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The two Hoshi Clan ninjas grabbed the fruits and ran as fast as they could, terrified that the person who had fed them such dark cuisine might change his mind.

Hiugo pondered for a moment; perhaps he could look into developing a curse seal for mind control later on. Using threats to control people was far too time-consuming, whereas a curse seal would be reliable, efficient, and effortless.

He stowed the three fruits into a storage scroll, intending to sell them to commoners to earn some coin.

Generally, in the Warring States period, clans composed of commoners were quite wealthy. They engaged in trade and development, serving as the primary source for issuing commissioned missions; some such clans might even be the predecessors of future Daimyo.

Over the long passage of time, these commoners had reached a certain equilibrium among the ninjas, and under normal circumstances, no one would lay a hand on them.

The eastern battlefield was Senju Meima's home turf, and nothing could be hidden from him. Since standard storage scrolls lacked preservation functions, Hiugo placed the Heavenly Gift Fruit directly in front of Senju Meima, leaving him to handle the sale.

Senju Meima was busy measuring distances on a map, and upon seeing the fruit Hiugo produced, he recognized it immediately. After a brief moment of consideration, the two—one large and one small—decided on a fifty-fifty split. This was a gesture of goodwill from Senju Meima; otherwise, he could have simply pocketed the items handed over by a Special Jonin.

Once their private business was concluded, Senju Meima handed Hiugo a scroll and said:

"Because the Onmyo Clan has joined the Uchiha, the Hatake and Fuma are under immense pressure. Upon learning that our conflict with the Kaguya has subsided, the Clan Head sent the latest orders: we are to harass the Uchiha's eastern positions to alleviate the pressure on them."

Hiugo opened the scroll, glanced at it for a few moments, and curled his lip.

"They really don't give us a moment's rest."

Senju Meima chuckled.

"That is the nature of the battlefield. You've barely finished winning one fight before you must rush to another."

"But I recall that aside from the northern battlefield where we are in direct contact with the Uchiha, there are small and medium-sized clans between all other positions. Are we just going to waltz right through them?"

"Hiugo, while we were fighting the Kaguya, who do you think the Uchiha were fighting?"

Hiugo understood, looking down at the map on the table.

"These small and medium clans are truly brave, daring to wage war directly against a Great Clan."

Senju Meima shook his head and gestured at the map.

"Of course they wouldn't dare, but because their location sits between us, the Kaguya, and the Uchiha, even the Uchiha, despite being stronger than them, cannot wipe them out in one fell swoop."

"Before you arrived, they frequently commissioned us and the Kaguya to take action. Over time, this accumulated into a force they call the 'Eastern Alliance,' consisting of five medium-sized clans and ten small ones, led by the Mizukumo Clan head, Mizukumo Metsuen."

Mizukumo Metsuen? What a bold claim.

Hiugo grasped the general idea: they were to reinforce the Eastern Alliance to apply pressure on the Uchiha. This way, the Senju wouldn't need to commit a massive force, and they could simultaneously signal goodwill toward the Hatake and Fuma clans.

"You don't need to join the entire force for this operation. You can stay at the eastern position, or you can go along with the others..."

"I'll go. I'll have to face the Uchiha Clan sooner or later; it's better to get some practice in early."

"Very well. I will lead the team tomorrow; prepare yourself today."

Senju Meima's gaze shifted slightly. If Hiugo hadn't intended to go, he would have simply sent Senju Akikagami with the men. After all, what did it matter if the Hatake and Fuma helped the Senju? Even the Uzumaki were distant relatives, yet they wouldn't lift a finger in a crisis.

Within the Eastern Alliance, Mizukumo Metsuen saw the letter from the Senju, and a smile finally appeared on his previously gloomy face.

"Father, what is it?"

A twelve-year-old girl asked curiously. Her name was Mizukumo Renai, a female ninja with rare and extraordinary talent who already possessed the strength of a Jonin.

Even in this era dominated by male clan heads, barring any accidents, she would be the next leader after Mizukumo Metsuen passed away.

