Uchiha Kai's words cut into Senju Shojin's heart like a kunai laced with bitter truth.
It wasn't Kai himself that disappointed him—it was the world they now lived in.
The Senju clan, once the very pillars of Konohagakure's founding, had faded into obscurity. Shojin had watched it happen in silence, resentment festering as the village their ancestors built slowly forgot them. Now, the Uchiha—once their fiercest rivals—were beginning to rise again. It was a bitter irony.
But no matter how broken his pride, Shojin would never allow the Senju name to become a stepping stone for the Uchiha.
His eyes narrowed dangerously at Uchiha Kai, who remained calm—insufferably so.
What made Shojin's blood run colder was the fact that Kai wasn't wrong. The Senju had lost their influence. With Lady Tsunade gone from the village, their last beacon of power had vanished. They had become a name clinging to memory, while the Uchiha clawed their way back to relevance.
"...What do you want?" Shojin finally asked, voice controlled but heavy with tension.
He couldn't afford a misstep. If Kai truly represented Fugaku Uchiha's will, this conversation could reshape the fragile power dynamics within Konoha. Or shatter them.
Kai's fingers tapped the table rhythmically.
"Before asking me that," he said coolly, "shouldn't you reflect on what you've done? I had no intention of coming here… but your actions left me no choice. Did you really think we were so easy to provoke?"
Shojin scoffed. "So this is about politics, after all. Don't think I can't see through you."
"You approached Kenta because you guessed his heritage—or someone told you. You wanted to use him to strike at the Third Hokage and his circle. Don't pretend this is about justice."
Kai didn't deny it. He didn't have to. Shojin's words were true… partially. But he overestimated himself.
"I didn't seek out Kenta—Imai came to me," Kai said, eyes sharpening. "If anything, your own clan has already made its choice."
He leaned forward, letting his voice dip into cold steel.
"You call us rats, but you hide in the walls of a rotting house. No wonder Kenta came to me. You thought he was yours to command, but he saw through you."
Shojin's glare flared, but Kai wasn't finished.
"This game? I invited you into it. And if you won't play by the rules, I can just as easily remove you from the board. Don't forget—Kenta Imai is still with me."
"You—!" Shojin growled, his composure fraying.
"Relax," Kai said with a faint, dangerous smile. "I won't harm him. He's worth more than you are."
The air thickened as Kai's eyes shifted. Crimson orbs spun with eerie calm—three tomoe swirling like a silent storm.
"Surely, you remember Uchiha Shin?"
Shojin flinched at the name. Uchiha Shin had been a younger radical during the Second Shinobi War—ruthless, powerful, and utterly loyal to Fugaku's faction. Shojin had known him. Shin had vanished, rumors claiming he had perished on a classified mission. Some believed Fugaku had buried him for stepping out of line. Others whispered he had been used… or sacrificed.
"You…" Shojin said, realization dawning. "You're giving me a choice."
Kai nodded. "Either fade away and let the next generation build something new… or follow Hashirama, Tobirama, Danzo, and Shin to the afterlife."
A heavy silence fell.
It was a threat. Bare, unapologetic, and real.
For a moment, Shojin wavered. The room chilled under the weight of old griefs and fresh power.
Then his face darkened.
"Interesting," he murmured. "It's been a long time since I met someone like you… not since him."
Kai tilted his head. "I see. You still don't understand your position. The Senju of today… you're living on borrowed prestige."
He stood slowly, chakra rising like a tide.
"You think with ambition, but you act like scavengers. In my eyes, you're just a rat gnawing on the bones of a dead lion."
Shojin's fingers twitched. His eyes snapped to Kenta, who had stood silently behind Kai.
"And you? Do you know what you're doing?" he asked, disappointment etched in his voice.
"I do, Grandpa Sho," Kenta replied solemnly. "But the world isn't the same as it was in your time. Times have changed—and so must we."
Shojin closed his eyes and let out a sigh of defeat… or perhaps resignation.
"So you've betrayed us too."
At his signal, two masked Senju shinobi appeared—seasoned fighters with killing intent radiating from them.
"The Senju clan," Shojin said coldly, "may be diminished. But our pride has not died. I remember what Madara did. And I remember how my clan's leader—the First Hokage—died."
Kai stood unmoved. "Do you know these two?" he asked Kenta.
"I do… Uncle Meijing and Takuma," Kenta said quietly. "They used to look after me."
In a flash, both Senju attacked.
But their fists never landed.
A dark chakra flared to life, encasing Kai in a skeletal ribcage of violet energy. The partial Susanoo formed effortlessly, blocking their strikes without flinching.
Shojin's expression cracked.
"Susanoo...! You've awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Kai's calm voice was like a whisper through a storm.
"Do I need to hold back?"
Kenta sighed. "No, Captain. Do what you must."
Kai smiled faintly, and his chakra surged.
The ribcage expanded, growing muscle and armor, rising like a titan as his Mangekyō flared to life. The makeshift meeting house exploded outward as the full-body Susanoo unfurled, towering and regal.
Dozens of Senju shinobi came rushing in—only to stop, horrified.
Kai hadn't drawn his blade. But even Susanoo's fists were cataclysmic. One blow scattered half a squad. Another cracked the earth and leveled several homes.
And yet... not one of them died.
Kai held back. He wasn't here to start a war—just to end one.
"I'm disappointed," Kai muttered as the dust settled. "Is this what the great Senju clan has become?"
"Uchiha Kai," Shojin gasped, watching his broken forces. "You've hidden your strength well."
"And you've misread the board."
Kai let his Susanoo fade as he walked toward Shojin. The elder's face was ashen, pride crumbling under the truth.
Shojin turned and walked toward the ruins of another room.
Kai and Kenta followed, cautious.
What they found stunned them.
Shojin had removed his shirt and was kneeling with a blade.
"Grandpa Sho!" Kenta gasped.
"Silence!" Shojin snapped.
He stared at Kai, eyes still fierce.
"You're dangerous, Uchiha Kai. I underestimated you. But you also underestimated me."
He gripped the blade.
"I never trusted the Uchiha. Letting Kenta join your Guard Department was just a ploy to reach the Fourth Hokage. But I see now—you've already gained too much."
His voice trembled with fury.
"If you think you can manipulate our clan through Kenta… if you think the Senju legacy will bend to your will, you're a fool."
Kai stepped forward, but Shojin shouted.
"The Senju clan's will is not something a rat like you can control!"
And with that—