Alliance Between Enemies and Allies, and the Importance of Persuasion

Nara Higashihiko had been having a hard time these past few days.

The reason was simple: not every clansman agreed to give up the fight.

After years of slaughter between the two sides, the seeds of hatred had long sunk deep into their bones. How could they possibly let go just because someone told them to?

Now that he was saying they should stop fighting, those clansmen who had been sharpening their blades for revenge naturally turned their hostility toward him.

Not only that, even the minority who supported the ceasefire had been criticizing Nara Higashihiko.

They accused him of mishandling the situation and causing such severe losses.

Yesterday, someone had even suggested that he die to atone for his crimes.

Knowing things were going badly, Nara Higashihiko had tried his best to salvage his reputation. Yet even his two closest friends were keeping their distance from him now.

"They're clearly making me the scapegoat."

"Hahahaha... I worked my entire life for this?"

Nara Higashihiko had been drinking. Before he even entered the tent, the overpowering stench of alcohol hit him in the face.

When he lifted the tent flap and saw the masked ninja inside, most of his drunkenness vanished in an instant.

"Who are you?" he asked.

He still bore the title of commander. His subordinates could not possibly be so lacking in manners.

This was the main army's camp. An enemy could not possibly have infiltrated it.

If this truly were an Uchiha assassin, he would have launched his assassination the moment the flap was lifted.

Compared to an enemy assassin, he would rather believe the Masked Man was a product of internal clan strife.

However, he was ultimately disappointed.

Staring at the handsome face beneath the mask and the three slowly spinning Magatama, Nara Higashihiko quietly moved his hand toward his waist.

He could accept defeat in a power struggle and calmly face the fury of his clansmen, but he would never die at the hands of an enemy.

Especially not at the hands of the person he hated most.

"Uchiha Kyosuke!" The Nara clan head spoke the Masked Man's name.

"That's me." Slowly fastening the mask over his face, Kyosuke smiled faintly. "Come to think of it, this is our first time meeting."

"Don't worry. We'll be seeing each other a lot more from now on." The man's words were full of threat.

It seemed he was about to summon his subordinates to seize him.

Yet for some reason, Nara Higashihiko did not act.

As an opponent, he knew very well how cunning the youth was.

Since Kyosuke dared to show himself so openly, he must have been fully confident of getting away, though Nara Higashihiko could not figure out how no matter how hard he thought.

Besides, Nara Higashihiko also wanted to know why the youth had come.

Seeing this, Kyosuke pointed at the flask in his hand and smiled. "It seems Clan Head Higashihiko hasn't been having an easy time lately."

"Thanks to you." The man lightly jabbed back.

"The Ino–Shika–Cho are about to relocate on a large scale. To soothe the clansmen's emotions, they need to find a suitable outlet."

"Clan Head Higashihiko, who do you think qualifies to be that lucky person?"

That would be me. Nara Higashihiko frowned deeply, his face full of impatience. "Is that what you came here to say? Get to the point."

Hearing that, Kyosuke did not let it disrupt his pace. The more anxious the other party was, the more effective the conversation had been.

Why was he anxious? Because he was afraid. It did not matter if Nara Higashihiko suffered himself, but he had a wife and children.

Having lost the struggle, he feared his family would be implicated as well.

How to deal with this had become a problem that plagued him day and night.

"Joining the Senju is certainly good, but in the end, you'll still have to face the Uchiha Clan in battle."

"Even if your family escapes the butcher's blade, they'll have to face us again someday."

"...That is a ninja's fate," Nara Higashihiko said in a low voice.

"Mr. Higashihiko, I have a way that I believe can help you." Kyosuke's tone was enticing, like the wolf grandmother coaxing Little Red Riding Hood to open the door.

He had raised a problem the man could not avoid, then quietly offered a solution.

He laid out the pros and cons of the situation and acted as though he was thinking entirely for the other man's sake.

His work experience from his previous life had given him quite decent negotiating skills. Next, Kyosuke explained his idea in detail.

Throughout it all, he still did not reveal any of his own demands, leaving his opponent with no way to guess what he wanted.

"Flee to the Land of Lightning?" Nara Higashihiko's voice was filled with doubt.

In Kyosuke's explanation, he made one point very clear.

The Senju were indeed the best destination, capable of ensuring the Three Clans' prosperity for generations.

He was not lying about that, nor was he trying to steer the other man's judgment.

At the most critical point, he merely subtly reminded the man of one thing.

No matter what the Senju's attitude was, your ending would not change in the slightest.

If you truly cared about your clansmen, then choose to die generously for them.

But if you had even the slightest selfish motive, then fine—I'll show you another option.

Silence. Deathly silence.

For a full ten minutes, Nara Higashihiko did not say a word. Kyosuke could only watch his expression shift constantly, like a Sichuan opera face-changing performance.

After a long while, he finally asked, "What do I need to do?"

His will to survive had ultimately gained the upper hand.

"Most of your clansmen's resentment comes from the defeats in several battles."

"If, before leaving, you can wipe out a group of Uchiha troops, I believe it will be enough to calm the anger in their hearts."

"At the very least, it can save your life."

Raising his head, he stared intently at the youth. Then, a smile suddenly appeared at the corner of Nara Higashihiko's mouth. "So you came to make a deal."

He was clever. From Kyosuke's single remark, he had connected it to many things.

If handled well, he might even be able to resolve the matter of fleeing to the Land of Lightning in one stroke.

As for whether he should agree, Nara Higashihiko truly could not think of a reason to refuse.

Next, the two discussed the entire process in detail. Even how they would scheme against Uchiha Hikoichi was openly brought up for discussion.

Watching the man throw himself into it completely, Kyosuke smiled inwardly. Looks like I haven't lost my touch for talking people into things.

If he had immediately stated that he wanted to harm a colleague, the other man would most likely have rejected him on the spot.

Even the benefits he planned to offer afterward would have been useless.

The resentment in Nara Higashihiko's heart would definitely have affected his judgment.

You've already harmed me this badly, and now you want me to help you? Not even if I die! That was probably what he would have thought.

Instead, Kyosuke had considered the matter from the other man's perspective from beginning to end.

As for his own request, he had slipped it in without leaving a trace.

Nara Higashihiko would think, I want to live. Giving him a hand while I'm at it isn't such a big deal.

The outcome was the same, and the motive had not changed, yet the result was worlds apart.

That was the importance of persuasion.

Even the clever head of the Nara Clan could not escape being manipulated by the methods of another civilization.

"Good. It's settled, then." Nara Higashihiko felt that he had completely taken control of the conversation.

Of course, that was merely an illusion.

He firmly committed the written plan to memory. With a flick of his hand, the paper immediately began to burn.

"What are you planning to do next—" Nara Higashihiko was about to ask another question, but when he turned around, Kyosuke was nowhere to be found in the tent.

He stood there blankly for a long time before silently letting out a sigh.

What exactly it contained, perhaps only he himself knew.