Chapter 2: The "Integration Into Konoha" Policy
There had once been a piece of news that shook all of Konoha.
The daughter of the "God of Shinobi," the "current head of the Senju Clan," Senju Hashirama—had not married within the clan.
Instead, she had been wed, through what was essentially a political alliance, into the family of the daimyō of the Land of Fire.
She married an ordinary man.
A non-ninja.
And the little princess of the Senju, born several years ago, had not inherited the name "Senju" either. She was simply called Tsunade.
Because of her blood ties to the daimyō's family, she was granted the title Princess Tsunade, formally recognized as a princess of the Land of Fire.
For Tobirama, this was the ideal precedent.
He hoped that once the Senju set the example, other founding clans—the Hyūga, Uchiha, and the Ino–Shika–Chō alliance—would follow suit.
Only then could his grand vision be realized:
A Konoha with no clan divisions, no tribal boundaries—where all shinobi truly became one family.
Such an achievement would also fulfill the lifelong dream his elder brother Hashirama had cherished.
But the moment Tobirama revealed even a hint of such intentions, the great clans—led by the Uchiha—reacted with unprecedented hostility.
After Uchiha Kagami's mentor, Uchiha Setsuna, was arrested, the Uchiha radicals—previously suppressed—began resurfacing.
Konoha Prison was infiltrated multiple times in just three days…
In the end, with the outbreak of the First Shinobi World War, Tobirama had no choice but to abandon his plan of pushing the policy through—half forcibly or otherwise.
Annoyed but unable to spare the attention, he created the Uchiha Police Force as a containment measure… and then turned his full focus to the war.
---
Now, the rift between the younger and older generations of the Senju becomes far easier to understand.
For the young:
Their teens and twenties were supposed to be their era—to achieve merit, gain honor, and carve out influence.
To them, the Senju Clan remaining whole was essential.
Only a strong clan could shield them and help them secure greater rights within the village.
If the Senju name vanished—if they dissolved into the masses—
Wouldn't the once-mighty clan of a thousand years be reduced to mere civilian shinobi?
Their vast numbers, their unified front on battlefield and in village affairs—
Would all of that not crumble into scattered sand?
And after several generations of intermarriage, would their mixed-blood descendants still be considered Senju at all?
Would they not simply fade into the crowd—ordinary, indistinguishable, and mediocre?
By then, forget competing with their old rivals, the Uchiha.
They might not even compare to the Sarutobi, Shimura, Inuzuka, or Aburame—clans that, during the Warring States era, could only survive under the Senju's shadow.
For the elders, however, the situation was completely different.
Because of their seniority and merits, each one of them held important positions in Konoha.
Even if the Senju clan dissolved, they would live comfortably.
And due to the brutal slaughter of the Warring States period, two of the elders no longer even had direct descendants.
They had little left to worry about.
Moreover, as veterans who had survived the chaos of the old era, they harbored a near-blind reverence for Hashirama, the man who ended the age of endless conflict.
Naturally, that reverence extended to his younger brother, Tobirama.
To the point that they instinctively supported every decision made by the Senju brothers.
---
Outside the Senju clan meeting hall—the "Kōga Shrine"—the departing clansmen split cleanly into two groups.
Senju Morin was surrounded by more than a dozen young shinobi.
But he did not look at any of them. Instead, his deep gaze drifted toward the northern reaches of Konoha.
"Wait for the clan leader to return…?"
You'll be waiting forever, Morin thought silently.
To Morin, the success or failure of any plan hinged on choosing the right moment.
And the reason he chose this clan meeting to openly challenge the respected elders—
even gathering supporters and publicly questioning Clan Leader Tobirama's policy—
was because the moment he had waited for had finally arrived.
---
Senju Tobirama had left Konoha.
He and his Shadow Guard had traveled to the Land of Lightning to sign an alliance treaty.
The so-called "Shadow Guard" were in fact Tobirama's six disciples—nurtured almost as Hokage successors:
Sarutobi Hiruzen
Shimura Danzō
Koharu Utatane
Homura Mitokado
Akimichi Torifu
Uchiha Kagami
On paper, an elite escort.
Yet they would fail to protect their Hokage.
The invitation for alliance from the Land of Lightning carried no issue in itself—but within Kumogakure, a powerful faction vehemently opposed ending the war.
Unlike the First Raikage and his successors, the Second Raikage came from a different clan and was known for his love of peace.
Thus he ignored dissent and attempted to force the treaty through using the authority of the Raikage.
But in response, the famed Gold and Silver Brothers—leaders of the warmonger faction—launched a coup.
After assassinating the Second Raikage, they led a force of elite Kumogakure shinobi to hunt down Tobirama and his group throughout the Land of Lightning.
To protect Hiruzen and the other "young inheritors of the Will of Fire," the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, chose to stay behind and cover their retreat.
He ultimately died at the hands of the Gold and Silver Brothers.
---
Senju Morin knew all of this—every detail of the future.
But he did not know the exact day it would happen.
If he were planning the coup himself, he mused, he would strike on the very day of the treaty signing—or the instant the treaty was finalized.
That would be the moment when both Tobirama and the Second Raikage were at their most relaxed.
Opportunity comes only once. Miss it, and it never returns.
One way or another, he had to act before the world shifted.
---
Just then, a figure appeared silently at Morin's side, whispering into his ear.
Such a soundless arrival could only be achieved through the Body Flicker Technique.
The newcomer was Senju Tao, newly 18 years old, who had been promoted to jōnin just last year.
Including him, twelve elite young Senju surrounded Morin—every one of them a jōnin.
Some were childhood friends.
Some were comrades met later in his shinobi career.
Others had been rescued by him—or defeated by him—on the battlefield of the First Shinobi War.
Morin had already shared part of his plan with them and assigned each person a specific role.
Once the rest of the Senju clansmen had dispersed into the distance, Morin finally turned around, his expression stern as he issued instructions:
"The situation inside the village is in your hands. Until I return, you must maintain control. Do not—under any circumstances—let things slip."
"This concerns not only you and me, but the life and death of the entire Senju clan. You must not be careless."
"In my absence, follow Yu's orders completely. No one is to act without permission."
"Yes, sir!" the twelve jōnin answered in unison.