Pledging Allegiance

After confirming everything was in order, Dark Seven immediately disappeared again. They were bodyguards, but their main purpose was to help Senju Meima stabilize the battlefield.

Hiugo went to wash up, found a new set of armor, and headed back to the battlefield. After what had just happened, he moved more cautiously this time.

The Explosive Tags he'd used to blow up Kaguya Hakujin had consumed most of his supply. Strategic resources were never handed out too generously; once you used them, they were gone.

With his talent for attracting enemies, if another elite Jonin showed up, he'd probably have to shout, "Bodyguards!"

The battle raged for seven days and seven nights. The Senju shinobi took turns resting and fighting, finally unleashing all the anger they'd been holding in. Sage Bodies and Shikotsumyaku clashed again and again, leaving nothing behind but blood and corpses.

Hiugo benefited immensely from the fighting. His own strength hadn't improved, but the quality of his Wood Style kept growing, and his body grew stronger by the day.

His role on the battlefield also began to grow. The black trees had saved the lives of many weaker clan members, and after each battle, there was no shortage of people thanking him.

On the eighth day, the Kaguya suddenly weakened their offensive, and the Senju gained complete control of the battle. The Kaguya's earlier frenzy seemed to have been doused with cold water.

With the battle going badly, Kaguya Taketori, the Kaguya Clan's leader, appeared on the battlefield. Dark One and Dark Seven appeared and held him off for a while, until Senju Meima also arrived.

The two clan leaders' clash carved out a separate area on the battlefield.

After that battle, nearly all the Kaguya shinobi had returned to their clan territory. Only shinobi from some affiliated clans remained, sent out as cannon fodder to hinder the Senju advance.

"The Kaguya have started sending their affiliate, the Baiye Clan, into battle. Victory is practically within reach now."

Senju Xiangyang came over to Hiugo and said this.

As the battle shifted in their favor, the Senju shinobi found things increasingly easy. Their numbers had fallen from two-thirds of the eastern battlefield's forces to one-third, and they seemed much more at ease.

"Senior Xiangyang, you don't need to come tell me this in person."

Hiugo shook the blood from his sword onto the ground and replied calmly.

Senju Xiangyang gritted his teeth before speaking.

"Young Master Hiugo, to be honest, I want to serve you..."

There were currently only two factions in the clan. One was led by the clan leader's eldest son, Senju Hashirama; the other was Senju Hiugo, supported by the Second and First Elders.

When power changed hands, some things were unavoidable. Naturally, there were advantages to choosing a side early.

Compared to the unknown Senju Hashirama, this brave, determined, and formidable boy fighting before him was more worthy of following.

"Fine."

Hiugo dispatched another shinobi and gave a quiet reply. His sword swept through the air, leaving a streak of blood on the ground.

At his words, Senju Xiangyang released a burst of Chakra and charged ahead to act as Hiugo's vanguard, demonstrating his resolve through action. The affiliated clan had put up a little more resistance this time, but after a round of slaughter, it became clear they had no particularly unusual techniques.

After an unknown amount of time, a voice amplified by Chakra rang out across the battlefield:

"Our Baiye Clan surrenders! We're willing to become an affiliate of the Senju Clan!"

Hyakuya Tayu shouted loudly. At this rate, the Baiye Clan would be wiped out before the Kaguya Clan even suffered serious losses. What was the point of pledging allegiance to them?

The Baiye Clan was a middle-sized clan. Unlike the small clans, they had some capital and were worth something. He believed that as long as they showed their loyalty, the Senju Clan would take them in.

Senju Meima watched calmly and said, "Hiugo, go accept their clan banner."

When two sides were so mismatched in strength, the weaker side had to kneel and offer up its banner bearing the clan crest as a sign of submission.

Senju Meima or Senju Akikagami could have handled something like this, but Meima was happy to let the boy have the opportunity and boost his prestige.

At his words, Hiugo ran straight over. One after another, the Senju shinobi turned their gazes toward him.

