In the Uchiha Clan's meeting hall.
All the clan's ninja ranked jōnin or higher had gathered there.
There were considerably fewer of them than at the previous meeting to select a clan leader.
After all, nearly every jōnin had been summoned last time.
But now, Uchiha Gakugyo, Sora Uchiha, and the others had all been sent to guard the border defenses.
"What's going on? Why call a meeting all of a sudden?"
"I don't know, but the person who came to notify us looked pretty grim."
"It's only been three months since we made peace with the Senju. Is trouble already brewing again?"
"Shut up. Getting three months of rest was already lucky."
The jōnin below murmured among themselves.
Thud~~
The meeting hall doors swung open, and Madara and Izuna strode inside.
"Clan Leader! Vice Clan Leader!"
The clan members greeted them in unison.
Madara gestured for everyone to sit, then took his own seat at the head of the hall and nodded to Uchiha Soshu.
Uchiha Soshu, standing on the opposite side, nodded back. He unrolled a map of the area and pointed to the northwest of the Uchiha Clan Grounds, marking several spots with his pen.
"We just received word from Sora, who is stationed at the northwest defenses. Led by the Hagoromo Clan, four ninja clans—the Fūma, Watanabe, Saitō, and Onikawa—are advancing toward our Uchiha northwest garrison and setting up camp."
"What?!"
"The Hagoromo... and the Fūma and the others..."
"That old bastard Masashige Hagoromo actually dares to take advantage of our troubles! Didn't he learn his lesson ten years ago?"
The clan members below were all furious.
If the Uchiha and Senju were the two top clans of the Warring States Period, then the Hagoromo could also be considered a first-rate clan.
But after losing a major battle ten years ago to the Uchiha, led by Tajima Uchiha, they had fallen to the very bottom of the first-rate clans.
Who would have thought that ten years later, not long after Madara Uchiha took over as clan leader, they would make a comeback?
"We still haven't found out why they're doing this, but I don't think we need to investigate."
The Second Elder, Tajima Uchiha, said, glaring and bristling with anger.
Everyone silently agreed.
The reason was obvious: they were taking advantage of the situation.
Although the battle at Mount Kumogakure had been forcibly halted, news of the Uchiha's narrow defeat and disadvantage had gradually spread throughout the Warring States Period.
The Hagoromo Clan, which already had a grudge against the Uchiha, naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity.
As for the other four clans, they were no better.
Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that there wasn't a single harmless clan in the entire Sengoku world.
The Uchiha and the Senju occupied extremely fertile lands and resources.
If the Senju were the ones in a vulnerable position, the others would attack them just the same.
In other words, they were picking on whoever seemed weaker.
Izuna rubbed his temples. This situation reminded him of the history he'd studied before:
the Warring States Period, when several nations had joined forces to attack Qin.
"Vice Clan Leader, what should we do now?"
Uchiha Soshu asked Izuna.
Over the past three months, Izuna had become something like Zhuge Liang to the Uchiha Clan.
From the elders to the ordinary clan members, everyone wanted to hear what he thought.
"Avoid battle."
Izuna spoke two words calmly, then added, "Hold the city and avoid battle."
If it were Madara, he'd probably say, "We'll charge in and slaughter them to the last man."
"Right. Avoid battle and recover,"
one of the clan members immediately agreed, but then voiced his concern. "But what about the Senju to our east...?"
At the mention of the Senju, all the clan members fell silent.
It wouldn't be long before the Senju heard that five clans were closing in on the Uchiha.
Would they sit still when that happened?
Impossible!
Putting themselves in the Senju's shoes, if the Senju were the ones on the brink of disaster, the Uchiha wouldn't pass up the chance either. They'd grab their swords and attack at once.
The Truce Agreement?
Wasn't it just a piece of paper?
"I'll personally lead reinforcements to the northwest defenses,"
Izuna said. "Of course, we can't neglect Mount Kumogakure either. But until the Senju make a move, don't act rashly. Let's wait for news from Gakugyo."
For now, that was all they could do.
As clan leader, Madara could no longer rush to the front lines whenever he pleased.
Besides, he needed to remain at the clan grounds, ready to deal with the Senju Clan to the east, who could attack at any moment.
Back at his residence, Izuna changed out of the long robe he'd worn for the past few months and put his black shirt and red armor back on.
When he had finished getting ready and was about to leave that night, he found Madara waiting at the entrance.
"Izuna, it seemed like you hadn't finished what you wanted to say at the meeting."
Izuna shrugged and smiled. "The Senju won't attack."
Madara furrowed his brows. After a moment's hesitation, he replied, "That's impossible, isn't it?"
It was the perfect chance to strike!
Putting himself in the other side's position, there was no reason not to take advantage of their predicament.
"At least in public, Hashirama Senju, their vice clan leader, would never agree to send troops."
Izuna was placing his bet on Hashirama Senju. With him around, the Senju wouldn't dare to launch an attack openly, at least not in the short term.
"You trust that guy Hashirama that much?"
At Madara's words, Izuna couldn't help getting goosebumps. Why did that sound kind of gay?
"It's not trust. It's reading him."
"Have you already figured out how to deal with the Hagoromo?"
Madara asked again.
"Honestly, no."
Izuna was being truthful this time. For now, all he could do was wait until he arrived and adapt to the enemy's strategy.
Madara bit down hard on his lip twice. In the end, he managed to force out only a few words. "Be careful."
"Of course."
The Uchiha's northwest border garrison.
Uchiha Sora, who was of the same generation as Tajima Uchiha, served as the highest-ranking commander.
After two days and one night on the road, Izuna arrived with a squad of reinforcements.
It was called a camp, but in reality, it had been built out of a dilapidated stone city.
There were also some merchants and civilians living there.
In the Warring States Period, there were basically only two kinds of prosperous places:
One was the home grounds of a major ninja clan.
The other was a capital ruled by a city lord and protected by ninja.
Izuna's squad had just entered the city. His front foot had crossed the gate while his back foot was still outside when two Uchiha ninja appeared before him using the Body Flicker Technique.
"Vice Clan Leader, Lord Sora has been waiting for you."
The two men knelt on one knee.
After two days and one night of travel, they were more or less tired. But right now, no one dared—or even wanted—to rest.
Inside a repaired stone temple near the mountain in the city,
Uchiha Sora, whom Izuna hadn't seen in over three months, cupped his hands in greeting when he arrived. "Izuna... No, you're the Vice Clan Leader now."
"Captain Sora, what's the situation?"
Izuna raised a hand to stop Uchiha Sora from speaking so formally.
"Ah, it's urgent. That bastard Masashige Hagoromo really wants revenge for what happened ten years ago!"
After letting loose a string of curses, Uchiha Sora opened the map and began explaining the situation to Izuna and the others.
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