Aruhi Sarutobi's Blunder, Hatake Sakumo's Advance

Senju Tojian trailed behind, gazing at Tsunade with a complicated expression.

She had once been a promising young member of the Senju Clan, but Sarutobi Hiruzen had poisoned her with his twisted Will of Fire, brainwashing her until she turned her back on the Senju Clan.

She had become a tool Sarutobi Hiruzen used to control and suppress the Senju Clan.

Remembering what Senju Nawaki had just said, Senju Tojian made a guess. Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama had left the Senju Clan a way out: Tsunade.

They had not given Tsunade the Senju surname. Instead, they had made her the princess of the Land of Fire, adored by all.

No matter what turmoil struck Konoha or the Ninja World, Tsunade could survive on the strength of her status as Sarutobi Hiruzen's student and as the princess of the Land of Fire, preserving the Senju Clan's bloodline.

A noble title could let someone cling to life.

But Senju Tojian did not want the Senju Clan merely to cling to existence. He wanted to restore its former glory.

The glory of the Ninja World's greatest clan.

Only Senju Nawaki was the right choice.

His voice turned cold.

"Nawaki is a capable clan leader. I'm glad you've found yourself, but please don't interfere with any of Nawaki's decisions. You'll only disrupt him."

Senju Tojian's tone carried a warning. He didn't want anyone interfering with Senju Nawaki's plans.

"I understand!"

Tsunade waved her hand, disheartened.

She had grown doubtful of everything happening in the world and needed to find a meaningful way to live again.

This world was far too twisted. It shouldn't be like this.

Senju Tojian paid Tsunade no further attention. He used the Body Flicker Technique to catch up with Senju Nawaki.

The two of them headed for the battlefield in the Land of Rain, where something very interesting was happening.

Hatake Sakumo had killed Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law.

Senju Nawaki was also puzzled.

He had originally guessed that Hatake Sakumo would only kill Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law at any cost if the Senju Clan's heir had died.

After all, both sides had been holding back. Neither planned to launch an all-out war and invade the other's homeland; they were only testing each other on the battlefield in the Land of Rain.

During the Second Shinobi World War, his death gave Konoha an excuse to escalate the conflict. The death of an important figure left Hatake Sakumo with no more reason to hold back.

The deaths of Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law drove Sunagakure into a frenzy.

The Second Shinobi World War had reached its most intense stage.

By then, Chiyo and Ebizo's prestige had gradually come to rival that of the Second Kazekage, Shamon. It was the loss of her son and daughter-in-law that had left her disheartened.

Sunagakure's next generation had been dealt a crippling blow.

A supposedly strongest Kazekage had emerged to match the strongest Hokage. Both were the Third, and both were pretenders.

There was no record of either one accomplishing anything noteworthy in battle.

They shared one more trait: both were killed by Orochimaru.

Senju Nawaki suspected that Hatake Sakumo's killing of Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law this time was connected to Sarutobi Hiruzen transferring Tsunade away from the battlefield in the Land of Rain.

Chiyo's nature was simply too ruthless. Without Tsunade there to restrain her, she had used poison techniques to inflict the greatest possible casualties.

Even after receiving orders from Sarutobi Hiruzen to hold back, Hatake Sakumo couldn't let Chiyo slaughter Konoha's shinobi unchecked.

That was what had led to the tragedy unfolding now.

After Senju Nawaki left,

the Senju Clan's shinobi sabotaged the irrigation systems and field layouts in the Land of Fields.

The damage wasn't irreparable. Konoha and Kumogakure only needed to send skilled Earth Release shinobi to restore the ruined facilities.

The people of Konoha and Kumogakure didn't pursue the matter further.

The Senju Clan had suffered such a heavy loss this time, so it was understandable that they were resentful and vented their frustration through petty acts like these.

They dismissed it as the Senju Clan's impotent rage, incapable of affecting the Land of Fields' future plans.

Under Sakata Ichimei's leadership, the Land of Fields began its autumn planting.

They mainly planted soybeans and sugar beets, both important supplements to their staple foods.

Soybeans supplied fat, while sugar beets supplied sugar.

It was worth mentioning that the Aburame Clan could use insects to extract sugar from sugar beets.

On the surface, the future looked bright. Aside from having slightly less food because Konoha had taken most of the Land of Fields' new harvest, its people lived fairly peacefully.

After all, they were protected by Kumogakure and Konohagakure. The Senju Clan had already been disgraced, so naturally, no other forces came sniffing around.

That peaceful existence was soon shattered.

The commoners in the Land of Fields began searching for anything edible because they were running short of food.

In the fields, they found young tumbleweed shoots. They looked tender, green, and delicious.

Unable to bear their hunger, the commoners treated the shoots like wild vegetables and ate them, only to collapse unconscious.

Only then did they realize the plants were poisonous. They stopped eating them and began pulling them out.

Then something terrifying began to happen.

The grass was extraordinarily resilient. Even if it was pulled out or chopped to pieces, it could take root again and split into new plants.

It was incredibly hardy and grew quickly, producing seeds in just over ten days.

Even when they burned it, the seeds still sprouted.

This grass was practically a plant version of a spirit tree, infused with chakra.

They had no way to eradicate it completely. Tumbleweed swept across the entire Land of Fields.

Then something even more despairing happened.

The tumbleweed crowded out the crops. The soybeans and sugar beets they had sown couldn't sprout.

Experienced farmers in the Land of Fields saw that the once-fertile land had turned into piles of rubble, completely unsuitable for growing crops.

They wouldn't be able to grow food the following year, either.

The elderly seemed to have been transported back to the age of the Land of Crushed Stone.

Thinking of the recent rumors in the Land of Fields, they realized their Daimyo had abandoned the Senju Clan and formed an alliance with Konoha and Kumogakure.

At first, they had cheered, calling it the wisest decision and saying the Land of Fields was sure to prosper.

Now they cursed their country's Daimyo, Konoha, Kumogakure, and even the Senju Clan that had left them.

Overcome with despair, they fled the Land of Fields in droves, becoming refugees in search of a chance to survive.

The Daimyo of the Land of Fields collapsed inside the Sakata Clan's ancestral shrine.

Scroll after scroll of the Land of Fields' chronicles lay beside him.