“Did you hear?
The Clan Head actually wants that terrifying man to become Hokage?!”
“Shh!”
The other man quickly gestured for silence and lowered his voice.
“Keep it down.
Haven’t you noticed how terrible the elders look right now?”
Senju Aoi followed his cousin’s gaze and saw that the First Elder, Second Elder, and Third Elder, seated at the front of the hall, all wore grim expressions and sat in silence with their eyes closed.
Slide—
The shoji door was suddenly opened.
“Oh, Tobirama.
Hashirama—when will the Clan Head arrive?” the Second Elder asked in a deep voice.
“Soon.”
Tobirama glanced at him, his tone somewhat cold.
A few moments later—
Slide!
The paper door opened once again.
Everyone’s eyes immediately turned toward the entrance.
Senju Hashirama, dressed in plain robes, walked slowly to the center of the room and faced the assembled clan members.
The crowd instantly rose to their feet, bowed deeply, and spoke in unison.
“Greetings, Clan Head!”
“Be seated.”
Kaito sat down in the seat of honor and calmly reviewed everyone’s information in his mind.
The room fell silent.
At last, the Third Elder could no longer restrain himself.
“Clan Head!
I have devoted myself to this clan with absolute loyalty, risking my life without hesitation!
Why, then, do you insist on making that bastard the Hokage?”
He deliberately raised his severed arm and shouted angrily,
“I refuse to accept this!”
“Yuanzhi, calm down.
Your arm—and countless clan members—were lost because of them.
The Clan Head will surely give everyone an explanation.”
The Second Elder appeared to be trying to calm the Third Elder, though the malice in his expression was obvious.
Only after they had finished their performance did Kaito finally speak.
“Anyone else?
Feel free to speak openly.
First Elder, what about you?”
Senju Aoi instinctively wanted to say something, but his cousin immediately held him back.
The look in his eyes clearly said:
Do you have a death wish?
The First Elder slowly opened his eyes.
“I have no grievances.
I’m simply old enough to remind the Clan Head of one thing: outsiders will always be outsiders.
Your true family, your true support, is us.”
“Anyone else?”
Kaito ‘s gaze swept across the room.
“If you don’t speak now, then remain silent afterward.
Don’t wait until later to suddenly stand up one by one.”
At the Second Elder’s prompting, many clan members stood and began airing their grievances and complaints.
Tobirama glanced at his elder brother with interest.
In the past, Hashirama would probably have already apologized while bowing repeatedly.
But after their discussion that afternoon, Tobirama was very curious to see how his brother intended to break the deadlock.
After everyone had finished speaking, Kaito nodded.
“I understand all of your concerns.”
He paused.
“First, let me make one thing clear: anyone who wants to leave the Senju Clan may do so right now.”
The room erupted into an uproar.
“That includes the elders.
If you’re tired, then resign.”
“What?!”
All three elders were shocked.
“I’m making myself perfectly clear.
If you want to leave, do it now.
If you stay, then you’ll follow my orders.”
“Hashirama!
Are you trying to establish a dictatorship?!”
The Third Elder’s eyes filled with hostility.
Facing the uproar, Kaito ‘s expression hardened as he released his aura.
Instantly, everyone who had spoken out fell silent.
Cold sweat covered their bodies.
Among the crowd, two young men who had just reached adulthood whispered to each other.
“Just his presence alone is this overwhelming.
Truly worthy of being the Clan Head.
What do you think, Shumo?”
“My father’s strength has never been in question.”
Senju Shumo’s handsome face shone with admiration as he gazed at Hashirama.
“He has always made us feel safe.”
The First Elder endured the pressure and said,
“Clan Head!
No matter how powerful you are, governing a village requires more than brute force!
What, are you planning to kill us all?”
“When did I ever say I was going to kill anyone?”
Kaito laughed coldly.
“This is reform.”
“You only care about protecting your own interests while ignoring the clan and the village.
Don’t think I don’t know what you’ve been doing behind the scenes.”
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
At Kaito ‘s signal, Tobirama pulled out three scrolls and opened them one by one.
Inside was detailed evidence of every dirty deed committed by the three elders and their followers.
Tobirama began reading aloud.
“August fifteenth.
A subordinate of the First Elder forcibly married the daughter of the Hatake Clan Head in an attempt to steal the Hatake clan’s sword techniques.
The clan head refused and was killed.
His daughter suffered repeated abuse before ultimately taking her own life.
The First Elder then concealed the truth by announcing she had died of illness.”
Gasps echoed throughout the room.
The First Elder’s face turned purple.
