Chapter 289: Senju

Chapter 289: Senju

After eating, Kushina's mood gradually improved.

The four of them sat on the couch, with Tonari and Minato sitting cautiously across from Kushina and Lingxiang.

Kushina seemed a little embarrassed.

"Tonari, don't take it personally. I don't know why, but I suddenly had this pent-up frustration earlier. It wasn't aimed at you specifically."

"I know it was aimed at everyone," Tonari muttered internally but dared not say it out loud.

Instead, he put on a very sincere smile, waving a hand dismissively. "It's fine, it's fine. You're pregnant now—your health is what matters most. Getting yelled at a couple of times? That's nothing."

Sure enough, his sincerity won him Kushina's approval.

Smart move.

"By the way, have you two decided on a name for the baby?"

Tonari already knew the answer but asked anyway. He doubted they would change Naruto's name, considering it was taken from the protagonist of Jiraiya's book, The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi.

He had read it before.

As an experienced reader, he could confidently say—Jiraiya had zero talent for writing serious stories.

His true skill was obviously in writing Icha Icha Paradise, but instead, he wasted his potential writing The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi.

Unsurprisingly, despite Jiraiya's fame, the book's sales were abysmal.

Luckily, Minato loved the protagonist's character and wanted his future child to embody those same ideals.

Minato and Kushina exchanged a glance. Minato scratched the back of his head with a grin.

"Naruto. No matter if it's a boy or a girl, the child's name will be Naruto. It's the name of the protagonist from Jiraiya-sensei's book. Both Kushina and I really admire him.

So, our child will be Uzumaki Naruto!"

Lingxiang blinked in surprise. "Uzumaki Naruto? You're using Uzumaki as the surname?"

She was also from the Uzumaki clan, though she had been dyeing her hair to avoid drawing attention to it. Most people assumed she was just another ordinary ninja, like Tonari, who had no known family name.

Even though Tonari was technically from the Senju clan, he had never once used the surname.

Hearing Lingxiang's question, Kushina blushed slightly, while Minato laughed and scratched his head again.

"I come from a civilian background. I never had a strong attachment to my surname, and my parents didn't care much about passing it down either. In fact, 'Namikaze' was something my father made up—it doesn't have any deep significance.

But Kushina is different. If things don't change, she may be one of the last remaining members of the Uzumaki clan.

The Uzumaki name has a long and powerful history. I didn't want it to disappear with this generation.

So, we decided that our child would inherit the Uzumaki name and proudly carry on its legacy.

Honestly, I feel like I'm the lucky one here!" Minato chuckled.

Tonari raised an eyebrow.

Previously, he had thought Naruto was given the Uzumaki surname because Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to sever the child's connection to the Fourth Hokage, keeping his identity a secret.

But now, it turned out Minato had always planned for Naruto to bear the Uzumaki name.

If anything, the Uzumaki name was far more recognizable than Namikaze. In Konoha, Kushina was the only Uzumaki, making it even easier to trace back to her.

So this decision was made long ago.

Tonari gave Minato a thumbs-up.

"The more powerful and historically significant a clan is, the more attached they are to their name. But for us civilians, as long as our children grow up happy and healthy, their surname doesn't matter much. I totally get where you're coming from."

Hearing this, Minato looked even more embarrassed, rubbing his neck sheepishly.

"Wait a second… Tonari, aren't you from the Senju clan?" Kushina suddenly realized.

Tonari immediately coughed.

"Ahem—well, look at Tsunade. She's the granddaughter of the First Hokage, but she doesn't use the Senju name either.

Compared to her, I'm just some distant offshoot who happened to awaken Wood Release. I wouldn't dare claim the Senju name."

His words carried a slightly bitter undertone, but the more he downplayed it, the more Minato and Kushina felt he simply didn't care about surnames.

"With your current level of Wood Release, no one would question it if you used 'Senju' as your surname.

If the Senju clan still existed, they'd probably drag you into their ancestral hall and insist you recognize your roots," Kushina remarked.

Tonari waved it off. "Even if they begged me, I wouldn't go."

But then something clicked in his mind.

"Wait… Senju ancestral hall?"

Minato and Kushina both paused.

"Yeah? What about it?"

Tonari frowned.

"Do you guys… know where the Senju ancestral hall is?"

Kushina gave him a flat look.

"You're the Hokage, and you claim to be a Senju, yet you don't even know where their ancestral hall is?"

Tonari felt like cursing.

Was this how you treated a guest?!

Had he not just survived one of her temper tantrums?!

"That's it, I'm checking it out for myself," he muttered, swiftly making his exit.

Behind him, Kushina burst into laughter, while Lingxiang covered her mouth, giggling softly.

It was rare to see Tonari flustered.

She had always seen him as serious and confident, always focused on his research.

But now? Running away in embarrassment?

Clearly, only Minato and Kushina could bring out this side of him—especially pregnant Kushina, whose mood swings made even Tonari cautious.

—

As he rushed toward the Hokage office, Tonari scolded himself.

"Damn it, I remember the Uchiha Naka Shrine but completely forgot about the Senju ancestral hall?

Once again, I let preconceived ideas cloud my judgment."

Stopping midway, he called out.

"Ryoma, bring me any files Root has on the Senju ancestral hall's location."

From the shadows of a nearby alley, a voice responded. "Understood."

A faint flicker of movement followed, and Tonari continued toward the Hokage building.

Once there, he also had the Anbu retrieve additional records.

Though the Anbu technically answered to the Hokage, they weren't as loyal as Root.

Root operatives were brainwashed from a young age, molded into weapons with no names, no emotions, no past, and no future.

They were tools.

That's why, even though both the Anbu and Root were under his command, Tonari still preferred using Root operatives.

He had already decided that Root would continue to exist and even expand in the future.

After skimming through the records, he nodded.

"So the Senju ancestral hall has been abandoned for a long time… Good. At least Root and Anbu kept thorough records."

Without hesitation, he headed toward the secluded area where the hall was located.

When he arrived, it was covered in dust.

"If I'm not mistaken, the entire structure was built with Hashirama's Wood Release…"

Placing his palm against the ancient wood, he sent a pulse of chakra into it.

A faint, verdant glow spread through the building. Tiny wooden tendrils sprouted, cleaning away the dust.

Then, the glow receded, flowing back into Tonari's body.

His face changed.

Dark markings spread across his skin—the signature of Sage Mode.

For ten whole minutes, he remained still, absorbing the energy.

When he opened his eyes, the markings vanished, leaving only a look of shock.

"Hashirama… actually infused Sage Chakra into this structure? That's why regular chakra-based attacks wouldn't work—it would just absorb them instead.

Even compared to the Uchiha's Naka Shrine, this place is on another level…"

Examining his hand, Tonari smirked.

"This natural energy is purer than what I gather in Sage Mode. This… is an excellent training resource."

With renewed focus, he pushed open the hall's doors and stepped inside.

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