Senju Nawaki's Speech

Senju Nawaki's face wore a resolute expression, his voice carrying a power that compelled belief.

He continued.

"My kin, I am both gratified and deeply regretful, for I shall lead you away from our homeland—Konoha."

As soon as Senju Nawaki finished his sentence, the field fell into absolute silence.

Tsunade collapsed to the ground.

Jiraiya struggled frantically, trying to stop Senju Nawaki from speaking further, blood spraying continuously from the wooden spikes embedded in his hands.

Orochimaru and Hatake Sakumo had long since accepted this outcome, yet cold sweat still beaded on their foreheads.

A single sentence from Senju Nawaki would alter the landscape of the Ninja World.

The ninjas of Konoha were shocked by Senju Nawaki's declaration.

Minutes later, the crowd finally regained their senses.

A wave of clamor erupted.

Some of the camp leaders attempted to put an end to the farce unfolding before them.

Rumble...

The earth shook as a massive tree shot toward the sky.

It erupted from the ground behind Senju Nawaki, its trunks intertwining to form the visages of two men.

They were the wooden sculptures of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, and the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, standing a full twenty meters tall.

It was these two men who had created the legend of Konoha.

Everyone was struck dumb once more.

Only then did they realize a terrifying truth.

The Wood Release had returned to the world.

When the dormant Senju Clan opened their eyes, they no longer had the strength to continue their oppression; they had always accepted the protection of the Senju Clan while simultaneously holding them in contempt.

They had no right to condemn the head of the Senju Clan.

The scene fell into a deathly silence once again.

Senju Nawaki pointed to the two statues behind him.

"Konoha is the land our ancestors created with their blood and their lives. This is a fact recognized by every ninja village and nation in the Ninja World.

Yet, it is no longer a place suitable for our survival.

Despicable and shameless people have stolen our achievements and installed themselves as rulers.

They ride upon our necks, boasting of their merits, trampling our dignity at will, and turning the greatest family in this world into servants to be enslaved and warriors to be discarded whenever they please.

Since the passing of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama:

The Senju Clan once held one-third of the land and shops in Konoha and possessed the greatest number of ninjas in the village.

Today, under their suppression, our land and shops are nearly gone, and our ninja numbers have plummeted. Look at the comrades around us; this is all the strength and support we have left.

We, the Senju Clan, have defended the glory of Konoha and protected the safety of the Land of Fire with our own lives.

They laugh with disdain, claiming all of this as their own merit, running rampant in Konoha, shouting of their own power across the Ninja World, and mocking the Senju Clan for having no self-respect.

They suppress all of you present here, despite you performing the most arduous, exhausting, and dangerous tasks on the battlefield, providing pay that isn't even enough to support your families, all in an attempt to see us wiped out.

The elderly, the weak, the wives, and the children in Konoha receive none of the care they deserve.

They have attempted to assassinate me multiple times, wishing to sever the final bloodline of the Senju.

Today, I tell them: I am still alive, and the Senju Clan is still alive.

We have expressed our clear anger and strong protests, yet we never receive a response; they only use the orders left by Senju Tobirama before his death to suppress us time and again.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and Shimura Danzo—the very people who were the Hokage's guards—allowed Senju Tobirama, who possessed the Flying Thunder God, to die before them. This is full of suspicious circumstances.

Now, as the head of the Senju Clan, I declare that the Senju Clan does not recognize Sarutobi Hiruzen as the Third Hokage.

I hereby abolish the orders of Senju Tobirama.

The Senju Clan shall stand tall in the Ninja World once more. We depart together for my fief—the City of Wood."

As he spoke, he tore the necklace from his neck and crushed it to pieces.

This was the symbol of the Senju Clan head, containing the chakra of Senju Hashirama.

A phantom of Senju Hashirama appeared, drawing the gaze of everyone present.

Senju Nawaki was also stunned; he had not expected this necklace to contain a chakra phantom of Senju Hashirama.

Information about the necklace flashed through his mind.

This necklace could resonate with Wood Release chakra and was known as the Necklace of Misfortune.

In the original trajectory of the world, it had sent him to his death, and it had also sent Kato Dan to his.

Later, it was given by Tsunade to Uzumaki Naruto. During the battle against Pain, the Asura chakra of [Senju Hashirama] within the necklace was triggered, sparing Uzumaki Naruto from the fate of being captured by Pain and having his Tailed Beast chakra extracted.

He saved Uzumaki Naruto's life.

If it possessed self-awareness, the ideology of Senju Hashirama, influenced by Asura, would certainly have stopped him.

Senju Nawaki felt dazed; what was this?

If a consciousness truly existed, why would it save Uzumaki Naruto but not him?

In an instant, he hardened his resolve; regardless of whether Senju Hashirama or Asura stood behind it, nothing could stop his actions.

Before he could even move, Senju Tojian took action.

Cold light shot from his eyes; he would not allow any accidents to occur.

The chakra within his body erupted, and his powerful aura made the surrounding ninja struggle to breathe, causing the phantom formed by Senju Hashirama's chakra to flicker unsteadily.

Crack, crack...

The wooden statues of Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama dozens of meters behind him shattered, and the moment they exploded, the phantom of Senju Hashirama's chakra dissipated.

This action left everyone confused.

What exactly did the appearance of Senju Hashirama's phantom represent?

Without any explanation, it was destroyed by Senju Tojian.

After finishing all this, Senju Tojian panted and roared aloud.

"Obey the orders of the Clan Head."

His attitude also represented the stance of the Senju Clan.

Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama had become the past; Senju Nawaki was the future they believed in, not those two dead men who had nearly brought the Senju Clan to ruin.

"Obey the orders of the Clan Head!"

The surrounding members of the Senju Clan let out a roar, echoing him loudly.

Such an order gave them hope—the hope to live on with dignity.

"Come with me, to a new home."

Senju Nawaki pressed his palms together, and the chakra within his body was consumed frantically.

Rumble...

Small pebbles danced on the ground as tree roots burst from the earth, weaving into a path that led straight outside the Konoha camp.

This was their road to a new world.

An aura of liberation radiated from him; he glanced back at Tsunade once before departing along this path.

Senju Tojian followed closely behind.

One by one, the members of the Senju Clan joined in, gradually forming a torrent.

Hatake Sakumo's hands trembled, his throat felt itchy, and he wanted to stop them, but he could not bring himself to speak.

He recalled the scene when Uchiha Madara left Konoha; he had been just a small child at the time.

Behind Uchiha Madara, there had not been a single member of the Uchiha clan.

That was because the Uchiha of that time were weary of war, and Konoha gave them the feeling of a home, providing them with a sense of security.

Now, the same thing was happening to the Senju Clan, yet the outcome was the exact opposite.