Senju Nawaki's face was resolute, and his voice carried a conviction that made people believe him.
He continued.
"My fellow clansmen, I'm relieved, but also deeply saddened. I will lead you away from our homeland—Konoha."
As soon as Senju Nawaki finished speaking, the entire field fell silent.
Tsunade slumped to the ground.
Jiraiya struggled frantically, trying to stop Senju Nawaki from continuing. The wooden spikes embedded in his hands kept spraying blood.
Orochimaru and Hatake Sakumo had accepted this outcome long ago, yet cold sweat still beaded on their foreheads.
Senju Nawaki's words would change the balance of the Ninja World.
The Konoha shinobi were shocked by Senju Nawaki's declaration.
A few minutes later, everyone finally came to their senses.
An uproar broke out.
Some of the camp leaders wanted to put an end to the farce unfolding before them.
Rumble...
The earth shook as a gigantic tree shot into the sky.
It rose behind Senju Nawaki, its trunks intertwining to form two faces.
They were wooden statues of the First, Senju Hashirama, and the Second, Senju Tobirama, each a full twenty meters tall.
These two men had created Konoha's legend.
Everyone fell silent again.
Only then did they realize the terrifying truth.
Wood Release had returned to the world.
When the slumbering Senju Clan opened their eyes, the others would no longer have the power to oppress them. They had always relied on the Senju Clan's protection, yet held them in contempt.
They had no right to criticize the Senju Clan's leader.
Silence once again settled over the field.
Senju Nawaki pointed at the two statues behind him.
"Konoha is a land our ancestors created with their blood and their lives. This is Konoha—a fact acknowledged by every village and nation in the Ninja World.
"But now, it is no longer a place where we can live.
"Vile and shameless people stole the fruits of our labor and set themselves up as rulers.
"They ride on our backs, taking credit for everything. They trample our dignity at will, turning the greatest clan in the world into their enslaved servants and expendable soldiers.
"Since the Second, Senju Tobirama, passed away, everything has changed.
"The Senju Clan once owned a third of Konoha's land and shops, and had more shinobi than any other clan in the village.
"Now, under their oppression, we have almost no land or shops left, and our numbers have plummeted. Look at the comrades around us. They are all we have left to rely on.
"We, the Senju Clan, gave our lives to defend Konoha's honor and protect the Land of Fire.
"They laugh at us with contempt, claiming that all this was their doing. They run rampant in Konoha and boast of their strength throughout the Ninja World, all while mocking the Senju Clan for having no dignity left.
"They oppress everyone here, even though we do the hardest, most exhausting, and most dangerous work on the battlefield. Our pay isn't even enough to support our families. They want to wipe us out.
"The elderly, women, and children left in Konoha are not receiving the care they deserve.
"They have tried to assassinate me again and again, hoping to extinguish the Senju Clan's last bloodline.
"Today, I'm telling them: I'm still alive, and the Senju Clan is still alive.
"We have openly expressed our anger and vehemently protested, but we have never received a response. Instead, they use Senju Tobirama's last command to suppress us, again and again.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, Shimura Danzō, and the others were supposed to be the Hokage's guards. Yet they let Senju Tobirama, who possessed the Flying Thunder God, die before them. There are too many suspicious details surrounding this.
"Now, in my capacity as head of the Senju Clan, I declare that we do not recognize Sarutobi Hiruzen as the Third.
"I hereby revoke Senju Tobirama's command.
"The Senju Clan will once more stand tall in the Ninja World. We will all go to my fiefdom—City of Wood."
As he spoke, he tore the necklace from around his neck and crushed it in his hand.
It had once been a symbol of the Senju Clan's leader, and contained Senju Hashirama's chakra.
Senju Hashirama's apparition appeared, drawing everyone's attention.
Senju Nawaki was also taken aback. He hadn't expected the necklace to contain an apparition formed from Senju Hashirama's chakra.
Information about the necklace flashed through his mind.
The necklace could resonate with Wood Release Chakra, and was known as the Necklace of Misfortune.
In the original course of events, it had taken his life, and Dan Katō's as well.
Later, Tsunade gave it to Uzumaki Naruto. During the battle with Pain, the [Senju Hashirama] Asura Chakra inside the necklace activated, preventing Uzumaki Naruto from being captured by Pain and having his Tailed Beast Chakra extracted.
It had saved Uzumaki Naruto's life.
If it had a will of its own, then, given Senju Hashirama's thoughts were influenced by Asura, he would surely try to stop him.
Senju Nawaki's mind reeled. What was this?
If there really was a consciousness inside it, why had it saved Uzumaki Naruto instead of him?
In an instant, he reaffirmed his resolve. Whether it was Senju Hashirama or Asura behind it, neither could stop him.
Before he could act—
Senju Tojian made his move.
A cold glint flashed in his eyes. He would never let an unexpected turn of events happen.
Chakra erupted from his body. His powerful aura made the shinobi around him struggle to breathe, and the apparition formed from Senju Hashirama's chakra flickered unsteadily.
Crack, crack...
The wooden statues of Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama, dozens of meters behind them, shattered. The blast made the apparition of Senju Hashirama's chakra dissipate.
No one understood what this meant.
What had Senju Hashirama's apparition represented?
Without a word of explanation, Senju Tojian had destroyed it.
After doing all this, Senju Tojian gasped for breath and roared,
"We will obey the clan leader's command!"
His stance represented the Senju Clan's stance as well.
Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama belonged to the past. Senju Nawaki was the future they believed in—not those two dead men who had nearly brought the Senju Clan to ruin.
"We will obey the clan leader's command!"
The Senju Clan members around them roared in agreement.
This command gave them hope—the hope of living with their dignity intact.
"Come with me to our new home."
Senju Nawaki brought his hands together, and the chakra within him was rapidly drained.
Rumble...
Pebbles bounced across the ground as roots burst from beneath the earth and wove themselves into a road leading out of the Konoha camp.
This was the road that would take them to a new world.
An air of liberation hung around him. He glanced back at Tsunade, then left along the road.
Senju Tojian followed close behind.
One by one, members of the Senju Clan joined them, gradually forming a surging river of people.
Hatake Sakumo's hands trembled, and his throat tightened. He wanted to stop them, but no words would come.
He recalled the scene when Uchiha Madara left Konoha. Back then, he had been just a child.
Not a single Uchiha had followed Uchiha Madara.
The Uchiha of that time had grown tired of war. Konoha felt like home to them and gave them a sense of security.
Now, the same thing was happening to the Senju Clan, but the outcome was completely different.
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