I, Uchiha: Split Konoha

Chapter 191 The Secret of the Thousand Hands' Demise (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

"Aren't you coming with me to visit the Land of Water this time?"

Upon hearing this, Tsunade's eyes widened, and she slammed her hands on the table, shouting loudly. She knew that ever since the other party awakened Wood Release, she had been experiencing an indescribable emotion.

Putting aside other issues, the Uchiha have awakened Wood Release, so what is she? It doesn't matter if others laugh at her, she can't let the Uchiha laugh at her.

So recently she has been putting in a lot of effort to study the other person's body. Since the Uchiha can awaken Wood Release, there's no reason why she can't.

Seeing Tsunade's angry expression, as if she were possessing him, Uchiha Yoru gave a wry smile, slowly took out a scroll from his weapon pouch, and shook it to indicate that he was on a mission.

"The village has sent an urgent mission. Sarutobi Umeko's body has been displayed on the black market, and someone is using the body to exchange for a large bounty. This matter has blown up, and the village wants us to find out more."

As she said this, Uchiha Yoru looked at the other person with a strange expression, and Tsunade glared at her upon seeing this.

"Hey kid, what kind of look is that! Are you doubting me?"

It's obvious that they had just been in contact with Sarutobi Umeko not long ago, and judging from the time of her disappearance in the intelligence, it perfectly matches the time after they separated.

"If I wanted to kill a lowly servant girl, would I need such despicable means?"

As if she were being looked down upon, Tsunade sneered, "Kid, do you even know Sarutobi Umeko's surname before she married into the Sarutobi clan!"

"Senju! Sarutobi Umeko should be called Senju Umeko. I don't need to resort to underhanded tactics to deal with her."

At this point, Tsunade disdainfully tossed the scroll over, saying, "If I needed to resort to these underhanded tactics, I wouldn't leave any evidence."

She disdains resorting to underhanded tactics, not because she's incapable of them—after all, someone destined to become the Fifth Hokage wouldn't be unaware of such methods.

When Uchiha Yoru heard Sarutobi Umeko's information, he was extremely surprised, but after thinking about it carefully, he suddenly realized what was going on.

The original work doesn't mention much about the Third Hokage's eldest son and eldest daughter-in-law; he only had one child, Konohamaru.

Konohamaru learned Naruto's Sexy Jutsu at a young age, demonstrating his talent in ninjutsu. He later learned the Rasengan (rank A) and even defeated Pain's Hell Path during Pain's invasion of Konoha. He definitely belongs to the category of genius ninja!

At such a young age, the Sarutobi clan has no shortage of ninjutsu, but what about chakra?

Konohamaru's age, his status as a Jinchuriki and his family's bloodline limit suggest that he has an unusually large amount of chakra. This is where the problem lies.

The Senju clan, inheriting the Sage's Body, is known as the Thousand Hands of the Forest and was a top clan comparable to the Uchiha clan during the Warring States period.

It should be noted that apart from Hashirama Senju, no one possesses Wood Release. Therefore, the Senju clan's ability to contend with the Sharingan naturally relies on their own bodies.

The Senju clan is born with a vast amount of chakra and a resilient physique, and their control over chakra far surpasses that of others.

Otherwise, how could the Senju clan have fought the Uchiha clan for so many years?

"You mean Sarutobi Umeko is from the Senju clan! Then what?!"

Seemingly realizing something, Uchiha Yoru didn't press the matter further, while Tsunade, sitting in her chair, casually waved her hand, as if to pour herself a glass of sake.

However, just as her jade-like hand touched the sake bottle, Uchiha Yoru's hand grabbed it faster.

"Drinking alcohol is allowed, but in limited quantities each day."

Since their identities were fully exposed, there always seemed to be a barrier between the two. This barrier was based on their identities, including Senju and Uchiha, as well as their age difference.

But Uchiha Yoru was the kind of person who was determined. Once he made up his mind, he wouldn't let go. Without any hesitation, he held the small sake bottle and slowly poured a cup of sake for Tsunade.

"Annoying." Tsunade didn't utter the word "brat." She was well aware of Uchiha Yoru's actions, but her impatient demeanor made her want to refuse, yet her heart was filled with mixed feelings.

They are all adults. From a purely self-interested perspective, Tsunade's status alone is enough to make her a significant political force for the other side.

After all, Uchiha Yoru had revealed his will to reform.

Uchiha Yoru didn't bother to hide it; he was not only after Yoru's looks but also after her political power.

