Senju Nawaki's Plan

After Tsunade left.

Chiyo began slaughtering indiscriminately. The Sarutobi Clan's and Ino-Shika-Cho's ninja had left the front lines in the Land of Rain long ago, each citing various reasons.

Those who remained realized they had become expendable and were already prepared to die.

Hatake Sakumo couldn't bear it. He also couldn't understand why Sarutobi Hiruzen had reassigned Tsunade and sent her away. It was tantamount to handing the Land of Rain front to Sunagakure.

While protecting his fellow villagers, he ran into Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law and saw the terrible state his comrades were in.

Ignoring Sarutobi Hiruzen's order to retreat without counterattacking, he killed them on the spot.

Hatake Sakumo had thoroughly offended Sarutobi Hiruzen and pushed the Sarutobi Clan and Ino-Shika-Cho to the opposite side from these abandoned shinobi.

Hatake Sakumo gained a great deal of support.

By now, Konoha's leadership had unknowingly split into several factions.

The largest faction was still the interest group headed by Sarutobi Hiruzen.

It included the Sarutobi Family, Ino-Shika-Cho, and several clans from the Council of Elders.

But Sarutobi Hiruzen's carefully cultivated image had been shattered, and even the members of his interest group were no longer as unshakably united as before.

They no longer trusted Sarutobi Hiruzen—a man who could betray his comrades and allies at any moment.

One bloody example after another was right before their eyes.

The clan of his mentor, the Senju Clan, had been forced to leave Konoha. His own son had personally acted, hoping to wipe them out to the last.

Konoha's ally, the Uzumaki Clan, had been reduced to a handful of survivors wandering the Ninja World. Its rightful heir, Uzumaki Kushina, had been tamed through love, while all the Uzumaki Clan's property, Sealing Jutsu, and shops had become the private possessions of Sarutobi Hiruzen's faction.

The Sakata Clan of the Land of Fields, a newly signed ally of the Sarutobi Clan, could no longer afford the expenses of living in Konoha and had fallen to the very bottom of Konoha's social order.

They needed to think carefully about whether cooperating with Sarutobi Hiruzen would leave them in the same position.

Their discontent and estrangement from the Sarutobi Clan had grown to a certain degree.

Senju Nawaki had helped bring this about. His insinuations to Shimura Danzō in the City of Wood and his efforts to sow discord among Ino-Shika-Cho in the Land of Fields had both been aimed at achieving this effect.

The other factions were a disorganized lot, but they still threatened Sarutobi Hiruzen's absolute rule.

The Uchiha Clan stood alone, proudly hoping to make Konoha's clans look at them differently through sheer strength.

The other clans joined forces, demanding that those below hold the ruling class to its responsibilities. They hoped Sarutobi Hiruzen would become the fair Hokage he claimed to be.

They resisted any unreasonable actions by Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Hatake Sakumo became the public representative of these clans. His ninja way—to give everything he had for Konoha—was worthy of carrying their hopes.

These clans joined together and petitioned the Daimyo to grant Hatake Sakumo the Hokage's sleeve, allowing him to exercise the Hokage's authority in certain situations and restrain Sarutobi Hiruzen's arbitrary rule.

There was also a much smaller faction, gradually taking shape.

They hoped the Senju Clan would return to Konoha, perhaps even lead it once more and guide it back to the pinnacle of the Ninja World.

Many in this faction were grateful people, while others were shinobi from the Senju Clan who had embraced a more common way of life.

They didn't just miss Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama; they were also awestruck by Senju Nawaki's methods.

Was it regret? Or fear? They didn't know themselves.

After a grueling meeting, the various sides reached a final agreement through a series of compromises.

They reached a consensus on three points.

First, they would protect Konoha's interests and immediately send a shinobi force to the battlefield in the Land of Rain to safeguard them.

Second, Sarutobi Hiruzen had to disclose everything about the Sarutobi Clan and submit to oversight by Konoha's jōnin. In this battle, the Sarutobi Clan would learn from the Senju Clan of old, sending its shinobi to shoulder the responsibilities of the Hokage's clan.

Hatake Sakumo was chosen to oversee everything the Sarutobi Clan did.

Third, they would do everything possible to ease the tensions between Konoha and the Senju Clan.

The key to this was Sarutobi Shinnosuke, the man who had become a mystery.

Senju Nawaki had said more than once that all Sarutobi Shinnosuke needed to do was apologize, and he would give Konoha a chance.

At this meeting, Sarutobi Hiruzen's prestige had suffered an unprecedented blow.

The challenges he would face in the future would be even more difficult.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stormed out of the Hokage Building, where he had once ruled unchallenged, his face dark. Everything that had happened that day was a humiliation to him.

Nothing that happened in the meeting had been under his control. It had all seemed directed at him.

The entire meeting had become an occasion for these people to criticize him.

He even felt the urge to quit as Hokage. He could never return to the position he had once held.

The other shinobi clans were just as anxious. They had no confidence when it came to the wars ahead.

At some point, the shelter they had trusted—the village hidden among the leaves—had become riddled with holes.

Their opinion of Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had just stormed away in a fit of rage, sank even lower.

What had happened in Konohagakure.

Everything had unfolded along the path Senju Nawaki had laid out.

The first step was to destroy Sarutobi Hiruzen's carefully cultivated reputation. That had been accomplished with ease: there was too much controversy surrounding him, and his methods were too dark.

The second step was to destroy all the power in Sarutobi Hiruzen's hands. The plan was underway, and the current conflict in the Land of Rain was key to achieving this.

The Sarutobi Clan, Ino-Shika-Cho, the clans of the Council of Elders, and some shinobi brainwashed by a twisted Will of Fire would all be targets for Senju Nawaki to eliminate.

The third step was to wipe out the Sarutobi Clan. Whether Konoha would be restored or destroyed was still under consideration.

The Land of Rain.

It had become utterly chaotic.

After learning that Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law had been killed, Hanzo of the Salamander dared not make any move that might be misunderstood. He holed up in a corner of the Land of Rain.

He left the battlefield to the two giants: Sunagakure and Konohagakure.

Inside a tree hollow.

Senju Nawaki and Senju Tojian, travel-worn, rested.

With their backs against the tree, they activated Wood Release Mode and blended into their surroundings. This mode helped them recover quickly.

"Clan leader, the shinobi forces of Konohagakure and Sunagakure have assembled. This time, their numbers are unprecedented.

"Many of Konoha's shinobi are Sarutobi Hiruzen's confidants, elite forces he had secretly kept in reserve. It seems Konoha's other clans have finally begun to question this unqualified Hokage.

"Should we step in ourselves?"

Senju Tojian ended his Wood Release Mode. The fatigue had vanished from his body, and he asked in a questioning tone.