Year 31
With the fall of the Titan, across the Elemental nations, the news spread like wildfire. Each Kage reacting in their own way.
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Sunagakure, Kazekage Office.
KUANG!!!!!
A ceramic vase shattered against the wall.
"WHAT. Senju Hashirama died a month ago, and We're only learning this now?! FOOOLLSSS!!! INCOMPETNET FOOLSSS!"
Second Kazekage Shamon was livid. The death of the Ninja God, which transpired less than a month ago, had just reached his ears.
"A-AA-Apologies Kazekage-sama," a jonin stammered. "Our agents weren't sure if the intel was genuine. We feared it might be Konoha's trap. And… all of our spies and informants were purged–"
"IS this a joke?! News this significant should've been reported immediately! Verify later, report first!"
Shamon's fury simmered into cold calculation and his index finger broke into the table..
'This calls for reform. A new branch – specialized in deep infiltration, espionage, and covert operations. We need shadows behind the scenes.'
As he recollected his thoughts, he glanced at the jonin still kneeling before his desk.
"FOOOL! What are you waiting for! Summon the village council!"
"H-Hai!!! Kazekage-sama."
The Jonin fled in hurry.
***
Iwagakure, Tsuchikage office
Mu sat calmly at his desk, reading the report. He then passed it to his disciple, Onoki, who nearly dropped it.
"???!!!!! Hashirama-dono… is dead?!! LAST MONTH??!!!"
Mu's voice was quiet, but sharp
"Heh. I don't know if our shinobi have grown incompetent… or if Tobirama is simply TOO competent."
The jonins before him trembled. Despite the winter chill, sweat soaked their robes.
"M-mm-Mercy! Tsuchikage-sama! Please show us mercy! We will double – no, quadruple our efforts!"
"I'll be watching your progress. You're dismissed."
"THANK YOU! Tsuchikage-sama!"
They backed out of the room, never daring to turn their backs.
Onoki frowned.
"Sensei… wasn't that a bit too much?"
Mu didn't look away from the window.
"You have much to learn, Onoki. When you have a valid excuse, use it to 'motivate' your subordinates."
He paused.
"Tobirama outmaneuvered us. He didn't even inform his own Daimyo. Our networks were snuffed out just before Hashirama's death. He waited, froze our intel, and bought Konoha time."
"I see… I still have much more to learn."
Mu smiled faintly behind the bandages and lightly tapped toward his temple.
"You've already mastered Dust release. Your future is secure. Now you need some experience and wisdom."
He stared out at the snowy rooftops of Iwagakure.
'War is coming. Our goals are clear: tailed beasts and jinchuriki. Some Powers must be seized at any given opportunity– not let it be wasted on some weaklings.'
***
Kumogakure, Raikage Office.
"WHAT IS THIS!! Senju Hashirama died last month and we only found out after the New Years ceremony??!!! SENSEI – I mean, RAIKAGE-sama!"
Second Raikage sighed.
"Calm down A!..... You're getting married next year, right?"
"??!!! Yes Sensei!"
'Maybe a wife will bring some sense into him.'
"You'll be head of your own family soon. You can't solve everything with brute force."
"But didn't you say that if problems aren't solved easily, I'm just not strong enough?"
"…Did I? Well, there's a limit to strength. If you reach Hashirama's level – never mind. Just get married. You'll understand."
"Oh! Okay, Sensei!"
'This muscle-brained idiot… I need to assign him a proper adjutant. Saishu is calm and strategic. His son Dodai seems quite promising... They'll be vital for A's future.'
Raikage rubbed his temples.
'With Hashirama gone, war will erupt on a scale unseen before. It's only a matter of who strikes first. But Kumogakure's priority should be…'
"A. How is… Blue B?"
A turned serious at the mention of jinchuriki.
Blue B, A's five-year-old nephew, was the third jinchuriki of the Eight Tails. A's two older brothers, both former jinchuiki, had died when the beast went berserk. The village had sealed the Eight Tails in to Blue B, believing a young body could better adapt.
"Blue B is fine. I'll protect him."
"That's good. He'll be your partner when you become Raikage. Just like how your brothers were to the Shodai and me."
A nodded silently, touching the zigzag scar on his chest, a reminder of the Eight Tail's power. He had once been ready to become the next jinchuriki. But fate chose his nephew instead.
He swore to protect him.
***
Kirigakure, Mizukage Office.
Hozuki Gengetsu trembled as he read the report. The jonins in the room felt the temperature rise – steam began to fill the air as Gengetsu's chakra flared, mixing fire and water.
Yuki Shuoto signaled the jonins to leave. They fled hurriedly with relief.
Gengetsu exploded.
"KUAAAAAAAA! IS this a joke? Are Kirigakure shinobi a joke! Hashirama died last month and we had no idea?! And our entire spy network went dark?!"
"Mizukage-sama," Shuto said calmly, "Tobirama was prepared. He knew Konoha would be vulnerable after Hashirama's death. He let us think we were safe; He purposefully caught only a few spies, tracked the rest, and struck when it mattered."
"…I know. It was the perfect moment. Tch! Now Konoha's stabilized. Their spirit has recovered. And we're blind in the Land of Fire."
