Ten days before the Kumogakure and Konohagakure alliance ceremony.
"Tsuchikage Mū wishes to negotiate a formal non-aggression pact with us..."
The Second Raikage lifted the heavy scroll before him, reading the ink silently once more to ensure he hadn't misread the terms.
"A guaranteed non-aggression pact for the next thirty years… What do you all think?"
The Raikage asked, lowering the parchment to address the Kumo Council gathered inside the stone briefing room.
"Ahem... Raikage-sama, I see no reason for us to even debate this matter," a white-haired Elder spoke up with immense confidence. "Signing a non-aggression pact with Iwa will only bring absolute strategic benefits to our village."
"I tend to agree..." another Elder concurred, though his eyes narrowed with caution. "But the timing is a bit too... coincidental, is it not?"
"I also agree… but the timing is a little too…. Coincidental?"
"WHAT IS THERE TO EVEN HESITATE ABOUT?!" a bald, heavily wrinkled Elder roared, slamming his palm on the armrest.
"It is always better to have one less enemy in this world! Raikage-dono, if we can secure an alliance with Iwa, we might not even need to consider brokering peace with Konoha! Those Konoha bastards are entirely too arrogant, monopolizing nearly all of the most fertile lands in the world for themselves!"
"Are you losing your mind?!" another councilman shot back. "It is infinitely better to ally with Konoha than to trust Iwa! Didn't you literally just say it's better to have one less enemy? Do you even listen to the words coming out of your own mouth?!"
"You—!"
"An alliance with Konoha is highly logical," a moderate Elder intervened, calming the room. "They share our immediate western border. If they agree to look away from us, we will be entirely free to develop our economy and grow stronger. Iwa and Kiri are far too isolated from our main territory; if either of those nations attempts to mobilize against us, our scouting networks will detect them long before they ever reach our borders. Furthermore, Konoha has officially recognized our sovereign right to claim the Two-Tails as Kumo's property. Not that we ever required their permission, mind you, but with this clause, the Land of Hot Springs will serve as a completely neutral buffer zone. We have far more to gain from this specific transaction."
Observing that the council room was on the verge of devolving into an outright shouting match, the Raikage raised his hand to intervene.
"ENOUGH! I have weighed your opinions well enough," the Raikage declared with iron authority. "We will proceed to sign the non-aggression pact with Iwa. Since their Tsuchikage, Mū, is personally marching to the border, A and Saishū will depart for the Land of Rice Fields to spearhead the negotiations in my stead!"
He paused as his gaze hardened. "As for the formal alliance ceremony with Konoha... I will personally lead the Kinkaku Butai to the summit!"
The room froze.
"!!! Are you entirely certain of this course of action, Raikage-sama?" Elder Dee questioned, his voice tight. "Kinkaku is one of the most vocal opponents of this peace treaty with the Leaf!"
"Hmph! What are you implying, Elder Dee?" a pro-military councilman sneered. "Are you daring to question the absolute loyalty of the Gold and Silver Brothers? They are the living heroes of our Kumogakure!"
"…I will never deny their legendary meritorious service on the frontline," Elder Dee countered smoothly. "But to openly and repeatedly disparage Raikage-sama's decisions and our collective administrative choice to ally with Konoha? Such insubordinate behavior cannot be tolerated!"
"Dee, YOU BASTARD—!"
"Silence! This matter is settled," the Raikage barked, shutting down the dissent. "The Kinkaku and Ginkaku brothers will accompany me alongside the elite Kinkaku Butai to greet Senju Tobirama for the alliance ceremony. They may harbor some minor dissatisfaction now, but they are shinobi of the Cloud first and foremost. They will realize the long-term importance of this alliance sooner or later. In fact, their behavior has already shown signs of acceptance lately. Furthermore, Senju Tobirama is bringing his six hand-picked disciples alongside the vanguard of the Senju clan elites. Having Kinkaku and Ginkaku standing directly behind me will perfectly project Kumo's overwhelming martial strength."
"mmmmhh…"
The council members exchanged quiet glances, murmuring in reluctant acknowledgment. While a few remained deeply concerned about the brothers' volatile tempers, they could not deny that the Gold and Silver Brothers were the pride of the village and two of the most monstrous combatants alive. After a few moments of silent consensus, they all offered a unified nod of agreement.
Satisfied, the Raikage smiled and officially concluded the briefing.
"Excellent! Our assembly ends here. I will set out for the Land of Hot Springs three days from now. Guard corps, summon A and Saishū to my chambers immediately. They must prepare for their meeting with Tsuchikage Mū."
"Yes Raikage-sama!"
***
July 4th
The Konohagakure forward encampment, Land of Hot Springs.
"Tobirama-sama!" Shimura Danzō and Akimichi Torifu barked, dropping to one knee as they greeted the arrival of Senju Tobirama, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and Mitokado Homura.
"Danzō, Torifu. Rise. You have both maintained this front exceptionally well," Tobirama acknowledged calmly.
