" With Air Palm behind me and a formidable enemy in front, and I can't even use Wood Release, it seems I won't be able to hold onto this little bit of Nine-Tails Chakra I just acquired..."
Naoki Senju sighed with some heartache, and blood-red Chakra filled with a violent aura overflowed from his body. Because there was no Tailed Beast to control it, the Chakra was flowing away at an exceptionally fast speed, but at the same time, it was also exceptionally active.
In the blink of an eye, three swaying fox tails materialized behind Naoki Senju, Nine-Tails Chakra Cloak Mode complete!
A high-density collection of Chakra —an empty Air Palm strike—slammed into the Tailed Beast Cloak, but Naoki Senju felt nothing. With a gentle flick of his fox tail, Hyūga Hoheto was sent flying.
At the same time, the number of fox tails increased to four, and some white bone deposits began to appear on the body surface.
" Partial Expansion Jutsu."
The four fox tails easily blocked Ryūhei Akimichi's fist, which was as big as a car. Feeling a little novel, Naoki Senju swung his fox claws, and the extremely sharp fox claws immediately cut three gashes in Ryūhei Akimichi's abdomen, and blood flowed out.
Stimulated by the blood, the Nine-Tails Chakra became even more active, and without even needing Naoki Senju's control, it easily tore apart Ryūhei Akimichi's abdomen, with warm blood and internal organs flowing all over the ground.
However, even this violent Nine-Tails Chakra couldn't cause any trouble in front of Naoki Senju. Under the suppression of the Wood Release Chakra, the Nine-Tails Chakra and was sealed back into a corner.
Once the Nine-Tails within Naruto has recovered some of its Chakra, it will be able to replenish it...
While taking a short rest in the sealed space, the Nine-Tails suddenly sneezed, then covered itself up even more tightly with its fox tail, otherwise it really didn't feel safe.
Naoki Senju surveyed the scene, then used the Great Waterfall Technique to clean up the traces of the battle. The corpses and such would probably be devoured by the carnivorous animals in the forest as a gift from heaven, even before the next day.
"The loss of three Jonin — from the Hyuga, Akimichi, and Inuzuka Clan — Jonin the various clans' patience with Danzo is nearing its limit..."
Although these ninjas were recruited openly by Root, the ninjas of various clans, even after joining Root, still practiced their clan's secret techniques, so it was impossible to erase their surnames and backgrounds.
Normally, it's fine to do some dirty and tiring work; we can consider it as contributing to Konoha and our clans. But to lose a precious Jonin like this without even knowing why is something that no major clan would allow to happen.
Not every clan is as powerful as the Uchiha. The death of one or two Jonin doesn't attract much attention. Even the Konoha clan, the strongest Hyuga Clan, doesn't have many Jonin.
Losing even one person suddenly is already a painful loss, let alone for a small clan like Inuzuka Clan, which only has a few Jonin. This is a serious blow to their health.
Even if they don't dare to demand an explanation from Danzo, Hiruzen Sarutobi will likely be in a lot of trouble in the near future, but with a little guidance, he can unleash terrifying power.
Within the Root, or rather, the Anbu, the death of a commoner ninja is simply a matter of survival; they can always be replaced. Even the White Fang of Konoha, Hatake Sakumo, was treated this way. However, for clan ninjas, the death of even one is a major problem.
Things were a little better during wartime, but in peacetime they were truly precious, and not a single one could be allowed to die. And this was precisely the opportunity that Naoki Senju had been waiting for.
"Next, we can contact Hana Inuzuka. Root won't be able to keep the news of the three Jonin's deaths a secret for long. Danzo, congratulations, you're one step closer to death."
Naoki Senju turned and left with a cold laugh, leaving behind a forest ravaged by the battle, but new shoots were already sprouting from the ruins...
Two days later, at the Ninja Academy.
The incident spread and escalated faster than Naoki Senju had imagined; within just one weekend, Konoha was in turmoil.
Today, one-third of the students at the Ninja Academy are absent from class, and these students undoubtedly have family connections; their actions must be at the behest of their families.
This was a political conflict between the various clans of Konoha and the Konoha High Command. After the Uchiha Clan Massacre, the clans, who were already uneasy, became even more frightened, fearing that Konoha would take drastic measures against them.
This incident was merely a trigger, an opportunity for the various families to unite...
This incident seems to only worsen the situation in Konoha, and Naoki Senju will gain nothing. But what if the major clans suddenly discover that there is a Hokage candidate who is qualified to succeed them, also from a clan, and holds a friendly attitude towards Hokage clans?
Princess Tsunade undoubtedly meets all the above conditions. Even better, the Senju Clan is now practically extinct, so there's no need to worry about a situation where one clan is dominant while many others are weak... Naoki Senju agrees with this; the Senju Clan will never bully anyone like the Uchiha...
If Orochimaru's Konoha Crush Plan is followed, Tsunade could become Hokage, but she would be a puppet Hokage with little power and bearing all the responsibilities.
Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, Shimura Danzō... these remnants of the older generation hold power in Konoha, and the weak Tsunade is powerless to shake them.
However, if she unites with the major clans, everything will be different. What she needs now is an opportunity—an opportunity to contact the leaders of the major clans—so that Tsunade can take the opportunity to establish basic political trust with them and work together to gain greater power in Konoha's upper echelons.
Naoki Senju pondered for a moment, then casually ruffled Naruto's spiky hair, wiped it on Naruto's clothes, and said with a look of disdain:
"You brat, how long has it been since you washed your hair? And you think you can get with Sakura like this?"
Naruto, who was originally ready to retaliate, immediately lost his temper upon hearing Sakura's name. He turned around and said somewhat shyly and awkwardly:
"I... I don't like Sakura at all."
Yeah, I can tell from her eyes, she's definitely a hopeless romantic.
Naoki Senju's mind raced, and an idea came to him. He tempted her by saying:
"If you like Sakura, I can help you pursue her."
"Really!" Naruto answered excitedly, then his eyes darted away as he whispered a defense, "I already told you I don't like Sakura..."
"Then it's fine if you don't like her. As long as you can bring your classmates who didn't have class today to visit the Senju Clan Compound tomorrow, it would be even better if you brought your family too. If you bring enough people, I'll reluctantly help you pursue Sakura, whom you 'don't like'."
After hearing this somewhat 'complex' request, Naruto was a little troubled:
"But there are some people I don't know well, and they might not necessarily play with me..."
Good grief, you skipped the pros and cons and went straight to considering feasibility? And you said you don't like Sakura... Naoki Senju silently complained.
"That's none of my business. If you don't bring enough people, I won't help you pursue Sakura."
Naruto gritted his teeth and, without hesitation, chose Sakura over Sakura face, determined to gather enough followers, even if it meant enduring countless scornful Byakugan!
"Okay, I agree! Remember to keep your word."
Naoki Senju, of course, wouldn't be so bored as to deceive a little brat like Naruto; with just one sentence, he dispelled Naruto's doubts:
"I swear on the name of ramen, I never lied to Naruto, or I'll never eat ramen again."
This vow, at least in Naruto's mind, still carried considerable weight; never being able to eat ramen again was such a cruel punishment.
It's a deal!
It's a deal.