Time flew. In the blink of an eye, three months had passed. During that time, Tsubasa spent every day either getting beaten up in Taijutsu training or learning all kinds of Ninjutsu below A-rank. He learned everything from the Three Basic Techniques and the Shadow Clone Technique to Water Release, Earth Release, and Wood Release. His Taijutsu improved every day as if he had a cheat. Young as he was, his presence was no weaker than Hashirama Senju's. If his body had been fully developed, Hashirama wouldn't have found it so easy to beat him. As Tsubasa acquired more ways to deal with opponents, he was getting beaten up noticeably less often, forcing Hashirama to bring out even his Wood Release Ninjutsu.
That day, on the training ground, Hashirama Senju clapped his hands together and shouted, "Wood Release: Wood Human Technique!" In the blink of an eye, three wood humans burst from the ground and charged fiercely at Tsubasa. Not only were they powerful, but they were also incredibly fast, could even use all kinds of Ninjutsu, and had extremely tough bodies. Even so, Tsubasa remained at ease under their combined assault. Every punch he landed on them hit hard enough to send wood chips flying. A glance at the hundreds of wood human "corpses" on the ground showed just how formidable Tsubasa was. Those victories hadn't come easily.
Hashirama Senju didn't just send wood humans to attack. He also hid on the battlefield himself, launching surprise attacks from time to time. At first, Tsubasa had fought a single wood human one-on-one. Now he could fight three at once without falling behind. Hashirama clapped his hands together again and shouted, "Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!" More than a dozen great trees instantly grew from the training ground. As if someone were controlling them, they lashed out at Tsubasa with clawing branches.
Tsubasa wasn't afraid in the least. He punched and kicked, smashing the incoming branches and trunks to pieces. Then he gathered all his strength and drove a fierce punch at Hashirama Senju. Seeing the force behind it, Hashirama didn't dodge. He clapped his hands together and shouted, "Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall!" A row of trees shot out of the ground, forming an arched wooden shield that protected Hashirama and blocked Tsubasa's full-powered punch.
Tsubasa refused to give up. He raised his fists and pounded the Wood Locking Wall more than a dozen times, shattering the wooden shield in just a few blows. Now the two stood face-to-face. Hashirama Senju clapped his great hands together again and shouted, "Wood Release: Silent Killing Binding Technique!" The surrounding trees seemed to spring to life and turn into vines. In a swish, they wrapped around Tsubasa, binding him so tightly he couldn't move.
Fortunately, Tsubasa reacted quickly. He instantly turned into a block of wood, successfully using the Substitution Technique. But before he could catch his breath, two wood humans attacked him from the left and right. Tsubasa didn't panic. He thrust out a hand and called, "Earth Release: Earth Spikes!" Spikes thrust up from underground, piercing the tops of the wood humans' feet and pinning them firmly to the ground.
Tsubasa then used the Body Flicker Technique to flash over to the wood humans, punching and kicking at their joints. Before long, he had dismembered one of them. Seeing this, the other wood human clapped its hands together and shouted, "Wood Release: Cutting Sprigs!" Numerous sharp wooden spikes suddenly grew from the wood human being dismembered, thrusting toward the furiously attacking Tsubasa. He reacted quickly, easily avoiding the spikes with several consecutive backflips.
But Hashirama Senju wasn't about to let him off so easily. From the other side, he clapped his hands together and used Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld Technique. Tsubasa landed from his flip and immediately sank into the swamp. Just as he tried to break free, Hashirama's Wood Release: Silent Killing Binding Technique came at him again. This time, Tsubasa was bound tight and completely unable to move.
Hashirama Senju walked out, clapped his hands, and said with a smile, "It's getting harder and harder to beat you up. My wood humans can hold their own against Madara's Susanoo, but you actually tore them to pieces using Taijutsu alone. That's monstrous! Look at all the wood fragments covering the yard. Your head-on combat ability is strong enough already. Now I've found you a new instructor. He specializes in those mysterious kinds of attacks, and you can also learn a bit about management from him. He'll be teaching you for the next few months." With that, Hashirama waved to a white-haired middle-aged man on the roof.
The white-haired middle-aged man standing on the roof was none other than the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, who had taken office just two months ago. In May of Konoha's seventh year, with Hashirama Senju's support, Tobirama had won the Hokage election with 70 percent of the vote and become Konoha's Second Hokage. Over the past two months, Tobirama had worked himself to the bone, carrying out all kinds of reforms in Konoha. The village was now peaceful, and its basic affairs were being handled smoothly, earning unanimous praise and recognition from the villagers. Today, he had come at his elder brother Hashirama's invitation to give his disciple some pointers.
Tobirama Senju had seen Tsubasa several times, though they had never spoken. But he had heard about Tsubasa's talent from his brother and sister-in-law, and he also knew Hashirama intended to pass the position of Senju Clan head to the boy after his death. Watching Tsubasa fight his elder brother from the roof for so long had shocked him. A child barely over six could actually fight his brother to that extent. It was no exaggeration to say he had the strength of an elite Jonin.
