Senshiyu ichizoku no botsuraku
-千手一族の没落-
(The Fall of the Senju Clan)
EPILOGUE : The death of the last Senju
Three jonin burst into the village, looking frantic. Out of breath, they stopped to catch their breath. Looking up, they saw someone rushing towards them at full speed.
— Well? Did you find him?» asked the man.
The Jonins took a moment to catch their breath, then one of them stepped forward to speak to the man.
— Yes... Well... They've found his body... The... The Hokage is dead...» he said, with a hint of sadness in his voice.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the three ninjas who had just arrived. He knew they were telling the truth. And yet... he couldn't quite bring himself to believe it...
— So... it took a thousand elite ninjas... to defeat Master Tobirama...» he said, visibly shaken.
— We did indeed find the bodies... of about a thousand ninjas; we counted them carefully. One thousand and fifty-seven, to be precise.» said one of the ninjas, standing further back.
— He probably killed almost all of them... If not all of them... Our leader was strong. None of us could have pulled off such a feat, that's for sure.»
— That's for sure... Who else could pull off such a feat?»
Hiruzen was stunned by the three jonin's claims. If it were true, they were right. To be honest… Even he… Could he have pulled off such a feat? No… It seemed impossible…
— Thank you for your help.» Hiruzen said to them «You can go and rest. I'll go and collect his body myself.»
The three ninjas nodded in thanks, then set off back towards the centre of the village.
Hiruzen was now alone. He stared for a long time at the gate bearing the emblem of fire, standing before him. Could he... really succeed his master? Such a hero... Could anyone possibly follow in his footsteps?
Moreover, Tobirama was, in fact, the last living ninja to bear the Senju name. Almost the entire clan had been wiped out, and of the few who remained, most had changed their names.
It was a decision made by Tobirama to prevent further disasters such as the Battle of the Senju Falls, which had taken place a few years earlier. Not a single Senju was to remain, so that new enemies would not seek to attack them, particularly for the purpose of harvesting their cells.
Only Tobirama had kept that name... And now... he was dead. The Senju Clan... had died out.
— I'm truly sorry... Master Tobirama... Your life must have been quite a burden... And... I'm not sure I'll be the successor you deserve. I'll never be able to... become like you...»
Hiruzen didn't realise it, but those words would later become his worst nightmare.
Next : The doubts of the Third Hokage