"But…"
Inuzuka Rinko still wanted to argue, but Inuzuka Ryoha quickly cut her off.
"Rinko, did you know? The Second Hokage once wanted to abandon the Senju name and disband the Senju clan."
"What?!"
"You, as a member of the Inuzuka clan, already find that hard to accept, right? Then can you imagine what the Senju members felt when they received that order?!"
Inuzuka Ryoha paused.
"It must have felt like the sky was collapsing—nothing less."
Tears had already begun to gather in Inuzuka Rinko's eyes. She couldn't imagine the Inuzuka clan ever being disbanded.
"Under the leadership of the First Hokage—no, let's put it this way—under Hashirama-sama and Tobirama-sama, the Senju clan reached an unprecedented peak. They completely defeated their ancient enemies, the Uchiha clan, and established the Hidden Leaf Village. Both Hokage came from the Senju clan. At that time, anyone who saw a Senju member would treat them with respect. The Senju themselves were extremely serious about maintaining their reputation. That's why, during the village's founding, there was a saying: no one could harm any Konoha ninja in front of the Senju clan."
"Then the Second Hokage-sama was too cruel, insisting on disbanding such a great clan."
"No. For the Senju at that time, disbanding was actually the best choice. Their immense reputation also brought immense casualties—and heavy pressure."
"I don't understand."
Inuzuka Ryoha smiled and gently patted Rinko's head, her confused expression making him soften.
"You don't need to understand everything. I'll explain it to you slowly."
"Okay."
The two of them leaned against a large tree and sat down. Inuzuka Ryoha wrapped an arm around Rinko and began speaking slowly.
"Because of the Senju's overwhelming reputation, they took on almost all dangerous missions voluntarily. And when missions failed and someone had to stay behind to cover the retreat, if a Senju ninja was present, it was always them—without exception."
"But couldn't they refuse?"
"A single sentence—'You're from the Senju clan'—was enough to make any Senju ninja unable to refuse. What they carried was the name of Senju. They could die, but the name could not be tarnished."
"Isn't that… what you called it before?"
"Emotional coercion?"
"Right! That's it! How could anyone do that to Senju ninjas?"
"No one was coercing them. What bound them was the name of Senju itself. Rinko, back in the early days of the village, countless people tried to stop them. After all, everyone has a heart—who could bear watching others constantly sacrifice for them?"
"Then why did it still happen?"
"Because Senju ninjas would press kunai to their own throats and shout at the others: 'If you don't let me stay behind, I'll die right here! Do you not trust the Senju clan?!'"
"How could that be…"
Inuzuka Rinko gasped sharply. What kind of ninja would do something like that?
"And that wasn't even the most extreme part. In missions where limbs were lost or casualties were severe—if it were other Konoha ninjas, Senju would risk their lives to save them, shouting 'we won't abandon anyone!' But when it came to themselves… those with lighter injuries, who could still move, would stay behind, shouting that they would take the enemy down with them. Those too heavily injured to move would simply take their own lives, saying with their final breath: 'I won't drag my comrades down.'"
Sobs broke out.
Rinko was already crying uncontrollably.
"Waaah… how can there be such good people? The Senju clan… they're all good people… all heroes… waaah…"
Inuzuka Ryoha held her tightly and continued.
"That's why, at that time, when the Senju went to the battlefield, it was as if they were going there to die. No one could stop them."
"So… that's why the Second Hokage-sama announced the disbandment?"
"Exactly. During the village's founding period, the Senju's casualties were actually higher than during the Warring States era. It was unbelievable. So after the Second Hokage took office, he quickly disbanded the Senju clan, removing the heavy burden of the 'Senju' name from them, so the remaining members could live peaceful lives in Konoha."
"Didn't they object?"
"They all agreed. The Senju understood the situation clearly. Sometimes, they also wanted to be cowards—or at least not so heroic. But the name 'Senju' wouldn't allow it. It forced them to be brave. So even though they were reluctant to abandon the name, reality forced their hand. However, the Second Hokage promised them that even without bearing the name, they were still Senju. And so, the Senju clan was once disbanded during his era."
"Then wasn't the problem solved?"
"It should have been. But fate is unpredictable. The Second Hokage was ambushed and killed by the Cloud's Gold and Silver Brothers."
"Was that during the First Great Ninja War?"
"That's right. The Senju avenged him in that battle—but their remaining main forces were wiped out as well. What remained in the clan grounds were only the old, the weak, and the injured. Whether the clan stayed disbanded or not no longer mattered—there were barely any people left. The once vibrant 'Senju' was walking down a path filled with silence and death."
"Was Hideki born at that time?"
"Of course not. He was born several years later."
"Then how did such a heavy burden fall onto his shoulders?"
"It didn't fall onto him—he chose to take it on himself."
Inuzuka Ryoha seemed to drift back to a night years ago.
He and Eimaru had been running around Konoha, training their bodies. As they passed an old, weathered house, they saw a boy—no, more like a child—kneeling before an aged man.
That childish voice, even now, still echoed like thunder in his memory:
"If I'm not worthy of the Senju name, then I'll work until I am. But if you ask me to abandon the Senju name… I would rather die."
What the old man said afterward, Ryoha could no longer remember clearly.
But that tear-filled face—he would never forget it in his lifetime.
Thinking back now…
He had actually noticed something off about Hideki even earlier than Shiken had. But why hadn't he ever considered that Hideki might be a transmigrator?
Maybe… back then, he simply believed that the Senju clan was supposed to be like this.
Inuzuka Ryoha gave a helpless smile.
First Hokage-sama… you truly misled generations of Senju and Konoha ninjas.
"Ryoha, why would Hideki willingly take on that burden?"
"For heroes, reputation might be a burden. But for their descendants, inheriting that reputation is the greatest honor. Rinko, have you ever heard this saying?"
"What saying?"
"One hero can inspire a generation of heroes. One sage can nurture a generation of sages. For a father and son to fight on the same battlefield is the father's greatest shame—and the son's highest glory."
"That makes so much sense… but Ryoha, you still haven't explained why Hideki became like this."
"I haven't?"
"Definitely not."
Rinko jumped up, puffing her cheeks in frustration. She hadn't missed a single word of the Senju's heroic stories—she had listened with full attention.
"Hahaha, I just love seeing you like this."
"Ugh, stop it! Hurry up and tell me why Hideki turned out this way!"
"Because he found a path. A path whose rightness or wrongness is unknown—but he found it."
"That's it? Just that simple?"
"Yes. It's that simple. Once you have a path, you're no longer lost. And once you achieve something, you become incredibly confident."
Rinko fell into deep thought.
Watching her try so hard to think, the little devil inside Inuzuka Ryoha could no longer hold back.
He suddenly pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply.
Important things should be said three times—
Just a kiss.
Just a deep kiss.
Just a very, very deep kiss.