Too Young

A mole within the Fujiwara Clan?

Aside from this explanation, Hiugo could not think of any reason why these two would be standing together.

"If I were a bit older, I could just activate the Sharingan, disguise myself as a member of the Uchiha Clan, and go trick them."

Hiugo looked at his body and sighed. A five-year-old child appearing in the middle of a battle for no reason was already highly conspicuous. The only person he could potentially impersonate was Izuna, but he wasn't familiar with Izuna, and since the opponent possessed the Sharingan, the plan was essentially a non-starter.

The Uchiha had already obtained the Chakra metal; why weren't they signaling for a retreat?

Hiugo understood that the objective of the battle had shifted: it was no longer about preventing the enemy from obtaining the Chakra metal, but about killing them and seizing it.

Logically, the Uchiha should have retreated immediately after securing the metal. There was no need to fight the Senju to the death unless some reason forced them to hold back their signal.

Hiugo believed the most significant factors were the two clan-leader-level powerhouses; they could be said to dictate the flow of the battle, or even determine its very existence.

"If they retreat now, Uchiha Ken will lead the fighting Uchiha away, ignoring this isolated Uchiha..."

Although the Senju Clan lacked the Sharingan, they possessed decent sensory abilities and a vast reserve of Chakra. After Senju Genma's clash with Uchiha Ken, even if their Chakra consumption was proportional, Genma would still have enough left to kill this isolated Uchiha.

"Then, I don't actually need to stop the two of them from leaving. I just need to create a disturbance and disguise it as an Uchiha Clan retreat signal."

Hiugo shifted his gaze toward the cave and began his move.

Explosive Tags, nothing but Explosive Tags. The string of tags lining the cave made Hiugo's scalp tingle. At the end of the line was a group of Fujiwara clansmen bound by Chakra threads.

"Mmph! Mmph!"

The Fujiwara clansmen tried to speak when they saw someone approach, but they couldn't make a sound; it seemed their vocal cords had been damaged.

"There is Chakra on the line, connected to the Explosive Tags at both ends. Once the Chakra dissipates, they will detonate..."

After a quick scan, Hiugo understood the setup and ran back outside. He didn't go to call for help; instead, he retreated to a safe distance and threw a kunai attached to a string of Explosive Tags into the cave.

The benefits of rescuing them were far outweighed by the risks. These people were already as good as dead; he might as well put them to some final use.

Uchiha Koji was doing exactly what Hiugo had anticipated, intending to move far away from the battle before detonating the mountain range.

He hadn't expected a massive explosion to erupt from behind him. His expression changed instantly, and he kicked the Fujiwara Koji beside him hard.

"Didn't you say this batch of Explosive Tags was purchased at a high price? Why did they explode prematurely!"

Fujiwara Koji looked aggrieved. "My lord, this is the highest quality Explosive Tag our clan has to offer..."

"Low-tier clans are always low-tier..."

Uchiha Koji didn't have time for nonsense; he channeled Chakra into his feet and increased his speed once more.

Uchiha Ken, who was in the middle of the fray, couldn't help but show a hint of joy upon hearing the sound. He immediately ordered the Uchiha Clan to begin their retreat.

Senju Genma chose not to pursue them, instead walking over to Hiugo's side.

His battle with Uchiha Ken had only been in the warm-up stage—all sound and fury, but in reality, neither side had suffered any significant injuries.

"Aren't you going to chase after the Chakra metal?"

Seeing his father's leisurely demeanor, Hiugo couldn't help but look puzzled.

"You are still young. Sometimes, you shouldn't just look at the immediate gains."

"The clan leader's order was to provide support. It is actually better if we don't bring the Chakra metal back. This operation wasn't targeted at the Uchiha, but rather at the unauthorized decision made by our Third Elder..."

Genma infused his voice with Chakra to communicate with Hiugo.

"Not bringing it back is considered a good thing?"

Hiugo thought for a moment and a look of realization dawned on him.

