in Konoha now.

On the other was the Senju Clan, who had once founded Konoha.

If this was mishandled, Konoha would fall apart.

This was no longer something he could handle.

Meanwhile.

Senju Nawaki had changed into clean clothes and sat on a hospital bed made with Wood Release by Senju Tojian.

He shook his head inwardly. His injuries had been so severe, yet he had already recovered most of the way. The vitality of his cells was his trump card.

If he hadn't reacted quickly and changed into fresh clothes, Hatake Sakumo would have spotted the flaw.

That was also why Senju Tojian had kept Tsunade away.

Even the sharpest of them, Orochimaru, had noticed something was off, but he hadn't said anything.

Senju Nawaki's gaze fell on Tsunade.

She was distraught, her eyes full of inner conflict. It seemed she still hadn't made her choice.

He finally sighed. Not choosing was itself a choice.

Tsunade wouldn't leave with him.

Then he nodded to Senju Tojian. Their plan could begin.

It was time for the Senju Clan to leave dark Konoha behind.

Senju Tojian nodded in response, pulled out a signal flare from behind his back, and fired it.

Whoosh...

The red flare took the shape of the Senju Clan's crest and hung over the Konoha camp.

The Senju Ninja in the camp all looked up.

They tore off their Konoha Forehead Protectors, their faces breaking into relieved smiles.

They had had enough of Konoha's suffocating atmosphere.

They were one of Konoha's founding clans and had made the greatest contributions to the village, yet they suffered the worst injustice.

After Senju Tobirama died, the order to dissolve the Senju Clan and fold it into Konoha became a shackle, a way for Konoha to control them.

They did the dirtiest, hardest work, yet received less in return than civilian ninja.

With no hope in sight, they could only be slowly ground down by Konoha, becoming nourishment for the village.

They could already foresee their miserable fate.

Now, they saw hope once again.

They dropped what they were doing and sprang into action.

"Takagi, what are you doing? That disturbance just now is bound to attract attention. Hurry up and guard the perimeter of the camp."

A Chunin from the Sarutobi Clan snapped at an elderly ninja.

They were the guards of the Konoha camp and were responding to an emergency.

If the camp came under attack or some other incident occurred, they served as the defensive force, heading to their assigned positions to guard against any eventuality.

"What makes you think you can talk to me like that? You're a Chunin, and you dare speak to me that way? You Sarutobi Clan fools have no manners."

The hunched-over ninja removed his Forehead Protector and straightened up, his eyes flashing.

His presence was so imposing that no one dared meet his gaze.

The other ninja, unaware of the truth, were astonished to discover that this man, who had always received a Genin's stipend, was far stronger than their captain. He was probably a Jonin.

"You... You're a member of Konoha. I'm the squad leader, so of course you have to follow my orders."

The Chunin from the Sarutobi Clan stammered.

He was the son of an elder of the Sarutobi Family. That was why he had been able to become a squad leader despite being a Chunin.

Takagi was a former Jonin of the Senju Clan. After being oppressed in every way, he had been put through another evaluation and demoted to Genin. His father had found him the perfect workhorse.

The sudden turn of events made him uneasy.

"After all this time, you still haven't even remembered my real name. I'm Senju Zuoren."

Senju Zuoren turned around and fixed his gaze on the Sarutobi Clan members.

After Senju Tobirama, that fool, announced the dissolution of the Senju Clan, Zuoren's surname had been changed from Senju to Takagi.

Without his clan's support, he had been stripped of his Jonin rank.

His treatment had plummeted. For the sake of his son and family, he had been forced to do all kinds of dirty, exhausting work, only for the credit to go to the idiot standing before him.

What he found hardest to accept was the way this man treated their Senju Clan.

Now the Senju Clan had returned, and he had hope again.

He reached into the ninja pouch resting on his thigh, pulled out a battered Forehead Protector, and put it back on. The Senju Clan crest drew everyone's eyes.

He turned toward the back of the camp, where the medical area stood. That was where Senju Nawaki was.

The Senju Clan would surely regain its former glory.

Whoosh...

He left behind an afterimage and rushed toward the medical area.

The Konoha Ninja stood there, stunned and suspicious.

"Captain, it looks like something unusual has happened. We need to send this information back to the village," one of the ninja beside him said, looking up.

When he saw Senju Zuoren put the Senju Clan Forehead Protector back on, fear began to spread through his heart.

Konoha's brief advantage on the battlefield was due in large part to the Senju Clan's resources being used up.

Similar scenes unfolded throughout the Konoha camp.

The Senju Ninja who had endured too much for too long were finally beginning to rise up.

In some places, small-scale clashes broke out.

They were surprised to discover that the obscure Senju Ninja, who had been assessed as Genin, possessed strength far beyond their assigned ranks.

Konoha's ranking system was full of loopholes. These people had been deliberately targeted.

For a time, no one could suppress the Senju Clan members.

They all hurried toward the spot where the signal had been fired.

They realized that Konoha was about to undergo a major upheaval.

The spies from other villages were secretly delighted.

They recorded what was happening in the camp, prepared to pass the information along, and paid even closer attention to what would happen next.