Konoha's PUA

He was a world apart from the Senju Nawaki of before!

There was a strange aura about Senju Nawaki.

If he hadn't examined him closely, he would have thought the Senju Nawaki before him was an impostor disguised as another ninja.

As a master researcher, Orochimaru noticed that although Senju Nawaki looked battered, his cellular activity was even higher than Tsunade's.

Orochimaru watched Senju Nawaki intently, trying to figure something out.

What had he been through to change so much?

When Senju Nawaki saw that Orochimaru hadn't answered his question, something stirred inside him, and he realized what the problem was.

His reaction didn't fit Senju Nawaki's former personality.

He met Orochimaru's probing gaze without the slightest fear.

A major upheaval could change someone's temperament. There was nothing strange about that.

He didn't want to keep presenting himself as the idiot he'd been before.

Bang...

Just as the two were staring at each other, someone shoved the door open.

"Senju Nawaki, do you know how much damage you've caused Konoha? And where are the other two Jonin? They were Konoha's elite."

An Anbu wearing a monkey mask walked in and confronted Senju Nawaki.

Senju Nawaki narrowed his eyes, trying to make out who this man was. How dare he question him like that?

He wasn't just a newly graduated Genin. He was also the heir to the Senju Clan.

It seemed that idiot Senju Tobirama had been far too indulgent.

The Senju Nawaki of before had also been too easy to control.

He recalled his upbringing. He'd been constantly put down, told he was no match for Tsunade.

Yet the resources he'd received were nowhere near what Tsunade had been given.

All of Konoha had come to see Tsunade as a genius and him as a mediocrity.

Tsunade had become a tool for the Third to suppress Senju Nawaki and seize the Senju Clan's resources.

After all, there was some dispute over Tsunade's surname.

When Nawaki remained silent, the Anbu Ninja came right up to his bed.

"Two Jonin died because of your recklessness. Think about how you're going to compensate Konoha!" The Anbu Ninja's voice was full of grief.

He blamed Nawaki for the deaths of the two Jonin who had accompanied him.

"I see." The corners of Senju Nawaki's mouth lifted slightly. He closed his eyes, treating the Anbu as if he didn't exist.

The Anbu's behavior was an attempt to pin the blame on Nawaki.

That would not only clear Konoha of suspicion, but also give them an excuse to squeeze a fortune out of the Senju Clan.

That was Sarutobi Hiruzen's shameless way of doing things: blaming others for every mistake and taking credit for every achievement.

If Senju Nawaki had still been his old self, the Anbu would have gotten his way.

As an idiot who wanted to become Hokage, he would surely have sacrificed himself. He wouldn't suspect the village he was willing to risk his life to protect.

He would have used the few Senju resources that remained to subsidize Konoha.

His current, useless state had merely made those scheming against him lower their guard for a little while.

If he accepted his fate as a useless cripple, became an obedient pawn, and gave up all say in his own life, could he really survive by keeping his head down?

He was the victim. Why should he submit to conspiracies and underhanded schemes?

"What kind of attitude is that? Aren't you afraid the people of Konoha will despise you? How can you earn their approval acting like this?"

The Konoha Anbu's face was hidden, but his words brimmed with anger. He used the thing Senju Nawaki had cared about most to manipulate him.

Until now, any Konoha ninja could use this excuse to extort a hefty sum from Senju Nawaki.

Even Orochimaru frowned, wanting to intervene.

Bang!

With a loud crash, the Konoha Anbu was sent flying.

A blonde girl stood there, her face full of anger as she rubbed her fist.

It was Tsunade. Her chest wasn't as ample as it would be in the future, but she'd already developed a violent streak.

Behind her stood a white-haired Jiraiya.

"Get out! Don't come back and bother Nawaki," Tsunade snapped.

She was deeply dissatisfied with the Third. How could he send someone to harass Senju Nawaki after he'd been attacked?

Couldn't he even keep his own Anbu under control?

Tsunade paid him no further attention.

A flicker of something passed through the Anbu Ninja's eyes. Under the gaze of the newly famous Sannin, he slunk away.

"Nawaki, are you all right?"

As Tsunade examined Nawaki, she glanced over at Orochimaru.

Tears welled in her eyes. When she saw Nawaki's missing legs, she could no longer hold them back, and they spilled down her cheeks.

Orochimaru stood nearby, his gaze fixed on Senju Nawaki.

Nawaki's series of strange actions had made him realize that Senju Nawaki had changed drastically.

He thought back to what had happened at the Konoha camp, and to Nawaki's request that Orochimaru not let him out of his sight.

Was he worried someone might try to harm him?

Konoha needed to change.

"Nawaki, don't be reckless again. You'll not only drag the village down, but your sister as well. This time, she even abandoned her mission to come see you."

White-haired Jiraiya looked concerned, but Senju Nawaki found his words contemptible.

"Don't worry, Sister. With me in this state, I'll never be able to be a ninja again." Senju Nawaki pushed Tsunade's hands away as she examined him, forcing an awkward smile.

Weren't ninjas just dogs for the nobility?

He had no intention of staying a ninja.

The Sannin assumed Nawaki simply couldn't accept reality.

After examining him, Tsunade found that Nawaki had only lost some limbs. His bodily functions hadn't suffered serious damage.

The cells in his body were even more active than before.

"That Anbu Ninja just blamed everything on me. What do you think I should do?"

Senju Nawaki abruptly changed the subject.

He didn't know how to face Tsunade now.

Much of her behavior proved that she had become the Third's blade, a weapon to keep Senju Nawaki in check.

But her feelings for the original Nawaki had been genuine.

Senju Nawaki's gaze swept across the three people in the room.

They were the future pillars of Konoha. Though still somewhat green, they already held considerable influence among the ninjas. That would determine his plans for the future.

"I'll talk to the old man. This isn't entirely your fault, and he won't do anything to you. Don't worry," Tsunade reassured him.

She thought Nawaki was afraid of Konoha's punishment. In her eyes, Senju Nawaki was still the same clueless, useless little brother.

She even partly agreed with Konoha's handling of the matter, never suspecting that the village had secretly set him up.

Besides, the Senju Clan was powerful and wealthy. Sooner or later, it would be absorbed into Konoha.

Under the influence of the two fools Senju Tobirama and Sarutobi Hiruzen, she'd become a proper Konoha ninja, with all traces of her clan identity washed away long ago.

Everything was for Sarutobi Hiruzen's Konoha.

Orochimaru stood to the side, the corners of his mouth lifting, but he didn't join the discussion.

He saw a strange wariness in Senju Nawaki's eyes. If Nawaki didn't even trust Tsunade, the person closest to him, then Orochimaru's words certainly wouldn't change his mind.

He didn't want to make a nuisance of himself, but someone else failed to read the room.

"Nawaki, you were a little reckless this time, and two Jonin died because of it. But with your sister on your side, the old man will surely forgive you."

Jiraiya grinned broadly as he echoed Tsunade.

Senju Nawaki's thoughts churned, and disgust showed in his eyes.

Did Sarutobi Hiruzen really have such a tight grip on Konoha?

In just one day, he'd convinced them all that Senju Nawaki was entirely to blame for the failed mission.

Even Jiraiya and Tsunade, who had only just returned, believed that the victim was the one at fault.

"I was wrong? What are people saying about this outside?"

Nawaki asked quietly, almost without realizing it.

He was asking himself as much as he was asking the three Sannin around him.