Konoha: One Against Four? Can't Win, So I'll Cut My Losses!

Sakuragi Senju's words resonated with many present.

The experiences of these past years had made them realize that a powerful clan was their strongest backing.

Even though the ninja world had entered the era of hidden villages, members of ninja clans still banded together to secure greater influence.

A ninja clan was a more secretive interest group, one more trustworthy than the village itself; this was a reality that would never change.

Everything Senju Tobirama had done had placed the Senju Clan in an extremely awkward position.

All the resources originally controlled by the Senju Clan were being swallowed up by other ninja clans, and the Senju Clan was slowly fading into extinction.

"Sakuragi, no matter how many excuses you make, you have betrayed the Senju Clan."

"We spoke to you of loyalty, and you spoke to us of profit; now that we speak of profit, you wish to speak of loyalty again."

"From the moment you were discovered until now, you have only talked about your own hardships and how the Senju Clan wronged you, yet everything you possess came from the Senju Clan. You show not a shred of gratitude."

"That brat Sarutobi Hiruzen values you so much only because he is using your hands to seize the resources that belong to the Senju Clan."

"You deserve to die."

Tojian Senju walked up to him and stared him down with icy intensity.

He no longer bothered to hide the fury in his heart.

Even at this moment, Sakuragi Senju did not realize his own mistakes; he continued to look for excuses in others, believing he was entirely without fault.

You may not love the Senju Clan that once brought you glory, but to use the power granted to you by the clan to harm it in return—that was an unforgivable betrayal.

A traitor did not deserve to live.

"Kill him!"

Nawaki Senju shook his head. This man was beyond saving; it was no longer a matter of right or wrong, but a conflict of interests.

The man had been brainwashed by Sarutobi Hiruzen and was destined to be an enemy of the Senju Clan.

Sakuragi Senju's actions had brought disaster upon the newly independent Senju Clan.

Making an example of him was the most effective way to handle instability within the team.

Squelch...

"The Senju Clan never owed you anything; you were simply too greedy. If you meet Senju Tobirama in the Pure Land, you can ask him if this is the result he wanted to see."

Tojian Senju stepped in front of Sakuragi Senju, pressed his hand against the wooden cage, and muttered under his breath.

He activated Wood Release.

Several wooden spikes sprouted from within the body of the trapped Sakuragi Senju, bursting outward from the inside.

Blood stained the floor of the meeting room, and a pungent, fishy odor assaulted everyone's nostrils.

There was no pity on anyone's face, only a sense of grim satisfaction.

The gazes they turned toward Nawaki Senju were filled with respect.

Having endured the humiliation in Konoha, they needed someone with a firm hand to lead them onto a new path.

It felt as though they had returned to the Warring States period, when the Senju Clan was decisive and ruthless, before they had been influenced by the Ashura-transmigrant Senju Hashirama.

Throughout the ninja world, the Senju Clan had once been a warlike people, a combat clan on par with the fanatical Uchiha Clan and the Kaguya Clan.

They could already foresee the resurgence of the Senju Clan.

"This is your last chance. You may leave now if you wish to maintain our past ties, but you cannot act as turncoats. I despise betrayal above all else."

Nawaki Senju swept his gaze across every face, issuing a stern warning.

Any powerful force that is thoroughly destroyed is always brought down by internal conflict.

It was the same fate that had befallen powerful clans like the Uchiha and the Uzumaki.

He would not let the Senju Clan walk the path of destruction.

A few breaths later.

The others moved with even greater deference, retaking their seats with a newfound sense of approval for Nawaki Senju.

"Very good."

Nawaki Senju nodded to himself. This series of events had truly established him as the master of the Senju Clan.

He was no longer someone recognized only because of Tojian Senju's influence and his own status as the legitimate heir.

Seeing the concern for the future of the Senju Clan on their faces, he spoke to reassure them.

"There is another important reason why I chose to break away from Konoha at this time: the Second Shinobi World War is about to erupt in full force."