The boy had an ethereal aura and a noble bearing, and he was only the second Wood Release powerhouse in history. He was not only the Senju Clan's hope; he would certainly be a pillar of Konoha in the future.
Tsubasa hurriedly bowed and said, "Greetings, Lord Second Hokage!" Tobirama Senju looked a little unusual. He had a head of white hair, yet his handsome face looked to be in its twenties. He wore Hokage robes and cut an imposing figure, but he usually appeared and disappeared without a trace. Whenever he visited the Senju ancestral residence, he came and went quickly, so Tsubasa had only seen him from afar a few times. In Tsubasa's mind, Tobirama was very mysterious.
Tobirama Senju forced a faint smile onto his normally stern face and said to Tsubasa, "You're my elder brother's disciple, so from now on, you can just call me Uncle Master. I'll make time in the evenings to teach you politics and strategy, as well as knowledge of the battlefield. Your master, my elder brother, has great talent for combat and tremendous strength, so he isn't very accustomed to using strategy to win. His great strength has allowed him to become accustomed to treating people with sincerity and kindness. He believes that only by doing so, and by everyone understanding one another, can true peace be achieved. That idea is a little too naive, but it was precisely his sincerity and broad-mindedness that brought the wars of the Warring States era to an end and gave us the Konoha we have today."
"But people like him are rare even in a thousand years. Ordinary people like us couldn't imitate him even if we wanted to, and even if we learned how, it would be useless without great strength to back it up. That's why we need to understand politics and strategy. Do you understand?"
Tsubasa quickly nodded. "I understand, Uncle Master."
Tobirama Senju's expression grew grave as he continued, "In the Shinobi World today, apart from the Land of Fire, the other countries are either swallowing one another up or forming various alliances. When war breaks out, entire villages and clans are slaughtered. It's incredibly cruel. The Land of Fire is able to remain so peaceful only because your master, the God of Shinobi, keeps the other countries in check with his reputation, and because the entire Senju Clan guards the borders with the army. As long as the God of Shinobi is here, the other countries won't dare act rashly. But once your master is gone, a world war will break out immediately."
"Your master probably told you about his bloodline disease. I've been trying every possible way to find a cure, but so far I haven't made much progress. Birth, aging, sickness, and death are all part of life. We shinobi are accustomed to seeing life and death, and we can face them calmly. But the death of the God of Shinobi is different. It concerns the lives of countless people and whether a world war will break out. That's why Konoha is now putting all its efforts into researching Ninjutsu related to life and death, hoping to prolong the Land of Fire's peace."
"I'm telling you this because your master has high hopes for you. There's a strong possibility you'll become the next God of Shinobi, and you're also an important chance to preserve this peace. That's why I'm willing to make time in my busy schedule to teach you."
"Right now, Konoha is actively stockpiling war supplies. Konoha's shinobi army and the daimyo's samurai army are both training desperately, doing everything they can to prepare for the First Shinobi World War. As the next head of Konoha's Senju Clan, you need several abilities. First, you need formidable combat ability, or you won't be able to command respect. Second, you need to understand the state of the Shinobi World, the Land of Fire, Konoha, and the Senju Clan. Otherwise, you'll be blind despite having eyes, possessing strength but not knowing where to use it. Third, you need to learn how to govern a country, manage a clan, and command armies in war. From now on, I'll be strict with you, and you'll need to study hard. Understand?"
Tsubasa nodded earnestly. "I understand, Uncle Master. I'll study hard!"
Tobirama Senju continued, "Good. For today's first lesson, we'll start with what politics is and what war is. At its core, politics is about power. To put it plainly, it's about governing a country or an organization so that people from every class in the country receive a relatively satisfactory share of the benefits. Everything people do in this world is for gain. Whether they're countries, clans, or ordinary people, they all act for their own interests. Once someone's interests aren't satisfied, resentment arises. If enough voices express that resentment, it will affect the power in your hands. The art of politics lies in balancing and controlling the interests of all sides. How do you do that? You need an effective system. With a complete system, you can distribute benefits reasonably according to its rules and punish those who violate them. That is power."
"To maintain absolute power, you have to rely on the military strength at your disposal. If you don't have enough military strength, your political opponents will launch a fatal attack against you. Countries compete over territory and resources, while clans compete over rights, resources, and secret arts. So, to have absolute power, you need absolute military strength to support it."
As he spoke, Tobirama Senju took hold of Tsubasa and activated the Flying Thunder God Technique. With a whoosh, the two vanished from where they stood. When they reappeared, they were in a spacious, brightly lit office. Tsubasa guessed it must be the Hokage's office.
