Chapter 28 Planting Trees During the Ninja Village Period (8) Uchiha Hajime Attacking—…

After Ganligan took his seat, Minato Namikaze briefly introduced himself and Kushina, saying, "I am Minato Namikaze, and this is Kushina Uzumaki. You can come to me with any problems you encounter in Konoha."

Senju Take nodded in agreement, then picked up a wooden skewer and began cutting wagashi. He took a bite and his eyes lit up. It was lemon-flavored and very refreshing. Seeing how much he enjoyed it, Uzumaki Kushina was tempted to order one for herself. Noticing the red-haired woman's gaze, Senju Take picked up a new wooden skewer, cut off a quarter of the untouched part, and handed it to her.

Kushina Uzumaki unexpectedly took the wooden skewer with the wagashi (Japanese sweet) on it and ate it in one bite, revealing a happy expression.

Kushina Uzumaki: Delicious!

Then Kushina Uzumaki cut a quarter of her citrus-flavored drink and gave it to Takeya Senju.

Senju Takeya: My eyes lit up again and again.jpg

Kushina Uzumaki was completely charmed by the emotionless young boy in front of her.

Without a word, the atmosphere between the Thousand Hands and the Whirlpool quickly became exceptionally harmonious through simple sharing.

Meanwhile, Minato Namikaze, having roughly understood Senju Takeya's personality and how to get along with him in the future, turned to the rebellious Uchiha Ogima, saying, "Ogima-kun, you'd better tone it down a bit lately. Because of Takeya-kun, you're already attracting too much attention."

"Aren't there enough people paying attention to me already? If I restrain myself now, some guys who treat Konoha as their private property will be even less restrained." Uchiha Senji's words were sharp.

Perhaps it is the approaching end of the Uchiha clan that has led to the emergence of exceptionally precocious geniuses—first Uchiha Osaka, then Uchiha Shisui, and finally Uchiha Itachi. In the future, there may be even more exceptionally talented Uchiha children born.

Having gained a god-like perspective, Uchiha Osamu knew he would never allow the night of the massacre to come.

However, now that their Uchiha ancestors have risen from their coffins, even if Kaguya Otsutsuki were to come, they could still summon their ancestors to support the heavens. No matter how you look at it, it's impossible for the Uchiha to continue to decline.

Minato Namikaze knew he could only offer a reminder and couldn't change Uchiha Osamu's mind. "Jiraiya-sensei told me he's found Tsunade-sama's trail, and she'll probably be back in Konoha soon... You should be more discreet then."

Uchiha Senji remained silent, only offering a disdainful smile.

"You...you'll toned it down a bit, right? At least in front of Lady Tsunade."

Uchiha Senma's response was to keep his smile unchanged.

Minato Namikaze sensed something was wrong.

The only way to inform the Third Hokage of the situation was after the dinner party was over, which served as an advance warning.

Upon hearing news of Minato Namikaze, the Third Hokage fell silent.

Although the Third Hokage did explicitly state that the Uchiha were an indispensable member of Konoha and promised Fugaku Uchiha that he would find a way to improve the Uchiha clan's situation, he did nothing and didn't know how to do it. Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was deeply influenced by the words and actions of his teacher, the Second Hokage, was also very wary of the Uchiha clan and subconsciously regarded them as a potential threat.

However, compared to Shimura Danzo, who made no attempt to conceal his jealousy and malice towards the Uchiha clan and was so extreme that he wished he could exterminate their entire clan and gouge out their eyes, the Third Hokage was indeed quite dovish and conservative. It can only be said that there are differences because of comparisons.

Faced with the overly powerful Uchiha Ogima, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew he needed to make some adjustments, to change the other party... or perhaps to change himself. However, all of this depended on who had the greater strength. The weaker party had to adapt to the stronger party. This was the most basic logic and rule of the ninja world.

Meanwhile, because of Minato Namikaze's words, which reminded him of the unpleasant original plot, Uchiha Osaka grabbed his younger brother, who was at home, and began to give him a lecture as soon as he got home.

"Shisui, remember this: none of those ninja clans outside are good people. They're all bad guys trying to take a piece of the Uchiha clan! You can't easily trust anyone other than your brother and Takeya, including other Uchiha!" Uchiha Senma said seriously. "The bad guys outside love innocent and easily fooled little Uchiha like you! They might just deceive your feelings and then steal your Sharingan!"

