The Lure of Profit

"Master, the three men have arrived."

Uchiha Kage stood respectfully beside Uchiha Yang, his gaze sweeping over the three men as his Three-Tomoe Sharingan watched their every move.

Even without Uchiha Kage keeping an eye on them, they wouldn't have dared move a muscle.

The area around the lake was filled with Uchiha Clan members who had awakened their Sharingan. Even Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Izuna had come in person.

Uchiha Yang kept all the things Uchiha Madara had quietly done for him in his heart.

"You're here." Uchiha Yang lay motionless in his chair. The three men didn't dare show the slightest displeasure.

"I wonder if the letter was telling the truth."

Matsuda Masahiro kept his head lowered, not daring to look up.

He was roaring inside. Was this the true power of the Uchiha?

The Southwest Alliance had never faced the Uchiha's main forces. The Senju Clan had shouldered most of the fighting for them.

Only now did the three men understand just how terrifying the Uchiha were. They were also filled with curiosity about the Senju Clan. What kind of clan could stand alongside one like this?

"Don't worry. The Uchiha Clan has always kept its word."

Uchiha Yang watched him with an impassive gaze and smiled faintly.

Just then, the Nine-Tails climbed out of the lake after a swim and shook the water from its fur. As usual, it curled up at Uchiha Yang's feet.

Matsuda Masahiro, Yamada Miyashu, and Shinjo Rana glanced at the fox out of habit. The next second, their pupils contracted sharply.

That terrifying chakra... This Summoning Beast was far too frightening.

The three men didn't even consider that it might be the Nine-Tails. The Senju Clan hadn't spread word that the Uchiha possessed the Nine-Tails, just as the Uchiha hadn't revealed that the Senju Clan possessed the One-Tail.

They had tacitly agreed to keep quiet and profit together.

"I called you here to discuss one thing."

Uchiha Yang didn't want to waste time with idle chatter. He raised one finger and addressed the three men.

"I'm sure you've been coveting the Senju Clan's New City for a long time."

The three men swallowed and nodded in unison. Then they looked at one another and froze.

At that moment, each man saw the other two as rivals.

"But we're not strong enough to provoke the Senju Clan."

Matsuda Masahiro tried to raise his head. After catching sight of the hem of Uchiha Yang's robe by the chair, he spoke.

"Exactly. The Senju Clan is far too powerful. With no war keeping them occupied, we'd face the full fury of the Senju Clan."

Yamada Miyashu put on the act of a forthright, easygoing man, speaking in a loud, booming voice.

Uchiha Yang looked at the burly man, seeming to see through him, and smiled with interest.

"You're always raiding my Uchiha defense line for supplies. What's the matter? The Senju are too much for you to handle, but the Uchiha Clan aren't?"

At Uchiha Yang's words, the Uchiha around them fixed the three men with their Sharingan. They looked ready to attack at the slightest provocation.

"N-no, of course not! We only raid for food when we're starving, just to scrape by. We'd never truly dare provoke your clan. Please don't joke about that."

Shinjo Rana hurried to explain, afraid Uchiha Yang might attack her. If she died, her clan would be finished.

"If the Senju Clan attacks you, I'll step in and hold them off. All you need to do is attack New City. Whatever gold, silver, and treasures are inside belong to you."

Uchiha Yang waved a hand, generously offering them the spoils.

"Then what do you need from us, my lord? We'll do everything in our power to get it for you."

The three men weren't fools. They knew an offer this good couldn't come without a catch. If Uchiha Yang needed something from them, that would make sense.

"Once the Senju Clan loses New City and suffers heavy losses, I'll be happy. That's all I need."

Uchiha Yang said it as if it were only natural.

"Uh..." The three men glanced at the Uchiha ninja around them and saw no sign that anyone disagreed with him.

Strange.

Who exactly was this man? He looked so young. Could he be Uchiha Madara, the Uchiha Clan Head?

The three men didn't dare say anything more about his capricious plan. As long as the Uchiha Clan was willing to help, that was enough.

"Any questions?"

Uchiha Yang picked up the Nine-Tails and held it in his arms. Seeing the three men hesitate, he asked.

"None at all."

They wiped away their cold sweat and hurriedly agreed.

New City was a settlement the Senju Clan had built recently. It contained two mines that supplied much of the raw material for the Senju Clan's weapons.

The three men were after those two mines. Once inside, they would seize every last supply. If the Senju came back later, they would strip the place bare first.

Whatever they did, as long as the Uchiha held the Senju Clan back as promised, the raid would be profitable.

"My lord, when should we begin?"

Matsuda Masahiro asked impatiently.

Seeing the greed on their faces, Uchiha Yang chuckled to himself. You three naive fellows. There'll come a day when you'll be crying.

Hold off the Senju reinforcements? What a joke. He wasn't going to send a single soldier.

"No rush. You've come a long way, so you're our guests. Stay the night, then head back tomorrow."

"Shadow, take them back."

Uchiha Yang stroked the Nine-Tails' fur and watched his fishing rod with a smile. Then he quickly set the Nine-Tails down. "Oh, I've got a bite! Just in time."

Uchiha Kage took the three men to some vacant houses on the outskirts of the Uchiha Compound, where they were treated to all kinds of delicious food and drink.

The three men had no idea that in Uchiha Yang's real plan to set one enemy against another, they were no more than bait. The real wolves had only just arrived.

When Uchiha Sake had gone to Southwest City to deliver the letter, Uchiha Ya had also headed in another direction to carry out Uchiha Yang's orders.

"Please, sit down. We Uchiha have never had guests before. You're the first."

Uchiha Yang welcomed Sarutobi Sasuke and Shimura Takeo warmly, smiling as he ushered them in.

As the heads of the Sarutobi Clan and the Shimura Clan, Sarutobi Sasuke and Shimura Takeo had taken a certain risk by coming to the Uchiha Compound.

They had also been persuaded by the letter Uchiha Yang had sent them.

The enormous profits on offer would have been hard for even a powerhouse like Sarutobi Sasuke to ignore.

The main thing that had swayed the two men was Uchiha Yang's promise that the Uchiha Clan would attack New City and draw in most of the Senju Clan's main forces.

The Sarutobi and Shimura clans would only need to break through the Senju Defense Line, seize the Senju Clan's supplies, and retreat.

Sarutobi Sasuke certainly wasn't going to pass up an opportunity that simple.

As for whether the Uchiha Clan might be deceiving him, Sarutobi Sasuke wasn't worried in the slightest. He could simply defect to the Senju side once the battle began.

After all, he could play both sides. As far as Sarutobi Sasuke was concerned, he had nothing to lose.