Inheriting the Spoils

Shimura Takeo wasn't willing to fall behind Sarutobi Sasuke. He hurriedly ordered the clansmen behind him, "Take everything you can! We absolutely cannot let the Sarutobi Clan get ahead of us."

"Roar!!!"

The Shimura Clan's ninja charged forward with their clan leader, shouting as they attacked.

By the time Senju Hashirama, back at the Senju Clan Compound, learned that enemies had invaded New City, it was already too late. The city had fallen into the hands of the Southwest Alliance.

"The plan is underway. They've already entered New City, while Sarutobi Sasuke and Shimura Takeo have led the elites of their clans to attack the Senju Clan's defenses."

"Hashirama hasn't gone to New City himself to help. Instead, he sent Senju Tobirama there with a group of men. Should we take Tobirama out on the way?"

Uchiha Izuna relayed the latest intelligence to Uchiha Yang, then looked at him. If Yang gave the word, he would lead a team there himself.

"No need. The day I find a way to counter Senju Tobirama's Space-Time Ninjutsu will be the day he dies."

Uchiha Yang rejected Izuna's suggestion. Taking on Senju Tobirama now would throw the entire plan off course. More importantly, killing him would be difficult at the moment.

Of course Uchiha Yang wanted Senju Tobirama dead. He just didn't have the opportunity or the means.

If Black Zetsu knew Uchiha Yang wanted to kill Senju Tobirama, he'd wholeheartedly approve. He might even create an opportunity for Yang.

Unfortunately, the two of them weren't on the same wavelength. Black Zetsu knew Yang wanted Tobirama dead, but had no idea just how badly Yang wanted him dead.

Uchiha Izuna thought that made sense. Senju Tobirama was hard to kill with his Space-Time Ninjutsu, so Izuna continued.

"Yang, what if Senju Hashirama goes after the Sarutobi and Shimura Clans? Could those two leaders switch sides on the spot?"

At that, Uchiha Yang gave a chuckle and shook his head, answering with absolute certainty. "Once they've made their move, surrendering won't be so easy."

"Even setting aside whether Hashirama would accept their surrender, think of all the people they've killed and all the things they've looted by attacking the Senju Clan's defenses. Could they really give up the spoils in their hands?"

"I doubt they'd be willing to hand over everything they've already taken."

"You can't control human nature just because you're a clan leader. What do those two fence-sitters think they're doing?"

Uchiha Yang wore a knowing smile, like a sly old schemer.

[Brain: What a master schemer. It seems the master isn't incapable of it—he's just lazy. I'm the master's brain, after all. My wisdom comes from him.]

[Keep a low profile. I'm smart, but I never show off or say so.]

Uchiha Yang was quite pleased with himself. As for calling him an old schemer, that was slander. He was young and ambitious, full of vigor and energy, with dreams to pursue—a young man with lofty ideals.

[Sharingan: I've seen people praise themselves, but never someone who does it without thinking.]

[Brain: Ahem. Don't take a jab at me.]

[Sharingan: I'm not, I'm not. Ahem.]

Before long, Uchiha Izuna received more intelligence. The Uchiha Clan had one of the best intelligence networks in the Shinobi World.

After so many years of development, and with the importance of intelligence to ninja being self-evident, the Uchiha Clan's entire intelligence network was now under Uchiha Izuna's management.

"Cousin, Senju Hashirama has set out too. He's leading a number of ninja from the Senju Clan and its affiliated clans to hunt down and deal with the Sarutobi and Shimura ninja."

"Meanwhile, Sarutobi Sasuke and Shimura Takeo have gone wild with their looting. They've ransacked many towns along the Senju Defense Line, and a huge amount of wealth has fallen into the hands of their two clans."

As Uchiha Izuna read the report, his face broke into a grin.

Those towns had paid the Senju Clan for protection. Now that they'd suffered such a disaster, the Senju Clan would have to pay a fortune to appease them.

Otherwise, the Senju Clan would face a crisis the likes of which came only once in a century.

Once trust collapsed, rebuilding it brick by brick would take far more than a few years.

At the mention of wealth, a strange smile appeared on Uchiha Yang's face.

"Cousin, what are you smiling about?" Uchiha Izuna asked when he saw him grinning to himself.

"There's a lot more to this than meets the eye. They won't be able to hold on to all that wealth."

Uchiha Yang raised his eyebrows at Uchiha Izuna as if to say, "You know what I mean."

"Oh!" Uchiha Izuna suddenly understood. So that was what his cousin had in mind.

"Then I need to tell my older brother right away. Oh, cousin, you should've told me sooner!"

Uchiha Izuna sprang up in a hurry, muttering away like an old mother hen.

"All right, now's the perfect time. If we'd acted too early, the Uchiha Clan's involvement might have been noticed."

"A good show has to look real if you don't want anyone to see through it."

Uchiha Izuna nodded repeatedly, then immediately sent a clone to tell his older brother.

Uchiha Yang smiled knowingly and gestured for him to sit down. A player shouldn't be running around in a panic.

He was a man with a temper, after all.

If the Senju Clan hadn't provoked him again and again, he wouldn't have stepped in to scheme against them.

Even so, Uchiha Yang wouldn't get personally involved.

He only liked doing what he enjoyed. Toiling and rushing around simply wasn't part of the life he'd chosen this time around.

After Izuna's clone informed him of the situation, Uchiha Madara immediately began making arrangements to help those clans deal with the aftermath.

This time, the Uchiha Clan would get an enormous "inheritance" without lifting a finger.

"Hahaha!"

Uchiha Madara couldn't help laughing out loud. With a cousin like that in the clan, it would be stronger than ever for decades to come.

Meanwhile, at the New City battlefield,

Matsuda Masahiro, Yamada Miyashu, and Shinjo Rana had all been blinded by the enormous wealth.

In such a short time, the wealth they'd looted from New City alone was already more than three times the combined assets of their clans.

That money was enough to train five more elite jonin for their clans.

They could even keep training the next generation of young clansmen. Their clans would soar, and they wouldn't have to stay cooped up in poor Southwest City anymore.

"Get to the mine!" Matsuda Masahiro suddenly realized that all this wealth was nothing compared with the mine's weapon-making materials.

A glint flashed in Yamada Miyashu's eyes when he heard that. His own petty greed was starting to take hold.

A mine was far too valuable to share. The more people taking a cut, the less he'd get. If one less person shared it, he'd receive that much more.

Shinjo Rana noticed the change in Yamada Miyashu's expression. Knowing what he was like, she curled her lip in disdain.

You sly bastard. Looks like I'll have to deal with you first.

Compared with Matsuda Masahiro, Yamada Miyashu was clearly the harder one to handle. Take out the toughest first, then deal with the easy one.