“Senma-kun, the people outside aren’t as bad as you think…” Uchiha Shisui, who enrolled in the Ninja Academy this year, hesitated as he thought of his classmates who were so enthusiastic towards him.

"But you can't expect those people to be kind forever." Uchiha Senma sneered. "In this world, power is the foundation. We Uchiha should be the most suitable ninja clan to rule Konoha. Look at the Third Hokage. He didn't have the same deterrent power and outstanding ability as the first two Hokage. He only became Hokage because he was young and strong, and because of a word from the Second Hokage. I think the Second Hokage was also blind and had poor judgment. None of his students were good."

Uchiha Senma could openly express his admiration for the Second Hokage's research capabilities and planning skills, but he also utterly despised the man's vision and stubborn prejudice. Even the First Hokage would have to endure a venomous spray from Uchiha Senma.

Uchiha Shisui felt a suffocating discomfort at Uchiha Senma's words, but he still tried to listen, because in his heart, Senma's words were extremely weighty and meaningful, and Senma must have said them for his own good.

Despite his sensitive and cheerful nature, Shisui was still saddened by his brother's sharp and cruel words. Uchiha Shisui was a natural dove, which he probably inherited from his grandfather, Uchiha Kagami.

Unfortunately, his favorite guy, Genji, was a ruthless hawk, so his current and future position was implicitly given to the hawk who might slap Konoha hard at any time. Uchiha Shisui was prepared to accept this.

Ever since he started attending the Ninja Academy this year, his brother, Genma, who had always been protective of him, has started to lay bare some things for him to see in a bloody way, and has stopped indulging him at all.

Feeling suffocated and uncomfortable, Uchiha Shisui couldn't help but take out the palm-sized book "The Will of Fire" from his pocket and start reading. It was given to them by their teacher after they entered school. He wanted to distract himself, calm down, and stop thinking about those cruel and terrible things, so that his emotions could be calmed down a bit.

"What are you looking at!" Uchiha Senji couldn't believe that such a thing could appear in this house. Was this the kind of filthy thing that would appear in their hawkish Uchiha family?! This thing would surely corrupt his younger brother!

Uchiha Osaka burned the copy of "The Will of Fire" on the spot. "This kind of thing is not for you to read! We Uchiha should change those corrupt rules! Overthrow those immoral chessboards! Mercilessly slaughter those scum! This kind of thing is just the superiors brainwashing the inferiors! Do you think those old fogies would be willing to sacrifice themselves on the battlefield?! No! They wouldn't even be willing to let their own clansmen sacrifice themselves. They would only order other ninjas and other young people to be sent to the most dangerous battlefields! Isn't the Senju clan a bloody real-life example of this!"

Because both the First and Second Hokage came from the Senju clan, the Senju clan set an example by always being at the forefront, to prevent others from feeling resentful that they were enjoying the legacy of the two Hokage for nothing, which could affect the stability of Konoha. After all, rumors are a powerful force, and this was also due to the pride of the Senju clan itself.

And what happened? The Senju clan was almost wiped out. If it weren't for the appearance of Senju Takeya, the Senju clan would have been completely extinct once the last of the old people with the surname Senju reached the end of their lives. Although Tsunade was alive, she could no longer represent the Senju clan; she was just Tsunade.

Looking at the Sarutobi clan after the Third Hokage took over, they developed exceptionally well. As soon as Sakumo Hatake passed away, the Third Hokage's son and daughter-in-law immediately took his place. Currently, the Sarutobi clan has the best resources and the best mission conditions.

What does it mean to line one's own pocket? This is it—don't say you don't want to do it, but just because you are the Hokage, you inevitably benefit your own ninja clan. The previous two Hokage did this for the same reason, thinking that ninja clans need equality and peace of mind, which is why they made the Senju clan give up their surnames and integrate into Konoha. The current Senju elders are those who did not marry into the family or marry into the family back then, which is why they retained their surnames.

When going to the battlefield, the first two Hokage took the lead and charged to the front, standing in the most dangerous places, which was admirable. No one thought that being Hokage was an easy thing.

It has to be said that the Third Hokage set a good precedent. Everyone thought that being the Hokage was a good position, and that they could do it too. But Shimura Danzo thought the same way. If the position of the Third Hokage had been held by a ruthless figure like the First or Second Hokage, would Shimura Danzo have dared to even dream of it?

