Illusion

After the welcome ceremony for the Senju concluded, the head of the Fujino Clan, one of the mid-tier families, returned quietly to his own compound. Upon entering a secret room, he knelt on one knee before a shadow:

"My lord, the Senju Clan has arrived."

A man clad in black stepped out from the shadows, his scarlet three-tomoe Sharingan emitting an eerie glow:

"Heh... the Kaguya are truly trash."

His name was Uchiha Niji, a peak Jonin with exceptional talent in genjutsu and infiltration. His genjutsu did not rely solely on sight; he could trap others in illusions through mere movements.

Controlling a peak Jonin entirely with the ocular power of a three-tomoe Sharingan was no easy feat.

He had spent a full half-year on this, repeatedly engaging him in combat to gradually weaken his resistance with genjutsu, until he finally seized control of his mind a few days ago.

The Fujino Clan valued strength above all else, and since the clan head's word was law, controlling him was equivalent to controlling the entire clan.

According to the plan, they could use this clan as an inside agent, sabotaging the Eastern Alliance through intelligence to allow the Uchiha to completely swallow this force.

The sudden arrival of the Senju Clan made this difficult to execute. Ordinarily, no one in the Eastern Alliance would proactively investigate the Fujino head; their sensory ninjas were already stationed on the front lines, and the clan possessed no bloodline limits capable of sensing, so there were basically no issues.

But the Senju's sensory ninjas would not care about such things. If they detected anything unusual about the Fujino head, it was hard to guarantee they wouldn't become suspicious.

To avoid any accidents, he had to strike first...

After some thought, Uchiha Niji's scarlet eyes filled with chilling killing intent:

"When is your clan responsible for guard duty today?"

The Fujino head replied with a vacant gaze:

"The Hour of the Rat."

Uchiha Niji narrowed his eyes:

"A perfect time. Go prepare; we act tonight."

The Fujino head nodded woodenly. Once he left the room, his vacant expression finally returned to normal.

On the other side, after the Senju ninjas checked their living quarters, they began to move about the area. There were over a dozen ninjas responsible for "looking after" them, surrounding the area in a circle.

During this time, the heads of the Xiongli, Fujino, Mizukumo, Hayate, and Tekka clans visited one by one to show their faces to Senju Meima.

Meanwhile, Hiugo was surrounded by the young heirs of three mid-tier families: Mizukumo Renai, Hayate Sho, and Tekka Domyo.

One girl and two boys—a combination quite common in the world of Naruto, and since all three were twelve years old, they got along quite well.

While conversing with them, Hiugo did not put on any airs of a great clan. Before long, the group was sitting around a wooden table, chatting and calling each other by their first names.

"Do people in the Senju Clan have to go to the battlefield at this age?"

Hayate Sho asked first. In his eyes, great clans were "monsters"; the red eyes of the Uchiha and the white bones of the Kaguya were all somewhat "inhuman."

"Usually not, but those who are mature in mind will adapt to the battlefield early," Hiugo replied, shaking his head.

"Sho, you idiot, why ask such a question? Can't you use your brain..."

Tekka Domyo covered his face, sighing helplessly.

Hayate Sho's expression stiffened:

"Bastard! Who are you calling an idiot? You're the idiot! I just thought Hiugo was young!"

After saying this, he snuck a glance at Mizukumo Renai. Seeing her expression hadn't changed, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Tekka Domyo snorted twice and didn't argue with him. He also glanced at the girl, then took a kunai from his ninja tool pouch and placed it on the table. The kunai was blue-black, and its ring bore the totem of an iron hammer.

"Hiugo, nice to meet you. This is my gift. Although it can't compare to the kunai of the Fuma Clan, it's better than the average mass-produced ones."

Hiugo picked it up and gave it a few swings. It was slightly heavier than a standard kunai, and from his sensory perception, it carried a faint water-attribute reaction. While it couldn't compare to Chakra Metal, it would likely perform better than an ordinary kunai when using Water Style.

