The Forest Senju
The Senju of the Forest.
As one of the great clans that remained strong since the Warring States Period, their sheer numbers alone should've made them a top-ranking force in the ninja world.
But when Senju Yukika arrived outside the Konoha ninja encampment—the area specifically designated for the Senju—he fell silent.
In fact, he wasn't the only one.
Tsunade, Nawaki, and even the other clan members standing before him bore the same look of confusion on their faces.
"Two thousand... not even."
When the count was finally done, Tsunade approached Yukika with a look of disbelief on her face.
That was the actual number.
This... was the real state of the Senju Clan.
Even if you added every Senju still in Konoha—those who hadn't been deployed to the battlefield—it was questionable whether they could even muster three thousand members.
If that number doesn't sound alarming on its own, then here's something to put it in perspective:
During the Fourth Great Ninja War in the future, the Allied Shinobi Forces, along with the samurai of the Land of Iron, deployed a total of roughly 80,000 ninja.
Konoha's contribution alone wasn't less than 15,000.
And that was after the village had been devastated by Orochimaru, ravaged by the Third Great Ninja War, and attacked by Pain.
If we were talking about Konoha at its peak, it would've been able to deploy no fewer than 20,000 ninja at once.
Of course, that number doesn't refer solely to frontline troops—it includes logistics and the guards stationed at outposts throughout the Land of Fire.
So if you're still not grasping how shockingly small the Senju's current numbers are...
Let's throw in another comparison.
Even the Sarutobi Clan—after Hiruzen Sarutobi's death in the Fourth Great Ninja War—could still contribute close to a thousand shinobi to the battle against the Ten Tails.
If a small clan like that could manage such numbers...
How many do you think the Uchiha or Hyūga Clans could field right now?
Konoha hadn't yet experienced the horrors of the Third Great Ninja War.
This was still the golden age of the village.
And yet...
What about the Senju Clan?
Where were they?
"Dead."
Taking a deep breath, Yukika turned his eyes toward his clansmen.
"They died on bizarre missions—some so strange that not even their bodies could be recovered and returned to the village."
"This is the end result of the Senju Clan's integration into Konoha."
"If I'd come any later..."
"That number would've shrunk again—until it became zero."
"And to maintain the illusion that the Senju had been successfully integrated into the village, Konoha occasionally let others—non-Senju—use the name while doing some minor, acceptable work."
Some truths can't be found on paper.
Like the data Yukika had shown to the elders at the clan meeting.
You'd see that the number of Senju kept declining, but after the initial surprise, you wouldn't think much of it.
Of course.
What war doesn't claim lives?
The Senju were always at the frontlines. Dying more than others was natural, even acceptable.
Some even told Yukika, "This is the purpose of integrating the Senju into Konoha."
But now, with the clan gathered together in one place—
Everyone was silent.
They looked around at what few companions remained, faces that used to be familiar now absent.
No one had anything to say.
Only a deep, simmering anger.