Looking at the food on the table, Uka Senju nodded with satisfaction. This was the second time he'd flapped his wings in the Shinobi World. In just a few years, he'd successfully gotten this household to steer clear of all kinds of rice balls, fried food, pickles, and Japanese cuisine.
He didn't know why, but even though the Ninja weren't short on money, their food was just like those little books from his previous life: small portions and terrible taste. No wonder barbecue and ramen had become the favorite foods of so many characters in the story.
"Sister Chiharu."
"Hmm?"
"Did you hear what happened today?"
"Mm. I'm in the guard squad, so I heard all about it!" Remembering what Uka had done today, Senju Chiharu smiled helplessly.
She was puzzled, too. Why did Uka play with grenades whenever he had the time? Especially this summer-she'd even had to go pick him up once. He'd only finished his punishment the day before yesterday, and now he'd caused another explosion.
"Do you think Aunt will punish me? The Second Elder said he'd put in a good word for me. Do you think that'll work?" Thinking of what the Second Elder had said, Uka picked out his favorite dishes from the table as he chatted with the woman across from him.
Senju Chiharu glanced up at the boy opposite her. Without a word, she moved the dishes he'd reached for several times in front of him, then replied, "Instead of worrying about that, you should think about how to stop getting into trouble!"
"Don't worry. The Second Elder will speak up for me. Lady Toka should listen!"
As they spoke, Senju Chiharu ladled a bowl of fish soup from the pot beside the table and set it by Uka.
"Ta men tao lun..."
"Swallow before you talk!" Senju Chiharu frowned at Uka's muffled voice.
Uka hurriedly closed his mouth and swallowed all the food. He picked up the bowl of soup, took a sip, and asked, "Did Aunt and the others reach a decision in their discussion today?"
"No. They sat around all day arguing, that's all!"
"They didn't start fighting? With the way the Fifth Elder runs his mouth, that's surprising!"
"They almost did. Your incident interrupted them just before they started!" Senju Chiharu said with a smile.
He'd wound up being the topic of discussion... Uka blinked awkwardly, then steered the conversation toward what he wanted to know. "Sister Chiharu, how did the adults in the clan react after my accident?"
Hearing Uka ask that, Senju Chiharu finally found her chance.
She'd wanted to give Uka a piece of her mind about what happened today. Why had he gone and squeezed a Shared Life Insect for no reason?
He'd made everyone worry, and he'd put Lady Toka in a difficult position!
Chiharu frowned, her tone carrying a hint of reproach. "They all thought it was a minor matter. You do things like this all the time. But once you squeezed the Shared Life Insect, Lady Toka panicked and wanted to take people to look for you!"
"But the Fourth Elder and the others turned out to be right. You really are the sort who acts recklessly. You walked away just now without a care, but who knows how the people from the Clan Leader's Line will mock Lady Toka!"
"You really should stay away from grenades from now on. You can't keep doing this!"
Ignoring the reproach in Sister Chiharu's voice and her earnest advice, Uka asked, "What exactly did they say?"
"Things like how the Third Hokage was Lord Tobirama's student."
"Did they still say that after they found out I'd blown up a person and squeezed the Shared Life Insect?"
"Yes!" After answering, Chiharu looked at Uka, unsure what he meant by those questions.
But a Ninja's instincts told her something seemed wrong.
Frowning, she asked, her dark brown eyes full of confusion, "Why are you asking about this?"
"I was just curious." Uka hadn't expected Chiharu to be so perceptive, but he wasn't planning to tell her the specifics. His aunt needed to make the decision about what happened today.
Putting those thoughts aside, he picked up a piece of braised pork from the plate. Thinking about the clan's recent troubles, Uka casually asked with a smile, "Sister Chiharu, if you were the one deciding the Senju's future, what would you do?"
Chiharu, who'd been thinking about what they'd discussed earlier, was caught off guard by the sudden question.
Me?
If I were the one making the decision...
After thinking for a moment, Senju Chiharu came to her senses. A smile appeared on her face, and she answered with certainty, "If it were up to me, the Senju wouldn't disband!"
"Lord Hashirama and Lord Tobirama were powerful. They ended the Warring States period and founded Konoha, but in our hearts, they can't compare to the clan leader who came before them!"
Uka Senju looked at the black-haired girl across from him, surprised.
As far as he knew, at Hashirama and Tobirama's call, the Senju Clan Members had fought more than a hundred battles, large and small, to establish Konoha. They'd even taken the lead in the First Shinobi World War!
So many had died or been injured, yet no one had complained!
He'd always thought the Senju must have greatly admired those two to do all that!
But today, he'd heard such words from her, especially that "we."
"You?"
"Yes."
Looking at the astonished boy across from her, Chiharu recalled the past and began to speak slowly. "We all came from the clan's 'Jiyang Institute.' I was sent there when I was eight. I remember there being more than a hundred children my age in the institute at the time. Counting all the different ages, there were over seven hundred of us!"
"In the Senju's thousand-year history, the Jiyang Institute had never housed more than two hundred people. Lord Hashirama and Lord Tobirama broke that record! I remember my father telling me when I was little that the Senju Clan Members numbered more than six thousand during the Warring States period. Look at us now!"
"My father, mother, older brother, older sister, uncle, aunt, and their families all sacrificed their lives for the peace Lord Hashirama spoke of, and for the village Lord Tobirama spoke of! After all those sacrifices, what did they get in return? Lord Tobirama's order to 'disband.' How do you think we should feel?"
