The Resurgent War

The news of Senju Zhenyang's fate spread quickly throughout the Senju Clan Compound. Everyone felt his chances of survival were slim; according to the survivors, it was impossible for an injured elite jonin to survive against such a terrifying summoning creature.

A few days later, with Senju Zhenyang still having not returned to the compound, Butsuma personally announced his death in battle, held a funeral for him, and posthumously conferred upon him the title of honorary elder.

A few days later, the Senju issued a denunciation against Onmyo Seimei, declaring their intent to seek revenge against the Onmyo Clan.

Upon receiving the news, the Onmyo Clan immediately offered an explanation: their patriarch had not returned to their clan lands for a long time, and they only wished to live in peace, having absolutely no intention of opposing the Senju.

The Onmyo Clan kept their stance very low, but Butsuma refused to listen and launched an attack directly.

One must understand that in the Warring States period, the best way to acquire resources was not through production, but through war—beating others into submission or crippling them, then openly plundering their belongings. This was the way of survival in the Warring States.

Avenging Senju Zhenyang was merely a righteous pretext; the ultimate goal was profit.

Shortly after the Senju issued their denunciation, the Fuma and Hatake seized the opportunity to cooperate and hijack a shipment of Chakra Metal that the Uchiha Clan was transporting to the Land of Iron.

Upon receiving the news, Uchiha Tajima was furious and swore to make them pay the price.

The Uchiha naturally knew that the Senju were assisting from the shadows, but as their arch-rivals were difficult to deal with, they could only vent their frustration on other clans first.

The battlefields on both the Senju and Uchiha fronts opened one after another. However, because the Onmyo Clan had already declined and their patriarch was missing, the Senju Clan swept through them with an almost crushing momentum.

But at the final moment, it was unknown what price the Onmyo Clan paid to pull the Inuzuka and Aburame clans in to help.

These two clans were separated from the Senju by the Uchiha; even if the Senju Clan was powerful, they had the Uchiha standing in their way, so they were not afraid at all.

Although their combined strength did not match the Senju, war could not be fought by committing all one's forces at once, and the remaining clans might not necessarily refrain from acting.

For instance, the Uchiha to the north, the Kaguya to the east, and the Hyuga to the west were all existences that required vigilance. The south was generally safe because of the Uzumaki Clan.

It was precisely because of this balance of power among the great clans that there was space for the existence of small and medium-sized clans.

Inside the Senju Clan Compound, Tobirama pointed at the map and asked:

"What is your take on the war situation?"

Hiugo replied helplessly:

"What else could I take it as? I'm looking at it straight. Where is Big Pillar?"

"He went to the battlefield with Father."

Hiugo was slightly stunned and said:

"Isn't Big Pillar only eight years old?"

Tobirama closed his eyes and said helplessly:

"Big Brother awakened Wood Style not long ago, and Father wants him to grow up quickly."

That is simply insane! Senju Butsuma, do you really not treat your own son as a human, or is my own father the one with a shred of humanity?

"Young Master Hiugo, Lord Genma has a mission for you."

A Dark Ninja suddenly appeared and tossed a scroll to Hiugo.

...Never mind what I just said.

Hiugo glanced at the Dark Ninja. This operative clearly had some issues; it was far too obvious.

If it were a standard Dark Ninja, they should have addressed Young Master Tobirama first and handed the scroll to him, as Tobirama held a higher status.

However, it could not be ruled out that Butsuma wanted to test if he had any ulterior motives, thereby determining the thoughts of his own father.

Hiugo opened the scroll and, after checking it, discovered that it was not an order to go to the front lines, but to intercept a small squad.

Unlike the previous Uchiha squad, this team was a reconnaissance unit led by a jonin, with the goal of probing the remaining strength of the Senju Clan Compound to decide on future strategic moves.

"Is this here to grind experience for me?"

Hiugo muttered, handed the scroll to Tobirama, and picked up his armor from the side.

Since the Senju clansmen had already discovered them, a mere jonin-led squad was naturally something they had the ability to handle. If nothing else, the Dark Ninja at his side alone had the capability to resolve it.

Clearly, they wanted to test his caliber, because he had just broken through recently. For the Senju Clan, it was not a difficult task for a Special Jonin to kill a jonin from another clan by leaping over a rank.

"Let's go."

Tobirama spoke, having already donned his armor.