He gritted his teeth.
"Yuto! Revise the training regime. The war ahead will be exponentially more brutal than the Kiri's unification. Prepare our Shinobi!"
"As you wish, Mizukage-sama!"
***
Konohagakure, Hokage office.
The winter sun filtered through the paper windows of the Hokage office, casting long shadows across the floor. Tobirama sat behind his desk, reviewing the final mission reports of the month.
'We bought ourselves a month. That was enough. Konoha has stabilized.'
In the wake of Hashirama's death, Tobirama had enacted his brother's final will. The Senju can was formally restructured – civilian members and non-lineage shinobi were dispersed into the general population. Only the clan head lineage and pure-blooded Senju remained under the clan compound, but they no longer used the Senju name.
The message was clear: Konoha is not the property of the Senju. It belongs to everyone.
The impact was immediate. Doubts that had lingered or remerged among other clans – fears that the Third and Fourth Hokage would also be Senju – began to fade. The unity of Konoha reached a new peak. The Senju clan's population had shrunk, but its jonin numbers still matched those of Uchiha.
Currently in Konoha, there are total 27,750 ninja: 1,850 Academy students, 1,110 graduates, 11,156 Genins, 8,677 Chunin, 3,819 Sepcial jonins, and 1,240 jonins.
At its peak, the Senju had 560 jonin, 4,737 Chunin (including special jonins), and 2205 genins.
Senju alone accounted for nearly half of Konoha's total strength. Considering the fact that they began with only 143 elite shinobis (Sengoku standard) and 4,773 non-elite shinobis (Sengoku standard) at Konoha's founding, their explosive growth had made other clans wary.
The Uchiha, too, had grown – from 45 elite shinobis and 2,401 non-elites to 204 jonin, 3,482 chunins(including special jonins), and 666 genins.
Other clans had also benefited from Konoha's growth, but none matched the explosive expansion rate of elite shinobis of the Senju and Uchiha.
Now, with new Senju reform, the clan retained 150 jonins, 700 special jonins, 800 chunins, and 300 genins. All drawn from clan head lineage (or Ashura's descendants).
Just enough to maintain Senju's status as a major shinobi clan.
Tobirama decided to keep just enough to balance Uchiha clan to certain extent.
***
Tobirama looked up from his desk.
Before him stood six individuals – his former genin team and indirect disciples:
Sarutobi Hiurzen
Mitokado Homura
Utatane Koharu
Shimura Danzo
Akimichi Torifu
Uchiha Kagami
He had long decided that the Third Hokage, the inheritor of the Will of Fire, would be chosen from among them.
Hiruzen and Kagami were the strongest with kage-level strength. Torifu and Danzo followed close behind. Koharu and Homura had reached jonin level and stood out among civilian-born shinobi and former Senju affiliates.
Tobirama folded his hands.
"We managed to conceal my brother's death for a month. Konoha has stabilized. But our neighboring small countries are restless. Espionage and small skirmishes are spreading near our borders."
"We should send shinobi to stabilize the border," Hiruzen said.
"We should go further," Danzo counter. "Pacify the neighboring smaller nations. Disband their villages and station our shinobis. Make them hire our shinobi for protection and missions."
"It might be wiser to conserve our strength," Kagami said. "Prepare for war with the major villages."
"War?" Homura blinked. "We've signed peace treaties. There may be skirmishes, but full-scale war? That's unlikely."
Tobirama narrowed his eyes.
"Kagami, how did you come to that conclusion?"
Kagami hesitated.
"I… heard it during last month's clan meeting, Hokage-sama."
"Clan meeting? The Uchiha hold those quite often," Danzo muttered with a hint of doubt and displeasure.
"It's fine, Danzo," Tobirama said. "Clans have autonomy to conduct their own meetings. Kagami, who said it?"
"…It was Fukashi-sama."
Tobirama's gaze sharpened.
"Uchiha Fukashi, huh… As expected."
He paused.
"Other than that, how is the Uchiha clan?"
Kagami hesitated again.
"Overall, the clan is satisfied…"
"Really?" Danzo cut in. "Stop covering for them. Tell the truth."
"Danzo, stay in line," Tobirama said calmly. "Kagami, continue."
Kagami sighed.
"Most clansmen accepted fathe– no, the clan head's decision to align with the village. But some are dissatisfied – mainly because the clan gave up its right to appoint the Hokage's right hand."
Tobirama's expression darkened.
He knew this was partly his doing. He had deliberately distanced the Uchiha from the Hokage's inner circle. He believed they were emotionally volatile, an unstable element in Konoha's foundation. Preventing them from experiencing loss was necessary. But if they grew unchecked in strength and numbers, he couldn't guarantee they wouldn't dominate the village in the future.
Historically, the Uchiha produced more geniuses than any other clan. Even the Senju couldn't match their frequency of prodigies. Only titanic figures like Hahsirama had ever truly counterbalanced them.
"Thank you for your honesty, Kagami."
Tobirama stood.
"That's all for today. You're dismissed."
The six shinobi bowed and left the room.
Tobirama remained alone, staring out the window watching the snow continue to fall.
'The Will of Fire burns bright. But the shadows are gathering.'