Sarutobi Hiruzen's actions might have seemed discreet, but to old fossils like them who had survived since the Warring States period, they were perfectly clear.
The Second Shinobi World War was the war that had firmly established the shinobi village system.
The Five Great Shinobi Villages fought one another, vying for the resources and benefits they wanted. The ones who bore the brunt of those struggles were the ninja clans at odds with the village authorities.
What could Konoha do if it couldn't win?
It could only sacrifice something.
The Uzumaki Clan of the Land of Whirlpools had been a test, a price paid. Unfortunately, it hadn't been enough to satisfy the other villages' appetites.
Next would be the Senju Clan. These were all things Sarutobi Hiruzen had prepared to abandon long ago.
The clearest proof was that the Senju Clan's grain and medicinal herb trade was being taken from them by one means or another.
The Land of Fields, whose ruling family had close ties and marriage alliances with the Sarutobi Clan, was gradually taking over the grain trade, while the Ino-Shika-Cho clans were steadily gaining control of medicinal herb production.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was using this war to wear down the Senju Clan. And not just them, either—there were also the Uchiha Clan and the Hyuga Clan. These unusual clans, each capable of standing against an entire village, were all ultimately targeted for the sake of profit.
The shinobi village system had become the Ninja World's mainstream. The ninja clans within each village divided up various benefits under the Hokage's control.
Telling fools to put the greater good first was just another way of saying they were meant to be sacrificed—just like the Senju Clan.
Senju Nawaki's current approach would let them escape the trap and preserve their strength during the Second Shinobi World War.
The other Senju ninja seated around them exchanged whispers. The worry faded from their faces, replaced by eager anticipation.
They weren't cowards who would simply endure slander without fighting back.
They could wash away the humiliation Konoha and the Sarutobi Clan had inflicted on them in this war.
Now that the Senju Clan had become nobles of the Land of Fire, they were no longer bait for Konoha to sacrifice at will. Instead, Konoha had become their shield.
Their status and position had been turned on their heads in every respect.
"Clan leader, just give the word. We'll carry it out."
There was a hint of shame in Senju Zuoren's voice. The suspicion he'd felt toward Senju Nawaki moments ago had now turned into blind faith.
As soon as he finished speaking,
the other members of the Senju Clan chimed in as well.
Senju Nawaki's performance had taken them by surprise.
In their minds, under Sarutobi Hiruzen's deliberate manipulation, Senju Nawaki should have been a foolish hothead: ambitious but incompetent, all passion and no brains, dreaming of becoming Hokage.
His behavior over the past few days had completely overturned their impression of him.
That analysis of the Ninja World alone had opened their eyes. Such a broad perspective, such insight into the world's interests and power structure—nothing like it had ever been seen before.
Senju Nawaki stood at an unprecedented height, taking in the whole landscape as if everything were under his control.
This was neither Senju Hashirama's overwhelming charisma nor Senju Tobirama's mastery of schemes and human nature. It was an understanding of the laws that governed the world.
Seeing through appearances to grasp the truth beneath them.
Nothing like this had ever appeared in this world.
[The Legendary Eyes of Transcendence, the Five-Village Brawl, the Ōtsutsuki family's domestic violence, "Mommy, Love Me One More Time"—such small-minded nonsense, after all. The Japanese have always led small lives, and the Eagle-chan has castrated them time and time again. They've barely had a few lessons on thought, law, and morality.]
"I'll be the one to start the Second Shinobi World War.
"The delegations from all the major powers are in the City of Wood. It's time to break the balance."
A cold glint flashed in Senju Nawaki's eyes. He stroked his right arm. It looked no different from his original body, but his right arm and both legs were now products of the Wood Human Technique.
This war would not only restore his body; he would also take back everything of his from Konoha.
Konoha would slowly pay back everything it owed him.
"Senju Sakuragi's body is ready to serve its purpose, too."
His gaze fell on Senju Sakuragi's corpse, and one absurd idea after another surfaced in his mind.
Wasn't Konoha always getting blackmailed? Hadn't it forced Hizashi Hyuga to die in someone else's place? He could just copy that.
He wanted to see whether Sarutobi Hiruzen could be as noble as everyone else and live up to the twisted Will of Fire he preached.
Night fell.
The embassy in the City of Wood was packed to the brim, with the Five Great Shinobi Villages occupying the best rooms.
The finest quarters belonged to the people from Konoha. After all, this was still the Land of Fire, and Konoha was its strongest military force.
Furious curses rang out from a brightly lit room.
Even now, the people from Konoha still thought the Senju Clan were their subordinates and should obey their orders.
"What does that little brat Senju Nawaki mean by making me wait with the delegations from the other villages?!"
Bam...
A bandaged hand slammed down on the tea table, leaving a web of cracks and betraying its owner's fury.
The teacup rattled, spilling drops of tea.
His already sinister eyes narrowed to slits, giving him a chilling air.
This man was none other than Konoha's pot king—Shimura Danzō.
A guard beside him wiped the spilled tea from the cup and poured Danzō a fresh one.
He had thought this trip to the City of Wood would be an easy victory, but things had gone wrong. He couldn't even get a meeting with Senju Nawaki.
He knew Senju Nawaki's personality all too well. His former teacher's grandson had a naive dream of becoming Hokage.
All it would take was a little pressure in the name of the Will of Fire, and he would obey.
Danzō could then take over part of the Senju Clan's power without a hitch. The only one he needed to worry about was Senju Tojian.
That remnant of the old era wasn't nearly as easy to fool as Senju Nawaki.
It wasn't until he arrived in the City of Wood that he realized what the trap was.
Something unpredictable had happened to Senju Nawaki, changing his temperament completely.
"Could it be that Hiruzen never intended to reconcile with the Senju Clan?"
The thought came to Shimura Danzō out of nowhere, and his face darkened.
The information he'd received about what happened at the Konoha camp was incomplete.
The most widely circulated story was that Sarutobi Shinnosuke had tried to assassinate Senju Nawaki, making Konoha a laughingstock among the other villages.
Even by the time Danzō had set out for the City of Wood, Sarutobi Shinnosuke's whereabouts remained a mystery.
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