Naruto: Trash Station

Tsunade stepped forward. "Grandma!"

Mito Uzumaki looked at Tsunade kindly. "Tsunade is back. Good. Now I can finally give my last instructions."

As soon as she said this, the entire room fell silent.

Even Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, chose to remain silent.

Mito Uzumaki said, "Cough, cough... During the Warring States Era, the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan joined forces to create the Konoha of today. It passed through the First Hokage and the Second Hokage, and has now been entrusted to Hiruzen. I hope you will all support Hiruzen and continue Konoha's legacy. This was Hashirama's wish, and it is also my final wish."

Hiruzen Sarutobi knelt on one knee. "Master's wife, rest assured. I, Hiruzen, will certainly carry on Konoha's legacy."

Mito Uzumaki smiled softly, then looked at Tsunade. "Tsunade... I leave the Senju Clan to you. Nawaki is still too young. He is not yet qualified to lead the Senju Clan."

Tsunade nodded silently, sorrow appearing on her face and dimming her expression.

Mito Uzumaki kindly patted Tsunade's hand, then turned to look at everyone in the room. Her gaze lingered on Ren for a moment before regaining its sharpness.

A grave aura spread from Mito Uzumaki. It was hard to imagine that an elderly woman on the verge of death could still possess such a terrifying presence.

Mito Uzumaki said, "After I die, the Senju Clan will return to its ancestral lands. Unless Konoha is on the brink of destruction, you must never leave those lands. This is my order, and it is also Hashirama's final wish. But Konoha will not be entirely without the Senju Clan. Nawaki and Tsunade will remain in Konoha."

As soon as she said this, the members of the Senju Clan below all wore expressions of shock and disbelief.

The Third Hokage lowered his head. He understood that Mito Uzumaki was protecting the Senju Clan, restricting the Senju Clan, and helping him as well. Konoha had been founded by the Senju Clan, and the first two Hokage had both come from the Senju Clan. By all rights, the Third Hokage should also have been passed down within the Senju Clan. Unfortunately, the clan lacked successors, and there was simply no suitable heir. That was why the Second Hokage had chosen Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi inheriting the title of Third Hokage had left the Senju Clan dissatisfied. Hiruzen Sarutobi might have been the Second Hokage's disciple, but he was not a member of the Senju Clan. After all, not everyone in the Senju Clan was as great as the First Hokage and the Second Hokage. Having experienced the glory of the first two Hokage, the present-day Senju Clan had already rotted beneath the lure of power. With Mito Uzumaki keeping them in check, those blinded by power could still retain some clarity. Once they lost her restraint, they might begin fighting over power and profit.

Mito Uzumaki understood this as well. With the Senju Clan in its current state, it was simply impossible for it to control Konoha. Especially now, during the Second Shinobi World War, any upheaval in Konoha would inflict enormous damage on the village. Thus, Mito Uzumaki would rather have the Senju Clan return to its ancestral lands than see Konoha harmed. If the First Hokage were still alive, he would likely have done the same.

Hiruzen Sarutobi understood all this too. Gratitude filled his eyes as he lowered his head and remained silent.

After a moment of silence, Mito Uzumaki waved her hand. "Tsunade, Hiruzen, Reiko, Kushina, and Ren. You five stay behind. Everyone else, leave."

With that wave of her hand, the grave aura gradually faded away.

In the blink of an eye, only a few people remained in the spacious bedroom.

Mito Uzumaki stared at Reiko and Kushina. "This suffering will eventually descend upon you, but I do not wish to favor one over the other, nor do I wish to let the Nine-Tails run wild. Therefore, after I die, the Nine-Tails will be split in two and sealed separately within Kushina and Reiko. I hope the two of you can support each other and walk forward together."

Kushina and Reiko nodded silently. They had long known their fate. Each of them controlling half of it was actually better for them.

Then Mito Uzumaki looked at Ren. "You look so much like him... So very much like him! I saw him when I was young. He was just as calm, just as outstanding. But his heart was kind. I hope your heart is just as kind as his. From now on, I leave Kushina's smile in your care."

Ren looked at Mito Uzumaki in surprise and confusion. "Who is this person?"

"Hehe... Figure it out yourself." Mito Uzumaki smiled and waved her hand.

Ren nodded silently, then took Kushina's hand and walked out of the bedroom. Reiko followed them out, leaving only the last few people inside.