Tsunade was also extremely troubled, as this brat was likely to cause quite a stir in Konoha in the future.

Personally speaking, he awakened her Mangekyou Sharingan for her and risked his life for her. At that time, she was just an ordinary girl, without any feelings or interests involved. As for Mei Terumi? Pshaw, right now it's just her; he's already returned to Kirigakure.

That's why she was in a dilemma. She was already forty years old, while this kid seemed to be only seventeen, not even eighteen yet. It was like they were two different ages.

"Kid, can't you find a girl your own age?"

Tsunade picked up her wine glass with a rather troubled expression and tentatively asked, not being stupid, she could naturally see the other person's concern and tolerance for her.

You know, our identities have both been exposed, there's the age gap, and there's the relationship between the Senju and Uchiha clans. Couldn't you just take a step back a little, and I'll pretend nothing happened?

Let's just treat it as a beautiful memory, a stop on life's journey.

Sitting next to Tsunade, Uchiha Yoru, her fair hands painted with red nail polish, held a wine glass and sipped lightly. She casually laughed and said, "I looked, but it's still my sister who smells the best."

Under the obvious teasing, Tsunade shook her head, looking exasperated, and said, "I'm forty, and you're not even eighteen yet. I'm old enough to be your aunt, and you call me 'older sister'?"

Tsunade, who usually hates being called "Auntie," actually said it for the first time.

"No younger sister is as good as the older sister. The older sister is a treasure from head to toe." Uchiha Yoru bluntly said this, and then looked at Tsunade's entire body with a smile, shaking his head and saying, "Besides, the older sister is forever eighteen years old."

Good grief, just as Tsunade was about to get angry, Uchiha Yoru took out another scroll from his weapon pouch.

Tsunade looked like she was about to get angry, but the corners of her mouth curled up, clearly pleased with what she had just said. After all, she could make a seventeen-year-old boy infatuated with her; wasn't that confidence?

But when she saw the roll the other party handed her, her eyes widened, and her face turned red and then pale.

Looking at the scroll, Tsunade gritted her teeth and sneered, "Fine, everyone says the Uchiha clan is arrogant, but I didn't expect them to be so despicable. That old bastard Uchiha Setsuna, he's practically buried in the ground and he's still meddling in other people's business."

This scroll contains a letter passed down from the clan, and it's a handwritten, encrypted letter from Uchiha Setsuna!

The document clearly records Tsunade's personality and preferences, and solemnly tells Uchiha Yoru that all sacrifices are worthwhile for the sake of the clan.

He also taught her a series of witty remarks, including how to find Tsunade, one of the Three Legendary Sannin, in the Land of Whirlpools, and then use all his skills to defeat her.

It's quite obvious that Elder Setsuna Uchiha had his eye on the political forces behind Tsunade.

Uchiha Yoru betrayed the clan elders just like that, and Tsunade was so angry that her face turned green. She then turned around and looked at him with a threatening gaze.

"So, brat, are you carrying out a family mission?!"

Faced with Tsunade's threatening gaze, Uchiha Yoru revealed a gentle smile, slowly took the wine cup from her hand, refilled it, and nodded with a smile, saying, "Of course, I'm willing. It can help the clan and also help me fulfill my ideals."

"This is not just the best of both worlds, but I can hardly see any drawbacks." Uchiha Yoru did not proudly conceal his motives of acting out of self-interest.

In response to this answer, her slender, white fingers slowly raised the wine glass to her pink lips, taking a small sip of the wine as if savoring its sweetness. However, a smile slowly crept onto her lips.

No woman dislikes hearing sweet words.

Moreover, Uchiha Yoru's answer satisfied her greatly. He was completely open and honest: "I just like it. I like the body, I like being forever eighteen, and I also like the political power behind it, which can help me achieve my ideals."

He bluntly stated that he wanted to live off a woman.

But surprisingly, Tsunade couldn't get angry at all; in fact, she felt a sense of joy.

As she slowly sipped her drink, Tsunade's face showed a look of reminiscence. She sighed softly, "The Senju clan... after what happened back then, they can never go back..."

As Tsunade recounted her story, the truth behind the Senju clan's disappearance was finally revealed.

As one of the two founding clans of Konoha, the Senju clan is a force to be reckoned with, no less powerful than the Uchiha clan. They have even produced two Hokage, making them the undisputed number one clan in the ninja world.

Unfortunately, after the Second Hokage died in the Land of Lightning during the First Shinobi World War, the Senju clan suffered considerable casualties due to their frenzied retaliation. However, the real cause of the Senju clan's disappearance from Konoha was the First Hokage.

