In the capital of Land of Fire, inside a restaurant sat the guests as they dined, but something was different today.
Unlike usual, when people focused on food and went about their discussions, most of them were focused on the man who sat on the stool facing the dining area, listening intently.
The man, an elderly storyteller, a travelling bard of sorts sat on his seat as he spoke
"The time of warring states was a time of great ninjas, strong ninjas like the God of Shinobi or The fearsome Ninja Shura, the time when families with strong bloodlines stood out in great numbers, like the Uchiha of Sharingan, Hyuga of Byakugan, The monstrous Kaguya, The Sealing clan Uzumaki or the Senju of the Forest.
But time passed, and Ninja villages were built. With the fall of the Shinobi God, who brought peace with love, and the Ninja Shura, who stopped wars with terror, the conflicts rose once more, this time much more fearsome as now it wasn't clans that fought, but whole nations.
The clans, once known for their great battle prowess, withered and disappeared in the conflict, with only a few survivors remaining in this world.
But as the war this time calmed down, something happened, a surprising news appeared: on sites belonging to these clans that died out, monuments were found."
"So what about it, all those old clans have monuments?" spoke an eager person from the crowd as he raised his hand.
The old man looked around as he built up the tension and spoke as he gestured with his hands continuing the story
"The monuments were not surprising. The surprising thing was the content of the monuments; all the monuments found mentioned the sage."
"The Sage of Six Paths? The one Fire Temple teaches about?" asked a young man as he leaned forward.
The old man shook his head and waved his hands
"No, No, no, if it was Sage of Six, it would not be surprising, but all the monuments mentioned the 'Sage of Senju'."
"Who is that?" The young man questioned his brows furrowed.
"I don't know; in fact, nobody knows. All the great shinobi villages are looking for information and yet it seems someone like that never existed." said the old man excitedly.
"But if he isn't a real person then why is everyone looking for him?" asked a lady.
"Because while the words may be different, every monument contains words of gratitude to the Sage for his guidance and protection." said the old man.
"So why all the fuss, maybe the Sage helped their ancestors?" Spoke a man as he waved his hand nonchalantly.
"You see, that is the problem; all these monuments came into existence after these clans were known to have gone extinct." said the old man.
"What!?" asked the patrons shocked at the revelation.
"Just like you, the whole ninja world is shocked, and everyone is questioning who the Sage of Senju is and where those monuments came from. What is his relationship with these distinct clans? Is he their protector? If he is then why are they all dead? Or if they are dead, does he protect the dead, too?"
"But I know more, I was friends with a Senju clan member in the Konoha village, before the Senju clan disappeared there existed a legend among them, a prophecy told by the 'God of Shinobi' himself, that when the Senju clan faces extinction, the Sage of the clan will come to lead them."
"And a monument exists in the Senju clan compound that says 'Senju follows the Sage'.".
"So the Sage is real?" asked a child in excitement.
"I don't know, but there are rumours that the Senju compound is a sealed fortress, and the Sage rests in its depths." said the old man.
"Did nobody go in to check?" Questioned someone down the crowd.
"Many tried, some were unable to get in, some got in but lost their way and walked out, and some said there was nobody inside, yet a few say they saw a silhouette, yet nobody knows if the Sage exists or not."