Letting Them Off Easy? Or Leaving Them in Despair

"I..."

Tsunade wanted to defend herself, but when she recalled how she had acted, she found herself unable to speak.

Perhaps this was where she belonged after all.

If she couldn't even see the truth clearly, what gave her the right to lead her younger brother?

"I understand! From now on, whatever happens between the Senju Clan and Konoha has nothing to do with me."

Tsunade spoke with a tremor in her voice, her eyes devoid of light.

Confusion filled her heart. She began to doubt everything—herself, Konoha, this world...

Senju Nawaki passed Tsunade and came to stand before Sakata Ichimei.

"Looks like you know something?" he said, looking down at him through narrowed eyes.

"I'm here to inform you that this is the pact between the Senju Clan and the Land of Fields. Because of the Land of Fields' shameless betrayal, the pact is void."

A scroll appeared in his hand, and he unfurled it.

It bore the signatures and bloody handprints of Senju Hashirama of the Senju Clan and Sakata Ichiro of the Sakata Clan.

Rip~

The scroll was torn in half and thrown onto Sakata Ichimei's utterly unrepentant face. All that showed there was fear.

A pact like this wasn't a summoning contract between a summoner and a summoned beast. It had no binding force; it relied entirely on the parties' own integrity.

The Senju Clan's honor in keeping their word was renowned throughout the Ninja World.

Sakata Ichimei instinctively glanced toward Mitokado Homura on Konoha's side. What about Konoha's reputation for honoring its contracts?

It had never been good, especially under Sarutobi Hiruzen, whom he had sided with.

From the Uzumaki Clan's destruction to the Senju Clan's expulsion, Sarutobi Hiruzen had been behind it all.

A trace of regret welled up in Sakata Ichimei's heart, but the situation before him quickly swallowed it up.

Konoha and Kumogakure, both bordering the Land of Fields, had already made the choice for him.

"Pathetic. How boring."

Senju Nawaki shook his head and walked away without attacking Sakata Ichimei again.

The outcome had been set in stone from the beginning.

Having finished everything, he left under the astonished gazes of everyone present.

Tsunade followed behind Senju Nawaki. She wanted to see her younger brother, to check on him and find out what had happened to him.

There had been none of the fury and retaliation they had imagined. He had simply left, as lightly as if it meant nothing.

Questions swirled in everyone's minds.

Was he really letting the Land of Fields off just like that?

They couldn't understand why Senju Nawaki had done this. Had he merely come to notify Banda Yiming, using a threat that did no real harm to intimidate him and issue a warning?

It was like the wail of a defeated dog, stirring a sense of satisfaction in their hearts.

Excitement flashed in Mitokado Homura's eyes. Didn't Senju Nawaki's behavior just now prove that they had given up on the Land of Fields?

That meant the Land of Fields, with its fertile soil and abundant resources, would belong to Konoha.

He felt a twinge of regret for giving Kumogakure such favorable terms.

A narrowed his eyes, and the muscles in his body relaxed. He no longer held himself ready to fight at a moment's notice.

Simple-minded as he was, his instincts told him that there was something strange about Senju Nawaki appearing out of nowhere just to cut down a tree of symbolic significance. Yet he couldn't figure out what it meant, so he chose to pursue the greatest benefit for Kumogakure.

Mitokado Homura's terms had been too outrageous. They could keep waiting to divide up the Land of Fields.

Ebizo furrowed his brows. After a moment's hesitation, he made his choice.

He remembered Shamon's teachings: Sunagakure couldn't afford to keep being greedy.

The Land of Fields' benefits were bait meant to ensnare them.

The country was wedged between Kumogakure and Konohagakure, several countries away from Sunagakure. Sunagakure could never control it for long.

Sunagakure's ultimate goal should be the Land of Rivers, which lay close to them.

After what had happened with Takigakure, they should be on their guard as well.

He couldn't shake the feeling that Senju Nawaki and Sakata Ichimei were hiding something.

