"Did you hear? The clan head actually wants that terrifying guy to become the Hokage?!"
"Shh~" The other made a silencing gesture and lowered his voice. "Keep it down. Haven't you seen how grim the elders look?"
Senju Aoi followed the direction his older cousin indicated and saw the First Elder, Second Elder, and Third Elder kneeling solemnly at the head, their faces dark, sitting in silence with their eyes closed.
"Swish~" Suddenly, the shoji door slid open.
"Oh, it's Tobirama… when will the clan head arrive?" the Second Elder across from him asked in a deep voice.
"Soon…" Tobirama glanced at the other man, his tone somewhat cold.
A moment passed…
"Swish!" Just then, the paper door slid open once more.
Everyone's eyes fixed on the entrance.
There stood Hashirama Senju, dressed in plain clothes, walking slowly to the center and facing them.
Everyone immediately rose, bowed at a ninety-degree angle, and said in unison, "Greetings, Clan Head!"
"Please, sit…"
Hashirama knelt at the head seat, calmly reviewing each person's information in his mind.
The room fell into silence…
The Third Elder couldn't help but question him. "Clan Head, I have served this clan with absolute loyalty, risking my life! Yet why would you let that bastard become Hokage?"
He deliberately twisted his severed arm stump and roared fiercely, "I won't accept this!"
"Yūji, calm down. Your severed arm and countless clansmen died at their hands! The clan head will certainly give everyone an explanation!"
The Second Elder was subtly goading the Third Elder with ill intent.
Hashirama waited until their performance ended before speaking. "Anyone else? Feel free to speak your mind. What about you, First Elder?"
Senju Aoi wanted to say something, but his cousin immediately held him down, a tense look in his eyes as if saying, "Don't seek death!"
"This old man has no complaints. I'm just old and wish to remind the clan head: outsiders are always outsiders. Your family and your support are us!"
"Anyone else who wants to speak? If you don't speak now, listen later. Don't come forward one by one afterward."
Prompted by the Second Elder's signal, other clan members also stepped forward to voice their grievances and complaints.
Tobirama watched his brother with interest. In the past, the man might have already bowed his head and apologized, but after their long conversation this afternoon, he was curious to see how his brother would break the deadlock.
"I understand all your demands. First, let me say this: anyone who wants to leave the Senju can do so right now!"
At these words, the entire gathering erupted in uproar!!!
"That includes the elders. If you're tired, you can resign and take responsibility."
"What?" The three elders were shocked simultaneously!
"I'll put this out there now. If you want to leave, do it now! If you choose to stay, you must listen to me!"
"Hashirama! Are you trying to rule by decree?" The Third Elder's eyes flashed with menace.
Confronted with the noisy crowd, Hashirama's expression sharpened, and he immediately unleashed his presence, pressing down on them!
Those who had been questioning fell silent, breaking out in cold sweat.
Among them, two young men who had just come of age whispered to each other. "Just his presence alone is this overwhelming. As expected of the clan head. Don't you think, Shigeru?"
"Father's strength is beyond doubt! Always reassuring!" Senju Shigeru's handsome face bore bright, focused eyes full of admiration for Hashirama.
The First Elder spoke under the pressure. "Clan Head! Although you are powerful, governing a village isn't just about brute force! Are you going to kill us all?"
"When did I ever say I was going to kill anyone? This is reform!
You only care about the benefits in your hands, disregarding the clan and the village. Don't think I don't know about the shady dealings you've been conducting in private!"
"Clap, clap, clap!" With Hashirama's clap,
Tobirama took three scrolls from his robe and opened them one by one. Inside were all the vile deeds committed by the three elders and their subordinates!
Tobirama read them out sternly, one by one.
"On the fifteenth of August, the First Elder's trusted subordinate forcibly married the daughter of the Hatake clan head, secretly plotting to steal their sword techniques! The clan head refused to yield and died rather than submit. His daughter was abused day and night, eventually taking her own life from the humiliation. To cover up the truth, the First Elder declared her death an illness."
Gasps came from the crowd, and the First Elder's face instantly turned purple.
