Ever since Fū Senju led his army out, Oto Senju, who remained at the front lines, had a bad feeling.
The Senju clansman standing next to him, who also knew about the plan, asked with considerable worry, "Fifth Elder, the clan leader has been gone for so long, why haven't we received any news yet? Could something have happened?"
Oto Senju shook her head. "I don't know. All we can do now is pray, pray that the clan chief will bring everyone back, and pray that their plan will succeed."
"What if the plan fails?" the Senju clansman pressed. "If it fails, won't we be severely weakened, or even completely wiped out?"
Why would the elders agree to such an absurd plan? Why would they agree to such a huge risk?
Oto Senju turned to look at the Senju clansman and said, "How should I know? What does the Elders' decision have to do with me?"
The First Elder agreed, the Fourth Elder agreed, the Second Elder is dead, and the Third Elder is gone! What good is it for me to oppose it alone?
Who knows what those three were thinking? To gamble the Senju Clan's centuries-old savings on a single possibility—it's utterly foolish! Tenten 're always looking down on the Uchiha; in my opinion, they're not even as good as the Uchiha!
Uchiha: If you're going to insult people, just insult them. Why drag us into this? That's going too far, isn't it? Are you resorting to personal attacks?
"Now all we can do is pray that their plan succeeds, that their gamble pays off, otherwise our Senju Clan will be completely withdrawn from the stage of the struggle for supremacy in the Land of Fire."
Oto Senju lowered his head and spoke in a deep voice, then seemed to remember something and changed the subject, asking, "What's the situation with the Sarutobi Clan?"
Senju clansman nearby replied, "There's nothing unusual, it's perfectly normal, but... they seem to still have connections with the Uzumaki Clan."
Oto Senju turned her head away. "Never mind them, just keep in touch with the Uzumaki Clan."
Just then, a Senju clansman scrambled in, but as he reached Oto Senju, he slipped and fell to the ground with a thud.
"Fifth Elder! Something terrible has happened!" the Senju clansman gasped for breath.
Oto Senju, hearing his words, already felt a bad premonition. "What are you saying? Speak quickly!"
The panting Senju clansman immediately reported, "Our clan leader led the army straight into the Uchiha's trap! The clan leader is trapped deep within the Uchiha's headquarters, his fate unknown! Now the entire army has been wiped out!"
Upon hearing this news, Oto Senju felt a chill run straight to the top of her head, blood rushed to her brain, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted on the spot.
"Fifth Elder, Fifth Elder!" In his last moments before losing consciousness, he heard the Senju clansmen beside him calling out anxiously.
At this moment, Oto Senju had only one thought in her mind: I'm tired, let's destroy it.
When he awoke again, he was surrounded by members of the Senju Clan, and his younger brother Shura Senju, was looking at him with a worried expression.
"Brother, you're finally awake! You suddenly fainted, and everyone was so worried about you," Shura Senju said with concern. "Are you alright?"
Oto Senju extended one hand and waved it to indicate that she was alright. Then, she patted her chest, took a breath, and asked, "How is the Senju Clan now?"
The Senju clansmen surrounding them exchanged bewildered glances, none daring to speak. Finally, it was Shura Senju who answered his question.
"The clan leader's fate is currently unknown, the entire army of 1,000 has been wiped out, and of all the ninjas, fewer than 800 remain."
Upon hearing this, Oto Senju nearly fainted again. Shura Senju quickly supported him. He reached out, wearily rubbed his temples, shook his head, and said, "It's alright, it's alright, I'm fine."
The Senju clansmen standing to the side were completely at a loss. They all looked at him and asked, "Fifth Elder, what should we do now?"
Oto Senju lay on the bed, closed her eyes briefly, and said, "The clan leader's fate is currently unknown. If his fate is unknown, then he is dead. The Senju Clan cannot be without a clan leader; a new clan leader must be chosen quickly."
As for the battle with the Uchiha Clan, let's forget about it. We must retreat completely, abandon everything we have now, and return to the capital of the Land of Fire to gather our last strength and defend the central plains of the Land of Fire.
As for the other areas, we have no ability to defend them, so we can only leave them to the Uchiha.
Upon hearing his arrangement, the Senju clan members around him looked at each other, and finally said, "Fifth Elder, the Fourth Elder is incompetent, and the First Elder is muddleheaded! Now only you can lead the Senju Clan."
Please, Fifth Elder, assume the position of patriarch of the Senju Clan!
The surrounding members of the Senju Clan knelt down and shouted, "Please, Fifth Elder, take over the position of the Senju Clan Chief!"
Oto Senju looked around at the Senju Clan members in surprise, remaining silent for a long time before finally fixing her gaze on Shura Senju: " Shura..."
Shura Senju nodded, and then Oto Senju took a deep breath and said, "Alright, since everyone thinks this way, then I will lead the Senju Clan to survive in despair!"
Since you all trust me, I will definitely not let you down. I will ensure the Senju Clan continues to thrive!
Just then, a commotion broke out outside the door. Everyone turned around and saw that the First Elder and the Fourth Elder had run over.
"What clan leader? This brat doesn't deserve the title!" The First Elder shouted, his voice booming, and the people inside could hear him even before he entered.
Upon hearing the Grand Elder's words, the Senju clan members inside clenched their fists, glaring angrily at the Grand Elder as he entered.
As soon as the Grand Elder entered, he saw a large group of Senju clan members glaring at him with furious expressions, as if they wanted to devour him alive.
The First Elder was startled and quickly took two steps back, giving his seat to the Fourth Elder who was standing nearby.
Looking at the large, angry, and ferocious Senju Clan members before him, the Fourth Elder felt a pang of guilt and quickly changed his words, saying, "I deeply respect the Fifth Elder! His appointment as clan leader is the will of the people!"
The First Elder stood to the side, dumbfounded. "You, Fourth Elder with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, you actually resorted to underhanded tactics!"
However, the Senju clan members were not having any of it. They swarmed forward, tied the two of them up, and threw them in front of Oto Senju.
After all, in everyone's eyes, if it weren't for those two's terrible ideas, the Senju Clan wouldn't have fallen to this state.
"Clan leader, please handle these two," the Senju clan member bowed respectfully. Oto Senju waved her hand and then said, "These two are, after all, elders of our Senju Clan."
The respect due should still be shown, but...
The two elders, who had initially shown some respect for Oto Senju, were relieved, but after hearing this "but," they almost choked on their breath.
"They committed such heinous crimes; it would be impossible to appease public anger if they were not punished! Take these two away and give them twenty lashes each! Lock them up..."
The two elders' eyes widened immediately. "You little brat, we are elders, how could you treat us like this? You little brat..."
But the Senju Clan members dragging them away ignored their cries and pulled them off the hook. Eventually, their curses faded away, replaced only by their screams.