Over fifty-four years had passed since Konoha's establishment. The Uchiha, Hyūga, Sarutobi, Ino-Shika-Chō... numerous secret technique clans still thrived in the village, maintaining their lineages' inheritance and pride. Only the Senju clan—the world knew merely that a Tsunade wandered outside.
The Senju hadn't been destroyed but had chosen self-dissolution under First Hokage Senju Hashirama's will.
Senju Momoka still remembered that moonless night, air so heavy it seemed blood could be wrung from it. Candlelight cast the two great lords' enormous, swaying shadows behind them, illuminating the entire Japanese-style room like a realm of ghosts.
Hashirama-sama sat in the main position. His usual gentle, embracing aura had completely vanished, leaving only a suffocating silence.
He seemed to still carry the scent of unwashed gunpowder and dust, but deeper was something seemingly emanating from his soul's depths—an inexpressibly thick exhaustion and sorrow. Momoka knew what it was—not long before, he had personally ended the life of the one entangled with him for half a lifetime, friend and foe alike: the "Apocalypse," Uchiha Madara.
That battle not only ended Uchiha Madara but seemed to drain away part of Hashirama-sama's vitality. Tobirama-sama stood attendant to the side, silver hair reflecting a cold iron luster in the dim yellow light, crimson eyes sharp as blades, sweeping past each Senju higher-up present, including Momoka herself. Night wind crept through door gaps, candle flames struggling and dancing, light and shadow swaying like the unsettled hearts of those present.
"After my elder brother, I will assume the position of Hokage." Senju Tobirama's voice broke the deathly silence with characteristic calm. "Madara is dead—there's no choice. But hidden dangers remain."
His gaze swept across everyone, ultimately settling on Hashirama, carrying a trace of barely perceptible worry, then turning to the others with increasingly severe tone: "A Konoha where the Senju clan consecutively serves as Hokage while maintaining a massive clan—in other ninja clans' eyes, what essential difference exists from the past 'Senju Ninja Clan'? They'll only perceive Konoha as 'the Senju's village'! This suspicion will coil around Konoha's foundation like poisonous vines, causing other families to lose motivation to strive for a common future."
The candle flame suddenly burst into a bloom, illuminating Hashirama's profile in alternating light and shadow.
He slowly raised his head. Those eyes once vibrant as forests now resembled the aftermath of a devastating wildfire, leaving only ash and bottomless exhaustion.
He spoke, voice hoarse and low, each word seemingly carrying the pain of unhealed wounds: "What Tobirama says... is correct."
His gaze lacked focus, as if penetrating walls to see Madara's final expression when falling. "I killed Madara... for the village. When ideals conflict, no matter how deep the friendship, how great the power, ultimately it leads only to... destruction."
His voice filled with immense pain from personally strangling his closest friend, yet this pain instead tempered unprecedented resolve.
"We established this village," Hashirama's gaze finally focused, sweeping across each person present, "to end the past's endless killing between ninja clans, to prevent children from struggling through mountains of corpses and seas of blood as we did! This village must transcend a single clan or surname. It must be a place bearing everyone's dreams, a village truly belonging to 'everyone'! This is the best path I could find..."
He drew a deep breath, voice becoming resolute: "For this village's purity, to prevent it being viewed as Senju private property, to eliminate suspicion's roots, to make all ninja clans truly regard this place as home rather than temporary lodging..."
Senju Hashirama's gaze fell upon Momoka. "For the village, friends, brothers, even... my own flesh and blood—as long as they threaten the village's future... all can be sacrificed."
An indescribable flood mixing shock, desolation, and bone-deep chill instantly swept over Momoka. When Hashirama spoke these words, something like substantive tides slowly emanated from his entire being. It wasn't an attack, yet was a silent declaration of absolute power and absolute will.
Momoka clearly felt that before this power, any one person present, even everyone combined, was like ants attempting to shake mountains. Thoughts of resistance hadn't yet formed before being crushed by that invisible might and the iron-cold resolve in his words, purchased at the cost of killing his closest friend.