"The Senju have agreed to take action. With their help, we can drive the Uchiha back once more," Mizukumo Metsuen said gently.

The girl sighed.

"Father, against a Great Clan like the Uchiha, we've already lost so many people just holding the eastern position. Why must we keep opposing them?"

"Renai, that is a matter of your perspective. In this world, whoever has the biggest fist wins. If we do not struggle against them, our only fate is to be swallowed up."

"As long as we can unify the strength of the other clans, who is to say we won't have a chance to become a Great Clan ourselves in the future? Once you take over, you won't have to be so subservient to the Kaguya and the Senju."

Mizukumo Metsuen had his own ambitions; in this chaotic world, only by becoming a Great Clan could one secure a place of their own.

To become a Great Clan, aside from having a leader-level powerhouse, reaching a certain total number of ninjas was also sufficient.

Don't let the name of the fifteen-clan alliance fool you; in reality, the five medium-sized clans were all harboring their own agendas, and their power was far from concentrated. The small clans were slightly better, but they still had their own schemes.

Interests had brought them together, and those same interests would tear them apart; only the constant pressure from the Uchiha kept them united.

Mizukumo Metsuen was only able to become the leader not because his strength could crush the others, but because he was skilled in Water Release and could counter Fire Release—nothing more.

Mizukumo Renai found it difficult to say anything more; in this man-eating world, that was indeed the reality.

The next day, under Mizukumo Metsuen's arrangements, they held a grand reception for the Senju Clan ninjas.

Senju Meima led the way. As an old acquaintance, Mizukumo Metsuen displayed great enthusiasm, but his gaze was quickly drawn to a youth standing beside Senju Meima.

Pure white hair, very young—he looked no more than five or six years old—and standing right next to Senju Meima...

Mizukumo Metsuen guessed his identity and couldn't help but think:

"I never expected the 'White-Haired Demon' spoken of by the Baiye Clan to actually be a boy like this."

The boy sensed the gaze and lifted his head slightly. In an instant, their eyes met.

"Clan Head Mizukumo, you wouldn't happen to have any peculiar hobbies, staring at me for so long, would you?"

Mizukumo Metsuen felt as if he had been pierced by a Sharingan, snapping back to his senses with a start before offering an apologetic smile:

"My apologies. Compared to the 'geniuses' of the Senju Clan, the geniuses on our side seem rather ordinary. I shall take you to your quarters now..."

Xiongli Thousand Jun suddenly spoke up: "Alliance Leader, you should focus on how to deal with the Uchiha. As for these trivial matters, allow me to handle them instead."

The Xiongli Clan was one of the five mid-sized families, skilled in Earth Style. Because their ninjas possessed greater physical strength than the average shinobi, their taijutsu was also quite formidable.

A flash of displeasure crossed Mizukumo Metsuen's face, but since Earth Style countered Water Style, and Thousand Jun's own strength was not to be underestimated, he ultimately decided to save face:

"Then I shall trouble Elder Xiongli."

Xiongli Thousand Jun nodded and led the Senju ninjas away, lowering his voice to transmit a message to Senju Meima:

"Our Xiongli Clan has long yearned for the Senju Clan. Furthermore, our territory is not far from the Senju front lines. I wonder if it might be possible for us to become a part of the Senju Clan..."

Senju Meima lowered his voice and replied:

"We recently took in the Baiye Clan; we have no such intentions at the moment."

Seeing this, Xiongli Thousand Jun fell silent, leaving immediately after showing them to their quarters.

Senju Meima used Chakra to transmit a message to Hiugo:

"The Xiongli Clan showed no such enthusiasm for the Senju previously, yet they are actively currying favor this time. In situations like this, you must never give an immediate answer in the future."

"To test their sincerity?"

"They operate under the banner of the Eastern Alliance; us cutting in is not necessarily a good thing. Although the Xiongli Clan's territory is relatively close to ours, we cannot simply swallow them whole. The Eastern Alliance would not sit idly by, and instead, it would allow them to act under our banner."

"I understand..."