The sunlight glinted off the blood on the boy's armor, but his expression was so calm that it showed a maturity far beyond his years. Black vines were visible everywhere, like guards protecting him on all sides.

When he reached Hyakuya Tayu, Tayu paused in surprise, then quickly came to his senses and dropped to both knees. He offered a banner bearing the clan crest in both hands.

"This is the future of the Senju Clan."

A Senju Chunin couldn't help but exclaim.

Under ordinary circumstances, he would never have said such a thing. It wasn't something a Chunin could comment on. But right now, no one minded. They simply watched as the boy accepted the banner...

Within the Kaguya Clan's territory,

Kaguya Taketori received news of the Baiye Clan's surrender. He looked at the letter in his hand, scoffed, and crushed it on the spot.

This defeat wouldn't bring the Kaguya Clan to the brink of annihilation. At most, they would lose some territory. The Baiye Clan was just a scapegoat sent out to take the fall.

The Kaguya Clan's two nearest great clans were the Senju and the Uchiha. They were fighting the Senju more often due to their neighboring territories, but they couldn't afford to let their guard down against the Uchiha.

These old rivals had fought for years. Although they could never cooperate, both sides closely monitored each other's intelligence. When it came to certain interests, though, it was no different from cooperation.

Especially since the Onmyo Clan had joined the Uchiha, making them stronger still. If the Senju truly fought the Kaguya to the death, the Uchiha would surely seize the opportunity to launch a sneak attack.

Make no mistake: they wouldn't be doing it to relieve pressure on the Senju, but to profit from the Senju's strength. The reverse would have the same outcome.

"Manjin, what do you think?"

Kaguya Taketori looked at the man, who seemed terribly weak.

"Clan Leader, without the medicine to suppress it, we can't compete with the Senju in a battle of endurance. If we keep fighting, we'll only lose more of our people for nothing," Kaguya Manjin said weakly.

Nearby, the First Elder, Kaguya Manzhu, closed his eyes and said,

"But it's difficult to gather the supplies. There's still some medicine in the storehouse, but we absolutely can't overlook the danger ahead just for a momentary advantage."

His strength was enough to suppress the rage inside him, allowing him to think rationally and seek the best decision for the situation at hand.

Kaguya Manjin coughed lightly, spitting up a trace of blood, then said,

"We don't know what deal the Hozuki Clan made with the Senju. And we don't know whether next time..."

"You're saying we should secure the medicine first, then deal with our other enemies?"

"Yes."

Kaguya Taketori thought it over and said,

"Our cooperation with the Yuki Clan of the Land of Water has always been good. Neither side wants to see the losses we've suffered this time, so we may as well make use of that."

"Manzhu, get ready. In a few days, go to the Land of Water with Manjin."

"But Clan Leader, what about the Senju...?"

"It's fine. Just give them more land. We can treat it as clearing out some of our affiliated clans."

"Yes."

Kaguya Manzhu helped Manjin go for treatment.

After the two had left, Kaguya Taketori took out a scroll. It bore a list of names: Uchiha Tajima, Senju Butsuma, Hyuga Tenjin...

As he unrolled the scroll further, four new names came into view: Madara Uchiha, Uchiha Izuna, Senju Hashirama, and Senju Hiugo.

"The Uchiha have two more genius boys who've awakened the Sharingan, while the Senju have two more Kekkei Genkai users..."

Kaguya Taketori felt a little envious of the "geniuses" in those two clans, then wrote down another name:

Kaguya Manjin.

"I hope you can catch up, Manjin."

Kaguya Taketori sighed. The frenzy of Shikotsumyaku wasn't something that could be easily eliminated. But if he managed it, he would have a real chance of reaching a certain level.

It was a scene their ancestor had once "dreamed" of: if a single gray bone spike struck its target, man would die, and beast would perish.

Kaguya Taketori didn't really believe in this rumored power. But Wood Style, spoken of in the Senju Clan's legends, had appeared twice in succession, giving him a glimmer of hope...