Upon seeing Shin'un admit that his father was Shinkaku Hirakawa, the elders sitting in front exchanged glances as if they had all confirmed something.
Finally, the eldest elder, who was seated in the main seat, spoke.
"It's nothing really, we just need to confirm your father's name so we can verify that you're from the Senju Clan lineage."
After speaking, the elder looked at Elder Fukuma to the side.
"You explain it to me."
Nodding, Fukuma continued, "..."
"Child, you haven't met your grandparents, have you?"
Shin'un shook his head. Since birth, as long as he was conscious and able to think for himself, he had never met his grandparents.
Seeing Shin'un shake his head, Fukuma with emotion.
"That's understandable. Although your grandmother had the bloodline of the Senju, she was frail from a young age. Not long after you were born, she took one look at you, felt satisfied, and soon passed away."
"After that, your grandfather also passed away, so it's normal that you never met them."
As he spoke, Fukuma seemed to recall something, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Back then, your grandmother insisted on marrying an ordinary man. We tried everything to persuade her, but nothing worked. In the end, even Lord Hashirama supported her decision."
"To be honest, it was seeing your grandma and grandpa being inseparable every day that gave Lord Hashirama the idea of disbanding the Senju Clan."
"..."
Perhaps it's a common trait Fukuma older people, but this elder suddenly launched into a long string of idle chatter.
"Cough cough!"
After a few words, Fukuma seemed to realize he was rambling, coughed a few times, and got back to business.
"Child, remember this: your grandmother's name is Senju Reima. She comes from the most core lineage of the Senju Clan and is a peer of ours, someone we've known since childhood."
After saying that, Elder Fukuma pointed at Tsunade.
"You two are quite close."
"By blood, you and Tsunade share the same great-great-grandfather, that is, your grandfather's grandfather's generation."
Upon hearing this, Shin'un's eyes twitched.
I thought we were very close, but it turns out we've already crossed over to the generation of my great-great-grandfather.
Fukuma continued:
"In terms of seniority, you and Tsunade are of the same generation, so you should be siblings..."
Before he could finish speaking, the Grand Elder, seated at the head of the table, interrupted him.
"Alright, let's stop talking about other things."
The First Elder looked at Tsunade and asked:
"Did the Hokage send him?"
Tsunade was standing to one side, nodded.
"If that's the case, then I understand."
The Grand Elder nodded in realization, then looked at Shin'un.
" Hirakawa Shin'un, I remember you became Jonin this year, right?"
Upon hearing the old man's question, Shin'un immediately answered respectfully.
"Yes."
"Since the Hokage sent you to collect the secret medicine, we will treat you as one of our own from now on."
"From now on, I will serve Konoha well and respect the Hokage..."
As Shin'un listened, he gradually realized that something was wrong.
Just a moment ago they were having a family reunion, and now they're brainwashing themselves into pledging allegiance to Konoha?
Shin'un raised his head and glanced subtly at the other elders.
The elders all remained calm, clearly having anticipated their Grand Elder's words.
After being brainwashed by the Grand Elder, Shin'un finally came to his senses after thinking for a long time.
The Senju Clan has long since disbanded and completely integrated into Konoha. Given the current number of Senju in Konoha, having Shin'un work for Konoha is essentially working for the Senju.
At the same time, Shin'un also wondered why the Third Hokage had summoned him to the Hokage's office so early this morning to tell him about the Senju bloodline, and that he needed to come to the Senju residence to collect the secret medicine and meet with the Senju elders.
This was a plan from the very beginning to use these Senju elders to brainwash him.
Make Shin'un work for Konoha and pledge allegiance to the Hokage.
"Squeak~"
The door to the house was pushed open, and Tsunade and Shin'un walked out.
Tsunade walked in front, Shin'un followed behind.
As the door closed, the elders inside were still talking incessantly.
Shin'un could only close the door while answering.
"Yes, yes, yes, okay, okay, definitely, definitely."
"Crunch~"
The door was closed, and the words of the elders inside were muffled by the thick wooden door.
Finally, when he could no longer hear the old people talking, Shin'un breathed a long sigh of relief.
The old men were incredibly good at chatting; they were truly wise beyond their years.
From Konoha to Hokage, from the battlefield of the Land of Rain to ordinary missions, from ninja clans to ordinary families.
What seemed like casual conversation was actually a brainwashing of Shin'un, trying to make him work hard for Konoha and be loyal to the Hokage.
Ironically, Shin'un found some of what they said to make sense.
If Shin'un hadn't already guessed that the Hokage had sent him to the Senju residence to brainwash him with the Senju elders, he probably would have changed his mind and wholeheartedly contributed to Konoha's development.
That's terrifying!
Tsunade nearby, couldn't help but laugh when she saw Shin'un's expression.
"Now you know why I hate seeing a few of the Senju remnants?"
"Back when the Senju Clan still existed, they taught their members Tenten to fight for the clan."
"Now, the Senju clan has all changed their surnames and become Konoha Ninja. They talk Tenten about fighting for Konoha and being loyal to the Hokage."
"Every time I see them, I get a lecture, which is incredibly annoying."
Shin'un nodded in agreement. Although the elderly should be respected, it's only natural to feel annoyed if there are several elderly people lecturing you Tenten.
As she spoke, Tsunade looked up at the sky and saw that the sun had reached its highest point, estimating that it was lunchtime.
"Have lunch here before you leave. It'll be a good opportunity for you to meet my younger brother."
Tsunade looked at Shin'un and invited him to have a meal at the Senju residence.
Upon hearing this, Shin'un instinctively tried to refuse, but Tsunade had already walked away without saying a word.
Seeing this, Shin'un decided to follow Tsunade and have a meal there before leaving.
Following Tsunade, Shin'un arrived at another house in the Senju residence.
After they sat down, a man who looked like a butler appeared out of nowhere and asked Tsunade if she had prepared lunch.
Tsunade nodded and said:
"Get ready. Remember to call Nawaki over for dinner."
After Tsunade and Shin'un waited a short while, one exquisite dish after another was served on the table.
After all the dishes were served, Nawaki was nowhere to be seen, so Tsunade asked the servants nearby in confusion.
"Where's Nawaki? Why isn't it here yet?"
Upon Tsunade's inquiry, the servant, who appeared to be an ordinary person, immediately replied.
"Sir, young master Nawaki said... he dares not come over."
Upon hearing this, Tsunade laughed.
"What, does he also know that secretly graduating from the Ninja Academy without telling me is going too far?"
After saying that, Tsunade stood up and said to Shin'un:
" Shin'un, wait a moment, I'll go and drag the Nawaki over."