Tekka Domyo smiled:

"If you have any needs in the future, our Tekka Clan is willing to forge kunai and shuriken for the Senju. You only need to pay one-third of the cost upfront, and the rest can be paid by a deadline set by the Senju."

Hiugo's expression flickered. These terms were already quite excellent. Paying one-third to have a batch of weapons forged immediately, with the ability to set his own deadline, was a significant material advantage during wartime.

This was clearly not something a child like Tekka Domyo could decide; it was likely his father's intention.

Hiugo thought for a moment and pushed the kunai back: "Sorry, I cannot make decisions on such matters."

Tekka Domyo's expression changed slightly. According to his father, he could offer the Senju a discount of up to one-third, but this boy had refused outright without even haggling.

"Hahaha, Domyo, you aren't any smarter. How could a great clan like the Senju be short on basic things like kunai?"

Hayate Sho laughed, taking several types of medicinal herbs from his bag, but he was interrupted before he could introduce them.

Hiugo took a deep breath and said coldly:

"You two, if you are going to keep communicating with me based on the ideas your elders gave you, you might as well go back and practice your ninjutsu right now."

With that, a burst of chakra was released. Hayate Tsubasa and Tekka Domyo, both Special Jonin, were instantly suppressed. Although their chakra cohesion was similar, the total volume was not on the same level at all.

Mizukumo Renai felt immense pressure. Just as she wanted to resist, she felt something locked onto the center of her brow—if she moved, it would surely strike.

This aura came and went in a flash. The range of control was limited to this small room; without a certain level of sensory ability, one wouldn't have noticed it at all.

Hayate Sho gasped for air, immediately retracting his medicinal herbs.

Tekka Tomei's expression was grim; he knew the gap between himself and the great clans. He had been on the battlefield and hailed as a genius since childhood, yet he had been completely crushed after only a brief encounter.

Mizukumo Renai's face turned slightly pale, adding a touch of fragility to her delicate features.

Hiugo's tone was indifferent: "The three of you, if there is nothing else, you may leave. For matters of cooperation, just speak to the elders. It isn't very becoming to bully a five-year-old child who knows nothing."

Hayate Sho and Tekka Tomei squeezed out forced smiles and hurried away.

Mizukumo Renai bit her lip and said: "I apologize, my legs are a bit weak and I cannot walk."

Hiugo stood up and walked toward the door: "It's fine, you can sit there. Stay as long as you like."

Without waiting for the girl's stunned reaction, he walked straight out of the room.

Senju Meima was currently bidding farewell to the Hayate and Tekka clan heads.

The two clan heads glanced at their children with a sense of helplessness before walking away quickly.

Mizukumo Metsuen smiled at Hiugo and said:

"If you wish to buy anything, you can tell Renai. As long as we have it here, she can bring it to you."

Hiugo chuckled lightly: "The Alliance Leader has quite the strategy, but I am still too young to handle such 'good' things."

From their brief interaction, it was clear that those two brats, Hayate Sho and Tekka Tomei, were more or less interested in Mizukumo Renai. By manipulating the two young clan heirs, he had gained significant control over their respective families.

Mizukumo Metsuen did not reply, taking a sip of tea instead: "Lord Meima, I have other matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave."

Senju Meima nodded slightly, and Mizukumo Metsuen led his daughter out of the room, departing from the area.

Once the two had left, Hiugo asked:

"Among the five major mid-tier families, only the Fujino Clan hasn't arrived. Is the Fujino Clan known for being so aloof?"

Senju Meima ruffled the boy's hair and said:

"The Fujino Clan was quite enthusiastic toward us before; perhaps something has come up to keep them away this time. However, your mindset is correct—even when in the territory of an ally, one should never lower their guard."

"Mizukumo Metsuen's daughter is quite something. In this day and age, one must be especially careful of female ninjas like her; sometimes, they are even more dangerous than men."

Hiugo pulled away from the hand on his head and asked: "What, did you suffer a loss in this regard in the past, Elder?"

A complex look flickered in the depths of Senju Meima's eyes, and he finally let out a faint sigh:

"Kid, don't be so curious."