As she spoke, tears welled in Chiharu's eyes. In a sorrowful voice, she asked, "Were the families of all the children at the Jiyang Institute sacrificed for nothing?"
"Even the Senju name was taken from us in the end. Who would remember them then?"
Hearing her voice, Uka Senju felt conflicted.
He'd only asked offhandedly to change the subject, but he hadn't expected to uncover the truth behind why the Senju hadn't gone into seclusion!
Ever since he'd transmigrated into the Senju, he'd been thinking about why they'd disappeared.
He was destined to live in Konoha for a long time, and in a place like this, having a clan to back you up versus having no backing at all made a world of difference!
But before he could figure out why the Senju had disappeared, he found out that the clan had split apart right after the First Shinobi World War!!!
The Clan Leader's Line, led by Mito Uzumaki, supported going into seclusion in accordance with Tobirama's dying wish. The Itayasu Branch, led by the First Elder, firmly opposed going into seclusion, while his aunt and the Second Elder could only remain neutral because of the past rebellion by the Soratate Branch!
This outrageous turn of events had made Uka wonder more than once whether he'd transmigrated into a modified Shinobi World instead of the normal version!
He remembered that in the story, although Tsunade was the only Senju in all of Konoha, and the only other one had died in the Second Shinobi World War, their existence was enough to prove that the Senju hadn't gone into seclusion!
Why would a princess and prince of the Land of Fire choose to stay in Konoha and become Ninja?
And die on the battlefield?
Especially Nawaki's death-"all his organs were ripped out"!
One reason Uka had chosen the Wood Release Bloodline Version was that he wanted to force his aunt and the Second Elder to step in and end the Senju's split.
Then he could find out why the Senju had disappeared and help the clan avoid that fate completely, turning them into his strongest backing and protecting him as he grew up!
Now he'd finally figured it out. His aunt wasn't the key to the Senju's division!
With the First Elder and the young people from the Jiyang Institute, the Senju still wanted to go into seclusion?
Uka Senju silently slapped himself in the face.
For so long, he'd been focused on the shifts at the top, but hadn't looked down to consider what the people below thought.
What was that about?
Had he even forgotten the instructor's theories?
Subconsciously, he'd thought this was a world ruled by the strong, where everyone would follow the strong's decisions!
But he'd even forgotten the lesson of Madara Uchiha, right in front of him!
There was no one in the Senju right now as powerful as Madara Uchiha.
Even someone as strong as him could be abandoned when he went against most of his clan. What chance did the much weaker Senju leaders have?
The entry requirement for the Senju Jiyang Institute was that the child had no living blood relatives!
That requirement meant few children ever entered, but many had during the founding of the village and the First Shinobi World War!
As Chiharu had said, the Senju Clan Members numbered more than six thousand during the Warring States period. Now, even counting everyone, there were no more than fifteen hundred.
Most of the children of Chiharu's generation at the Jiyang Institute had now become the clan's young backbone.
Though none had risen to the upper ranks yet, their voices couldn't be ignored. They were now the majority of the Senju!
History in his previous life had already taught them: those who went against the will of the majority were bound to lose!
Having thought it all through, Uka looked at the girl who'd helped him uncover the truth behind why the Senju hadn't gone into seclusion!
But now, the smile that usually graced her face had vanished!
She'd only turned eighteen last month. He and his aunt had celebrated with her!
If they'd been in his previous life, she'd probably just have started college at that age!
Thinking about all this, he didn't know what to say or do.
All he could do was pick up a tissue and gently wipe the corner of her eye!
The movement on her face brought Chiharu out of her memories. She looked at Uka, who was being so careful.
She took the tissue and wiped away her tears. The corners of her mouth lifted into her usual smile as she said, "Sorry, I got a little carried away!"
"It's okay, Sister Chiharu. Have you talked with Aunt?"
"Why do you think Lady Toka is staying neutral?"
"Isn't it because we rebelled...?" Uka Senju asked uncertainly.
"Um... that's part of it, but the rebellion was also caused by the Clan Leader's Line's own problems. The Soratate Branch didn't rebel without reason," Chiharu emphasized.
Composing herself, Senju Chiharu winked at Uka to show she was fine, then explained, "Lady Toka wants to give everyone another choice, as a buffer. She doesn't want what happened to the Uchiha to happen to the Senju!"
Uka knew about the Uchiha. It was described in the story, and he'd also heard the elders talk about it.
Those Red Eyes had all slacked off during the First Shinobi World War because they'd suffered so much-so much that even Senju Tobirama hadn't been able to bring himself to act against them.
After Madara Uchiha left, disagreements over interests and beliefs arose.
The Uchiha's few Mangekyō ended up on opposing sides!
When they realized they couldn't convince one another, conflict broke out naturally.
After a brawl, all the Mangekyō users died. Most of the other members who'd awakened their eyes died, too. Even the Senju, who'd been through the First Shinobi World War, hadn't suffered as badly as they had!
At the thought, Uka Senju couldn't help but feel like complaining.
That bastard Kishimoto had laid out the Uchiha's history so clearly!
But he'd made the Senju's history so vague.
It had left him worrying every day since he'd transmigrated. He felt like half his brain cells had died!
Still, at least he'd finally untangled his first knot.
His aunt and he didn't need to step in over the seclusion issue anymore!