Konoha Village – Hokage Office.
The faint scent of tobacco lingered in the air as Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly set down his pipe. Through the thin veil of smoke, his gaze drifted to the distant Senju compound, his expression unreadable—somewhere between relief and quiet apprehension.
His lined face, worn by the weight of decades, betrayed subtle signs of internal conflict.Gratification warred with a deeper, more elusive concern.
From the side, Jiraiya broke the silence, his usual levity absent.
"Sensei," he said solemnly. "What do you make of this?"
As Tsunade's longtime teammate, Jiraiya knew Itoshiki Furukawa well enough. Admired him, even.But admiration was no substitute for caution—especially with what was unfolding.
Hiruzen exhaled another ring of smoke, eyes never leaving the horizon.
"It's a blessing," he said slowly, "but also... a tremendous unknown."
He leaned back slightly, fingers steepled as he gathered his thoughts.
"The revival of the Senju is, without question, good for Konoha. The village has long needed a symbol to rally behind again."
"I've observed Itoshiki carefully over the past few years."
"Composed. Clever. Remarkably disciplined. And more importantly—he's awakened the Wood Release."
"That alone places him in a unique position. He carries the blood of the First, even if not from the main household."
He paused. His tone shifted, softening with a flicker of nostalgia.
"And Tsunade..."
His eyes grew distant for a moment.
"She's finally found someone to entrust her heart to. Perhaps now, even Lord Tobirama can rest easier."
But then the warmth faded. His expression hardened again, the gravity returning like the slow tightening of a noose.
"However..."
"The balance in Konoha has always been delicate. An unspoken equilibrium among the great clans."
"And now?"
He turned sharply toward Jiraiya, his voice low and weighty.
"A revitalized Senju clan, led jointly by Itoshiki Furukawa and Tsunade Senju—blessed by Uzumaki heritage, bolstered by Mito's influence—"
"That is not just strength. That is power."
"And when such power is held by someone who didn't grow up within the traditional Senju circle... someone whose methods are decidedly unconventional... it becomes a wild card."
Jiraiya nodded, fingers brushing his chin in contemplation.
"You're thinking the Uchiha will see this as a direct threat."
Hiruzen let out a long, weathered sigh. The name seemed to weigh on his chest.
"They will," he said quietly. "They always do."
"The pride of the Uchiha runs deep. And though we've worked to narrow the rift between them and the village over the years... the cracks never truly healed."
"Now, with Itoshiki's sudden rise, this could become the spark that reignites long-buried tensions."
"Then what do we do?" Jiraiya asked.
Hiruzen reached for his pipe once more, taking a long, thoughtful draw before answering.
"We wait."
"Itoshiki isn't a fool. He understands that power draws attention... and danger. I trust he knows the importance of restraint."
"And Tsunade will temper him when necessary. Her instincts are sharp."
He looked Jiraiya in the eye, his tone shifting from contemplative to instructive.
"As their friend, guide them when they falter. Be their mirror when the politics get murky."
Jiraiya grinned, the tension cracking just a bit.
"Of course, Sensei. Besides—if I don't get Tsunade a proper wedding gift, she will kill me."
Elsewhere in Konoha, the shockwaves had already begun.
Nara Clan Compound.
The game board lay in front of Shikaku Nara, who sat across from a few clan members. As the news reached him via messenger, he paused mid-move, a white piece hovering between his fingers.
"Senju... Itoshiki Furukawa... and Tsunade?"
He muttered the names under his breath, eyes narrowing with quiet calculation.
"Troublesome," he finally murmured.
Then, a smile—small and knowing.
"The calm waters of Konoha are starting to ripple again."
Akimichi Clan Barbecue Pavilion.
The din of laughter and clinking plates filled the air as Akimichi Takefu devoured another skewer, mouth full of sizzling meat.
Snatches of conversation from nearby tables reached his ears—words like wedding, Senju heir, Wood Release.
