Byakuya's display of Wood Release had shaken not only the Senju clan—but also deeply confused the Uchiha clan.
"Lord Byakuya… what is going on?"
"How are you able to use Mokuton?"
"Did you transplant the cells of the First Hokage, like Danzo once did?!"
The questions came fast and urgently, led by Uchiha En and several other high-ranking clan members. Though their tone lacked hostility, the unease in their eyes was unmistakable.
For generations, the Uchiha and Senju clans had been sworn enemies. Countless Uchiha had perished under the might of Hashirama Senju's Wood Release. Now, their clan leader—an Uchiha through and through—wielded that same ancient and revered power. It was difficult for many to accept.
Byakuya remained unfazed by the commotion.
"You want to know why I can use Wood Release?" he said coldly. "Then look at this."
With a flicker of chakra, he summoned a sealed scroll and unfurled it before them. Inside was the Uchiha clan's ancestral stone tablet—the very one hidden within the Naka Shrine—now altered by his hand.
He placed the stone tablet in front of them.
"Read."
Curious and hesitant, the Uchiha stepped forward. Their eyes, many enhanced with the Sharingan, scanned the ancient script. Their expressions shifted—from skepticism to wide-eyed astonishment.
"Is this… is this true…?"
"It says the Uchiha and Senju both descended from the Sage of Six Paths…"
"Which means… we were one clan?"
"Unbelievable. But it makes sense… That's why Lord Byakuya can awaken Wood Release without transplantation!"
A silence hung in the air before erupting into murmurs of stunned realization and eventually… pride.
"We Uchiha… carry both the blood of Indra and Asura… Sharingan and Wood Release…"
"With this power, our clan will rise again!"
"Lord Byakuya truly is chosen by fate…"
The revelation spread beyond the clan compound and into the streets of Konoha.
"You heard what happened? The Uchiha and Senju used to be one bloodline!"
"No way, seriously? Those two clans were mortal enemies!"
"Well, not anymore. Apparently, the Uchiha leader has Wood Release now!"
"Then maybe Konoha really can return to its golden age..."
The villagers' sentiments began to shift. With Hashirama gone, Wood Release had been considered a lost treasure of Konoha—its absence a symbol of the village's decline. Now, it was back. Not through cloning or unnatural experiments, but awakened naturally by the Uchiha's new leader. That power gave them hope.
Even the tension between the Uchiha and the rest of the village began to soften. They were no longer seen as a cursed bloodline, but as a source of Konoha's strength. Exactly as Byakuya intended.
By exposing his Wood Release and altering the contents of the Naka Shrine's stone tablet, Byakuya had engineered the narrative: that the Uchiha were not rivals to the Senju, but their kin. And more importantly—that Konoha's future lay under his rule.
With Hiruzen Sarutobi and his loyalists exiled, the rot within the village had been cleansed. Now it was time to rebuild.
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's Office...
Tsunade stared out at the village from her window. The streets were unusually lively. Laughter. Children playing. Merchants opening up again.
"So… the Uchiha and Senju really were once the same clan…" she murmured.
At first, she had dismissed it. But over the past few days, the reports, the chakra analyses, and the memories she inherited from her grandfather painted a different truth. It wasn't a fabrication. The ties between their clans were real.
Maybe the Senju hadn't declined after all. If Byakuya bore the legacy of both clans… then the Senju still lived through him.
Knock, knock.
"Enter," she called.
The door opened, and a group of elderly shinobi stepped in. Their white hair and scarred armor marked them as war veterans—once comrades of the First Hokage himself. At their head stood Senju Tsunami.
"Tsunade," Tsunami said sternly, "we're here about Byakuya."
Tsunade's heart sank slightly.
"You are not going to attack Byakuya!"
Tsunade stood firm, her voice sharp with warning.
"Haven't we already gone over this? The Senju and Uchiha both descended from the Sage of Six Paths," she continued. "It's not impossible for someone from the Uchiha clan to awaken Wood Release, especially someone like Byakuya..."
Tsunade knew well how obsessed some of the elders were with Wood Release. To them, it wasn't just a powerful kekkei genkai—it was a symbol of their clan's legacy, a living piece of Hashirama Senju himself. The idea of that legacy manifesting in an Uchiha was bound to cause unrest.
But she didn't expect what came next.
"Tsunade, you've misunderstood us," said Senju Gōshō, an elder of the clan. "We came because of Byakuya, yes... but not to threaten him."
"In fact," another elder added, "what we need to discuss involves you as well."
Tsunade's expression turned wary. "Me? What does this have to do with me?"
"Do you remember the days when Lord Hashirama still lived?" Gōshō asked solemnly. "The era when the Senju clan stood unrivaled in power? When our Wood Release alone held the might of nations?"
Tsunade frowned, growing impatient. "If you dragged me here just to talk about the clan's golden age, spare me the nostalgia. Get to the point."
The room fell silent for a beat before Senju Tsunami finally spoke—his tone earnest, but the words utterly outrageous:
"For the sake of the Senju clan's future... we want you to bear a child with Uchiha Byakuya."
"What did you just say?" Tsunade's voice rose in disbelief. Her eyes narrowed with fury.
"You heard correctly," Tsunami said without flinching. "Wood Release has returned—through him. A union between the Uchiha and the Senju, through you and Byakuya, could revive the bloodline properly."
Tsunade slammed her fist down on the table, cracking the surface.
"You want me to what?! This is absurd! I'm not some broodmare for your old clan ambitions!"
"You are the last direct descendant of Hashirama Senju," Gōshō said gently, as if trying to calm her. "We don't ask this lightly. But this is the only path left to restore the Senju."
Tsunade's breath came heavy as her eyes burned with a mix of rage and disbelief.
"Even if I did consider something so ridiculous," she snapped, "do you think Byakuya would agree to such a plan? Do you think either of us are pieces in your ancient game of legacy?"
Visit patreon.com/ShiroTL for more chapters.