CH_103

The old clan head placed his hand on the special scroll and said, "You know the Senju clan, don't you."

"The First Hokage who brought peace to the world—Senju Hashirama. And our Second Hokage—Senju Tobirama…" Tōji recited what he'd learned at the Academy, careful not to mention Tsunade.

The old clan head looked up at the closed window, as if staring in that direction could pierce through history itself…

"That's right—our Konohagakure was founded because the Senju and the Uchiha agreed to work together."

"The Kazamatsuri clan has deep, intricate ties with that powerful Senju clan…"

"What I'm about to tell you has been passed down by word of mouth among the successive clan heads of the Kazamatsuri."

Hearing this, a strange expression crossed Tōji's face… He couldn't imagine how a third-rate clan like theirs could have any connection to the Senju.

The old clan head spoke slowly but didn't pause deliberately. "Long ago—around the time the Senju and the Uzumaki clans were first established… By the way, you've heard of the Uzumaki, right?"

"The First Hokage's wife came from the Uzumaki clan, and so did the Fourth Hokage's wife. They say the Senju and the Uzumaki are distant relatives…"

"And the Kazamatsuri clan is also a distant relative of the Senju!"

Tōji poured two glasses of water on the old clan head's desk, but the old man didn't drink. Tōji drank his own to calm the tension brought on by this shocking revelation—just hearing about the Kazamatsuri's glorious past had already made his heart race.

The old clan head glanced at the untouched glass of water. "It's said that back then… one of our Kazamatsuri ancestors was an exceptional shinobi, but he came from an ordinary minor clan."

"The Kazamatsuri back then was just as ordinary as it is now—maybe even worse off. Less than ten households."

"But that ancestor, thanks to his personal excellence, was fortunate enough to marry a Senju woman. Though that Senju had no particular talent—she wasn't even a shinobi."

"After that, because of that ancestor's abilities and new clan rules, every capable Kazamatsuri man was required to marry a woman from the Senju clan."

"Of course—according to the previous clan head, generation after generation, the men of the Kazamatsuri clan always married ordinary women from the Senju."

"Even to this day, none of the Kazamatsuri have manifested that powerful Senju physique… hahaha—but at least now the Kazamatsuri clan has a stable, innate dual-chakra affinity."

Tōji found it quite absurd… That ancestor seemed far-sighted, but also not very smart. If you couldn't marry the strong ones from the Senju clan, where were the strong descendants supposed to come from?

"Tōji—don't think that's all!" Seeing the change in Tōji's expression, the old clan head tapped the table to get his attention. "The Kazamatsuri clan once produced an ancestor who could use Wood Release!"

Tōji shot to his feet in excitement. "Wood Release?! Clan Head—are you sure?!"

The Senju clan had only produced one Wood Release user—Senju Hashirama. Could this distant relative of the Senju really be that impressive?!

"There's no mistake, because…" The old clan head placed those several special scrolls from the bottom of the box onto the desk.

"One scroll on how to refine Wood Release chakra, and two scrolls containing Wood Release jutsu." The old clan head's trembling hands brushed over each scroll one by one.

"This…" Tōji couldn't believe it. The "Naruto" in his memory had no such thing.

"Unfortunately…" The old clan head sighed. "That ancestor only reached the level just above chūnin but below jōnin—what we now call tokubetsu jōnin."

"Then, Clan Head—do you know what kind of jutsu these are?" Tōji asked urgently.

"Since that ancestor, no one in the Kazamatsuri clan has ever mastered Wood Release again…"

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MC's clan is Kazamatsuri Moegi's clan—anyone notice? She's one of Konohamaru's sidekicks. That said, I'm not gonna be predictable and just give him Wood Release.

I'll stick to updating 4 or 5 chapters every two days from now on.

Just putting it out there—anyone up for supporting me? I might be able to update faster or let you read some chapters early.

It made me feel like a fool when no one signed up for my before.