Sarutobi Hiruzen's Mishap, Hatake Sakumo's Advance

Senju Tojian trailed behind, his expression complex as he gazed at Tsunade.

She had once been an outstanding descendant of the Senju Clan, but unfortunately, she had been poisoned by Sarutobi Hiruzen, brainwashed by a twisted Will of Fire that led her to turn her back on her own kin.

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

Recalling Senju Nawaki's words from moments ago, Senju Tojian harbored a suspicion: Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama had left a contingency plan for the Senju Clan, and that was Tsunade.

They had not burdened her with the Senju surname, instead raising her as the beloved Princess of the Land of Fire.

Even if turmoil were to erupt in Konoha or across the shinobi world, Tsunade would survive by virtue of her status as Sarutobi Hiruzen's student and the Princess of the Land of Fire, thereby preserving the Senju bloodline.

The status of nobility could allow one to survive in the shadows.

But Senju Tojian did not want the Senju Clan to merely survive; he wanted to restore the clan to its former glory.

The glory of once being the greatest clan in the shinobi world.

Only Senju Nawaki was the best choice for that.

His voice turned cold.

"Nawaki is a qualified clan head. I am glad you have found yourself, but please do not interfere with any of his decisions; it will only cause him trouble."

Senju Tojian's tone carried a warning; he did not want anyone to disrupt Senju Nawaki's plans.

"I understand!"

Tsunade waved her hand, feeling utterly disheartened.

She felt skeptical about everything happening in the world and needed to find a new way to live a meaningful life.

The world was too twisted; it shouldn't be like this.

Senju Tojian ignored her further and used the Body Flicker Technique to catch up with Senju Nawaki.

The two were rushing toward the battlefield in the Land of Rain, where something very interesting had occurred.

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

Senju Nawaki was also pondering this in his heart.

He had originally guessed that Hatake Sakumo would only go to such lengths to kill Chiyo's kin if the heir to the Senju Clan had died.

After all, both sides had been exercising restraint, not intending to launch an all-out war or invade each other's territory, merely probing each other on the battlefield of the Land of Rain.

During the Second Shinobi World War, his own death had provided the excuse for the Konoha side to erupt; the death of such an important figure meant Hatake Sakumo no longer had any reservations.

The death of Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law had sent Sunagakure into a frenzy.

The Second Shinobi World War had only just reached its most intense moment.

By this time, the prestige of Chiyo and Ebizo had gradually begun to rival that of the Second Kazekage, Shamon, but because of the loss of her son and daughter-in-law, she had become disillusioned.

A generational gap had appeared in Sunagakure's new blood.

There emerged a "strongest Kazekage" to match the "strongest Hokage," both of them being Third-generation leaders, and both equally incompetent.

Their true strength was nonexistent, with no achievements to speak of.

They shared one other similarity: both were killed by Orochimaru.

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

Chiyo's personality was far too ruthless; without Tsunade's restraint, she had sought to achieve the greatest results by utilizing her poisons.

Even if Hatake Sakumo had received orders from Sarutobi Hiruzen to exercise restraint, he could not simply stand by and watch Chiyo slaughter Konoha's shinobi.

That was what had led to the current tragedy.

After Senju Nawaki departed.

The shinobi of the Senju Clan destroyed the irrigation facilities and farmland structures in the Land of Fields.

These were not fatal blows; Konoha and Kumogakure Village only needed to dispatch powerful Earth Release users to repair the damaged facilities.

The people of Konoha and Kumogakure did not pursue the matter further.

The Senju Clan had suffered a great loss this time and were venting their resentment through such petty means; it was acceptable.

They viewed this as the impotent rage of the Senju Clan, which could not affect the future layout of the Land of Fields.

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

The focus was primarily on soybeans and sugar beets, which were important supplements to their staple diet.

Soybeans provided fats, while sugar beets provided sugar.

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

The prospects seemed vast, and the citizens of the Land of Fields, despite having less food because Konoha Village confiscated most of the new harvest, lived relatively comfortably. After all, with the protection of Kumogakure and Konoha, and the Senju Clan's reputation having hit rock bottom, no other forces dared to covet the land.

This sense of ease was soon broken.

The civilians within the Land of Fields, suffering from a lack of food, began to search for anything they could eat.

In the fields, they discovered seedlings of tumbleweed, which looked emerald green, tender, and quite delicious.

Unable to endure their hunger, the commoners took the seedlings for wild vegetables, ate them, and promptly fell into a coma.

Only then did they realize this was a poisonous weed, so they stopped eating it and began to clear it away.

Terrifying things began to happen.

The vitality of this weed was extremely tenacious; even when uprooted or chopped to pieces, it could take root again and split into new individuals.

With such immense vitality and a short growth cycle, it could produce seeds in just over ten days.

Even when they burned it with fire, the seeds could still sprout.

This weed was essentially the summoning wood of the plant world, imbued with a form of chakra.

They were unable to eradicate it completely, and the tumbleweed swept across the entire Land of Fields.

Something even more desperate happened to them.

The tumbleweed crowded out the living space for food crops, and the soybeans and beets they had sown failed to germinate.

Experienced farmers in the Land of Fields discovered that the once-fertile land had turned into patches of crushed stone, completely unsuitable for the growth of crops.

Next year's grain would not be able to grow either.

The elderly felt as if they had returned to the era of the Land of Crushed Stone.

They recalled the recent rumors in the Land of Fields that their Daimyo had abandoned the alliance with the Senju Clan, Konoha Village, and Kumogakure Village.

Just moments ago, they had been cheering, believing this to be the wisest decision and that the Land of Fields would surely reach new heights.

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

Plunged into despair, they fled the Land of Fields one after another, becoming refugees in search of a glimmer of hope.

The Daimyo of the Land of Fields collapsed inside the ancestral hall of the Sakata Clan.

Beside him lay scrolls of the national records of the Land of Fields.