Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha is not motivated.

Chapter 579 The real culprit behind the disbandment of the Senju clan has been found.

A banquet without its main character is destined to end badly. After Senju Hisana made an excuse to leave, the Grand Elder's kind expression instantly turned sinister, his murky eyes filled with a venomous, man-eating resentment.

"It's such a pity that this bastard didn't die."

"Elder, what should we do? What if our previous actions of forcing the clan leader's wife are exposed?"

His trusted followers, following behind him, were filled with fear. They were the main force that had come to force him to resign; if Ichigo Hijin were to launch a purge, they would definitely be in deep trouble.

"Hmph! She wouldn't dare. We are the foundation of the Senju clan. Without us, she is nothing."

The Grand Elder curled his lip in disdain, his tone extremely confident.

You're just a half-grown girl who's recently been recognized by your ancestors. Do you really think you're the pillar of the Senju clan just because you've mastered a few skills from your dead father and managed to get the title of Tailed Beast Rider?

Naive.

"But."

Even with the Grand Elder's assurance, several trusted confidants remained somewhat uneasy.
"Don't worry, she's just a little girl. I have my own ways of handling her."

Looking at his incompetent subordinates, the First Elder curled his lip, a sinister smile appearing on his aged face.
“The clan leader’s bloodline is thin, and Lady Rope Tree, who just returned, is still young. I think she is of marriageable age and it’s time for her to take on the task of continuing the clan.”

"Huh? Elder, what do you mean?"

"As an elder, I naturally have the responsibility and obligation to help Lady Hisa make arrangements for important life events."

The Grand Elder stroked his beard with a serious expression, the resentment in his eyes quickly replaced by a hint of pleasure.
Tobirama Senju, when you confiscated my property, did you ever think that your daughter would one day fall into my hands?

It's surprising that after all these years, the Grand Elder still harbors resentment towards Tobirama Senju for confiscating his property back then. No wonder he still secretly opposes Hisana Senju even during such a difficult time.

"Really? Elder, you know my qualifications best. I am definitely the best choice."

"Get out of here, your kid's practically graduating from ninja school by now, isn't he?"

"I'm doing this all to give my child a better future."

Upon hearing that the Grand Elder was going to arrange a marriage for Senju Hisama, the previously cautious confidants, their faces flushed, crowded around, afraid that they would be a step too slow and miss the opportunity to live off a woman.
"Get out of my way, all of you. I already have someone in mind."

The elder glared at his trusted confidants with a hint of annoyance, then smiled slightly. He reasoned that good things should not go to outsiders, as his most beloved grandson happened to be about the same age as Senju Hisajin.

Just as the Grand Elder and his group were secretly plotting, Senju Hishin, who was discussing secret matters with Senju Momoka, suddenly felt a chill and his whole body instantly broke out in goosebumps.
"hiss"

"Hijin, is your injury still not fully healed?"

Seeing Senju Hisama suddenly shiver, Senju Momoka, who had put down her teacup, looked at her with concern.

"I'll go and call that curly-haired baboon to give you a second treatment right now."

Senju Itama frowned. "You're not even putting your heart into treating your niece. You curly-haired baboon probably don't want to eat breakfast tomorrow."

"I'm fine physically, I just felt a sense of malice."

Senju Hisa blinked in confusion. She shouldn't have offended anyone recently, right?
However, now is not the time to dwell on such trivial matters; they have more important things to discuss.

"Let's not think about that for now, Auntie. What do you think of my suggestion?"

"Hijin, are you really sure? This is going against the ancestors' decision."

Momoka's eyes flickered as she spoke, revealing that she had deep concerns about what Hisana Senju was saying.
"Actually, this is not my personal opinion."

"Not your idea?"

The other two women present were taken aback upon hearing this.
“That’s right, my father mentioned this to me when he was still alive.”

Senju Hisami said this without the slightest remorse; after all, she was already dead, and her words could never be proven true.

"Tobirama actually had such thoughts?"

After a brief moment of shock, Senju Momoka gradually calmed down. She frowned and pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized that this did indeed seem quite like Senju Tobirama's style.
"This is indeed in line with his decisive style of doing things."

Listening to their conversation, Senju Itama silently picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and a hint of melancholy appeared in his starry eyes.

"Disbanding the Senju clan was Second Brother's idea."

That's right, what Senju Hisa proposed to Senju Momoka was the Senju Collapse... Disintegration Plan.
Of course, this plan was not a product of her whim, but a hypothetical idea that she and her older brother, who had not yet disappeared, had discussed in the early days of Konoha's establishment.

