Izuna's Revenge—Three Days Was Too Long

"Kite... no, Mr. Kite, have the Sarutobi and Shimura Clans already set out?"

After seeing the map, Masashige Hagoromo's form of address for Izuna changed as well.

With even a map laid out before him, it was truly hard to believe the other party was still fabricating lies.

"Keizou Shimura has sent the clan's high-ranking ninja to Liang Town. All the Hagoromo Clan Leader needs to do is intercept and kill them before they reach Liang Town."

Masashige Hagoromo froze for a moment, then found it reasonable and nodded.

But he immediately realized another problem and asked, "But once the Four Clans reach Liang City and discover that the Shimura and Sarutobi people have not arrived, won't they become suspicious?"

There were simply too many things to consider in war. Even if they killed the envoys sent by the Sarutobi and Shimura Clans, it still would not completely solve the problem.

When the appointed time came and the Four Clans found that the other side had not shown up, they would very likely suspect them.

By then, a catastrophic civil conflict among the five clans could very well break out.

"That's why we must act quickly."

Izuna dropped another bombshell. "The Uchiha have run out of food."

"The Uchiha have run out of food?!"

Masashige Hagoromo was stunned again.

"That's right. Just the day before yesterday, the food supplies Madara Uchiha sent as reinforcements were intercepted by Shimura family ninja. All of the food was burned. Izuna Uchiha, Sora Uchiha, and the others in Stone City are all going hungry."

Izuna clenched his fist and said to Masashige Hagoromo, "The first thing the Hagoromo Clan Leader must do is intercept and kill the envoys sent by the Sarutobi and Shimura Clans, preventing them from contacting the Four Clans and reaching a formal agreement."

"Second, while the Uchiha have run out of food and before new supplies arrive, launch a full-scale attack. That will ensure complete success!"

Masashige Hagoromo's blood boiled as he listened, but then he thought of a crucial question. "Then, Mr. Kite... what do you want to gain from this?"

Izuna remained silent for a long time. Afraid that he had touched a nerve, Masashige Hagoromo hurriedly added, "If you don't wish to say..."

"Very simple."

Izuna suddenly spoke. "You will intercept and kill the envoys from the Shimura and Sarutobi Clans. I need their heads."

Hearing this, Masashige Hagoromo fell silent and pondered for a moment, then suddenly understood.

"The time will be the day after tomorrow. As for the ambush location..."

Izuna pointed to a spot along the red line. "There is a relay station here. How about setting the ambush there?"

"Then as Mr. Kite says. It's a deal!"

Izuna nodded and instantly vanished from the tent with Flying Thunder God Second Stage.

Naoyasu Hagoromo soon emerged from behind the curtain and said, "He really is part of the anti-clan leader faction within the Sarutobi and Shimura Clans."

"So you thought the same, Naoyasu."

Masashige Hagoromo nodded in agreement. "The Sarutobi and Shimura Clans will definitely send many high-ranking elites as envoys this time. Once these people die unnatural deaths, it will certainly affect Furukawa Sarutobi's and Keizou Shimura's positions as clan leaders. It seems this masked man intends to use us to achieve his own coup."

"So be it. We are merely using each other, and we have gained extremely important intelligence as well, haven't we?"

As he spoke, Naoyasu Hagoromo said seriously, "Then, Clan Leader, let me handle this operation."

"No."

Masashige Hagoromo narrowed his eyes. "This operation must succeed without fail. I'll have one clansman use the Transformation Technique to take my form and remain at the main camp. The day after tomorrow, you and I will secretly lead fifty elite clan ninja together. We must finish this cleanly and decisively."

"Yes!"

Once the decision was formally made, Masashige Hagoromo walked out of the main tent and gazed toward the camps of the Fūma Clan and the other three clans nearby. He sneered to himself, "Once I deal with the Sarutobi and Shimura Clans and capture the Uchiha city, it will be your turn!"

On an official road through dense woods.

A force formed by the Sarutobi and Shimura Clans was driving ten wagons laden with goods, slowly advancing toward Liang City.

The force consisted of ten Sarutobi Clan ninja and ten Shimura Clan ninja.

There was one leader from each clan. One of them was Satoshi Ri, the Shimura family's second-strongest fighter, who had attacked the Zetsu unit alongside Izuna three days ago.

The other was around thirty-five years old, a high-ranking member of the Sarutobi Clan named Domoto Sarutobi. He possessed strength at the peak Jonin level.

Unlike the Uchiha before them, they had not all dressed up as a merchant caravan. Instead, they wore armor bearing their clan crests, while the two clans' servants wore merchant clothing and rode in the wagons.

At a glance, it looked as though two merchants had hired them for an escort mission.

Such things were commonplace during the Sengoku era and would not arouse any suspicion.

Several miles away, a group of Hagoromo Clan elite ninja in gray armor had gathered, led by Masashige Hagoromo and Naoyasu Hagoromo.

Naoyasu Hagoromo, whose sensory abilities were no weaker than Tobirama Senju's, knelt on one knee and pressed the index and middle fingers of his right hand together against the ground.

After closing his eyes and sensing for a while, Naoyasu Hagoromo said, "At seven o'clock, three miles away. Twenty-two people in total. Aside from two ordinary people, all the others are Jonin."

"Hmph! What an impressive formation."

Masashige Hagoromo snorted, unable to suppress the fury rising in his chest. "Those damned Northwest Four Clans actually dared to join forces with the Sarutobi and Shimura Clans to betray me. Once this is over, I'll make sure they die without even a burial ground!"

The Hagoromo side did not fear facing twenty Jonin.

They had deployed nearly all the Jonin in their clan, and their Kage-level clan leader was here as well!

"Can we prepare to make our move?"

Izuna stood at the very edge of the Hagoromo ninja group and asked.

"Will Mr. Kite personally take action?"

Masashige Hagoromo asked.

"...I can act only if you can guarantee they will all die. But if even one person might escape, then I cannot."

Masashige Hagoromo and Naoyasu Hagoromo secretly nodded. They assumed that Kite feared the Shimura and Sarutobi people would recognize his techniques.

After all, in their eyes, Kite was a member of the Sarutobi and Shimura Clans. He absolutely could not expose himself before people from those two clans.

"Everyone, get into position! Prepare to act!"

Izuna quietly crouched in the shade beneath the last large tree, silently watching the Hagoromo Clan set an ambush for the Sarutobi and Shimura Clans.

Compared to the scene of him and Satoshi Ri's group hiding among the rocks and ambushing the Zetsu unit, this scene felt overwhelmingly familiar.

In less than a week, Satoshi Ri and the others had gone from ambushers to the ambushed.

At the very least, I can avenge you.

As the saying went, "A gentleman's revenge can wait ten years." But for Izuna, three days was already too long.