Sure enough, Tobirama Senju said, "This is the Hokage's office. I'll teach you here from now on." Then he pointed to a map on the wall. "This is a map of the Shinobi World. Our Land of Fire is here in the middle, surrounded on all sides by dozens of countries. Four major powers pose the greatest threat to us: the Land of Lightning in this highland region, the Land of Wind in the desert, the Land of Earth over here among the mountains, and finally the Land of Water out at sea. These countries have large populations and many shinobi, but their geographical locations and living conditions are far inferior to ours. So if we give them a chance, they'll pounce like starving wolves, wanting to tear a piece of flesh from us. But if we occupied their territory, we'd be taking a huge loss. We have no interest in their barren mountains and treacherous waters."
"Now look at the situation within the Land of Fire. The one-country, one-village system is its fundamental national policy. The great nobles and the daimyo manage the country's civil affairs and samurai forces, and provide Konoha with funding every year. Konoha is responsible for managing the shinobi village and all shinobi, and for protecting the Land of Fire. The two sides depend on each other; neither can do without the other. Without funding, Konoha would be like a heap of loose sand and would soon fall apart. But without shinobi protection, the daimyo and nobles would be like fish on a chopping board, at anyone's mercy. Only by cooperating for mutual benefit can they develop in the long term. The daimyo must not interfere in Konoha's management, and Konoha Ninja are not allowed to interfere in the Land of Fire's governance. More than half of our Senju clansmen are scattered among the Land of Fire's cities, protecting important figures."
"There are quite a few factions in Konoha as well. The strongest are the bloodline clans, followed by the major secret technique clans, then the great noble families and elemental-affinity clans. But civilian shinobi are the most numerous. These people form connections with one another. Many clans had good relations dating back to the Warring States era, and after coming to Konoha, they joined together again to form interest groups. Conflicts, assassinations, and frame-ups between them happen all the time. In the end, it's all for their own interests and power."
"We Senju gave up our surname and split into 36 smaller clans to deal with this situation. First, with the Senju scattered among Konoha's villagers, in two or three generations the entire clan will have disappeared from sight. No one will target the Senju Clan anymore, and even if they do, they'll only target the Main Family's line. More people will turn their attention to the other major clans. Though there may be some small losses, we can preserve and strengthen our bloodline without the danger of being wiped out. Second, the Senju can keep track of everything that happens in Konoha. Our clansmen are hidden among the civilians, working in every trade. Like spies, they keep every clan under our watch, and the villagers' will is tied to the Senju's will. A million villagers represent the prevailing tide. If anything happens in Konoha, the Senju branch clans can mobilize public opinion and support members of the main clan in rising to power. Third, the Senju population will grow enormously, and countless genius shinobi are bound to appear. Those geniuses are the foundation of the clan. Although we've given up our surname, we all know in our hearts that we come from the Senju Clan. Those geniuses will form a natural alliance of interests and eventually grow into small clans. With so many small clans gathered together, they'll be a tremendously powerful force. Perhaps in the end, they'll be able to swallow up all of Konoha's shinobi clans, or even the entire Shinobi World."
"This is the direction you, as the future clan head, should understand and maintain, because you and the entire Main Family will become the core of the Senju Clan. Everyone in the branch clans will send their information to you, and you'll assign tasks to each branch in turn. You'll be the heart and brain of the future Senju Clan, guiding its future. Right now, I serve as that core. That's also the most important reason your master wants you to learn from me: so you can become acquainted with the clan's core secrets early, and learn how to handle these central issues and contend with the major clans that have survived since the Warring States era."
Tsubasa's scalp tingled as he listened. He thought that a thousand-year-old shinobi clan really was no simple thing. In his previous life, watching the anime, he had only known that the Senju Clan had disappeared. As it turned out, they had used a shinobi's methods to hide in the shadows and watch their enemies fight one another, while remaining able to step forward at any time, destroy everything their enemies had, and reclaim what belonged to them.
When he watched Naruto in his previous life, he had wondered how those great thousand-year-old clans could be so weak: the Senju had disappeared, the Uchiha and Uzumaki had been wiped out, and the Hyuga had been suppressed until they had no spirit left. But later, when Tsunade, the only Senju clanswoman known publicly, became the Fifth Hokage and everything went smoothly without the slightest obstacle, he had realized how powerful the Senju Clan actually was.
Tobirama Senju continued, "From now on, you'll gradually become involved in clan affairs with me and learn politics and strategy through practice." Afterward, Tobirama gave Tsubasa several books and told him, "If there are any characters you don't recognize or meanings you don't understand, you can ask me."
Tsubasa looked at them. They were all books on politics, civil affairs, and strategy, and he groaned inwardly. My life's ambition is to cultivate immortality. Why does this feel like I'm back to studying for the civil service exam? The power scaling in the later part of Naruto fell apart. Won't strength have the final say then anyway? Still, he couldn't refuse the good intentions of the brothers Hashirama and Tobirama, so he could only say, "I'll study hard. I won't let you down, Uncle Master."