Western Situation

The next day, Masahiko got up early for morning training, planning to run two laps around the Senju Clan Compound to loosen up.

But as soon as he stepped out of the Senju Clan Compound, he saw Hashirama returning alone from outside.

"Hashirama, did you... go out last night?" Masahiko asked in confusion. At a time like this, Hashirama should have been at home with Mito. After all, they would soon be heading west again to fight over the mine.

"Ah, Second Grandfather, morning training..." Hashirama said with a smile. "Didn't the Hyuga Clan Head ask us to reconcile with the Uchiha yesterday? I went to talk things over last night."

"You went alone? Where's Tobirama?" Masahiko asked.

"Tobirama personally went west to gather intelligence. Second Grandfather, when he gets back, don't tell him I went to the Uchiha alone..." Hashirama looked as though he were sharing a secret.

"Oh, got it," Masahiko replied.

Masahiko now fully understood. Hashirama had probably gone to meet Madara last night, and, barring any surprises, Hashirama, who had learned Sage Mode, had completely crushed Madara. No wonder Hashirama was in such a great mood.

"As for Madara, he's probably sulking in the clan compound right now..." The thought alone made Masahiko happy.

Another boring week passed before Tobirama finally returned to the Senju Clan Compound.

Yet when he saw Hashirama, Tobirama's expression was quite grim.

"Big Brother, the situation in the west has become a bit troublesome," Tobirama said after some thought.

"The west has now turned into a chaotic melee. Too many clans have gotten involved. If we join in, I'm afraid they'll all turn on us together."

"Which clans are involved?" Hashirama asked.

"There are currently three factions in the west. First is the weakest, an alliance of Small Clans, including the Sarutobi, Shimura, Fuma, and other minor clans. The Sarutobi Clan invited them to help protect the Chakra Conducting Metal. The middle faction consists of three Medium-sized Clans: the Inuzuka, Aburame, and Hatake. The strongest faction also has three Medium-sized Clans: the Akimichi, Nara, and Yamanaka. Their secret techniques complement one another, and they're known as Ino-Shika-Cho, so they're somewhat stronger."

"We don't have to make enemies of all of them. We can form an alliance with one of the factions," Masahiko said with a smile.

Tobirama glanced at Masahiko. "That was my thought as well, but who we ally with is the problem. If we choose the strongest three clans, they already hold the advantage and likely won't want us joining them. The three in the middle are relatively strong too, and they may take a large share of the Chakra Conducting Metal. As for the weakest Small Clans, they're simply too weak. Not one of them has a Clan Head-level fighter, which means we'd have to face the Clan Head-level fighters of the other six clans."

In truth, if not for the current timing, the Senju Clan facing six Clan Head-level fighters at once would not have been a problem. The awkward part was that the older generation of Clan Head-level experts had already entered semi-retirement. At their age, another war would likely force them into full retirement. Meanwhile, the next generation led by Senju Tenyu was still just short of reaching Clan Head level.

The Senju could not possibly send out their entire force either, since they still had to guard against the Uchiha Clan.

"It's fine. They have six Clan Head-level fighters, but we have the three of us," Hashirama said.

"Big Brother, Second Grandfather and I can probably only hold back one Clan Head-level fighter each. That means you'll have to face four at once, and the three Clan Head-level fighters of Ino-Shika-Cho will be difficult to handle when working together..." Tobirama looked worried.

Masahiko smiled. "You're underestimating your big brother... and even worse, you're underestimating me. I could take on ten people like you."

Tobirama selectively ignored Masahiko and continued speaking to his big brother. "Even if you can handle four of them, if you go personally, the Uchiha Clan may start making moves. The other elders can be dealt with, but Uchiha Madara..."

"Don't worry, Tobirama," Masahiko cut in again. "Madara is probably training desperately somewhere with no one around right now!"

"Training?" Tobirama was completely baffled.

But neither Masahiko nor Hashirama spoke again, and no one explained it to Tobirama.

Although he did not know what was going on, Tobirama still caught on. His big brother had probably done something again.

Tobirama looked helpless. "In that case, I'll go gather the clansmen. We leave tomorrow? And who should we bring?"

"We leave tomorrow. As for who to bring, have the Peak Jonin bring Tenyu. He's close to breaking through and needs some tempering. As for everyone else, bring a few Elite Jonin, along with more Chunin and Genin, so they can gain some experience too..." Hashirama said slowly after thinking it over.

"If we only bring Tenyu among the Peak Jonin, won't our Jonin-level strength be somewhat lacking?" Tobirama asked worriedly.

"It's fine. You and Second Grandfather will be there. As for their six Clan Head-level fighters, leave them to me." After crushing Madara last week, Hashirama had gained a clear understanding of his current strength. Even against six Clan Head-level fighters, he did not think he would lose.

"But..." Tobirama clearly still wanted to say something, but stopped himself.

"Rest easy. Your big brother can now stride across the Warring States without fear. In a few more years... it may become an era where one person's power can change the course of a battle," Masahiko said with a smile.

"Fine," Tobirama replied reluctantly, then slowly walked out to gather the clansmen. He was clearly still worried about his unreliable big brother.

Only Hashirama and Masahiko remained in the main hall. After thinking for a moment, Hashirama said, "Second Grandfather, you formed the contract for that Slug summon last time, right?"

"That's right, I did. I'll use it in this war. Leave the treatment of the Senju clansmen to me." In terms of Chakra reserves, the current Masahiko was probably not much weaker than Tsunade in the era of the Fifth Hokage.

"No, I mean... if I can't hold back when facing their six Clan Head-level fighters, can you save their lives if necessary?" Hashirama asked awkwardly.

"No problem!" Masahiko agreed readily. The moment Hashirama made the request, Masahiko understood what he meant.

"To avoid creating even greater hatred? Hashirama has already begun working toward the founding of Konoha..." Masahiko thought.

Seeing Hashirama's face filled with gratitude, Masahiko quickly walked out of the main hall as well. While earning the God of Shinobi's sincere gratitude was quite fulfilling, Hashirama...

In short, after receiving too much gratitude, the sense of accomplishment had long since faded, leaving only awkwardness.

Watching the Senju Clan, which had enjoyed peace for a time, become busy once more, Masahiko shook his head. He returned to write a letter to his own clan and had someone deliver it to the Uzumaki Clan.

Its general meaning was, "Don't worry about me. Being an idler here with the Senju is quite nice. If I return, I'll have to be the First Elder again... As the Senju Clan's in-law, I'd like to ask the Clan Head for a position such as an Uzumaki Clan ambassador stationed with the Senju Clan..."

He wondered how the Uzumaki Clan Head would feel upon seeing that letter.

And so, after traveling with the Senju Clan's forces for two days, Masahiko arrived at the Sarutobi Clan...