Jingyi Hyuga's First Visit to the Senju Ancestral Residence

"Heh heh..."

Five hundred thousand ryo.

Orochimaru had no idea where Tsunade got the confidence to demand such a hefty cut.

He took the scroll and opened it to read.

"Jingyi Hyuga, the disciple you brought along? I remember he suffers from Bloodline Degeneration."

Orochimaru had an excellent memory. The moment he saw the signature, he remembered Jingyi.

"What disciple? I never formally took him on. I just happened to have time and gave him some guidance. In the end, that kid was so talented that he far exceeded my expectations."

Tsunade could not help feeling a little proud when Jingyi was mentioned.

Though they did not have a clearly defined master-disciple relationship, Jingyi had still been brought up by her, Tsunade.

He could barely be considered her disciple, and he was someone she acknowledged. He was worth showing off a little.

"He needs a large number of animal corpses. Is it for experiments?"

The moment Orochimaru saw the mission details, he thought he had found a kindred spirit.

But Tsunade shook her head. "No. That kid has recently become obsessed with puppets. The first thing he said was that he was a weak medical ninja with Bloodline Disease, so he needed to make some puppets to protect himself."

"These animal corpses are materials for making puppets. Compared to ninja corpses and those expensive components, animal corpses are more suitable."

Puppets?

That was somewhat beyond Orochimaru's expectations.

"What level do you need?" Orochimaru rolled up the scroll and tucked it into his robes.

Tsunade was right. He, Orochimaru, was indeed one of the more suitable candidates for this mission.

It was quick and convenient, and he could make a tidy sum. Even after giving Tsunade a sizable cut, he would still earn plenty. It was a worthwhile deal.

It was far less troublesome than going out to carry out high-level missions.

The dense forests of the Land of Fire were filled with all kinds of strange and powerful creatures.

Tsunade said, "The stronger, the better. And do not make the variety too limited. Don't bring back a pile of random snakes."

"Fine."

Orochimaru agreed, then held up two fingers to Tsunade.

"Two hundred thousand?"

Tsunade said unhappily, "Orochimaru, don't push it. Is that any way to haggle?"

"Then I'll go find Lord Sarutobi and accept the mission directly from the Hokage Office."

Five hundred thousand?

Impossible. At most, she would give him two hundred thousand and let him satisfy his urge to get involved. If he was unwilling, she would go straight to the Hokage Office and bypass him.

"You..."

Tsunade was so angry she wanted to hit someone.

"Fine. Two hundred thousand ryo. Pay up now."

Two hundred thousand ryo in exchange for a long-term cooperative mission was an absolute bargain for Orochimaru.

He did not know how much money Jingyi had saved up, but Jingyi's steady wages from working diligently at Konoha Hospital would be enough to cover the mission payments, provided Orochimaru did not go overboard.

If he pushed too hard, Jingyi's income definitely would not be enough.

Orochimaru understood the principle of steady, long-term gains. It did not matter if Jingyi owed him money at first; he could pay it back slowly. As long as the debtor was not Tsunade, everything was negotiable.

Making money was secondary. Orochimaru also wanted to get acquainted with Jingyi.

Perhaps the two of them could become like-minded companions.

As long as Jingyi still wanted to cure his Bloodline Disease, he would inevitably embark on the path of experimentation and research. When that time came, Orochimaru's opportunity would arrive.

A first-rate experimental subject was not easy to find.

The Hyuga Clan's Bloodline Disease was bound to be interesting.

It was time to get off work, and all the patients they had received had already been arranged for. Jingyi and Tsunade left the hospital together.

Compared to the oppressive Hyuga compound and the lively Uchiha compound, the Senju ancestral residence was exceptionally quiet and desolate.

To prevent the clan members who had been civilianized from gathering together again, Tobirama Senju, that ruthless man, had directly scattered them all across different parts of the village.

The area around the Senju ancestral residence had also become one of Konoha's heavily guarded zones, completely cutting off some people's hopes of reviving the clan.