"Sunagakure withdraws from the Land of Fields."

Ebizo tossed out the words coldly and left this place of trouble.

He had to hurry to the battlefield in the Land of Rain. A vague unease stirred within him.

Tsunade's declaration just now meant she wouldn't return to the battlefield in the Land of Rain. That gave Sunagakure a chance to take the Land of Rivers for itself, while the other villages stayed out of the conflict.

Then Sunagakure would no longer have to live at the mercy of others.

Even when they waged war, they had to watch other people's faces.

Under everyone's baffled gazes, Ebizo disappeared from sight.

Mitokado Homura was even more delighted. He hadn't been satisfied with the division of spoils to begin with, and seeing Ebizo leave gave him other ideas.

Sakata Ichimei still lay collapsed where he was.

His mind returned to his father's teachings and a certain legend.

The Land of Fields had originally been called the Land of Crushed Stone. It was barren until the Senju Clan helped it flourish into what it was today.

The Protection Tree at the Daimyo Mansion stood as a testament to their friendship and safeguarded the Land of Fields. His father had told him to keep that firmly in mind.

Senju Nawaki's actions made him feel a sudden pang of panic.

He turned to Mitokado Homura, hoping to cling to a new patron.

Only by signing a new pact with one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages could the Land of Fields continue to prosper.

He didn't believe that the Land of Fields would decline after leaving the Senju Clan and gaining an even greater backer.

Mitokado Homura helped Sakata Ichimei to his feet and ignored Ebizo of Sunagakure as he left, then redistributed the Land of Fields' spoils.

Konohagakure would get forty percent, Kumogakure forty percent, and the Land of Fields twenty percent.

Only A of Kumogakure showed any dissatisfaction, but he soon set it aside.

He accepted this arrangement. Given the strength of the two villages and the Land of Fields' position between them, it was the best way to divide the spoils.

The three parties quickly signed the agreement.

The Land of Fields' spoils had been fully divided.

It was the best possible outcome for all three parties to the pact.

A perfect resolution.

Tsunade followed them out, unconsciously trailing behind Senju Nawaki and Senju Tojian.

Senju Nawaki stopped and let out a long sigh.

Tsunade had failed in her duty to the Senju Clan, but she had always taken meticulous care of him, her younger brother. She had never let him down.

"Big sister, you're still the princess of the Land of Fire. Once you find the answer in your heart, you can come find me in the City of Wood," Senju Nawaki said gently, preserving the last trace of warmth between them.

Tsunade had merely been deceived. The one who was truly despicable was Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had used her to advance his schemes.

"I won't take part in any more wars. I want to travel around the Ninja World. Nawaki, take care of yourself."

Tsunade hesitated for a long time before stating her decision.

Tsunade hadn't experienced Senju Nawaki's death or the death of her lover, yet she had arrived at the same decision as in the original story: to travel around the Ninja World.

The upheaval of the recent days had shattered everything she once believed.

There was an irreconcilable conflict between the clan and the village.

Her once-beloved teacher had turned out to be someone she couldn't even see clearly for who he truly was.

It was as if she had been living inside a gigantic lie. The Senju Clan's genius, Konoha's future hope, the one who would heal all of Konoha—it had all been a joke, a tool Sarutobi Hiruzen had used to control her and keep Senju Nawaki in check.

Her younger brother was more capable than she was.

The confidence and composure she had once possessed had vanished completely.

Tsunade began to examine herself.

"If you need anything, come find me in the City of Wood."

Senju Nawaki nodded. He was glad she had made this choice.

His own feelings had changed, after all. He could no longer fully share in the siblings' emotions.

Their bond would never return to what it once was, but a warm familial affection remained.

Senju Nawaki's ninja way was a kind of self-righteous fairness: if you treated me well, I'd treat you well; if you schemed against me, I'd scheme against you in turn.

Nawaki sped up, hurrying toward the Land of Rain, where a major upheaval was unfolding.

It was connected to his plans to restore his body to its complete state.