"Thank you! Sensei!"
"Sensei..." Danzō ventured as he straightened his spine, unable to contain his anxiety. "Is it true? The rumors spreading through the camp... are we truly forming a formal alliance with Kumogakure?"
"…Yes," Tobirama replied simply.
"But Sensei! They are nothing but a pack of lawless barbarians!" Danzō lashed out, his fists clenching with sudden emotion. "Kinkaku, Ginkaku, and their entire division are nothing but bloodthirsty, unhinged maniacs!"
Tobirama narrowed his crimson eyes, his sharp gaze instantly pinning Danzō to the spot.
Recognizing the lethal undertone in his master's silence, Danzō quickly took a hasty step back, bowing his head in panic.
"My deepest apologies, Sensei. I—I just—"
Tobirama stepped forward, placing a grounding hand on Danzō's shoulder.
"I understand your grievances and your anger, Danzō. However, Konoha cannot survive isolated in this modern world. An alliance with Kumo... if I am to speak personally, I harbor no love for it either. But as the Hokage, and as the protector of this village, we must discard our personal animosities and look toward the grander design. This war... we have engaged hostiles on all fronts simultaneously and suffered over 13,000 casualties. Exactly 2,753 of our shinobis are dead, 4,210 have sustained permanent, career-ending injuries, and roughly 6,100 have suffered wounds that will require years of medical rehabilitation to fully recover."
Danzō and Torifu gasped, their eyes widening in absolute horror.
Thanks to the deployment of the Senju clan's specialized medical corps, the vast majority of injured Leaf ninja had received immediate, life-saving field triage. However, the sheer volume of casualties Konoha had sustained was catastrophically high. The Senju medical ninja numbered only 150 in total, and they had been stretched thin across three distinct global theaters. While modern Medical Ninjutsu was effective enough to snatch souls from the brink of death, the field techniques remained entirely crude and unrefined compared to what the future might hold; they could save a shinobi from dying, but they lacked the advanced anatomical mastery required to restore a shattered body back to its original physical peak.
"By comparison, the other major villages suffered only 4,000 to 5,000 casualties each," Tobirama explained with heavy, solemn gravity. "Our structural strength is grand enough that we can easily overwhelm any two major hidden villages in a vacuum. But Konoha cannot face all four hidden villages united against us like this ever again. Furthermore, the wars of the future will not be as simple or short-lived as this initial conflict."
"What do you mean, Sensei?" Torifu questioned, tilting his head.
"Up until this point, no hidden village had ever executed a large-scale, country-wide military mobilization or managed a true war economy," Tobirama analyzed.
"Both our administration and our enemies have suffered massive, systemic failures regarding troop deployments, supply distribution, and logistical lines. By now, the leaders of the other nations will have realized that deploying their entire standing army in a single, massive decisive confrontation—much like the clan-warfare tactics of the ancient Sengoku era—is a highly inefficient and disastrous strategy when managing thousands of troops. As these armies mature, entirely new tactics, complex strategies, and industrialized weapons will dominate the next war. Even in this campaign, Suna's specialized Puppet Brigade and Iwa's volatile Explosion Corps played crucial roles in shifting the momentum of entire sectors. In the future, far more unique, harder-to-counter divisions and tactics will be introduced to the battlefield. Konoha must secure a reliable ally now to safeguard our future."
In the bloody past, the warring clans had lacked the massive populations and the sheer quantity of Kage-level strategic experts required to design sophisticated, multi-layered military doctrines. Aside from charging into direct, brutal confrontations or surrendering unconditionally to superior numbers, they did not possess the administrative infrastructure to craft complex geopolitical schemes.
Only the Senju and Uchiha clans—alongside a select few first-rate lineages who commanded thousands of ninja and multiple apex combatants—possessed any historical experience in managing grand-scale logistics. Yet, even they had never directed more than ten thousand shinobi simultaneously; ancient records indicated that such massive mobilizations had only occurred once or twice in a thousand years of history, and those clashes had inevitably concluded in apocalyptic, mutual annihilation that crippled both clans for generations.
Now, however, the global conflict between the hidden villages was threatening to repeat that ancient cycle. Tobirama had correctly deduced that the Leaf could not endure a prolonged war against four nations simultaneously. He desperately needed to secure a powerful ally, or, at the very least, sow permanent discord among the four attacking villages to shatter their unified front.
"I understand, Sensei," Danzō nodded, a dangerous glint of enlightenment flashing across his features. "We certainly cannot survive if all four villages unite to crush us. But as long as they remain divided and untrusting of one another... they don't stand a chance against the Leaf, do they?"
"…Yes, Danzō. That is technically correct," Tobirama murmured.
The Second Hokage nodded in approval of Danzō's tactical comprehension, yet his sharp mind didn't fail to catch the dark, ruthlessly cold undertone woven beneath his student's words. Nearby, Sarutobi Hiruzen remained completely silent, staring down at the dirt floor in deep, heavy contemplation as he absorbed the sobering weight of his master's philosophy.