Or rather, the initial Wood Release plan.

After losing the First and Second Hokage, Konoha almost no longer possessed the strength to dominate the ninja world during the Fourth Shinobi World War. This huge gap led the Third Hokage and a series of high-ranking officials to have a terrible idea.

Researching Wood Release! This is the so-called Wood Release plan.

According to official records, the Third Hokage stated that the Wood Release project caused devastating losses, forcing the village to close the research and prohibiting others from continuing it.

What kind of loss could make the strongest ninja village describe it as "terrible"? That was the real reason for the Senju's disappearance.

The research on the Wood Release project finally made a breakthrough, and human trials began. The Senju clan was naturally the most suitable candidate.

Besides, how could the Senju clan, as the largest clan in Konoha, possibly allow outsiders to test their Wood Release techniques? What if an outsider awakened it? Wouldn't that be a slap in the face?

First, volunteers from the Senju clan participated. Although they failed repeatedly over time, they made another breakthrough. Although they haven't directly awakened Wood Release yet, the current research and development progress shows that the Wood Release project can strengthen the physique of Senju clan members and double their chakra.

After observing for a period of time and finding no adverse effects, although they had not succeeded in researching Wood Release, they had found a powerful direction. The Senju clan was so excited that they went crazy and injected everyone with the Wood Release cells they had developed.

In the period that followed, the Senju clan's power increased dramatically, and they almost firmly established themselves as the number one clan in the ninja world.

But no one expected that the development of the Wood Release project was full of instability. The powerful energy of the serum at that time was just lying dormant in the human body. After continuously absorbing nutrients and growing stronger, it suddenly erupted.

One by one, the members of the Senju clan roared as all their nutrients were absorbed and they were transformed into large trees.

"Can you imagine? I watched as my loved ones and clansmen turned into trees amidst their agonizing cries, leaving only tattered clothes scattered everywhere. They left nothing behind."

At this moment, Tsunade couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly, "The Senju clan, known as the strongest in the ninja world, was not destroyed by enemies, but by their own ambition."

"There were too many. None of the clansmen had imagined it at the time. By the time it happened, it was too late. During that period, the Senju clan was in seclusion. Every day, there were cries of agony, which also represented the appearance of a great tree."

"Children turned into saplings, while those with great strength and abundant chakra transformed into towering trees. During that period, too many trees appeared in the Senju clan, and in the end, all the trees were cut down."

As Tsunade recounted the Senju clan's past, Uchiha Yoru couldn't help but sigh. Who would have thought that the Senju clan was so perfect back then? It was practically a biohazard!

Indeed, the path of science is full of unknowns, perhaps a new beginning or a nightmare.

"As direct descendants, my brother Rope Tree and I were expected to achieve great things. Our clan believed that we were still young and that our bloodline was the most noble, so we should wait until the research was successful before using it. Unexpectedly, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise."

The Senju clan perished on this path, which is why such research is considered taboo.

"Heh, the once mighty Senju clan has gone from a bustling and prosperous clan territory to a silent forbidden land in less than a year. Only some weak women or those without ninja talent are still alive. The Senju clan has almost been wiped out."

"A group of old, weak, sick and disabled people, no more than a dozen in number, and mostly women, what could they possibly do? The Senju clan would have ceased to exist the moment all the men died, so my brother and I dropped the Senju surname."

Uchiha Yoru suddenly realized why Tsunade didn't have the Senju surname in the official data. Some people say that Kishimoto didn't plan to include this clan in the early stages, and that's certainly part of the reason.

And what about Nawaki? He also doesn't have the surname "Senju". (This is self-justification; it's all Kishimoto's fault.)

"Hehe, it was impossible for the Senju to exist after that. Sarutobi Umeko was just a little girl at that time."

It's clear that Tsunade was thinking of her younger brother. After losing Nawaki, the Senju clan completely lost any hope of rising again.

How can we rise up without men!

At this moment, a deep sadness lingered in Tsunade's eyes, and she sighed, "That's why I've dedicated myself to studying medical ninjutsu."

"So now, do you still have that thought?" Suddenly, Tsunade smiled, throwing her unpleasant memories to the back of her mind. She looked at Uchiha Yoru provocatively, teasingly lifting his chin with her fingers.

As the princess of the Senju clan, Tsunade could not marry down like others, so only a son-in-law could inherit the mission of reviving their Senju clan.

(End of this chapter)