"If we do not escape the quagmire of Konoha, the Senju Clan will be completely wiped out, becoming nothing more than cannon fodder for the village."

Nawaki Senju stood up, pointed to a massive map of the ninja world behind him, and dropped the bombshell.

Those below gasped, reeling from the weight of this information.

Every Shinobi World War was an opportunity to reshape the landscape of the world.

During the First Shinobi World War, even with the legacy of Senju Hashirama and the leadership of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, the Senju Clan suffered losses exceeding fifty percent. The cruelty of such a war was absolute.

Senju Tobirama truly sabotaged his own clan!

The small-scale skirmishes in the Land of Rain were nothing more than child's play by comparison.

Senju Tojian pulled himself away from these thoughts and voiced his question.

"Will this have any impact on our Senju Clan?"

This was the crux of the matter; he cared only for the Senju Clan.

"On the contrary, this is good news for us. According to current intelligence, Konoha has already seized and confiscated the Senju Clan's assets within the village, casting aside even the last shred of pretense. The food and medical supplies we control will fetch a terrifyingly high price during the war, more than enough to compensate for the losses incurred by leaving Konoha."

Senju Nawaki gestured toward the intelligence reports on the table.

Just as Senju Tojian had reported, Konoha maintained its arrogant stance, convinced that the Senju Clan would have no room to survive once they left the village.

They had never realized the true importance of the Senju Clan.

The past behavior of the predecessor, a complete waste, had also been a significant factor in clouding their judgment.

"Clan Leader, will the Second Shinobi World War truly break out?"

Senju Zuoren's voice carried a note of doubt; he wanted to confirm once more, remaining skeptical of Senju Nawaki's perspective.

The shinobi world had fallen into a period of calm, creating a deceptive illusion.

Senju Tojian, standing to the side, glared at him, causing his voice to drop to a whisper.

Senju Nawaki stood up, pointed to the map behind him, and began to mark it with a felt-tip pen.

"The Second Shinobi World War has already begun. The fighting in the Land of Rain is merely the prelude. The current peace is nothing more than a brief suppression brought about by the emergence of Hanzo of the Salamander. In the chaotic theater of war, it is essentially Sunagakure, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure laying siege to Konohagakure. The root cause is that Konoha occupies the prosperous, resource-rich center of the continent. The current Konoha lacks the strength to defend this fertile land."

The marker traced lines across the map of the shinobi world, concentrating on the Land of Rain.

The attacks from other nations were like arrows aimed at the heart of the continent—Konoha and the Land of Fire.

Konoha sat at the center of the shinobi world, holding twice the resources and land of any other village, if not more.

Previously, they had the Land of Whirlpools to watch over and support them, but that ally had been wiped out by their own people in collusion with other forces.

Konoha was now weaker than it had ever been.

"This..."

The group fell into silence, their attention fixed entirely on the map.

Recalling their encounters on the battlefield in the Land of Rain, wasn't it exactly as Senju Nawaki had described?

Sunagakure and the Land of Wind, in particular, had reached a desperate, almost pathological need for water and food crops, repeatedly using puppet techniques to infiltrate the heart of the Land of Fire for plunder.

The distribution of resources was, in itself, a problem that required strength to defend.

"The brats of the Sarutobi Clan lack the strength to protect the Konoha and Land of Fire of today. With the death of Mito and the new generation of jinchuriki yet to mature, Konoha has no one capable of shouldering the burden. Sarutobi Hiruzen, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, Shimura Danzo, and Uchiha Kagami—these people are already renowned powerhouses in the shinobi world. Yet, in the eyes of Kumogakure, they will always be the Hokage's guards who abandoned the Second Hokage and dared not resist. The power that truly makes other villages wary is that of the great clans of old: our Senju Clan, the Uchiha Clan, and the Hyuga Clan."

Senju Tojian stood up to offer his explanation.

He poured out every ounce of resentment he had been harboring.