In a lavishly decorated room in Konoha, Kazuo Shinozuka and Kazuo Yamamoto sat with their legs crossed, leisurely sipping tea. The fragrance of tea drifted through the air, but neither man was paying it any mind. Their thoughts were entirely on the upcoming battle of geniuses.
"Old Yamamoto, what promising geniuses do you think will turn up in this battle?" Kazuo Shinozuka gently blew the tea leaves aside and took a sip, asking with interest.
Kazuo Yamamoto set his cup on the table, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "Hmph, hard to say. But I hear that little brat Kagami Uchiha has some ability. He might just stir things up."
The two were deep in conversation when a knock suddenly sounded. A black-clad ninja crept in, bent low, and knelt on one knee. "Reporting to both of you, sirs! Squad One of the Suicide Special Operations Team spotted the target heading toward the Senju Clan and has already gone to intercept and kill him!"
Shinozuka's hand shook, and he nearly dropped his teacup. He hurriedly set it down and frowned, his face full of confusion. "How many ninja are with the Gold-Swallowing Beast? Why did they suddenly attack without orders?"
The black-clad ninja lowered his head and answered respectfully, "Only four Senju Clan Jonin are protecting the target. The leader of Squad One thought this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and sent me to ask for your orders."
Yamamoto's eyes lit up, and he immediately perked up. With a sweeping gesture, he said eagerly, "I approve the kill operation. This opportunity really is rare. But remember, finish it quickly! Keep watch from a distance, and report back promptly if anything changes!"
"Yes, sir!" The black-clad ninja saluted and quickly withdrew.
Shinozuka leaned back in his chair, a sinister smile appearing on his face. "The future heir of the Senju Clan is going to be killed just like that. Aren't we being a little too ruthless? Hahaha."
Yamamoto put on a compassionate expression and sighed. "In a struggle between clans, it's kill or be killed. They only have their own clan to blame for being so conspicuous. A tall tree catches the wind. When a whale falls, all things flourish. Only when the mighty Senju Clan falls will clans like ours have a chance to rise. It's all for our clans. There's no helping it."
A glint of greed flashed in Shinozuka's eyes, and he licked his lips. "Then let's be even more ruthless. Don't leave a single Senju man alive. They all have to die. As for the women, we'll be kind and help take care of them. I hear Senju Yasuhei's wives are all first-rate beauties. They should all still be able to bear children, right?"
Yamamoto understood at once. The two exchanged a look and burst out laughing.
But before the laughter had faded, half an hour later, another black-clad ninja came rushing in, too frantic to even knock. He shouted, "Reporting to both of you, sirs! The ambush failed, and Squad One was wiped out! This was all a Senju Clan plot!"
"What?" Yamamoto and Shinozuka sprang to their feet, their eyes wide and their faces full of disbelief.
Shinozuka's face turned red with rage. Gritting his teeth, he cursed, "Those Senju bastards! Tell me what the hell happened!"
The black-clad ninja trembled all over in fright and hurriedly bowed. "The Senju Clan seemed to be prepared. They'd set an ambush there. As soon as our men attacked, they raised the Four Violet Flames Formation. By the time the formation disappeared, the Senju were already cleaning up the battlefield. We couldn't see the actual fighting clearly through the formation, but none of our men made it back alive."
Yamamoto's face darkened, and he asked through gritted teeth, "Is the Gold-Swallowing Beast dead?"
"I don't know. We didn't see him anywhere," the black-clad ninja said, his voice barely louder than a mosquito's buzz.
Yamamoto frowned and waved a hand impatiently. "Go tell Squads Two and Three to withdraw, all of them! Clean up every trace of our people's movements. Don't leave a single thing behind!"
"Yes, sir!" The black-clad ninja accepted the order and rushed out.
Shinozuka stamped his feet in anger and said darkly, "It must have been that bastard Tobirama Senju. Only his Flying Thunder God could get someone in and out of the Four Violet Flames Formation so completely undetected. No, we need to discuss this with Clan Head Shikaboshi Nara and the others. There's something strange about this."
Yamamoto nodded helplessly. "It probably was him. I bet the ones at the Ninja Academy were all Shadow Clones. That old fox is far too hard to deal with! Come on, let's consult the clan heads and see what we should do next." With that, the two hurried out, full of frustration and unwillingness to accept the outcome.
The smell of disinfectant filled Konoha's hospital. Looking concerned, Tobirama Senju hurried from ward to ward, checking on each injured student. With unquestionable resolve in his eyes, he ordered the doctors, "The class assignment and team induction ceremony is tomorrow. You must do everything you can to get every student well enough to attend on time!" The doctors nodded hastily and threw themselves into treating the students without a moment's rest, determined to get every one of them to tomorrow's class assignment ceremony.
