Konoha Village gates.
Captain Bai Ye hadn't changed at all.
Still calm. Still in control.
Only now, there was a beautiful white rabbit lazily resting in his arms.
The moment Bai Ye declared they had returned for duty, the once-playful guard team instantly realigned into formation.
Such were the rules set by their captain.
Work hard. Play harder. But never lose the mission.
This month, more than any other, they understood how Bai Ye treated them—not just as soldiers, but as people. As comrades. As family.
Under his leadership, the Konoha Guard was no longer just a unit. They were a brotherhood.
Through the joys of shared training and the risks of joint missions, their bond had deepened.
They weren't just coworkers. They were siblings in arms.
And now, upon returning to the heart of the village, they were ready—battle-hardened, mentally prepared, and emotionally focused.
Konoha's villagers instinctively made way, clearing a path as the returning guard members marched proudly.
But then—
A sudden movement.
The door of Bai Ye's exclusive convoy cracked open.
From it, Tsunade emerged.
She inhaled deeply, locking eyes with Bai Ye. His quiet smile offered reassurance—permission—to do what needed to be done.
Returning home meant more than resuming duty.
It meant facing ghosts. Cleaning old wounds. Fulfilling long-forgotten oaths.
An oath whispered during the steam of a hot spring—an old promise, tied to love, to family… and to justice.
Bai Ye adored his woman.
He hadn't forgotten what he owed to Nawaki.
Even if Tsunade hadn't mustered the resolve, Bai Ye would have made the decision for her.
The Senju could no longer drift in anonymity.
It was time to return. Time to rise.
The last heir of the First and Second Hokage… would speak.
"Everyone, hold for a moment!"
Tsunade's voice cracked through the bustling crowd. Her usual flirtatious tone was gone. In its place, a steel resolve.
This moment—this gathering—wasn't easily earned.
With Konoha's people assembled, Tsunade stepped forward. She couldn't let the opportunity slip.
The wind tousled her cloak, but her stance was firm. Unshakable.
Here stood the woman who would soon become the Fifth Hokage.
Bai Ye said nothing. But his silent presence beside her spoke volumes.
Not just as her man.
Not just as the leader of the elite Konoha Guard.
But as her unyielding pillar of support.
Besides, Tsunade wasn't merely a medical-nin anymore.
She was the Medical Captain of the Guard.
She was Bai Ye's lover. Konoha's legend. A true Senju.
Now—
Eyes gathered.
Even the passing ANBU began to halt, curious.
Konoha's shinobi turned to her, sensing the importance.
"Nawaki. Come."
She breathed out, steady.
Her hand reached behind, gently tugging her younger brother forward.
In front of everyone, Tsunade released the Genjutsu disguise over Nawaki's body.
In the blink of an eye—
The tall, cloaked figure reverted into a chubby-faced youth.
This was Nawaki's true form.
The baby fat. The smile. The resemblance to Tsunade.
Gone was the anonymous boy from the battlefield. Before them now stood the boy once mourned by Konoha.
Far away, Uchiha Itachi narrowed his eyes.
The disguise.
The secrecy.
Now it made sense.
"He's my brother—Senju Nawaki!"
Tsunade's voice rang with pride.
Astonishment swept the crowd.
Nawaki gave a small wave, beaming despite the attention.
Nervous?
Never.
He had stared death in the face and returned. After all this time training under Bai Ye's shadow, how could something as simple as scrutiny phase him?
He smiled.
Bright. Honest. Clear like Naruto—but with a more grounded awareness of his strength.
He wouldn't spout nonsense.
And Bai Ye? He was genuinely fond of this brother-in-law.
"Nawaki?! Am I hearing this right?! Didn't he die in the Second Shinobi War?"
"Yeah! They said his body was blown apart by explosive tags!"
"How is he alive?!"
"Did Tsunade-sama… bring him back? Resurrection?"
"No way… There's more going on here."
The murmurs rippled through the crowd like fire through dry leaves.
Shocked by Nawaki's resurrection, Konoha's citizens tried to comprehend the bigger picture.
