Because of various… unfortunate timing issues, Tsunade went two whole days without so much as a taste of meat, let alone a full meal, and she was not happy about it.
Actually, "not happy" is putting it mildly.
Still, the chance for a turnaround showed up pretty quickly.
That was on the second day of the New Year.
New Year's Eve: the village-wide gala.
First day: the Uchiha clan gathering.
Second day: time for inter-clan social calls.
For commoners, that meant the classic "making the rounds of relatives" phase—fun for kids because of red envelopes, and sometimes even more fun for their moms because they got red envelopes too.
And even though she wasn't anyone's mom, Tsunade was also extremely pleased, because she felt: finally, it's my turn.
From the second day on, as the representative of the Uchiha clan, Yorin would be making the rounds of Konoha's other clans for diplomatic New Year visits.
And why was this her opportunity? Because Tsunade, lest anyone forget, was also a clan leader.
Lately, under Yorin's heavy support, the Senju clan had been doing rather well.
The population was still thin, but at least it wasn't just "two-and-a-half cats" anymore.
Quite a few people who had once dropped the Senju surname had picked it back up, publicly acknowledging Tsunade as their clan head…
Of course, in terms of cohesion, finances, and secret techniques, the Senju clan was still a mess—not because they had nothing, but because everything they did have was essentially attached to Tsunade and Uchiha Yorin personally.
Some "truly devoted to Senju revival" old-timers had come to inspect the situation, only to grumble:
"This isn't a Senju revival at all, this is just the Uchiha clan puppeteering a corpse to milk political capital.
Too underhanded, Uchiha!"
Then again, without Yorin's backing, there would be no revival to talk about. Look at what happened to So-and-So's two streets after she died—the village ate them clean. No one knew whether it went into public accounts or straight into some Sarutobi's pocket. Why would the Senju clan fare any better?
Bottom line: without money and resources, it doesn't matter how capable you are—you've got nowhere to use that capability.
…
Of course, all that talk about Senju revival and the Senju–Uchiha relationship was something other people might care deeply about. Tsunade couldn't care less.
While a few elders in the clan wanted to use this moment to talk to Yorin—after all, if the Senju revived only to get fully absorbed by the Uchiha clan, what was the point?—and there was even one particularly extreme geezer who floated the idea of breaking off Tsunade and Yorin's engagement…
That one extreme geezer had no support and was swiftly "handled."
And Tsunade still didn't care.
The only thing she cared about was whether this New Year's social circuit would give her a chance to be alone with Yorin and finally heh-heh-heh.
…
On the first day of visiting, Yorin brought Tsunade along to the compound of Konoha's current second-largest clan—the Byakugan-bearing Hyūga—to pay a formal call. They were warmly received by Hyūga Hiashi.
In front of Hiashi, when Yorin introduced Tsunade, he directly called her "my wife," and Tsunade was so delighted she forgot to stay wary of all those big-busted Hyūga girls.
The other ladies at home had expressly tasked her with keeping an eye on those Hyūga chicks. The fact that she could forget that? Tsunade wasn't just a bit useless—she was spectacularly useless.
Hiashi, meanwhile, had his own agenda.
Ever since Yorin's meteoric rise, Hiashi had been kicking himself. Such a prime stock—how did we not grab him first?
Now the bargain had fallen right into Tsunade the gambling addict's lap.
Our Hyūga clan's big-breasted girls are so much better, aren't they? he thought bitterly. We've got all types—plump and slender, take your pick. But thanks to Tsunade's existence, even if we send one over, she'd only ever be a concubine and never the main wife.
And in reality, it looked like even "concubine" wasn't available. Innuendo after innuendo at the banquet, Hiashi tried to nudge Yorin's thoughts toward Hyūga women, but Yorin refused to bite, playing dumb like he hadn't heard any of it.
Hiashi was deeply disappointed.
Tsunade not picking up the subtext was understandable, but for Yorin not to react meant only one thing: he was doing it on purpose.
The timing isn't right yet, Yorin thought.
He couldn't exactly say, "To be honest, I actually like Hanabi."
If it were Hinata, things would be easier.
Because, just like with Temari and Kurotsuchi, the world's "correction" had quietly aged Hyūga Hinata up to a clearly-legal 18, making her perfectly valid harem material.
But Hanabi wasn't there yet—she was only 16.
Sure, if Yorin asked Hiashi, Hiashi would happily shout, "Fine! Of course! That's totally acceptable!" without a second of hesitation.
But the "world's will" told Yorin: No.
Two more years.
Not yet? Hiashi mused inwardly. Does that mean Yorin has his eye on one of our daughters but is too embarrassed to say who? But… which one?