It can only be said that the gap between Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura was so small that Danzo Shimura really thought he could beat him.

The Hokage! Should be someone to be revered and worshipped, the most powerful being!

Even if the future Hokage isn't Uchiha Osaka, he has to be as powerful as Takeya, an invincible figure who can suppress the entire ninja world just by standing there!

As Uchiha Shisui listened and looked at the ashes on the ground, his hands trembled slightly. He glanced at Uchiha Senma's eyes and then looked away as if he had been electrocuted, not daring to look again. He felt that if he looked at him for even a second, he would be burned to ashes by the blazing, open fire in the other's eyes. Uchiha Shisui's emotions were complicated because he truly believed in his brother's words.

But can an Uchiha like that survive in Konoha and live peacefully with others?

Is the Uchiha's power really enough? Even someone as powerful as Ogima is only 8 years old this year! They need time to recover and grow stronger, so they must act gentle and friendly during this period, showing respect and admiration for those in power, so that the other party can feel at ease and give them trust.

As the younger brother, isn't his duty to assist his older brother? What his older brother can't do, he should do—

Realizing what he was thinking, Uchiha Shisui's breathing became erratic. He dared not let Senma-nii know what he was thinking, because in Senma-nii's eyes, he had always been a simple and kind little sun, a gentle younger brother like water. Uchiha Shisui had always been the kind of obedient younger brother in Uchiha Senma's eyes.

However, it was at this moment that Uchiha Shisui realized that he was also a typical Uchiha patriot at heart. He also wanted the Uchiha to live better in Konoha. However, due to differences in personality and strength, his choice was completely different from that of his frank and outspoken older brother. His first thought was to try to integrate into the current social hierarchy of Konoha and then find a way to change things.

That way, if something happens to Senma-san in the future, or if he fails, he might be able to lend a hand, or even take the fall himself...

No, no, no, how can we imagine the worst possible future for Genji!

Stopping the terrifying thoughts from his mind, Uchiha Shisui looked around frantically before picking up a broom and starting to sweep the floor.

"What are you sweeping for! I don't need you to sweep the floor!" Uchiha Senma forcefully snatched the broom from Uchiha Shisui's hand. "Get out of here, go play outside!"

"I...I'll be back before curfew!" Uchiha Shisui hurriedly ran out along the steps given to him by Uchiha Senma.

Uchiha Senma watched his younger brother run away, clicked his tongue, muttered to himself, "When did our house start having a curfew?" and then bent down to sweep the ashes.

It was only 2 PM, and the sun was shining brightly. Uchiha Shisui was momentarily blinded by the sunlight after running out.

Curly-haired Uchiha hesitated for a moment and did not go to the clan head's house to find Uchiha Itachi. It was his first time being an older brother, and he was actually very nervous because he did not know if he could be an excellent and reliable older brother like Ogi. Therefore, he was not too bold to go to find his younger brother Itachi alone.

Once he gets a little stronger, he can use the excuse of helping Itachi train to go play with his younger brother whenever he wants, and the clan leader won't say that Itachi is being playful or anything.

Having made up his mind, Uchiha Shisui began to wander aimlessly through the somewhat bustling streets of Konoha.

Since the Uchiha clan's reputation gradually improved, Uchiha Shisui clearly felt that the occasional gazes cast upon him were warmer, which made the emotionally sensitive Uchiha clan much happier.

Uchiha Shisui saw the Yamanaka family's flower shop. The person walking out of the flower shop was none other than Senju Takeya, who had bought flower seeds and soil and was planning to return to his clan's territory. He was the Wood Release user with a distant and tranquil demeanor, the Wood Release user that Senju Takeya kept mentioning and thinking about since he came to Konoha.

The person stood in the sunlight, radiating a calm, gentle yet undeniable glow, much like the source of light itself.

Noticing Uchiha Shisui's gaze, which seemed indifferent and detached, Uchiha Shisui felt relaxed and comfortable.

As if guided by some unseen force, Uchiha Shisui bravely stepped forward and said, "Hello!"

The Wood Release user looked down at him with a slight bow.

"Let me help you carry some!" Uchiha Shisui looked at the boxes piled up in the other person's arms, which were already taller than the other person's head, and offered to help very kindly.