Hashirama-sama... this time he's serious. He's determined that the ninja village system is the future's direction. For this, he'll pay any price, including the Senju clan's surname and glory.
"Therefore, we've decided to disband the clan." Tobirama continued at the appropriate moment. "This generation may retain the surname, but the next generation..."
"Including my elder brother's children, my bloodline—none will bear the Senju name henceforth."
He produced a thick scroll from his sleeve, slowly unrolling it.
"Those choosing to leave the clan and change surnames may receive compensation from clan assets." Tobirama clearly listed terms. "Money, secret technique scrolls, land, shinobi tools... all distributed according to these detailed regulations, sufficient to guarantee any clan member receives resources far exceeding what dependency on the clan could imagine, plus freedom for personal development."
Candlelight swayed, illuminating complex expressions on everyone's faces.
After initial shock and fury, subtle calculation began germinating. Lose the "Senju" designation? Certainly heartbreaking. But... Hashirama-sama's words were truly alarming.
And that compensation list was staggeringly generous.
Many secret techniques and wealth originally requiring life-and-death service to the family were now within easy reach.
Hashirama-sama and Tobirama-sama would consecutively become Hokage, meaning Senju influence remained—none dared bully clan members who changed surnames.
With higher leadership's unified will lost, with no prestigious person to lead resistance, facing massive benefits sufficient to guarantee or even improve personal life, future Hokage protection, and Senju Hashirama's firm conviction in the "village" ideal forged through blood and fire... the will to resist rapidly dissolved.
Especially among younger clan members, eyes even revealed longing to break free from ancient family restraints and begin new lives.
Momoka gazed at these two great lords. Outside the window, an owl's cry was like a dirge sung for the Senju clan.
They chose the "ninja village"—this dream-bearing place for the future—over the "ninja clan," past glory.
To eliminate "Senju Konoha" suspicions, to exchange for other ninja clans' genuine sense of belonging, for this ideal village to truly take root... they personally dismantled this banner condensed from countless blood and glory.
Ultimately, she bowed deeply. Resistance was meaningless and unwise.
In the ninja village era, ninja clans' significance had changed. Without external enemies' survival pressure, ordinary clan members leaving the Senju name might truly gain more freedom and opportunity. Hashirama-sama firmly believed this was a better system—for this he even killed Madara.
They wouldn't face threats from losing the name—because the Hokage was Senju Hashirama, the next would be Senju Tobirama. They could easily obtain secret techniques and wealth previously requiring blood and sweat. From an individual perspective, this was even... an easier, more prosperous path, and the method Hashirama-sama hoped for—integrating into the "village," this great family.
Thus, the once-glorious Senju clan silently melted into Konoha's streets and alleys like a receding tide.
Some chose new surnames, scattering throughout the village like seeds; others stubbornly guarded final pride, neither changing names nor leaving the group. Momoka was the latter. Shūji's grandparents and parents likewise.
They became as inconspicuous as those who changed surnames, because Konoha Village inherently had many without surnames. Precisely because of this, the Senju brothers tacitly permitted everything, leaving the old Senju mansion to these final guardians—small consolation for the past.
Now within the old mansion, only Momoka and Shūji remained as permanent residents. After the initial generation passed, their descendants mostly moved into village-assigned ninja apartments or purchased new residences in prosperous districts. Only during festivals did anyone return to the old mansion, briefly reminiscing past glory, discussing village matters, exchanging information.
Shūji's father grew up in Senju stories, remaining in the old mansion after starting his family. After his parents both died in battle, Momoka raised Shūji from age nine, watching him graduate from the academy at eleven, suffer critical wounds on the Cloud battlefield at fourteen, ultimately pulled back to the living world by Hashirama Cells.
Watching Momoka's profile sunk in distant, heavy memories, Shūji sat quietly beside her. Only when the old woman extracted herself from those complex thoughts and signaled his departure did he softly excuse himself, returning to his room.
Chapters in advance there: patreon.com/Thaniel_a_goodchild