Senju Nawaki's Plan

After Tsunade departed.

Chiyo began an indiscriminate slaughter, while the ninjas of the Sarutobi Clan and the Ino-Shika-Cho families had long since abandoned the front lines in the Land of Rain under various pretexts.

Those left behind realized they had become abandoned pawns and were already preparing for death.

Hatake Sakumo could not bear it, nor could he understand why Sarutobi Hiruzen had ordered Tsunade to leave; this was essentially handing the front lines in the Land of Rain over to Sunagakure.

While protecting his own compatriots, he encountered Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law and witnessed the horrific state of his comrades.

Ignoring Sarutobi Hiruzen's order to retreat without counterattacking, he struck them down directly.

Hatake Sakumo thoroughly offended Sarutobi Hiruzen, pushing the Sarutobi Clan and the Ino-Shika-Cho families to the opposite side of these abandoned pawns.

Hatake Sakumo gained a large amount of support.

By now, the upper echelons of Konoha had, unknowingly, split into several factions.

The largest faction remained the interest group headed by Sarutobi Hiruzen.

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

However, because the image Sarutobi Hiruzen had painstakingly cultivated was shattered, their interest group was no longer as unbreakable as it once was.

They no longer trusted Sarutobi Hiruzen, for this was a man who might betray his own comrades and allies at any moment.

Bloody examples were right before their eyes.

The family of his mentor—the Senju Clan! Forced to flee Konoha, with his own son personally taking action to try and cut the weeds and eliminate the roots.

The allies of Konoha Village—the Uzumaki Clan! The few remaining survivors were wandering the Ninja World. Their legitimate heir, Uzumaki Kushina, had been tamed by love, and all the assets, sealing techniques, and shops of the Uzumaki Clan had become the private property of Sarutobi Hiruzen's faction.

The Sarutobi Clan's newly signed allies—the Sakata Clan from the Land of Fields—could no longer afford their expenses in Konoha Village and had been reduced to the very bottom of Konoha's social hierarchy.

They had to consider clearly whether they would meet the same fate by cooperating with Sarutobi Hiruzen.

A certain degree of dissatisfaction and estrangement toward the Sarutobi Clan had begun to take root.

Senju Nawaki was partly responsible for this; his hints to Shimura Danzo in the City of Wood and his sowing of discord among the Ino-Shika-Cho families in the Land of Fields were all intended to achieve this effect.

The other factions were incredibly chaotic, yet they undermined Sarutobi Hiruzen's absolute authority.

The Uchiha Clan kept a lonely vigil, arrogantly hoping to use their strength to make the families within Konoha look at them with new eyes.

Numerous other families had united, demanding that the ruling class fulfill its responsibilities, hoping that Sarutobi Hiruzen would become the fair Hokage he claimed to be.

Any unreasonable action by Sarutobi Hiruzen was met with their resistance.

Hatake Sakumo became the de facto representative of these families; his ninja way—to dedicate everything to Konoha—was enough to carry the hopes of these families.

These families united to petition the Daimyo, requesting that Hatake Sakumo be granted the Hokage's sleeve, allowing him to exercise the powers of the Hokage at certain times to limit Sarutobi Hiruzen's arbitrary rule.

There was also a very small faction that was gradually emerging.

They hoped that the Senju Clan could return to Konoha, or even lead it once more, guiding Konoha back to the pinnacle of the Ninja World.

Within this faction were many who knew how to be grateful, as well as ninjas who had been civilianized by the Senju Clan.

They did not just miss Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama; they were also shocked by the methods of Senju Nawaki.

Was it regret? Or fear? They themselves were not sure.

Inside the meeting room, after a difficult session and compromises between the various parties, a final result was reached.

A consensus was achieved on three points.

First, to safeguard the interests of Konoha Village, a ninja army would be immediately dispatched to the battlefield in the Land of Rain.

Second, Sarutobi Hiruzen must disclose everything regarding the Sarutobi Clan under the supervision of Konoha's jonin, and the Sarutobi Clan would have to learn from the former Senju Clan by sending their own family ninjas to shoulder the burdens of the Hokage's family in this battle.

Hatake Sakumo was put forward to supervise everything the Sarutobi Clan did.

Third, every effort must be made to mend the relationship between Konoha and the Senju Clan.

The key to this was Sarutobi Shinnosuke, a man who had become a complete enigma.

Senju Nawaki had said more than once that if only Sarutobi Shinnosuke would apologize, he could give Konoha a chance.

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

The things he would face in the future would be even more thorny.

Sarutobi Hiruzen left the Hokage Building—which had once been his personal domain—with a gloomy face, slamming the door behind him; everything that happened today was a humiliation in his heart.

Everything that occurred at the meeting was beyond his control, and it all felt as if it were directed at him.

The entire meeting had become a forum for these people to criticize him.

He even felt an impulse to simply stop being Hokage, as he could never return to his former status.

The other ninja families were equally worried, and they had no confidence when facing the wars of the future.

They did not know when it happened, but the safe haven in their hearts—Konoha Village—had long since become riddled with holes.

Their evaluation of the Sarutobi Hiruzen who had just left in a fit of rage dropped a few more notches.

What happened in Konoha Village.

Everything was following the trajectory woven by Senju Nawaki.

The first step was to ruin the reputation Sarutobi Hiruzen had painstakingly built. This had already been easily accomplished, as Sarutobi Hiruzen was surrounded by too much controversy and his methods were far too dark.

The second step was to destroy every ounce of power in Sarutobi Hiruzen's hands. The plan was currently underway, and this mission to the Land of Rain was the key to realizing this step.

The Sarutobi Family, the Ino-Shika-Cho clans, the families of the Council of Elders, and those ninjas brainwashed by the distorted Will of Fire would all be targets for Senju Nawaki to eliminate.

The third step was to purge the Sarutobi Clan. Whether to restore or destroy Konoha Village was still a matter of consideration.

The Land of Rain.

It had become incredibly 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 cause a misunderstanding, choosing instead to cower in a corner of the Land of Rain.

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

Inside a hollow tree.

The travel-worn Senju Nawaki and Senju Tojian were resting.

The two leaned against the tree, activating Wood Release mode to merge with their surroundings; this state helped them recover rapidly.

"Clan Leader, the ninja armies of Konohagakure and Sunagakure have assembled. The scale of this operation is unprecedented. Among the Konoha ninjas are many of Sarutobi Hiruzen's confidants—the elite forces he had secretly kept in reserve. It seems the other ninja clans of Konoha have finally begun to question this incompetent Hokage. Shall we enter the fray ourselves?"

Senju Tojian deactivated Wood Release mode, his fatigue vanishing, and asked with a tone of inquiry.