The Wood Release user remained silent for a while, then used one hand to give one of the boxes containing flower seeds on top to Uchiha Shisui. The boxes he was holding were obviously very heavy, but even so, it was clear that the Wood Release user could hold them steadily with one hand.

Uchiha Shisui was deeply moved—was this the Senju's monstrous strength? So powerful!

For some reason, I have this inexplicable urge to be picked up and lifted high in the air by him... Wait, what is he thinking?!

Feeling like he was under the spell of the Thousand Hands, Uchiha Shisui shook his head, trying to shake off the incredible images that were surfacing in his mind.

Noticing the curly-haired Uchiha's movement, Senju Take also tilted his head slightly towards Uchiha Shisui.

"It's alright! I'm fine!" Uchiha Shisui instinctively straightened his back.

Senju Take nodded and reached out a hand to ruffle Uchiha Shisui's curly hair.

The other party didn't say anything, but Uchiha Shisui could already hear his own heart pounding more and more violently, and he felt a sense of elation.

Uchiha Shisui, whose steps seemed to float on clouds, carried the box given to him by the Wood Release user. As if he had received a license, he naturally activated the follow mode and entered the Senju clan's territory.

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Author's Note: After reading yesterday's comments, I feel I can talk about the setting. Since I've already written about the ninja village period, I won't be involved in any spoilers. It's been a while since I've chatted with everyone in the author's notes section.

Takeya is indeed a pure-blooded Senju. This identity comes from his and Ogima's previous life as Hokage, who named this identity "Senju Takeya." So, after arriving in the ninja world, he is a true Senju. After his bloodline was upgraded, Takeya directly mastered the Sage's Way without a teacher. (The ninja world only gave him the Senju bloodline. Takeya's strength is purely due to his own extraordinary talent. If there had been a spiritual revival in Takeya's previous life's world, Takeya could have awakened in the same way. In fact, it's because a completely technological world can't unleash its own child's true talents, so they can only sadly let him die in a reasonable way and send him to another family. The same applies to Ogima.)

Although the atmosphere was awkward when Ashura first met Takeya, he still felt a sense of closeness to him. They were indeed closer by blood. Indra's intuition was right; he hadn't let the two meet at the right time and place. Otherwise, even if Takeya was closer to him, Indra would still be as jealous as Tsugikuni Kokusatsu (Tsugikuni Kokusatsu: ?).

The reason Takeya arrived so early was that the ninja world wanted him to be Ashura's teacher, to help Ashura grow more outstanding and rational, to resolve any potential conflicts between Ashura and Indra, and to lead the ninja world towards a better future (but this was thwarted by Indra's first runaway, which subsequently cut off all possibilities for Ashura to meet Takeya). Otherwise, Takeya would have been born in Konoha like Ogima. However, in that case, he would most likely have been born even earlier during the early days of Konoha's founding, and as he grew up, due to his exceptional talent and popularity, he would have been jointly chosen by the two founding clans to become the Second Hokage, thus becoming like Takeya and Ogima.

(Takeya: Really? I'm going to be my best friend's godfather? / Ogima: What an amazing start! My godfather is my best friend, so I'm not going to act anymore—I'm going to inherit my godfather's position and become Konoha's future Satr.)

No one would question whether Takeya is truly a pure-blooded Senju. I didn't mention any DNA testing scenarios because Wood Release is a bloodline limit. For a ninja, if you can use Wood Release, can't you be a Senju? Just like if you can rage open the Sharingan, you must be an Uchiha. In the ninja world, bloodline limits are the best proof of bloodline. Whether it's the Uchiha or the Hyuga clan, they will always intermarry within their clan to maintain the purity of their bloodline.

No one doubts Takeya now. Once Takeya truly demonstrates the strength of his Wood Release, no one will question it anymore. Even if someone realizes that Takeya's Wood Release is different from Hashirama Senju's, they will naturally assume that Wood Release has two forms, and that the former has greater mobility and endurance. Takeya's path is completely different from other Wood Release users. He is not a ninja. From the beginning, when "his whole body was flowing with natural chakra," he has been growing towards the path of a god who surpasses the Otsutsuki god. In the end, everything for him is the way of nature. He doesn't need to do anything; everything will naturally develop in the best direction according to his wishes—as if heaven were helping him.