"Last spring, during the plowing season, the Second Elder, under the pretext of 'Konoha's construction,' led men into the Kurama clan grounds. Those who resisted had their right legs broken. When a young girl pleaded through tears, she was right then and there…"
The Second Elder's pupils shrank sharply, his throat bobbing as he tried to defend himself, but Hashirama raised a hand to stop him.
"According to the investigation, his true purpose was the Kurama clan's Kekkei Genkai!"
"The Third Elder led clansmen on the pretext of searching for a hidden criminal, openly raiding the Uchiha settlement!
Be grateful Madara didn't say anything at the time…"
Skipping…
The sound of "grinding, grinding…" came from the Third Elder's mouth as he gritted his back teeth unwillingly.
But seeing that the other two elders didn't resist, he had no choice but to lower his proud head.
Hashirama stared at the Third Elder's face, twisted with rage, as a past life's analysis of the reason for the Senju clan's demise flashed through his mind.
Then he spoke slowly: "My original intention in founding the village with Madara was to unite everyone and end the wars.
What about you? Using peace as a pretext to commit vile deeds! How can you face your fallen kin? You talk to me about hatred? About grievances?"
"Thump, thump, thump!" The Second Elder immediately slammed his head heavily against the floor several times, repenting. "Clan Head, I admit we were blinded by greed and forgot our original intentions. We will change!"
His eyes darted around, and after raising his head, he suggested, "However, regarding making that Madara Uchiha the Hokage, we must consider the people's opinion. Someone elected by the people would better embody the village's will! It would also give the Daimyō an explanation."
"Do you think I don't know what you're plotting? The Daimyō? Hmph~"
"Madara's strength is sufficient, his methods and achievements are enough."
Hashirama sneered, "With him in place, you'll be forced to restrain yourselves. Now, I declare that the Senju will retain only two businesses and one settlement in the center of Konoha! The rest will be exchanged for resources with other clans!
Leave a few jobs; most of the clan will return to our ancestral grounds, focusing on training and improving our strength!
Other nations have coveted us for a long time; the wars have never truly ended! You are not only Konoha's founders but also its protectors!"
"I object! Clan Head, did I hear that correctly? You want not only to make Madara Uchiha the Hokage but also for us to give up our interests and withdraw from Konoha?"
"Hmph!" Hashirama channeled his chakra, pressing down on that clan member.
"Pfft~" The man spat blood. "Hashirama Senju! I have rendered outstanding service to this clan! I refuse to accept…"
A Wood Clone of Hashirama extended his index finger, and multiple wooden spikes shot out with extreme speed!
The man couldn't dodge; the spikes pierced his abdomen, blood splattering as he immediately collapsed to the ground.
"Publicly challenging the clan head. Considering your past service, drag him out and expel him from the clan… Who else dares to disobey? Step forward and leave now!"
The others shuddered. That was an elite backbone of the clan, expelled after such severe injury? How would they dare to disobey?
"What's happened to Father? Where is his usual kind personality?" Shigeru watched his "father" in horror.
The First Elder looked questioningly at Tobirama, as if asking, "What's wrong with Hashirama? He's like a different person!"
Tobirama merely curled his lip, signaling him to obediently listen, or else face the same fate.
By then, the Wood Clone Hashirama had already made a series of arrangements and ordered the establishment of various institutions and facilities.
The clan members, cowed by his domineering methods, offered no resistance for the time being.
After the meeting, he exchanged a knowing glance with Tobirama…
He thought to himself, "This is just the beginning. The elders can be abolished later. The clan will need a major overhaul too!
As for the Daimyō? What are they even?"
Just then, he heard Tobirama's question. "A report came from the guards. That Madara guy is chasing your real body, hitting him, and seems really angry. What's that about?"
The Wood Clone Hashirama was equally perplexed. "No idea. But since I haven't disappeared, it means the real body is fine. Don't worry."
"That bastard sure is getting a good deal this time." Tobirama was still frustrated thinking about the man proudly taking the Hokage title.
"Hmph! Damn Uchiha. Don't let me catch an opportunity, or else…"
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