If his father brought this batch of Chakra metal back, the Third Elder's negligence would have a standard, a quantifiable value for punishment.

But as long as it wasn't brought back, the report on the Chakra metal could be written however Genma pleased, meaning the Third Elder's fate would depend entirely on Genma's mood.

This was also why Butsuma had sent his younger brother Genma instead of the First Elder, who was on good terms with the Third Elder.

"Chakra metal is fine, but we in the Land of Fire don't have blacksmiths skilled enough to work it; it would need to be forged in the Land of Iron."

"The Uchiha Clan is constantly at war and needs money for everything. They won't be able to scrape together the funds for weapon forging anytime soon. I suspect they will sell a portion of it. If you want some, you can commission another clan to acquire it for you."

Genma continued to explain, cultivating his son's worldly perspective.

At this moment, several Senju ninja came over to express their gratitude. The lead Jonin said gratefully:

"Many thanks to you, Lord Genma. If not for your intervention, we might have been sacrificed."

Genma nodded. "What are the casualties?"

"One peak Jonin, one elite Jonin, one Jonin, one special Jonin, and two Chunin have all been killed."

"They are all clansmen. Bring them back."

"Understood," the Senju Jonin nodded.

Collecting the bodies? Blood!

A look of "sorrow" instantly appeared in Hiugo's eyes. "How pitiful for the ninja of our clan, dying so senselessly simply because of the greed of a few..."

As he spoke, he wiped away non-existent tears and took out a scroll, walking toward the corpse of Senju Kazama...

The hearts of the remaining Senju ninja stirred; they had been ordered here by the Third Elder, only to be nearly wiped out by the Uchiha, and even now, they still felt a lingering fear.

"Everyone, you only have one life. Do not throw it away for nothing."

Genma spoke in a calm voice, his words imbued with deep Chakra, causing these ninja to make up their minds.

"Second Elder, can we work under you?"

A Senju Chunin immediately asked.

Genma smiled faintly and said:

"We are all of the same clan; how could there be talk of working for someone? Wouldn't that be divisive? As long as you are willing, of course you can."

The remaining ninja knelt on one knee one after another to pledge their loyalty. Although there were few of them, each had friends and family within the clan, and through word of mouth, the number of people Genma would receive later would surely double.

Taking advantage of this time, Hiugo had already "arranged" all the corpses. Unlike the Yin Release of the Uchiha and Hyuga, the Yang Release in the bloodline of the Senju Clan was a process of slowly and steadily changing one's physique after consumption.

By the time Genma brought the people back to the Senju Clan Compound, it was already noon the next day. After a simple wash, Hiugo had a wonderful sleep.

On the third day, in the morning.

News spread through the compound that the Third Elder was preparing to abdicate, and he had begun selling his possessions, even putting a price tag on his own residence.

At the same time, Hiugo discovered that many people were visiting his home, wanting to join his father's command. They had originally been the Third Elder's men, but influenced by the survivors from yesterday, they began to seek a new master.

Of course, another portion went to the First Elder's side; these were the die-hards who had long since pledged their loyalty to the Third Elder, regardless of any mistakes he had made or anything else.

Senju Zhenyang sent someone to deliver a message: the clan had assigned him a mission, and he would be unable to return for some time, leaving the two of them to train on their own during this period.

This gave Hiugo time. According to custom, the Uzumaki Second Elder and Uzumaki Rion were to reside in the Senju Clan Compound for three months, which was the perfect opportunity to seek instruction in Sealing Jutsu.

The Uzumaki Second Elder did not make things difficult for Hiugo and taught him a B-rank "Flash Thunder Seal."

The essence of this technique was to seal one's own Lightning-attribute Chakra into the opponent's body, thereby producing a paralyzing and controlling effect. It was very suitable for ninja with large Chakra reserves, and the jutsu itself was not overly complex.

Hiugo already possessed the foundation for one-handed seals and had strong Chakra control, so he was able to perform this sealing technique after half a day of practice, though his hair ended up a bit frizzy.