After the meeting, the heads of many smaller clans sought out Uchiha Yan and said they wanted to take a chance in the Land of Waterfalls. Uchiha Yan naturally gave them the green light at every turn. He was more than happy to see more people go.
The Land of Waterfalls was most short-handed right now. Once they took root there and received Konoha's education, after two generations had grown up, even if Konoha wanted to pull out, the Land of Waterfalls would come to them on its own, regard itself as part of Konoha, and treat Konoha as its parent village. It was a subtle influence, like rain nourishing the earth in silence, until a foreign land became home.
Senju Clan Grounds.
Senju Hashirama sat in his room, motionless, for a long time.
During the meeting, Senju Hashirama hadn't said a word. His mind was in turmoil. Yan's plan was excellent: he was building schools, forming the Shinobi World Police, and helping develop the Land of Waterfalls. But none of that could conceal the truth: Konoha was annexing the Land of Waterfalls. This was a war without smoke.
He had built Konoha with his own hands, watching it grow step by step from the Senju and Uchiha Clans into what it was today.
Konoha was like his child. Senju Hashirama's feelings for it were much like his feelings for Shuzong—full of hope, expectation, and trust.
Now, Konoha, his child, had grown strong, clever, and brave. It had even become... aggressive.
The assassination of the Hokage was unforgivable, of course, but punishing only the mastermind could have solved the problem. Instead, Konoha had chosen to invade the Land of Waterfalls outright.
Watching the members of Konoha's clans gearing up for action at the meeting, Hashirama knew this was no longer