"Tobirama-sensei," Hiruzen broke the silence, his brow furrowed as he wrestled with the political theory. "In your view, is it truly more advantageous for us to forge alliances, or is it better to sow discord among our neighbors? I can see the merit in aligning with Kumo or any other major village, but how can we ever truly trust their intentions? Hashirama-sama and the other First Kages established a non-aggression pact that was supposed to endure for another five years, yet it dissolved into a world war anyway. Conversely, if we focus on sabotaging their relations, do we not risk driving them into a unified coalition against us the moment our machinations are exposed?"
Hiruzen looked at his master, his eyes clouding with confusion. At his current stage of growth, he could not yet discern which path would guarantee the survival of the Leaf.
Tobirama observed his student's analytical struggle and offered a rare, approving smile.
"Saru, the answer depends entirely on the terrain of the geopolitical landscape," the Second Hokage answered smoothly. "In an ideal scenario, a master tactician implements both strategies simultaneously—forging public alliances while covertly orchestrating dissent among foreign powers. However, there is an absolute prerequisite that Konoha must satisfy before we can pursue either path successfully. That prerequisite is strength."
Tobirama stood up, his gaze hardening with absolute conviction. "Konoha must maintain an overwhelming, terrifying military supremacy. Without sufficient martial power, our desires and good intentions are nothing more than an illusory dream, entirely out of reach. But with enough strength? With enough strength, Konoha commands the absolute freedom to steer the world in whatever direction we see fit."
The disciples nodded in silent reverence. The logic was absolute. Had Konoha failed to decisively repel the four invading armies, would the Raikage ever have offered a peace treaty? Never. It was precisely because Konoha possessed the power to destroy them individually that Kumo chose to become an ally rather than risk becoming an enemy.
"Alright, everyone dismiss and get some well-deserved rest," Tobirama commanded, breaking the tension. "Kagami and Koharu will reinforce our camp within the next three days. A week from now, we will march alongside the Kumo forces for the alliance ceremony. Ensure your weapons are sharp and your minds are prepared."
"Yes, Tobirama-sensei!" the four young shinobi saluted in unison before exiting to their respective tents.
Left alone in the quiet briefing room, Tobirama watched the flickering candlelight.
'The other villages are finally beginning to hold back their main forces,' he analyzed. 'They spent far too much energy and burned through too many vital resources by mobilizing massive armies right from the onset. This war won't endure for more than another two months at most... Now, Konoha simply needs time. With time, we will grow far stronger than any nation on this earth.'
Tobirama harbored absolute confidence in the Leaf's inevitable ascension. Right before departing the village to meet the Raikage, he had codified a revolutionary military merit system. Shinobi executing missions and state commissions could now choose to bypass standard monetary compensation, opting instead to accumulate military merits that could later be exchanged for advanced jutsu, specialized weaponry, or classified resources. To fulfill this system, Tobirama had officially transferred the vast historical repositories of high grade advanced ninjutsu, kenjutsu, bukijutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, and fūinjutsu—accumulated by the Senju clan over a thousand bloody years—directly into Konoha's central archive.
Furthermore, he had personally forged the fabled Scroll of Seals, meticulously inscribing every dangerous Kinjutsu and S-rank technique born of the Senju bloodline alongside his own custom inventions, securing it within a vault located deep beneath the Hokage monument.
After all, in the calculating mind of Senju Tobirama, Konoha was the Senju, and the Senju was Konoha.
The vast majority of the civilian population residing within the walls were actually former, non-combatant members of the Senju clan who had abandoned their surnames to integrate into the state. He had systematically constructed public utility buildings, administrative infrastructures, and localized academies specifically to elevate this civilian-born ninja class. Any foreign refugee families or scattered clans who migrated to the village over time would slowly, inevitably assimilate into this centralized "Senju" way of living, adapting their cultures until they were fully absorbed.
Moreover, from his deep study of his family's historical records, Tobirama knew that the Senju clan had never been a pure, closed bloodline. From the very beginning, they grew by absorbing external clans and adopting capable outsiders into their ranks. Not everyone who bore the name was a direct, genetic descendant of the main clan head lineage, or a biological heir to their ancestor (Ōtsutsuki Asura).
The global shinobi community widely believed that the entire Senju clan was blessed with supernatural vitality and a massive reservoir of Yang Chakra. However, Tobirama knew this was a massive historical misunderstanding, popularized purely because godlike paragons like his brother, Hashirama, emerged from their lineage every few generations. In reality, only the direct blood descendants of Asura, the primary clan head family line possessed that unnatural physical vitality and vast chakra pool. The rest of the clan were structurally no different from ordinary humans.
Therefore, in Tobirama's philosophy, the Senju clan had not vanished; it had simply evolved into Konohagakure. According to his ironclad logic, so long as his brother Hashirama's descendants continued to breathe and lead within these walls, the Leaf would remain the eternal, living manifestation of the Senju clan.