Almost all of the Senju who still bore their clan's surname followed in Nawaki's footsteps. It was Konoha's fault. Their treatment of the Se
Almost all of the Senju who still bore their clan's surname followed in Nawaki's footsteps.
It was Konoha's fault.
Their treatment of the Senju clan had been even worse than what the Uchiha endured. The methods they used were shameful. In Nawaki's past life, there had been a phrase for it—eating up the entire family. Ironically, this extinction had been set into motion by Tobirama Senju himself.
The Senju had once seized power, but failed to protect the interests they held. They went from being the distributors of benefits… to becoming benefits served on the table for others.
Konoha never gave the Senju a true sense of home—only endless exploitation.
Hatake Sakumo lowered his struggling hands. Doubt gnawed at him. Is such a Konoha worth my loyalty?
Why had the village sent him here today? His Hatake clan had once been vassals of the Senju.
A long sigh escaped him. Now that he had a family of his own, he realized he was chained to Konoha's chariot. He could not jump off, even if he wanted to. All he could do was stand by, watching the Senju clan walk away.
One by one, Senju clansmen stepped onto the wooden road that Nawaki had woven.
Only then did the other Konoha ninjas react.
Their tools, their human shields—the Senju—were about to slip from their control.
"Takagi! I won't allow you to betray Konoha!"
From the crowd, a Sarutobi clansman shouted, eyes bloodshot. His finger trembled as he pointed at the Senju walking the wooden path.
The man he called "Takagi" was a Senju clansman forced to abandon his surname and serve as cannon fodder under another's banner, all in the name of Tobirama's orders. He had been nothing but a beast of burden. And now… he was leaving?
Where would the Sarutobi get subordinates to exploit in the future? How could he allow this?
But the Senju ignored him. Nawaki's orders had freed them from such false righteousness.
"Earth Release: Flowing Earth River!"
The Sarutobi shinobi's rage boiled over. His face reddened as he formed hand seals, targeting every Senju who dared to leave.
But—
pfft!
He froze mid-seal.
A wooden spike shot up from beneath his feet, piercing his chest.
The road itself was their protection. Anyone who dared attack the Senju upon it would be impaled.
"You…" he croaked, eyes wide.
The thorn twisted, tearing his heart apart before withdrawing. A hole the size of a fist gaped in his chest.
He collapsed, lifeless.
The crowd around them recoiled. Fear rippled through the camp. Nawaki had proven his words with blood.
The Senju no longer belonged to Konoha. They would no longer bend their backs, no longer sacrifice themselves for other's glory.
Veteran shinobi crouched over the corpse, checking for signs of life. They shook their heads grimly.
Other hardened ninjas exchanged dark glances, resentment simmering. Their hands slipped toward kunai and shuriken.
Senju Dōma turned, placing himself at the rear of the Senju formation. His glare cut into the Konoha shinobi. The sight of the corpse disgusted him.
The Sarutobi really will seize any chance to drag us down.
He was ready to slaughter them all. Anyone who blocked the Senju's path to survival was his enemy—just as much as the false phantoms of Hashirama's chakra he had shattered.
Only Nawaki could lead them forward.
The air grew taut, moments away from battle.
"Enough—let them go!"
Hatake Sakumo's voice cut through the tension as he stepped between both sides. If a fight broke out here, Senju Dōma alone could butcher half the camp.
"Captain White Fang, if you let them go, Konoha's situation will collapse! We must stop them—!"
An ANBU protested, but his words trailed off into a whisper. He had no strength to continue, no reason to justify such a demand. Shame silenced him.
He stepped back.
Nawaki glanced at Sakumo. What White Fang was doing would only paint a target on his back. The Konoha elders would lay all the blame upon him.
How noble you are, Nawaki thought. And how tragic. A servant so loyal to Konoha… you're not even treated as a dog.
Half an hour later.
The Senju were gone. The Konoha camp was a husk, empty and silent.
Whispers spread like wildfire. Nawaki's killing of Sarutobi Shinnosuke was framed as murder—but the very act made him untouchable.
The more they slandered him, the more obvious his innocence became.
And now, without the Senju's manpower, the camp was fatally weakened. They could no longer hold the border.
After a long discussion, Sakumo and Orochimaru made the call: withdraw from the Rain Country, retreat into the Land of Fire.
The story spread quickly across the ninja world.
—That Nawaki Senju had slain Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
—That Hiruzen's title as Third Hokage was illegitimate.
—That the Senju had been driven out, crushed beneath years of injustice.
—That Wood Release had reawakened.
Each rumor struck like thunder, shaking nations.
And the vultures began to circle. Other villages, greedy for the Fire Country's riches. Predators eyeing the Senju clan, just as they once devoured the Uzumaki.
Konoha had lost its anchor. Without the Senju, it could no longer suppress the other four great villages.
The world was sliding into chaos.
…
By evening, the Senju had reached a small town within the Fire Country. They made camp, weary but resolute.
The road ahead was three days long. At its end lay their destination: the Fire City.
The clansmen were exhausted, yet in their eyes burned something long lost—hope.
Senju Dōma.
Senju Nawaki.
Two masters of Wood Release. Their leaders. Their shield. Their future.