“During last year’s spring planting season, the Second Elder led an armed group into the Kurama clan compound under the pretext of ‘supporting Konoha’s construction.’ Those who resisted had their right legs broken.
When a young girl begged for mercy, she was…”
The Second Elder’s pupils dilated sharply.
He tried to speak, but Hashirama raised a hand and silenced him.
“Subsequent investigation revealed that the true objective was obtaining the Kurama clan’s Kekkei Genkai.”
Tobirama continued.
“The Third Elder led clan members in a public search of the Uchiha district under the pretext of harboring criminals.”
He paused.
“You should consider yourselves fortunate that Madara chose not to pursue the matter.”
…
The sound of grinding teeth echoed from the Third Elder’s mouth.
Seeing that the other two elders had already surrendered, he reluctantly lowered his proud head.
Kaito stared at the Third Elder’s face, twisted by rage.
In his mind flashed theories from his previous life’s online discussions regarding the eventual decline of the Senju Clan.
He slowly spoke.
“When Madara and I founded this village, our purpose was to unite everyone and end the era of war.”
He swept his gaze across the room.
“And what about you?”
“You use peace as an excuse to commit vile acts.”
“What right do you have to face the family members who died in battle?”
“And you dare speak to me about hatred?
About injustice?”
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The Second Elder immediately slammed his head against the floor several times.
“Clan Head!
We’ve lost sight of our original ideals.
We were blinded by greed.
We’ll change immediately!”
His eyes darted around before he cautiously added,
“However, if Uchiha Madara is to become Hokage, shouldn’t the villagers decide?
Whoever is elected by popular vote would better represent the will of Konoha.
It would also give us an explanation to present to the daimyo.”
“You think I don’t know what you’re planning?”
Kaito snorted.
“The daimyo?
Hah.”
“Madara possesses the strength, the methods, and the achievements required.”
He continued coldly,
“With him around, perhaps you’ll all learn some restraint.”
“I hereby announce that the Senju Clan will retain only two businesses and one residential district within Konoha.”
“Everything else will be exchanged with other clans for resources.”
“A few positions will remain in the village, but the majority of the clan will return to our ancestral lands and focus entirely on training.”
“The other nations have coveted us for a long time.”
“The age of war has never truly ended.”
“You are not merely Konoha’s founders.”
“You are its protectors.”
“I object!”
A clan member suddenly stood up.
“Clan Head, did I hear correctly?
Not only are you making Uchiha Madara the Hokage, you’re also forcing us to surrender our interests and withdraw from Konoha?”
“Hmph.”
Kaito released his chakra pressure.
Pfft!
The man immediately spat blood.
“Senju Hashirama!
I’ve rendered great service to this clan!
I refuse to—”
The Wood Clone raised a finger.
Several wooden spikes shot forth instantly.
The man failed to dodge.
The spikes pierced through his abdomen, spraying blood everywhere as he collapsed to the floor.
“Publicly challenging the Clan Head.”
Kaito ‘s expression remained indifferent.
“In consideration of your past contributions, your life will be spared.”
“Drag him away.”
“He is expelled from the Senju Clan.”
His gaze swept over everyone present.
“Who else objects?”
“Stand up.”
“Leave immediately.”
The remaining clan members shivered.
That man had been one of the clan’s elite pillars.
If even he could be severely wounded and expelled without hesitation, who among them dared object?
What’s happened to Father?
Shumo stared at Hashirama in horror.
What happened to his usual kindness?
The First Elder cast a questioning glance at Tobirama, as if asking:
What’s wrong with Hashirama?
It’s like he’s become a completely different person.
Tobirama merely smiled faintly.
The message was obvious:
Behave yourself, or you’ll end up the same way.
By this point, Kaito ‘s Wood Clone had already finalized a series of reforms and ordered the establishment of numerous administrative institutions and facilities.
Intimidated by his overwhelming authority, none of the clan members dared resist.
After the meeting ended, he and Tobirama exchanged a knowing smile.
This was only the beginning.
The elders would eventually be abolished.
The clan itself would require a complete restructuring.
As for the daimyo?
Who did they think they were?
At that moment, Tobirama suddenly asked,
“The guards reported that Madara has been chasing your real body around and beating on him.
He seemed extremely angry.
What happened?”
The Wood Clone looked equally confused.
“No idea.”
“As long as I haven’t dispelled, it means the original body is still alive.”
“Don’t worry.”
“Hmph.”
Tobirama still looked displeased.
“That bastard’s getting off too easily.”
Just imagining Madara proudly wearing the title of Hokage made him furious.
“The evil Uchiha…”
He narrowed his eyes.
“If I ever get the chance…”