In a ward, Tsubasa sat by the bed, his eyes full of worry as he held Biwako's hand tightly. Seeing him like that, Biwako burst out laughing and said gently, "Silly, the doctors already healed my injuries. I just lost a little too much blood earlier, so I need to rest for a day. Don't worry so much. It's all my fault you missed the finals this afternoon. I was too stubborn. If I'd known, I would have surrendered sooner. Kagami Uchiha really does have some skill."
Tsubasa gently patted Biwako's head, an indulgent smile lifting the corners of his mouth. "It's fine, it's fine. But you shouldn't be so impulsive and violent in the future. You kept your strength hidden at school all this time, then suddenly showed it off. Your classmates aren't quite used to it. You're a goddess, remember? You can't ruin your image."
Biwako blushed and gave Tsubasa a light punch, saying coquettishly, "All right, all right, I know. I'll do whatever you say."
As the two were talking, the ward door creaked open. A group of women swept in.
"This is it, this is it! Tsubasa's right here!" In Senju's eyes lit up, and her voice rose several pitches with excitement. Joy was written all over her face as she shouted and spread her arms, rushing into Tsubasa's embrace like a cheerful little bird and hugging him tightly. "It's been months! I've missed you so much!" The others hurried over too, their eyes full of concern as they looked Tsubasa up and down.
"He looks a little thinner," Senju Ga said with a frown, her face full of concern.
Dō Senju gestured with her hands, a gentle smile on her face and affection in her eyes. "You've grown taller."
Gi Senju gently cupped Tsubasa's face and examined him closely, murmuring, "You've gotten a tiny bit darker."
Tsubasa took a closer look and saw that it was his mother and several of his paternal aunts. Surprised and delighted, his eyes reddened slightly as he said excitedly, "Hello, Mother. Hello, First Mother, Second Mother, Third Mother, Fourth Mother, Fifth Mother, Sixth Mother. What brought you to the hospital? How did you know I was here?"
Senju Ga stepped forward, took Tsubasa's hand, and explained with a smile, "Your father was in charge of security at the school today. He saw you and came home at noon especially to tell me. Your grandfather said we weren't to disturb you while you were doing special training at Lord Hokage's home. We've missed you so much these past few months. As soon as I heard you were at the hospital, I told your aunts, and we all hurried over together."
Tsubasa's nose prickled, and he said, moved, "I was just thinking of going home to see all of you mothers later. This is wonderful, you're all here!" A happy smile spread across his face, and the atmosphere in the ward grew especially warm.
Dō Senju's eyes lit up when she saw Biwako in the hospital bed. She hurried over to the girl, her face wreathed in an enthusiastic smile. "Oh my, isn't this Lady Biwako of the Main Family! I held you when you were little. And in the blink of an eye, you've grown into a young lady, prettier than ever!" Her voice was clear and affectionate, and her eyes were full of admiration.
Biwako was leaning against the headboard, at a loss in the face of this sudden warmth and so embarrassed she could have dug a three-bedroom apartment into the floor with her toes. Why does my junior brother have so many mothers at home? she wondered. Even so, she immediately stood up, bowed slightly, and lowered her head in polite greeting. "Hello, Aunties." She wore a shy smile, and the tips of her ears were slightly red.
Dō Senju stepped forward and gently took Biwako's small hands, which were soft and warm. Smiling, she said, "I heard you were very brave today. You're so young, and you've already reached Jonin level. That's amazing!"
Biwako's face turned red in an instant. She scratched her head awkwardly and said in a low voice, "Not really. I still got beaten up and ended up covered in injuries. It's pretty embarrassing." As she spoke, she unconsciously drew in her neck, as though she wanted to hide.
Dō Senju smiled gently, her eyes full of encouragement. "You did wonderfully already! I know you specialize in Medical Ninjutsu, and fighting was never your strong suit. Becoming an outstanding doctor is what really matters for you. Let the men worry about all the fighting and killing."
Biwako nodded obediently. "All right, Auntie," she replied softly. Then she sat back down on the edge of the bed, her hands folded in her lap, looking a little stiff.
As though recalling something amusing, Dō Senju's eyes flashed mischievously. She smiled and asked, "You're so pretty, my lady. You must have plenty of admirers at school, don't you?"
At those words, Biwako's face instantly turned as red as a ripe tomato, as though it might start dripping blood. Usually carefree, she was now terribly shy. Her hands unconsciously clutched the corner of the blanket as she mumbled, "Auntie, please don't tease me."
Seeing this, Dō Senju smiled even more happily and pressed on. "Oh, are you shy? Then is there anyone you like at school?"
Biwako shook her head like a rattle-drum and waved her hands in a panic. "No, no, there really isn't!" Her gaze darted away, and she didn't dare look Dō Senju in the eye.
Dō Senju refused to let up. "Then do you like Tsubasa?"
Biwako practically blurted out, "I do!" Only after the words left her mouth did she realize what she had said. She hurriedly covered her mouth, her eyes wide and her face full of regret, as though she wished she could take the words back.