Long ago, when Hashirama Senju first became the leader of Konoha, she held great power in the village as his assistant.

After a period of reflection, they once again attempted to transcend the narrow perspective of their clan and consider the future development of Konoha from the viewpoint of the entire village.
They hadn't realized this until the village was truly on the right track, when they were shocked to discover that the existence of powerful clans was a form of exploitation of resources.
The majority of the village's profits would first be divided up by powerful clans, led by the Senju clan, with only the scraps remaining for the weakened families and commoners.

Of course, the Uchiha clan is not included, because they are already very wealthy, and the development of Konoha still depends on them.

Tobirama Senju racked his brains over this. If he wanted the village to escape the exploitation of the Senju clan, he had to find another way for them.
So she chose to take a risk and gamble big, secretly investing all the money she got from selling tailed beasts in Konoha into the burgeoning maritime transport industry.

If they win this high-stakes gamble, the Thousand Hands clan will continue for generations, never to decline.
If we lose.
At the time, the arrogant Tobirama Senju had no idea what defeat meant. Just as he was dreaming of making a fortune, a clarification announcement from the Land of Waves dealt him a heavy blow.
She was cheated.

The official who claimed to be from the Land of Waves's Financing Office absconded with the money, leaving the hundreds of billions invested to vanish without a trace.

This time, the Senju clan not only failed to take off, but also, because of her arrogance, was burdened with debts that would last for generations.

Selling their houses and land was just a drop in the bucket; with nowhere else to turn, the Senju brothers, Hashirama and his brother, had no choice but to take illegal jobs in the sex industry.

However, the road to repaying the debt was not smooth sailing. Just when they were about to scrape together enough money to pay off the debt, they encountered the mysterious enemy Cixian. As a result, their eldest brother was captured and disappeared without a trace, his fate unknown.

This incident also foreshadowed the internal conflicts within the Senju clan. Without Hashirama Senju, the Senju clan lost its former arrogance, and coupled with the pressure of bankruptcy, many dissenting voices emerged within the clan. However, Tobirama Senju quelled these dissent in time, preventing a tragic internal strife.
Unfortunately, fate had other plans. Just as Tobirama Senju was preparing to make her mark, she was betrayed by a villain who used a secret technique of unknown effect, causing her to successfully transform from a convex to a concave form.

In order to restore herself to her original state, she had to focus most of her energy on developing forbidden techniques, thus neglecting the supervision of her family. The voices she had previously suppressed began to resurface.
Once her identity as Tobirama Senju was completely removed from the story, the sparks of internal strife instantly engulfed the entire Senju clan overnight.
Fortunately, Senju Momoka's influence remained, and some of her former confidants did not defect, which barely managed to quell the internal turmoil within the clan. Only after Senju Hisama successfully obtained the title of Nine-Tails Knight did the conservative faction, led by the Grand Elder, become much more subdued.
But they certainly wouldn't give up so easily. Like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, they were watching the former clan leader's lineage with predatory eyes, waiting for the right opportunity to launch a coup.

That's why they came to force Senju Momoka to hand over the "inheritance" of the Senju brothers as soon as Senju Hisajin was seriously injured and not yet recovered.
As for the reason, it's naturally for the future of the family.

Lord Hashirama's secret technique is too precious; they fear the clan leader's wife might not be able to master it.

However, handing over these closely guarded secrets meant relinquishing control of the family, and Senju Momoka was naturally not going to give in easily.
During the tug-of-war, news of Senju Hisa's resurrection reached the court, and the Grand Elder's faction temporarily abandoned their coup attempt.

But the die was cast; they had already broken ties with the clan leader's faction and knew they wouldn't end well. Their only option was to fight to the bitter end.
In any case, most of the Senju clan members are on their side now, and the Grand Elder is confident that he can get Senju Momoka and the others to submit.

In order to restore the Senju clan's former glory, they must reclaim control of the clan.

"The Uchiha clan's situation is not much different from ours. Why can't the Senju clan follow a different path of development like them?"

Senju Momoka was still somewhat reluctant. She couldn't bear to watch her clan, where she had lived most of her life, fade into obscurity. Thinking of the Uchiha, another top-tier clan, she couldn't help but ask.

The Uchiha clan has also lost their clan leader. The vice-clan leader, Izuna, has gone to the Land of Waves to heal from excessive grief. Without proper discipline, the clan members have become increasingly unruly, causing trouble every few days.
The Uchiha clan was recently embroiled in a scandal involving the suspension of the entire clan, a situation far worse than that of the Senju clan. Even so, the internal problems of the Uchiha clan haven't reached the point of needing to disband.