For the scattered clan members to restore the glory of the Senju Clan, they would need leadership from the ancestral residence's main branch. But now, the two sides had been completely isolated. Coupled with the total disappearance of the diehard faction, this finally brought the civilianization of the Senju Clan to a complete end.

"Desolate, isn't it?"

Seeing Jingyi looking around curiously, Tsunade sighed.

"To prevent the Hokage from becoming a privilege exclusive to one clan, Granduncle was forced to break up the clan and civilianize it. Only the ancestral residence's branch remained, and even the Senju surname was abandoned."

"No one lives nearby anymore. Only a few members of the main branch are left."

"The Second Hokage was a man of great resolve."

Although Jingyi also felt that Tobirama Senju had been too ruthless toward his own people, he had to admit that Tobirama Senju was a man of great resolve.

In all of Konoha, he was the only one capable of doing something like that.

"Granduncle had his reasons too. Grandmother once said that if he had not done this, the succession of the Hokage would have lost its fairness. The village would have become a place where the Senju Clan dominated alone, and that would have gone against Grandfather's wishes."

"When the clan was civilianized, too many people opposed it. But Granduncle still went through with it."

When Tsunade was young, she did not understand any of this. She only knew that her seemingly old-fashioned and stern granduncle actually spoiled and cherished her. He always let her make trouble, even when he was terribly impatient with her.

Back then, Tsunade also felt that Granduncle had gone a little too far.

Only after growing up did she realize that Tobirama Senju had been right.

The Senju Clan had already reached the height of its prosperity. If things had not changed quickly, the entire Konoha ninja village would have become a village belonging exclusively to the Senju Clan.

All civilians and ninja clans would have become subordinate clans of the Senju Clan.

It might even have triggered some terrible disasters.

At the peak of their power, the Senju Clan naturally hoped to turn the village into a place where their word was law, with all civilians and ninja clans becoming their subordinates.

The civilians were one thing, but would those ninja clans have agreed?

Everyone had worked together to establish a ninja village, to build an equal home. Yet the Senju Clan wanted them to become servants?

Some smaller clans might have been unable to resist, but large clans like the Hyuga, Uchiha, Sarutobi, Shimura, and Ino-Shika-Cho would certainly have refused.

Thus, Tobirama Senju faced a difficult choice.

Either he dismantled the clan and used extraordinary means to erase the Senju Clan at the height of its power, or he allowed it to continue expanding until the other ninja clans were forced to unite and resist.

In the end, Tobirama Senju chose to civilianize the clan.

Given the situation at the time, it would have been somewhat better if the Second Hokage had come from another clan, as that might have restrained the Senju Clan's arrogance. Yet both the First and Second Hokage were members of the Senju Clan.

It was only natural that the Senju Clan's ambitions began to swell.

Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju could keep the clan members in check while they were alive, but once they were gone, trouble would definitely arise.

Even whether Hiruzen Sarutobi could become the Third Hokage would have been uncertain.

"Grandmother, I'm back."

As soon as she stepped through the gate, Tsunade called out. Jingyi followed her into the courtyard.

The Anbu ninjas responsible for guarding the Senju ancestral residence stared wide-eyed.

Was that Jingyi Hyuga?

Why had he come to the Senju ancestral residence?

"Hurry and report to the Hokage."

Even if Jingyi could be considered half one of their own, he ultimately belonged to the Hyuga Clan. His visit to the Senju ancestral residence would certainly draw the Hokage Office's attention.

"You're back."

Mito Uzumaki, sitting in the courtyard, answered with a warm smile, then began sizing up Jingyi beside Tsunade.

"Lady Mito, I'm Jingyi Hyuga. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Jingyi still held Mito Uzumaki in great respect.

She was an elder worthy of respect.

"You're quite handsome. No wonder Tsunade and Kushina are willing to be close to you." Mito Uzumaki smiled and made a joke.