Chapter 86

An elder of the Sarutobi clan,

trembling as he leaned on his cane, said.

Their Sarutobi clan had already spent countless years of effort,

establishing their own foundation in the Land of Fire.

If they were to leave the Land of Fire now,

then everything they had done before would all be for nothing, ruined at the last step!!!

"If… if it really won't work…"

"We should still personally pay a visit and apologize."

"As long as you can spare our Shimura clan, we are willing to serve you like horses and cattle, to become vassals of the Senju clan."

Shimura Isshin clenched his teeth, his face dark and vicious as he spoke!!

After the previous clan head of the Shimura clan died,

he was immediately elected,

becoming the new clan head!!

And after hearing his words,

the rest of the Shimura clan were even more shocked.

"Clan Head!! At worst we fight him to the death!!"

"It's nothing more than a single life, we do not fear death!!"

"We are willing to dedicate our own lives to defend the honor of the Shimura clan…"

Before the words were finished,

Shimura Isshin turned around,

waving a large hand to stop their next words.

"How would you fight him?!"

"Did none of you see that wooden Buddha just now?"

"Among all of you, who has the confidence to defeat even a single finger of that wooden Buddha?!"

"What you should do is stay alive and wait for the right moment…"

"Besides, being able to do work for a powerhouse like Hashirama Senju, becoming vassals of the Senju clan, is not really a shameful thing…"

Shimura Isshin settled the restless crowd with just a few words.

And the Sarutobi elder who had just spoken,

when he saw this scene, could not help but glance at Shimura Isshin in surprise.

He had not expected,

that this new clan head who had just been elected,

actually held no small prestige within their Shimura clan,

able to settle his clansmen with just a few words.

"Mm… I also believe this is the correct course of action."

"Wasn't it back then that we threw in with the Daimyo, helping the Daimyo deal with Hashirama Senju, precisely because of the promises the Daimyo gave us?"

"Judging by the current trend, the Daimyo probably won't be able to hold that seat of his for much longer."

"Hashirama Senju… in the Land of Fire from now on, there will probably be only this one voice."

"Although none of you have personally crossed swords with Hashirama Senju, you have all personally taken part in the operation to capture the One-Tail Shukaku, haven't you?"

"As for Shukaku's strength, you should all be very clear…"

Hearing the name Shukaku,

the expressions on everyone's faces all changed at once.

They would never forget that bloody and dark day.

Too many people had paid with their lives before they could barely manage to seal that monster away.

"The two clan heads took Shukaku there back then…"

"But now, according to what I have learned."

"Shukaku is currently guarding the gate for the Senju clan…"

The Sarutobi elder spoke out this fact that shocked everyone.

When he first learned this news,

he had thought someone was playing a joke on him.

It was only when he secretly went to the Senju clan's vicinity himself and saw this scene with his own eyes,

that he knew it was a fact!!

After hearing his words,

the crowd that had been buzzing with discussion immediately fell completely silent.

64. Heading to Ryūchi Cave to pay a visit! The serpents tremble!

After Shimura Isshin looked around,

he only then realized,

whether they were people of the Shimura clan,

or people of the Sarutobi clan,

their faces all revealed an intense look of fear.

As if they all felt a strong unease about the future.

It was precisely this unease,

that left them unsure of which direction they should head in the future!!

"Then we'll do as you say…"

"During this period, let's pay a visit together to the Senju clan…"

"It's no solution to keep running away like this…"

Hearing this, the others around them finally eased the tension on their faces.

When facing matters of life and death,

these ordinary people naturally had no real ideas of their own!!

They needed a pillar of support to help them make decisions!!

【Fourth Raikage: This is exactly the importance of a true powerhouse to a clan!! If either of these two great clans had possessed a genuine powerhouse, perhaps things wouldn't have escalated to this state…】

【Ōnoki: Beyond raw strength, the role of a true powerhouse also lies in vision—decision-making, leadership—these are all extremely important qualities…】

【Madara Uchiha: Such a weak clan—Hashirama has probably already forgotten about them. Only they themselves still think they matter…】

【Kushina Uzumaki: Heh… frankly, I have no goodwill toward the Sarutobi clan or the Shimura clan…】

【Minato Namikaze: Third… you once promised me you would take good care of Naruto…】

【Rasa: This place called Konoha is truly hypocritical, and quite ironic—the son of the Hokage himself, and yet no one knows his identity!! …】

【Orochimaru: Teacher Sarutobi has been Hokage for so many years, he must be the most formidable Hokage of all—the Senju clan and the Uchiha clan have both vanished from Konoha!!】

……

"If there's anything you need from me in the future, Clan Leader Hashirama, please don't hesitate to say so."

The Hyūga clan gazed at Hashirama Senju before them,

and inwardly felt even more grateful for their own decision!!

With Hashirama Senju's overwhelming power,

as long as the Hyūga clan maintained good relations with him,

then in the era to come,

there would surely be a place for the Hyūga clan!!

Hashirama Senju nodded,

turned, and left the spot at once.

He still had more important matters to attend to!!

Even with Hashirama Senju's strength,