"Ah, Tobirama, you did the right thing. A clan like that isn't worth us staying in anymore. We can only look for opportunities outside and save the Senju!", Senju Hashirama said firmly.
Tobirama nodded and asked, "Big brother, where do we go now? We can't stay within Senju territory, it'll be too easy to get discovered."
Hashirama frowned slightly, a bit uncertain.
"Let's go to the Uzumaki. We'd need to take a boat, but once we get there, they won't be able to catch us.", Senju Itama suggested.
But he was quickly rejected by Tobirama.
"No. Even though the relationship between the Uzumaki and the Senju isn't as good as before, who knows if Father and the Uzumaki clan leader are still on the same side. If we get sent back, we're done for.", Tobirama refused.
Hashirama also nodded in agreement. "Right, we can't go to the Land of Whirlpools."
"Then what do we do? Become rogue ninjas? But rogue ninjas are hunted by everyone, even the daimyo often organize forces to wipe them out.", Itama said uneasily.
"No, we still have a better option. We go to Konoha."
Tobirama took the initiative to propose it.
Hearing this, Hashirama's eyes lit up. It was exactly what he had been thinking.
"Good! That's the same as what Tobirama and I thought! What about you two?"
Hashirama looked at the two youngest brothers with bright eyes.
Itama and Kawarama exchanged a glance.
"If big brother and second brother both say so, then we'll definitely follow!"
The two spoke in unison.
"Alright, then let's rest for a while and try to reach Konoha by tomorrow morning.", Hashirama said.
———
In the morning, Arisu stood by the office window, looking down over the entirety of Konoha.
After Arisu's development, Konoha could no longer be called a village. It should be called a city.
From above, it looked magnificent.
"Such familiar chakra… is it the reincarnation of Asura?"
Arisu suddenly frowned, keenly sensing a familiar presence appearing at Konoha's gate.
He didn't move, instead waiting for his subordinates to report.
Not long after, an Anbu ninja arrived.
"Report to the Great Elder, there are four children at the gate claiming to be from the Senju. They want to defect to Konoha.", The Anbu ninja reported respectfully.
Arisu nodded. "Let them in. Bring them directly to see me."
The Anbu ninja was clearly taken aback and hurriedly said, "Great Elder, should we interrogate them first? If these four intend to assassinate, or…", He trailed off.
Arisu thought for a moment. It wasn't unreasonable for the Anbu ninja to speak up.
After all, in everyone's eyes, Arisu was seen as a peerless strategist but physically weak old man.
The Anbu's duty was also to protect him.
Naturally, they needed to remind him.
Arisu waved his hand indifferently. "They're just four children. There's no need for that."
"Yes."
The Anbu ninja nodded.
At the same time, at the gate of Konoha.
The four Senju brothers all raised their heads, staring at the gate, their eyes filled with undisguised shock and genuine amazement.
The massive gate of Konoha stood there like a mountain, grand and imposing.
"My god, this gate is way too magnificent!"
Senju Itama couldn't help blurting out, his eyes locked on the enormous structure in front of him.
"And these tall, endless walls… I really want to see what the inside of the village looks like…"
Kawarama clutched his clothes, full of curiosity.
Tobirama remained silent, but the slight tightening of his brows already exposed the turmoil in his heart.
Compared to the crude, cramped, and chaotic Senju clan grounds, the orderly and grand Konoha before him was like night and day. The gap stirred countless thoughts within him.
Hashirama looked at the towering gate and couldn't help sighing softly, his tone filled with emotion. "The Senju clan has been stuck in the clan grounds for too long. It's time we opened our eyes and saw the world."
Just as the four brothers were marveling at the gate...
A black shadow suddenly appeared. An Anbu ninja in standard uniform landed silently.
"You four, come with me. The Great Elder wants to see you."
The Anbu ninja spoke in a flat tone, his presence carrying a distant chill.
Hearing this, the four exchanged glances, confusion flashing in their eyes.
They had deliberately concealed their identities as the clan leader's sons, coming only as ordinary Senju members to avoid unnecessary trouble.
They couldn't figure out why the powerful Great Elder of Konoha would summon them specifically.
Before they could think further, the massive, heavy gates of Konoha slowly opened outward.
In an instant, the four brothers' pupils shrank, their gazes shooting forward.
What came into view was a sight they had never seen in their lives.
Clean, smooth stone streets stretched straight ahead.
Orderly buildings stood in neat rows, roads crisscrossing clearly and connecting in all directions. Cherry blossom trees lined both sides of the streets.
In the distance, the towering Konoha Elder Tower stood solemn and imposing at the center of the village.
It was four in the morning. There weren't many pedestrians yet, giving the place a quiet feel.
But street food stalls, restaurants, and dango shops had already opened. Wisps of steam rose, carrying faint aromas of food drifting through the air, full of everyday life.
Everything before them was orderly, peaceful, and alive.
The four brothers stared blankly at the scene, filled with indescribable amazement. This kind of prosperity and stability was far better than the Senju clan grounds.
"Maybe… we should have let go of our obsession long ago and truly embraced Konoha…"
Tobirama murmured in a low voice, a hint of relief in his tone.
Led by the Anbu, the four moved forward and arrived at the Elder Tower.
Looking at the grand building, they all paused, a bit tired.
From the gate to the tower, they had walked over a thousand meters.
The vast, orderly scale of Konoha completely overturned their understanding of a ninja settlement.
Following the Anbu inside, they finally met Konoha's Great Elder, Arisu.
The four instinctively composed themselves, standing stiffly with restrained expressions. Their movements were awkward with unease as they secretly looked toward Arisu, who was bent over handling documents behind his desk, each of them lost in thought.
Itama thought to himself, 'So this is Konoha's Great Elder?'
'I heard he's already over a hundred years old. In a world of constant conflict, living this long is unbelievable…'
Hashirama carefully observed the old man. Seeing his gentle face, he thought, 'He looks very kind. Konoha's Great Elder should be someone easy to talk to.'
But in Tobirama's heart, a deeper shock surged.
This was a figure who, by himself, had shaken the entire structure of the ninja world. His intelligence was unmatched, and his governance abilities were second to none.
No one would have imagined that such a grand new order in the ninja world had been created by an old man without overwhelming personal strength.
In this world where the strong prey on the weak, only those with top-tier strength usually achieve great feats.
Yet this old man had firmly held the core of Konoha's power with nothing but his extraordinary intellect and vision. It was truly admirable.
'I'm so hungry… I wonder if the Great Elder will prepare something good to eat? The smell from the street just now was too tempting…', Kawarama, however, wasn't thinking about power or politics at all. His stomach growled as he licked his lips.
At that moment, Arisu slowly put down the documents in his hand and raised his head, his calm gaze sweeping over the four.
"I heard that yesterday, Senju Butsuma's eldest son, Hashirama, defected from the Senju clan, taking his three younger brothers with him. I assume you are the four brothers of Senju Hashirama.", Arisu spoke slowly, each word clearly reaching their ears.
As soon as the words fell, the four brothers' expressions changed drastically. The panic and shock in their eyes could no longer be hidden, and their bodies tensed.
They had deliberately concealed their identities to avoid trouble, yet the moment they entered Konoha, the Great Elder saw through them at a glance.
From the very first meeting, they could already feel how unfathomable this Great Elder was.
In this era of poor information flow, something that happened yesterday was already known by the next morning.
His intelligence network was terrifying.
"No need to panic."
Seeing their flustered state, Arisu waved his hand calmly, his tone steady.
"You chose to come here on your own, to join Konoha and submit to it. I've seen that sincerity, and naturally, I won't treat you poorly."