Ren turned back for one last look and said quietly, "A remnant of the Warring States Era has finally passed away today. How many renowned figures from that era are still left in this world? Of those predecessors who founded the Five Great Shinobi Villages during the Warring States Era, how many remain? It seems the continuation of the Warring States Era has vanished. Like the Valley of the End, that era has completely become an ending, leaving only a new age behind."

End of Volume

The first volume ends here. This is also my understanding of Naruto. I feel that Mito Uzumaki's death represented the complete disappearance of Konoha's remnants from the Warring States Era. What remained was the transitional generation, people like the Third Hokage. The new generation was Jiraiya's generation.

This volume ended by witnessing Mito Uzumaki's passing.

The next volume, Genin Life, would mark the beginning of a ninja's brutal slaughter!

Six Years Gone By

In the blink of an eye, six years passed.

Konoha's quiet Ninja Academy was no longer as joyful as before. Instead, it carried a faint air of sorrow.

Kushina smiled as she looked at the boy before her.

The boy was Ren. He raised a hand and gently stroked Kushina's long red hair. "Let's go... I think those people have already been chosen. The Jonin should be arriving soon."

Kushina nodded and immediately wrapped herself around Ren's left arm. Meanwhile, Ren held Mikoto Uchiha's hand as they slowly walked toward a distant classroom.

As they walked along, the once-noisy playground instantly fell silent. Even the new students who had just entered the academy were quieted by the older students. Student after student stared at Ren, not daring to make a sound. Their gazes were filled with complicated emotions: fear, admiration, hatred, and confusion...

After Ren left, several new students asked, "Who was that? Why did everyone here fall silent when those three walked out?"

An older student said, "New students? It's normal that you don't know him. He's a genius, but he's also a terrifying person. Since his first year, he defeated everyone in his grade one by one. No one dared to provoke him. Anyone who did was beaten severely, then healed by him. Once, several people even gathered their older brothers, who had already become ninjas, to seek revenge. But that person beat them into cripples, then healed them with Medical Ninjutsu. After healing them, he crippled them again. Back and forth, several times over. Those people nearly broke down."

"Hiss... That terrifying?" The new students were horrified.

"He really is that terrifying. No one in the entire academy dares provoke him, not even the teachers. But he's finally graduating today. From now on, we won't have to worry about being crippled, then healed again!" the older student said, as though he had recalled something terrifying.

The older and newer students talked among themselves about Ren's past.

Ren walked into a classroom and looked at the remaining students.

Of the fewer than sixty students originally in the classroom, only a dozen or so remained.

Ren said, "Teacher Yamada... Are there still this many people left?"

Yamada smiled at Ren with a hint of pride. "They are all the elite of the class. The specific arrangements will be decided by the Hokage himself."

Ren nodded silently and slowly walked toward his seat.

In the spacious classroom, the dozen remaining students all fell silent. Whatever excitement they had felt about graduating vanished in an instant. The shadow Ren had left over them was simply too terrifying. Or rather, Ren had taught them far too painful a lesson.

Ever since Mito Uzumaki's death, Ren had understood that if he wanted to decide his own fate or change the fate of others, he needed overwhelming strength.

If Ren wanted greater strength, he needed to train even harder. Thus, after returning to the academy, he showed no mercy to anyone who provoked him. One after another, they were beaten by Ren until their bones broke, then treated with the Medical Ninjutsu Tsunade had taught him. In this way, he openly trained his Medical Ninjutsu. Over time, Ren became the most terrifying presence in the Ninja Academy, while his Medical Ninjutsu continued to improve.

Now Ren was graduating. He had spent six years at the Ninja Academy, and it was time for him to graduate.

At that moment, Yamada continued, "Most of the class has been selected by various departments. You are the remaining elites, and the Hokage himself will assign you. You will also be given a Jonin instructor. If you gain your instructor's approval, you may even become a Jonin's disciple."

As soon as he said this, the frightened students began to show faint excitement.

Ren's class had originally been an elite class. Even the more ordinary students in an elite class would make decent Genin. In the past, these students would be selected by Konoha's various departments, such as the guard division, logistics division, mission division, and so on.

Aside from those selected students, the rest were the class elites. Their numbers were small, and the Hokage would personally assign them into three-man teams before providing them with a Jonin instructor. The Jonin instructor would then select promising talents among them for greater training.

That was why these students were so delighted. Compared to them, Ren remained as calm as still water. It did not matter which Jonin came. Ren's training did not require a Jonin's guidance at all.

As Ren waited quietly, Minato, who sat in front of him, said, "Ren... I wonder whether we'll be assigned to the same team this time."

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