Too Young

A Fujiwara Clan spy?

Aside from that explanation, Hiugo couldn't think of any reason those two would be standing together.

"If I were a little older, I could activate the Sharingan and pretend to be Uchiha. I could fool them..."

Hiugo looked down at his body and sighed. A five-year-old suddenly appearing in the middle of a battle was highly conspicuous. The only person he could disguise himself as was Izuna, but he barely knew Izuna, and the other man had the Sharingan. There was no chance.

The Uchiha had already obtained the Chakra Metal. Why weren't they signaling a retreat?

Hiugo understood that the objective was no longer to stop the other side from acquiring the Chakra Metal. Now it was to kill them and take it.

In theory, the Uchiha could simply retreat after getting the Chakra Metal. There was no need to fight the Senju to the bitter end, unless something was keeping them from sending a signal.

Hiugo thought the two clan leaders were the key. They could determine the course of the battle—or even whether it continued at all.

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

The Senju Clan might not have the Sharingan, but they had decent sensory abilities. And with their abundant Chakra, even after Senju Genma fought Uchiha Ken and spent a proportional amount of Chakra, he 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 make a little noise and disguise it as a retreat signal from the Uchiha Clan."

Hiugo shifted his gaze to the cave and sprang into action.

Explosive Tags—nothing but Explosive Tags. The cave was packed with them, making Hiugo's scalp prickle. At the far end, a group of Fujiwara Clan members were bound by Chakra Threads.

"Mmmph! Mmmph!"

The Fujiwara Clan members hurriedly tried to call out when they saw someone, but no sound came out. Their vocal cords seemed to have been damaged.

"There's Chakra in the threads, and Explosive Tags connected at both ends. They'll go off once the Chakra runs out..."

After a quick glance, Hiugo got the gist of the setup and ran outside. Instead of calling for help, he retreated to a safe distance and threw a Kunai carrying a string of Explosive Tags into the cave.

The danger of trying to rescue them outweighed any benefit. They were already doomed, so he might as well put them to some use.

Just as Hiugo had expected, Uchiha Koji planned to get clear of the battle before triggering the landslide.

He hadn't expected a huge explosion to erupt behind him. His face changed at once, and he kicked Fujiwara Koji hard, knocking him to the ground.

"Didn't you say this batch of Explosive Tags cost a fortune? Why did they suddenly explode?"

Fujiwara Koji looked aggrieved. "My lord, these are the highest-quality Explosive Tags our clan could get..."

"Lowly clans are always lowly clans..."

Uchiha Koji had no time to waste. Chakra burst beneath his feet, driving him to run even faster.

Uchiha Ken heard the explosion while fighting and couldn't help showing a hint of delight. He quickly ordered the Uchiha Clan to retreat.

Senju Genma chose not to pursue them. Instead, he came over to Hiugo.

His fight with Uchiha Ken had still been in the warm-up stage. It had sounded like a storm, but the rain had barely fallen; despite appearances, neither side had been hurt.

"Aren't you going after the Chakra Metal?"

Seeing his father looking so relaxed, Hiugo couldn't help asking.

"You're still young. Sometimes you shouldn't focus on what's right in front of you."

"The clan leader ordered us to provide support. It's actually better if we don't bring back the Chakra Metal. This time, the target wasn't the Uchiha. The mistake was our Third Elder's, for making a decision on his own..."

Genma sent his words to Hiugo through Chakra.

"It's better not to bring it back?"

Hiugo thought it over and understood.

If his father brought back the Chakra Metal, the Third Elder's mistake would have a clear measure—and a punishment with a set value.

But if they didn't bring it back, the amount of Chakra Metal could be written up however they wanted. Then what happened to the Third Elder would depend on Genma's mood.

That was also why Butsuma had sent his younger brother, Genma, rather than the First Elder, who was on good terms with the Third Elder.

"Chakra Metal is good stuff, but the Land of Fire doesn't have blacksmiths skilled enough to work it. It has to be forged in the Land of Iron."

"The Uchiha Clan is constantly at war and has expenses everywhere. They won't be able to cover the cost of forging weapons anytime soon. They'll probably sell off some of it. If you want any, you can ask another clan to buy it for you."

Genma continued explaining, broadening his child's perspective.

Just then, the Senju shinobi began coming over to thank him. The jōnin leading them said gratefully, "Thank you, Lord Genma. If you hadn't stepped in, we might have been killed."

Genma nodded. "How many casualties?"

"One peak jōnin, one elite jōnin, one jōnin, one Special Jōnin, and two Chunin were killed."

"They're all clan members. Bring them home."

"Yes." The Senju jōnin nodded.

Recover the bodies? Blood!

A look of "sorrow" instantly appeared in Hiugo's eyes. "How pitiful. The shinobi of our clan died for nothing, all because some people were greedy..."

As he spoke, he wiped away nonexistent tears, took out a scroll, and went over to Senju Kazama's body...

The other Senju shinobi stirred at his words. They had been sent here on the Third Elder's orders and nearly been wiped out by the Uchiha. Even now, they were still shaken.

"Each of you has only one life. Don't throw it away for nothing."

Genma spoke calmly. His voice, backed by potent Chakra, made the shinobi settle on a decision.

"Second Elder, could we serve under you?"

A Senju Chunin immediately asked.

Genma smiled faintly.

"We're all members of the same clan. There's no such thing as serving one person over another. Wouldn't that divide us? If you're willing, you're welcome."

The surviving shinobi all knelt on one knee to pledge their loyalty. There weren't many of them, but each had friends or relatives in the clan. Word would spread from person to person, and before long Genma's following would more than double.

While that was going on, Hiugo had already "taken care of" all the bodies. Unlike the Yin Release of the Uchiha and Hyuga, the Yang Release in the Senju Clan's bloodline brought about a slow, steady change to the body when absorbed.

By the time Genma led his people back to the Senju Clan Compound, it was already noon the next day. After a quick wash, Hiugo had a good night's sleep.

The third day, morning

Word spread through the compound that the Third Elder was preparing to step down. He had also begun selling his possessions, even putting his own home up for sale.

Meanwhile, Hiugo noticed that quite a few people came to visit his home, hoping to join his father's following. They had originally served the Third Elder, but after hearing from the shinobi who had survived the day before, they began looking for a new patron.

Of course, some went to serve under the First Elder. They were die-hard loyalists, already devoted to the Third Elder and unmoved by whatever mistakes he had made.

Senju Zhenyang sent someone with a message: the clan had given him a mission, and he wouldn't be back for a while. In the meantime, the two of them were to train on their own.

That gave Hiugo some free time. By custom, the Uzumaki Second Elder and Uzumaki Liyin would be staying in the Senju Clan Compound for three months, so he had time to ask for guidance on Sealing Jutsu.

The Uzumaki Second Elder didn't give Hiugo any trouble. He taught him a B-rank technique called "Flash Thunder Seal."

The technique worked by sealing the user's Lightning Release Chakra inside the target, causing paralysis and immobilizing them. It was well suited to shinobi with large Chakra reserves, and it wasn't especially complicated.

Hiugo already had a foundation in one-handed hand seals and excellent Chakra control. It took him just half a day to use the Sealing Jutsu, though it left his hair a little frizzy.