"No rush, I'm going to grab two rabbits first. I have to say, these two things really know how to breed."

Hiugo swiftly went to retrieve two unconscious rabbits, and through the light, one could faintly see the chakra threads in their mouths.

"These threads?"

"To control the direction they move in."

"But aren't these two unconscious?"

"It's fine, I didn't use much of a dose; they'll be woken up by the stench in a moment."

"..."

In the woods, seven people and three dogs were moving slowly. They had different expressions; some looked contemptuous, some had serious faces, and some were full of worry.

Three different clan emblems appeared among them, a sight rarely seen during the Warring States period.

Inuzuka Kurenai, positioned on the left side of the formation, chuckled softly:

"Is the Senju Clan's defensive perimeter really this lax? We've infiltrated this far already; in my opinion, we could pick up the pace and head back sooner."

"Do not be careless. The Senju Clan is not that foolish."

Aburame Torifu said sternly.

"I think your Aburame Clan has just been scared witless by the Senju."

"Inuzuka Kurenai, I am the captain this time! If you have a problem with that, go talk to your clan head."

Inuzuka Kurenai gave a light snort, his nose twitching as he said: "Two people passed by, and they actually smell this foul. Do they really think a mere stench can threaten my nose?"

The seven men and three dogs stopped abruptly, silently looking ahead as two brownish-yellow rabbits ran toward them, carrying a pungent odor.

"A clumsy plan," Inuzuka Kurenai said with disdain, catching a faint glimpse of thin threads in the rabbits' mouths through the sunlight.

Chakra threads?

The bodies of the two rabbits exploded violently, instantly disrupting the original formation of the seven men and three dogs.

Hiding Explosive Tags in their stomachs! Where is the Senju Clan's love?

"Water Style: Triple Water Dragon Bullet!"

"Lightning Style: Induction Wave!"

"Ninja Art: Triple Lightning Water Dragon Bullet!"

Three water dragons enveloped in electric currents roared toward them.

"Secret Technique: Insect Shield!"

"Ninja Art: Two-Headed Wolf: Fang Passing Fang!"

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

The even fouler stench following the explosion made the seven men and three dogs feel slightly uncomfortable. Once they recovered, they hurriedly used ninjutsu to defend themselves or merged with their ninja dogs to become a single beast.

The three members of the Aburame Clan supported each other, and the three members of the Inuzuka Clan did the same, finally managing to resist the Lightning Water Dragon Bullets.

The lone ninja from the Onmyo Clan was the most unfortunate; caught off guard and unable to cast his forbidden jutsu in time, he could only resort to an Earth Wall, which was breached in moments, leading to his immediate death.

Tobirama and Hiugo looked at the remaining ninjas: the Aburame group consisted of one Jonin and two Special Jonins, while the Inuzuka group consisted of three Special Jonins.

Tobirama targeted the three Inuzuka members. Even though he was facing three opponents despite the gap in rank, he was not without a chance of victory; he only needed to seize the right opportunity.

Hiugo approached the three Aburame ninjas, formed hand seals, and asked: "Do you have any insects called Chunqiu?"

Chunqiu... a strange name.

The three Aburame ninjas did not say a word, each releasing a swarm of insects that flew toward Hiugo.

"Lightning Style: Explosive Lightning Spear!"

Lightning flashed, and the insects within Aburame Torifu's body seemed to sense it, transforming into a shield to help him mitigate the damage.

"Truly sensitive. What about this move?"

Hiugo extended both hands toward the other two, and two black branches shot out from his palms at high speed.

After breaking through to Special Jonin, he had finished digesting the residual power in his body, allowing him to shoot black branches from both hands.

The current Hiugo could be considered to have obtained a sliver of Wood Style power. Although he had no other reaction besides throwing branches, Hiugo was satisfied; after all, throwing wood was perfectly viable in combat.

The black branches pierced directly into the chests of the two Aburame ninjas, punching a hole straight through the Insect Shields that had been protecting their fronts.

As Hiugo formed the "Ram" seal, the black branches instantly branched out in all directions, and the two corpses collapsed to the ground.

"What kind of ninjutsu is this?"

Aburame Torifu watched Hiugo's hands warily; he had never encountered Hashirama, so he had never seen Wood Style.

"Guess."

A branch slid out from his palm, which Hiugo gripped in his hand; its hardness was sufficient to serve as a standard weapon.