The Senju Clan Became a Hot Commodity

The Sarutobi Clan wanted to seize the Senju Clan's influence, and two important channels for doing so were food and medicinal herbs.

Sarutobi Hiruzen used a marriage alliance to silence any objections. The person he arranged the marriage with was a member of the Sakuragi Clan, once an elder of the Senju Clan.

This was how they were devouring the Senju Clan's resources while Senju Nawaki was still alive, leaving the family with nothing. No wonder Senju Nawaki had said those things and done what he did.

Thinking back on Konoha's actions, it was no wonder this had become a blood feud. Sarutobi Hiruzen had no intention of letting the Senju Clan return to Konoha. Instead, he seized the opportunity to swallow up all of the clan's influence.

They simply hadn't expected Senju Nawaki to awaken so suddenly and organize such a large-scale counterattack, dragging Konoha into a quagmire.

Under Sarutobi Hiruzen's leadership, Konoha had already reached a dead end. With the Senju Clan no longer under its control and its strength declining, it was bound to face challenges from the Ninja World.

In the future, Konoha would become a target for everyone.

He had come to the City of Wood this time to take the blame for Sarutobi Hiruzen. Hiruzen had foreseen this outcome long ago.

If he died, the Shimura Clan would take over the Senju Clan's role and become Konoha's next sacrifice.

He couldn't die!

Otherwise, the Shimura Clan would have no say in Konoha, and its only fate would be annihilation.

"I understand. I won't set foot in the City of Wood again."

Shimura Danzō looked at Senju Nawaki with a hint of respect, and his eyes also held a question.

It was as if he were looking at his former teacher.

As he spoke, he sealed Senju Sakuragi's corpse inside a scroll.

"Smart."

Senju Nawaki waved a hand, signaling that he could leave.

Shimura Danzō glanced at the corpse on the ground. A brief flicker of inner conflict crossed his eyes before he vanished.

All that remained was a scene of utter devastation.

"Everyone, you should understand my position and the Senju Clan's. The Senju Clan and the Sarutobi Clan are irreconcilable.

"Today's events caused some disruption. We'll hold more in-depth talks tomorrow. I promise you won't leave empty-handed—you'll be able to obtain what you came for."

Senju Nawaki's gaze swept across the other delegations watching the fight. His voice rang clearly in their ears.

Only then did everyone realize that what they had just witnessed was a performance staged especially for them—and that Senju Nawaki wasn't even trying to hide why.

Through this little show, he had made his stance toward Konoha clear, especially his relationship with Konoha's ruling power, the Third, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

He had severed ties with Konoha completely, leaving no chance of reconciliation. This made them consider their options.

Konoha's strength had been weakened. If they wanted to seize its fertile lands and resources, now was the perfect opportunity.

The Senju Clan would not only refuse to help Konoha but would cheer from the sidelines.

Once Konoha's most loyal servant and its strongest shield, the Senju Clan had left its home because of Sarutobi Hiruzen's foolish actions.

Some turned their attention to the Senju Clan. Even though it had fallen into decline, the resources it still controlled could be of great use to them.

Senju Nawaki's words just now had been a hint to them.

The delegations from Sunagakure and the Land of Wind were especially interested. They were the ones most in need of food and medicinal herbs.

In the past, the Senju Clan had repeatedly turned them down because the two sides were enemies. Now, things had changed.

Senju Nawaki turned and left, giving the various factions plenty to think about.

The next day.

The events of the previous night remained etched in their minds.

They had also organized what happened into reports and sent them back to their respective factions.

Some had gotten the answers they wanted and confirmed the Senju Clan's attitude toward Konoha, so they left the City of Wood.

They were already preparing to carve up Konoha and take a hefty chunk for themselves.

The other half stayed in the City of Wood to explore the possibility of cooperation. Senju Nawaki's final words had stirred their greed.

Senju Nawaki held the resources of a miniature Konoha in his hands.

Inside the City Lord's Mansion.

Senju Nawaki received the various factions and decided the general direction of future affairs.

First were the Five Great Shinobi Villages and the five great nations.

The shinobi villages and their nations depended on each other, but they also had their conflicts.

Their stance toward Konoha had long been clear: as long as Sarutobi Hiruzen and the Sarutobi Family remained, their relationship would be a fight to the death.

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire, in particular, held a grudge against Sarutobi Hiruzen. Since Hiruzen had become Hokage, the Hokage's influence had continued to grow. His ambition to create the title of Twin Jade crossed the Daimyo's bottom line.

The power of the Hokage and the Daimyo waxed and waned in opposition to each other.

In the Land of Wind and Sunagakure, the Daimyo held the greatest power, while the Kazekage's authority was curtailed as much as possible. If the Daimyo said the village's funding was cut off, then it was cut off.

The opposite was true of the Land of Lightning and Kumogakure. The Daimyo had almost no authority, and the Raikage could decide anything with a single word. Starting a war required no more than a simple order.

The Hokage and the Daimyo of the Land of Fire were evenly matched, keeping each other in check and maintaining a relative balance.

In the eyes of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, Senju Nawaki was also a tool to check Sarutobi Hiruzen. Everything depended on how the final contest played out.

At that moment, Senju Nawaki was meeting the Daimyo's trusted aide, Kazuma, who would later become one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja.

Kazuma was the son of the head of the palace guards. He was only twelve, younger even than Senju Nawaki.

A red sash around his waist bore a golden character for "fire." It was a mark bestowed by the Daimyo on those he trusted.

The two sides quickly reached an agreement. The Senju Clan would provide the Daimyo with some ninjutsu records and help him train a force to defend the nation.

This was the beginning of the Twelve Guardian Ninja. By this point, the Daimyo had already realized that military power should be in his own hands, instead of relying solely on Konoha's military apparatus.

Through his interactions with Kazuma and his correspondence with his aunt, Senju Nawaki gained a preliminary understanding of the Land of Fire's current situation.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was using the influence of the shinobi clans to steadily encroach on the Daimyo's power. This was why the Daimyo had reached out to him.

The Senju Clan had a good reputation throughout the Ninja World, especially in the Land of Fire.

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire had found a way to break the deadlock: build his own military force, the Twelve Guardian Ninja.

Originally, Sarutobi Hiruzen would have planted his own people in this force by sending in his son, Sarutobi Asuma.

The Twelve Guardian Ninja would eventually split into two factions. Sarutobi Hiruzen would emerge victorious and secretly control and influence the group.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's influence over Konoha and the Land of Fire would reach its peak.

Now that Senju Nawaki was involved, he wouldn't let that happen. He would do everything he could to train the Twelve Guardian Ninja.

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire was using Senju Nawaki, and Senju Nawaki was using him in turn.

Both sides had their own agendas, but they ultimately reached an agreement.

The Senju Clan would help the Daimyo of the Land of Fire train his own armed forces.

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire would help the Senju Clan return to power in Konoha.

They shared a common enemy: Sarutobi Hiruzen and the Sarutobi Family.