But Tsunade wasn't finished.
"Yes. Nawaki died in the Second Shinobi War."
She paused, glancing briefly at Bai Ye, and smiled.
"As for how he's alive…"
She grinned wider.
"It's a secret."
Bai Ye had once told her not to worry—that power should never be feared by those who walk beside it. Still, Tsunade understood the risks.
The world didn't need to know about Bai Ye's power to defy death.
She wasn't naive. She wouldn't paint a target on his back.
She might gamble. She might drink. But she'd never betray the man she loved.
Behind that fierce will was a sharp mind.
Bai Ye only smiled at her subtle protectiveness.
Tsunade turned again to the gathered crowd.
"But there's a reason I revealed Nawaki's identity now."
She reached into her cloak, withdrawing a tightly wound scroll.
Infusing chakra into her lungs, her next words were loud. Clear. Commanding.
Gripping Nawaki's hand, she stepped forward.
"I, Senju Tsunade—!"
"Granddaughter of Senju Hashirama!"
"Hereby revoke the integration of Senju into Konoha!"
"From this day forward…"
"Senju of the Forest!"
"Regroup!"
Silence.
Then chaos.
Even hidden deep in the shadows, Sarutobi Hiruzen paled.
He trembled.
Senju… reuniting?!
How?
How could she find enough surviving Senju to form a clan again?
After the death of Tobirama in Year 12, the Senju began dissolving their clan identity.
By Year 17, they were fully merged into Konoha—no separate surname, no clan district, nothing.
And now, it had been 35 years.
Most were dead. The rest—old. Dispersed. Isolated.
He and Danzo had ensured that the Senju line faded.
Those of Senju blood had been placed in danger repeatedly—missions with little hope of survival.
Even Nawaki had been handed to Orochimaru.
All by design.
Yet Tsunade now held a scroll—a roster?
Was she serious?
That name—Senju Tsunade—was no longer just nostalgia.
She was stepping forward as patriarch.
Or… matriarch.
No, wait.
That title should have gone to Nawaki.
Which meant…
She planned to hold power only until her brother matured. She would guide the clan's rebirth… and marry Uchiha Bai Ye afterward.
Too fast. Too sudden.
Sarutobi hadn't prepared.
Panic gripped him.
If she kept digging, she would uncover everything.
Why now? Why regroup the Senju?
He didn't understand.
But the weight of that legacy—the granddaughter of the First Hokage—was undeniable.
And the older generation?
They remembered.
From within the crowd, a withered voice broke the silence.
"Senju Pangen… greets Princess Tsunade!"
A hunched elder stepped forward, kneeling low.
Another man followed.
"I—Senju Kazama, descendant of Tobirama—see the return of our Princess!"
Tsunade's eyes softened.
Then narrowed.
The scroll proved true.
One by one, names were confirmed. One by one, survivors stepped out.
Men and women long hidden within Konoha's general population now emerged from the shadows.
The Senju… were still here.
Scattered.
But alive.
Even the Divine Tree behind Bai Ye trembled, fists clenched.
"How can this be?!"
Thirty-five years ago, the clan had dwindled to 300.
Now, most elders were frail. The next generation scarce.
This wasn't the mighty clan that once stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Uchiha.
It was a clan of ashes and sorrow.
Yet…
It stood.
"Big sister…"
Nawaki's voice wavered.
He was young. But not blind.
"Hui Clan Land," Tsunade said firmly.
Before this gathering, she had quietly investigated Senju affairs.
This was only the beginning.
She scanned the faces around her—then her gaze fell upon Bai Ye.
She nodded once.
She wouldn't be returning with him today.
"I will begin the inquiry into our family's past."
"And to my respected sensei—"
She hesitated.
"—We'll speak… later."
Boom!
She slammed a fist into the ground.
Tsunade's chakra surged.
The earth cracked.
Vines burst upward. Trees soared.
Wood Style—Mokuton—was unleashed again!
The rupture of stone beneath her feet also marked the rupture of old bonds.
There were no teachers here.
No old loyalties.
Only Senju Tsunade.
And the clan reborn.
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