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Hashirama burst into the council hall, leaving every elder speechless. Just moments before, they had been talking about venison and wine. Now, silence filled the room.
"I said enough!"
Hashirama stood in the doorway, chest heaving. Whatever respect he once had for the elders was gone after seeing how much the clan had suffered.
"Hashirama??" Butsuma shot to his feet and slammed a hand against the table.
Hashirama ignored him and walked into the hall.
"I've heard enough of this bullshit! How can you sit here and think only of yourselves? Our people are starving. Entire families have gone without food for so long that they're barely hanging on. Some were desperate enough to pose as bandits just to bring grain home, and they died out there for it."
He pointed angrily around the council chamber.
"Meanwhile, you sit here in clean robes, safe from everything the rest of the clan is going through, arguing about what meat and wine you want for dinner. Is this what the Senju, the Clan of Love, has become?"
Hashirama pointed at the doors, his eyes red with anger and grief.
"For nine years, Konoha has taken in refugees, welcomed other clans, and given shinobi stable work through a fair mission system. You know joining Konoha would end the clan's hunger. All you have to do is let go of your pride. But you refuse, because you can't stand the thought of losing your power. You care more about your seats on this council and the Senju name than the people who depend on you!"
Butsuma's face grimaced with rage. "YOU INSOLENT CHILD! What do you understand about leading a clan?"
"You're right. I don't understand!" Hashirama stared back at his father.
"...But I know this is wrong. Some of you weigh twice as much as the clansmen starving outside. That's wrong. You eat venison and salmon while regular families can't even afford rice balls or miso soup. That's wrong too."
He opened his arms wide.
"Tell me I'm wrong!"
His words stripped away the last excuse for their hypocrisy.
"..." The elders' faces shifted between anger and shame, and one by one they slammed the table, accusing him of disobedience, treason, and siding with the Uchiha.
"Rebellion! This is rebellion!"
Butsuma trembled with rage. Chakra burst from him, knocking cups and ornaments off the table. Porcelain shattered on the floor.
"You ungrateful bastard! You stand before the Senju council, insult the elders, and defy your own father?" Butsuma's voice thundered through the hall.
"The Uchiha are our sworn enemies. Konoha is their stronghold, yet you—the eldest son of the Senju Clan Head—defend them at every turn instead of protecting your own people. YOU ARE UNWORTHY OF THE SENJU NAME!"
Hashirama stared at his father and the elders surrounding him.
None of them cared if the clan survived, as long as they kept their power. He lost the last bit of hope he had. There was nothing left to say.
Hashirama turned to the doors.
"If you're determined to destroy the Senju Clan, I won't stay and help you do it."
He walked out and didn't look back.
"Seize Senju Hashirama!!"
Butsuma smashed the table with one blow, sending splinters flying across the room.
"He's broken clan law, insulted the elders, and sided with our enemies. If we let him leave, he'll be a danger to everyone—"
Hashirama had just walked outside when he felt a chill run through him. Several elite Senju turned to face him at once.
He gritted his teeth and ran, jumping onto a nearby rooftop and sprinting across the compound. Explosions went off behind him.
"Capture Senju Hashirama!"
"Hashirama has betrayed the clan!"
"The Clan Head has ordered the traitor's execution!"
In seconds, chaos broke out across the entire Senju compound.
..............
Tobirama and his younger brothers were training by the river when they heard the news.
"What? Big Brother betrayed the clan and ran away?" Itama stared in disbelief.
"That's impossible!"
"Yeah," Kawarama said. "He doesn't even talk to anyone outside the clan except his pen pal, 'Mad Man'. All they do is exchange letters."
Shock flashed across Tobirama's face, but his mind was already working through what might have happened.
'They drove him out…'
Their father had ordered Hashirama's death because his beliefs clashed with the council's. Tobirama always knew Butsuma was ruthless, but he never expected this.
"We can't stay here..."
Tobirama turned quickly to his younger brothers. "Itama. Kawarama. Come with me. We're leaving now."
Kawarama swallowed nervously. "Where are we going?"
"If we stay here, Father will use us as tools. Sooner or later, we'll become just like the men in that council hall." Tobirama said.
His eyes grew cold.
"We're leaving the Senju too!"
..............
By nightfall, Hashirama had made it far into the forest.
He sagged against a tree, breathing hard. His clothes hung in tatters, and blood seeped from several wounds. Awakening Wood Release had not made him invincible. He was still young, while the Senju hunting him had survived years of clan warfare.
Had a few of them not sympathized with him and deliberately held back, he would already be on his way home in chains.
"I should've listened to Tobirama, I should have kept quiet until I was strong enough to change anything," Hashirama muttered, wiping blood from his mouth.
He closed his eyes. Where could he go now?
He thought about the pen pal he had written to for years. They had shared letters about their dreams, frustrations, and the world they wanted to build. Hashirama only knew his friend's alias was 'Mad Man' and that he lived in Konoha.
Perhaps Konoha would take him in.
But he couldn't leave yet.
"Tobirama, Itama, and Kawarama are still inside the compound." Hashirama clenched his fist. He would never leave his younger brothers with Butsuma and the elders.
"Fshhh!"
A rustle came from deeper in the forest.
Hashirama tensed, sure the pursuit team had found him.
Then a familiar voice emerged from the trees.
"Brother Hashirama?"
"Big Brother!"
Tobirama broke through the brush with Itama and Kawarama close behind.
"What are you doing here?" Hashirama's eyes widened in relief.
The three brothers smiled when they saw him and rushed over.
"Tobirama said something was wrong, so he brought us out before anyone could stop us," Kawarama explained, still catching his breath.
"The entire clan is searching for you," Itama added.
"Everyone's saying you betrayed the Senju."
"Once Father declared you a traitor, I realized none of us would be safe there much longer," Tobirama said. "So I took them and left before the elders could use us against you."
Hashirama looked at his three brothers, and for the first time since he had run from the compound, the crushing weight in his chest began to ease.
That night, Hashirama lost the Senju Clan.
But he had not lost his family.
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