He paused mid-bite.
"Oh?" he mumbled through a full mouth. "Senju party? Sounds like a feast."
He swallowed and grinned.
"Hope they have prime ribs. Secret marinade."
Yamanaka Clan Courtyard.
In a tranquil garden, Yamanaka Shō delicately trimmed a flowering bonsai. He paused, tilting his head slightly as the distant murmur of chatter drifted in from outside.
He smiled faintly.
"Furukawa Itoshiki, is it?"
A petal floated to the ground as he clipped a branch.
"Konoha's winds are shifting."
But nowhere did the atmosphere change more drastically than within the walls of the Uchiha compound.
In a dim, stone-walled council room, the air was thick—tension heavy enough to drown in.Silence reigned, broken only by the slow, rhythmic tapping of fingers on the table.
At the head of the long table sat Uchiha Kunihira, face carved from stone, the tomoe in his eyes spinning slowly—ominous and foreboding.
"Senju. Wood Release. Tsunade," he repeated under his breath, each word dipped in disdain.
An elder slammed his palm against the table with a reverberating thud.
"This is a provocation!" he spat."A direct challenge to the Uchiha's standing!"
Another elder growled, "The First Hokage's bloodline rises again... and once more, they seek to overshadow us."
Kunihira said nothing for a long while. When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet—far too quiet.
"Let them think they stand tall."
He looked toward the flame burning in the center of the room, casting flickering shadows across his face.
"Even the brightest fire can be smothered... if the wind turns."
"That boy—Itoshiki Furukawa—is nothing more than an outsider who stumbled upon the First Hokage's power by sheer luck!"
An elder's voice echoed furiously through the dim Uchiha council chamber.
"What right does he have to assume leadership of the Senju?!"
"To marry Princess Tsunade?!"
"This is a mockery! A desecration of Lord Hashirama's legacy—an insult to the honor of the Senju name!"
A low, tense silence followed—until it was broken by a voice colder than steel.
"Mind your words."
Uchiha Kunihira's gaze swept across the elder like a blade drawn halfway from its sheath. His voice was quiet, but its authority crushed all further noise.
"It does not matter whether Furukawa was born into the main Senju line or not."
"What matters," he said, enunciating each word, "is that Mito Uzumaki and Tsunade Senju have both acknowledged him."
"And more crucially—he has awakened the Wood Release."
His eyes narrowed.
"You should understand better than most what that implies."
Another elder scoffed, slamming his fist on the armrest.
"So what?! Do you think the Uchiha would cower before some upstart with a stolen gift?!"
"The Sharingan is still the mightiest force in the ninja world!"
The room murmured in grim agreement.
But Kunihira didn't flinch. He let their indignation roll over him like waves against stone.
He simply began tapping his fingers against the lacquered surface of the table—slow, deliberate, echoing.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
His thoughts moved faster than his hands, calculating every possible thread of consequence.
And then, he spoke.
Cool. Precise. Lethal.
"Send word to our network."
"From this moment forward, every movement within the Senju compound is to be monitored. Report any anomaly—no matter how small."
The room stilled. But Kunihira wasn't finished.
"And prepare a wedding gift."
"An appropriate, generous one."
The elders blinked, visibly stunned.
"Clan head… you would have us attend their wedding?" one asked, disbelief creeping into his voice.
"To celebrate that outsider's rise?"
Another protested, "And offer gifts? Have we fallen so far?!"
A slow, dangerous smile curved across Kunihira's lips.
"Attend?" he echoed, voice like the whisper of drawn steel.
"Yes. We will attend."
He stood, casting a long shadow across the room.
"We will stand there. Proud. Composed."
"And we will let the entire village—the entire world—see for themselves."
He paused, the sharingan glinting like embers.
"See what it means to challenge the Uchiha."
"Our presence will be a reminder."
"The Uchiha have not fallen."
"And we will never be beneath anyone."