…
Leaving a muttering Hiashi behind, happily tangled in his own theories, Yorin and Tsunade headed to their second spot: the Sarutobi clan.
…
A few years ago, the Sarutobi and Uchiha clans were, if not sworn enemies, at least "we will never speak to you" level hostile.
Sarutobi Biwako-style rabid anti-Uchiha was practically the clan's specialty, like they were exporting paranoia as a local product.
But with Yorin's overwhelming rise and Sarutobi Hiruzen's decline, the situation had flipped.
The Uchiha had become Konoha's new core, and after the flawless conclusion of the Fourth Shinobi World War, they'd seized the loyalty of the entire village at speed.
The Sarutobi clan, on the other hand, had become… awkward.
Especially on the economic front.
While Yorin was leading other clans into booming business, the Sarutobi completely missed the Uchiha Group's gravy train.
Partly because, as always, they looked down on the Uchiha and took them as latent threats and traitors.
Partly because Yorin himself didn't think much of the Sarutobi.
After they rejected his initial feeler (which was actually a baited hook disguised as a test), Yorin never brought up "cooperation" with them again.
Even when the Sarutobi later pinched their noses and awkwardly tried to bring it up, Yorin always had the same response ready:
"I tried to reach out sincerely, but your clan turned me down."
The Uchiha don't want face or what?
The Sarutobi were left bitter and speechless, grumbling that this wasn't how a "sincere partner" behaved. A sincere partner should chase repeatedly, show more sincerity, keep knocking.
But saying that out loud would make them sound pathetic.
So over the past year or two, the Sarutobi had watched the rest of the clans soar under Yorin's leadership, raking in profits from every direction. Even small clans like the Aburame or Inuzuka were making bank.
Yet this grand "third great clan," who fancied themselves the rightful rulers of Konoha, hadn't made a single coin.
Watching other people get rich sometimes feels worse than losing money yourself. That was exactly where the Sarutobi were now.
Their resentment toward Yorin—and the Uchiha in general—had ramped up to a new level…
And it meant absolutely nothing.
If the Uchiha stumbled, the Sarutobi would have been the first to line up and kick the man while he was down, convinced it was destiny.
In their heads, it was simple: The Uchiha are incompetent. They'll ruin Konoha. When they fail, we Sarutobi will step in to save the village and the world.
But that hypothetical future never arrived.
Konoha did not fall. Under Yorin's "messing around," it became more prosperous than ever.
That's when the Sarutobi really started to panic.
They were stuck between their old pride and a new reality.
Especially when, after the war, Yorin calmly dismantled the Fire Daimyō's inquisition and walked away with even more power, more clans, more business, and more prestige. Even the most anti-Uchiha elders of the Sarutobi found themselves muttering "what a bizarre turn of events, what a bizarre turn of events" like broken records.
Some elders got so twisted up over it that they literally worried themselves to death. Sarutobi Biwako, for example.
…
While the elders were lost in confusion, the younger and middle-aged Sarutobi cautiously floated a new idea:
"Maybe we were wrong."
"Maybe the Uchiha aren't as bad as we thought."
"At the very least, Uchiha Yorin doesn't seem like a bad person."
From the perspective of clan rivalry, the Uchiha clearly wanted nothing to do with the Sarutobi. From the Sarutobi's side, that was about as bad as it could get.
From Konoha's perspective—and even the whole shinobi world's—Uchiha Yorin was a heaven-sent dragon. Born to be the Emperor of the Ninja World.
The Sarutobi's confusion persisted right up until Yorin calmly steamrolled through the Daimyō's interrogation.
Although a few diehard elders still clung to the belief that Yorin had offended the Daimyō and was doomed to fail…
More and more Sarutobi of all ages realized:
We can't keep opposing the Uchiha.
They weren't just opposing Yorin—they'd be cutting themselves off from Konoha, and from the entire shinobi world.
Unwilling as they were, deeply resentful as some might be, the Sarutobi had to, and would, start moving closer to the Uchiha.
Only then could the Sarutobi clan safeguard their own interests—and their survival.
That's why this round of New Year clan-visits was particularly crucial for them.
By seniority, Yorin should have been the one taking gifts to visit retired Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen.
But in the end, it was Hiruzen who came to visit Yorin, personally, with gifts in hand.
With the Third Hokage going that far, Yorin was, of course, willing to give him face.
If this conversation went well, there was no reason not to bring the Sarutobi in on some future projects.
That said, this was absolutely their last chance.
If they didn't know how to appreciate it, then in the grand tide of history, the fall of a once-mighty clan would be nothing more than a grain of sand.
In the original timeline, it was the Uchiha Massacre Night.
This time, the Uchiha were safe.
If anything, it might end up being a Sarutobi Massacre Night instead—and Yorin wasn't ruling that out.