"We are different."

Senju Hisana gently shook her head. As someone who understood the Uchiha clan better than the Uchiha themselves, she was well aware of the extreme emotions hidden beneath their eccentric and tyrannical nature.
When it comes to feelings for their clan and village, the Uchiha clan is second to none.

"Although the Uchiha clan may engage in minor squabbles from time to time, they are clearer-headed than anyone else when it comes to matters of principle."

While members of the Uchiha clan might fight each other over a trivial matter, trying to divide the clan is simply wishful thinking.
If they were truly dissatisfied with the clan leader, they would definitely stand up and challenge him openly and honestly, and would never resort to underhanded tactics.

The current situation within the Senju clan is far more serious than mere internal division. The First Elder's faction employs despicable methods that are impossible to guard against, and Senju Hisami simply doesn't have the energy to continue fighting them.

However, Senju Hisama couldn't use force to suppress them; doing so would only backfire and play right into the hands of the Grand Elder, who was worried about lacking a legitimate reason to act.

"Moreover, given the Senju clan's current conditions, they probably won't last much longer."

Seeing the complicated expressions on the faces of Senju Momoka and Senju Hisama sighed softly and began to explain another reason why the clan had to be disbanded.
[Debt Default]

In a sense, she was the culprit who caused the family to fall apart.

Back when the two brothers worked illegally in the black market, most of the bounty they earned went to Hashirama Senju. With his disappearance, that hard-earned money vanished without a trace.

This caused the debt repayment progress of the Thousand Hands Clan to be delayed again and again, eventually leading to a debt crisis, with collection notices flying everywhere. Not only could they not get back the mortgaged properties and deeds, but they also...

Every member of the Senju clan carried some share of the debt, and only then did they realize that they had actually shouldered so much debt on behalf of Tobirama Senju.

But by then, Tobirama Senju had already passed away, and these clansmen who received the collection notices were left helpless and desperate. Who could they confide their bitterness to?

At this critical juncture when people's hearts were in turmoil, the Grand Elder seized the opportunity and raised his arm, vowing to give the clan leader's lineage an explanation. As soon as he said this, he won the support of most of the clan members.

"But even if the company is dissolved, those debts won't disappear, will they?"

Senju Momoka frowned. Even she was burdened with a staggering amount of debt that made one's scalp tingle. She truly had no idea what kind of mess her brother-in-law had gotten himself into back then.
“I have already inquired. The debt is tied to the surname. As long as you and your descendants give up the name of the Senju, the debt will automatically accumulate on other members of the Senju clan.”

Regarding the debt issue, Senju Hisa had visited the Bank of Waves' financial center a long time ago and was very familiar with the principles of debt allocation.

“I understand. You disbanded the family so that everyone could get rid of the debt and start a new life.”

After hearing Senju Hisana's explanation, Senju Momoka suddenly understood, and her face lit up with joy.
"If we all abandon the Senju surname, wouldn't we no longer have to pay back the debt?"

Tsunade and Nawaki will have many expenses in the future. If she carries such a large debt, the children's upbringing will be a major problem.

"Yes."

Senju Hisa nodded.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's hold the clan meeting tonight!"

"It's too late today, let's wait until tomorrow."

Glancing at the darkening sky, Senju Hisa spoke with a calm expression, but Senju Itama, standing beside her, sensed that she seemed to be hiding something.

After chatting for a while, Senju Hisa got up to say goodbye, and Senju Itama followed her out.

"Hijin, is there something you're hiding from us?"

The two walked along the somewhat desolate road in the Senju clan's territory. Turning his head to look at his eldest niece's cool profile, Senju Itama asked,

"Ok?"

"Your father also has this expression when he has something on his mind."

Seeing Senju Hisa looking at him with surprise, Senju Itama knew he had guessed correctly.

"Don't be like your second brother, who shoulders everything alone. You still have us."

She reached out and patted Senju Hisa, who was suddenly lost in thought, and earnestly offered her words of comfort.

Looking at her younger sister, Senju Hishima felt a warmth in her heart. How could debts simply disappear into thin air?

She had originally planned to disband the clan and bear the burden of the Senju name alone to pay off her debts, but now it seems she has someone to rely on.
"How about you help me split that debt in half?"

"Sorry, my surname is now Uchiha."

(End of this chapter)