Akira Senju's return was almost unexpected by everyone. After being captured by the Uchiha in public, and considering their hatred for the Senju, it wouldn't have been surprising if they'd cut off his limbs or killed him outright. At best, he might have been imprisoned or used in some exchange for prisoners or strategic advantages. Yet now, he was back?
Hashirama didn't think too deeply. The pressure from his own subordinates was mounting to the point where abdication felt imminent. Seeing Akira walk in was like watching salvation itself, he wasted no time sending someone to fetch him.
While many speculated about what kind of torment Akira must've endured to get back alive, their assumptions crumbled when they saw him. He hadn't been injured at any visible level, not even his clothes were wrinkled. To top it off, there was a smile on his face that made people want to punch it off.
It looked less like he came from enemy captivity and much closer to returning from some casual outing, or worse, a date.
Mito didn't waste time thinking it through. The instant she saw Akira step into the tent, she sprinted toward him outright.
"Whee!"
Akira playfully patted her head, not bothering with the eyes burning holes into him from every direction. He looked amused, relaxed even, like this entire gathering didn't matter to him at the moment.
"Akira, you…"
Hashirama opened his mouth to ask what had happened. Akira cut him off with practiced ease.
"Why are there so many people here?"
His gaze swept over the room with unhidden amusement. That alone was enough to put everyone completely on edge.
Things don't feel right when they're too smooth. Akira coming back without injury, and acting this casually, pointed to layers of things hidden beneath the surface. Everyone sensed it but no one knew what it was.
Some waited cautiously, unwilling to speak first.
Others lacked that restraint completely, like the Taketori clan's chief.
"Senju Akira, you owe us some explanation."
Akira's grin widened. The reference point had finally arrived. Most of the cleanup work had already been done. What remained was simply wrapping it up. He caught Tobirama's ashamed expression and understood immediately what had happened here during his absence.
"Tobirama's throwing me under the cart again. Typical."
He flicked his finger into his ear as if digging out earwax casually, answering with no urgency.
"Explanation? Sure, I'll give you one."
Ignoring the shouting man, he leaned close and whispered quickly into Mito's ear before pulling her toward Hashirama's table, step after step, until both of them stood up on top of it.
Gasps echoed from every direction in the room.
"That's right, I lost the battle. So if any of you are unhappy about that, then go ahead and leave the Senju alliance."
Roars erupted almost instantly. Even calm leaders looked stunned, as though this wasn't just bold but completely unhinged. Neither Hashirama nor Tobirama had any idea what Akira hoped to gain with that kind of provocation.
"You, !"
Outrage flooded from the Bamboo Clan's chief, but Akira stared him down silently for only half a breath before saying,
"Oh? You're mad already? Well then I hope you're ready to die of rage next, because I did it on purpose."
It was enough to make the man snap. He summoned bone, spurs from his arm in one quick draw, stepping forward aggressively.
"Stop!"
Hashirama finally stood. He may not have known what Akira was playing at, but bloodshed within the tent would end everything they'd built so far.
"Akira's not himself right now, he's clearly upset about losing for the first time. And yes, it was his mistake, but he's earned his place from past victories alone. If anyone here has some better plan we should've followed, say it now."
Silence returned slowly as that reminder took hold.
Many clan chiefs who were eyeing benefits of their own survival strategies took the hint and backed down pretenses of moral outrage.
"Tch…"
With violence off the table and Hashirama covering for Akira, the Taketori chief gave one final snort before sitting down hard in his chair, his posture tense but compliant for now.
Hashirama turned again toward Akira, trying diplomacy instead of force this time.
"Akira, I know how frustrated you must be, "
he cut him off again with ease.
"Hey, you over there! Bamboo Cutter clan guy! Why are you sitting alone? Don't tell me…all your kin are dead already?"
As soon as the man sat back down, that jab set him off again, but now words failed him entirely. Fury took his tongue hostage and he simply pointed at Akira with shaking fingers while trembling where he sat.
No one stepped in anymore, not even allies.
Hashirama clenched his fists in frustration but didn't speak this time either, not because he agreed, but because he couldn't keep up anymore with whatever game Akira was playing.
"Whatever," Akira finally said with exasperation. "I'm done playing games now. Mito?"
"Yes!"
Mito brightened and immediately shouted across the room,
"That one! And that one, and that one too… and those!"
Her finger pointed at five or six different clan leaders without hesitation, all from smaller clans. The Taketori clan chief was among them.
Confusion swept over every single one of them as Akira faced them again with that same grin back on her lips.
"Alright, the ones Mito just called? You're done here. Out of the alliance."
Only Senju and Uzumaki faces remained composed in that moment, every other face in that tent turned pale or furious or some variation in between. Even high, ranking leaders leaned forward in disbelief.
Hashirama and Tobirama exchanged startled glances, but said nothing, for they suddenly remembered one clear phrase from before:
Akira had promised he would clean out the trash himself.
Taketori's chief slammed his chair back violently and roared,
"What is the meaning of this, Senju and Thousand Stars?!"
"I meant what i said.." Akira replied coldly this time. "And if you don't agree, you're free to leave too."
"You…!"
Chief Yamanaka stood but froze when Chief Nara tugged his sleeve lightly, shaking his head subtly from side to side.
Among their "Ino, Shika, Cho" trio, Nara was always the mind behind decisions. If he said no, it ended there.
Yamanaka sat back down slowly, but not without glaring first across the length of the room at Akira again.
Other major clans observed passively, for now, they hadn't been named afterall…and leaving rashly would hurt their own interests most of any scenario presently on the table.
Silence dropped again into the tent like heavy cloth being thrown across everyone's shoulders.
All those smaller clan chiefs glanced anxiously around them for help, but none came. With no backing left, they turned their attention to Hashirama directly,
"Lord Hashirama, we don't understand why we're being cast aside! We didn't do anything wrong!"
"Yes! Lord Akira, we've done nothing!"
Hashirama didn't move, and didn't answer them either, his eyes remained squarely locked on Akira instead.
he faced them with calm ease … then grinned once again as he spoke,
"Simple, I'm also the one who taught Uchiha those battlefield tactics."
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