A Gamble Between Daimyo

"Heh heh, then let's wait and see."

Before his words had even faded, Tajima's figure vanished from the opposite shore.

The moment he saw Hashirama, Tajima's pupils suddenly contracted. "After enduring the same terrifying shockwave, Hashirama has already recovered to this extent?"

Thinking of the two people in the camp who were still receiving treatment day and night, Tajima's expression grew even gloomier.

The next day, Tajima looked at the empty Senju position, and Hashirama's figure from yesterday surfaced in his mind once more.

After taking one final look at the Senju position, Tajima turned and gave the order. "The army will return to the clan grounds in one day."

This war jointly launched by the Senju and Uzumaki Clans against the Uchiha ended once again with the Senju's defeat.

When the news reached the Uchiha camp, cheers immediately erupted.

Inside a tent filled with samurai, the representative's stern face rarely showed a faint smile.

"Tiesang, this time, my Daimyo has won again."

A moment later, the representative shouted in a deep voice, "Prepare to return to the Daimyo's Mansion."

"Yes, sir."

He could hardly wait to deliver this good news to the Daimyo.

The Daimyo would surely reward me handsomely, wouldn't he?

"Kosuke, Mito, get ready. We'll return to the clan in one day."

Mina had just returned from the battlefield and, without even stopping to rest, ran straight to Kosuke's tent. She threw open the tent flap and told Kosuke and Mito the news.

"The war is over? I wonder how the information Shita was told to investigate turned out."

"So we're going to the Uchiha clan grounds..."

The same news gave Kosuke and Mito different thoughts.

Kosuke turned to look at Mito, who was sitting by the bed. Seeing the worry on her face, he instantly understood what she was thinking.

After a moment of silence, Kosuke slowly said, "Mito, once we return to the clan grounds and I can move on my own, I'll have someone send you back to the Uzumaki Clan."

In an instant, Mito abruptly raised her head and looked at Kosuke with complicated eyes.

Her throat moved, but not a single word came out.

Uchiha clan grounds.

When news of the main force's victorious return spread back, the entire clan grounds erupted in celebration.

Kosuke's home.

When news of the victory returned, the scroll Mina had written was brought back as well.

Uchiha Aoba opened the scroll with excitement.

She had thought the news in the scroll would be similar to the one Tajima had previously sent back through someone else—something about Kosuke finding himself a beautiful wife.

But when Aoba clearly saw the contents of the scroll, her aura instantly erupted, and strange, intricate patterns appeared in her pupils.

Eternal Mangekyo!

Terrifying Dojutsu and Chakra currents swept madly through the entire courtyard.

The plum tree marked with records of Kosuke's height swayed violently beneath the wild currents.

"Senju! Very good!"

After reading that Kosuke had awakened and Madara had awakened his Mangekyo, the terrifying aura around Aoba gradually subsided.

When the words saying Izuna had privately called Mito his sister-in-law, and that Mito had cared for Kosuke day and night, entered her sight, the aura filling the courtyard instantly vanished, replaced by delighted laughter.

"This daughter-in-law—I, Aoba, have decided on her! Hahahaha..."

After reading the information on the scroll, Aoba immediately formed the hand seals for the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

Bang! Bang! Two sounds rang out as two clouds of white smoke slowly rose in the courtyard.

"You, go buy food and fine fabrics from the street. You, clean up the courtyard and prepare a room next to Kosuke's room. Decorate it as a young woman's chamber."

The Two Clones looked at the original with puzzled expressions and asked in unison, "Then what are you doing?"

Aoba froze as she stood up, never expecting her clones to say something like that.

"Of course I'm going to order myself a new set of gentle, appropriate clothes. And while I'm at it, I'll order a few sets for my future daughter-in-law too."

"No, we work while you go order pretty clothes?" The Two Clones instantly exchanged glances. "We're Kosuke's mothers too, and Mito's future mothers. Why can't we go?"

"What?" Aoba stared at the Two Clones in disbelief. If she had not known their identities, she would have thought she was hallucinating. "I'm the original. What I say goes!"

"Fine, what you say goes."

Just as Aoba thought the clones had compromised, they continued, "Then do it yourself. We're going to make new clothes for ourselves and prepare pretty outfits for our daughter-in-law."

"Stop!" Aoba immediately held down the Two Clones. After thinking it over, she still decided not to dispel them, because she had no idea whether the next two clones would be the same. "In that case, I'll have your clothes made too. Different styles. Is that enough?"

"We can make a set for you too. Why do you have to be the one going?"

The Two Clones looked at Aoba and asked in surprise.

The situation nearly made her head explode, and her voice involuntarily rose. "Do you have money? Huh?! You're saying all this when you have no money! Go do your work! This is money for buying food and fabric."

After saying that, Aoba pulled several banknotes from her clothes and slapped them onto the stone table in the courtyard, kicking up a faint cloud of dust.

Then, before the Two Clones could react, Aoba's figure vanished in an instant.

The two people left in the courtyard looked at the banknotes on the stone table for a moment, then at each other. "The original seems to have a point. I'll go buy things, then."

The other clone blankly watched her companion vanish from the courtyard with the money, sighed, and turned to tidy up the house.

"Lady Aoba, what kind of style would you like?"

Aoba was currently inside a Ready-to-wear shop in the clan grounds market. The owner was patiently introducing the styles currently popular throughout the Ninja World.

"Owner, I want an outfit that can show my future daughter-in-law how much I value her. Do you have anything like that?"

"Future daughter-in-law?" The owner looked in surprise at the excited Aoba. "I was wondering why, the moment I opened my shop today, I saw Gen Crow fly around inside. So Captain Kosuke has fallen in love."

The owner immediately began excitedly introducing the store's prized treasure to Aoba.

"Lady Aoba, in that case, if you wear this style when the time comes, it will certainly show how much you value her. Moreover, this is the most fashionable attire in the Ninja World's Daimyo's Mansions right now. I guarantee it will make her eyes light up when she sees you."

As Aoba listened to the owner's introduction, she had no time to care about what he had just said regarding Gen Crow. "How much for three sets?"

Three sets?!

A major customer!

The owner's heart trembled with excitement, and even her hands shook. She immediately revealed her current state of mind completely. "Five hundred thousand! Five hundred thousand per set!"

I've struck it rich, struck it rich! Hahahaha, could today be my lucky day?!

"Oh?" Aoba narrowed her eyes slightly and quietly stared at the excited owner without saying a word.

[Aoba's Eternal Mangekyo]

[Kosuke's Mangekyo]

[They had not been contracted before, so images could not be included. They are being added now.]