You Fight Up Front, I'll Pick Up the Loot in the Back

The Uchiha Compound was filled with singing and dancing, and everything was moving in a good direction.

Senju Hashirama's hands were already stained with blood. No one would listen to an empty, unrealistic dream—one with no end in sight.

Sarutobi Sasuke and Shimura Takeo had long since put surrender out of their minds. The towns and villages inside the Senju Defense Line were simply too wealthy.

Even a little plundering would give them more wealth than they could ever spend. If they surrendered now, wouldn't they just be inviting their clansmen's resentment upon themselves?

Besides, Senju Hashirama hadn't been very forceful with them at first. The two even thought they could bargain with him.

If Senju Hashirama was willing to give up a tiny bit of their gains, they wouldn't mind withdrawing their troops now.

Before Senju Hashirama could answer, the elders behind him flew into a rage and attacked on the spot.

They really didn't know what was good for them.

The clan leader had spoken to them so nicely, yet the two of them still wanted to push their luck.

The battle quickly spiraled out of control. It was no longer something they could stop just by saying so. Hatred had already taken root with the first death.

Left with no choice, Senju Hashirama could only beat them until they were quiet enough to listen to him.

In the end, strength was what mattered. Ideas alone were completely useless.

After all, no one would listen to the weak.

But when the strong spoke, even if they were wrong, people would still say they were right.

That was reality.

Indra had actually won his dispute with Asura long ago. Unfortunately, Indra was alone while Asura had numbers. It was simply a case of enough ants biting an elephant to death.

Ultimately, Indra's power still wasn't great enough to decide everything.

Black Zetsu silently watched Senju Hashirama's changes. When the time came, Senju Tobirama would die at a critical moment, and Senju Hashirama would truly experience the reality that only strength could decide everything.

Meanwhile, by the time Senju Tobirama arrived at New City, it had already been burned to the ground. Everything that couldn't be carried away—the equipment and buildings—had been destroyed.

"Damn the Southwest Alliance! I'll wipe you all out!"

The horrifying scene sent killing intent surging through Senju Tobirama.

Thud!

The three Southwest Alliance Chunin guarding New City's gates were instantly slain by the enraged Senju Tobirama.

"Follow me in!"

Senju Tobirama charged in first. When he saw the ninja clutching gold and silver treasures, he didn't bother with words—he cut them down one by one.

"A bunch of nobodies dare to steal the Senju Clan's property?"

Senju Tobirama vented all the resentment he felt toward Uchiha Yang and the Uchiha Clan on these people.

The news that the Senju Clan had been invaded from two sides at once spread across the entire Land of Fire soon after Uchiha Izuna circulated it.

The Southwest Alliance actually dared to offend the Senju Clan despite its strength. They must have been out of their minds.

Some clans that were merely watching from the sidelines didn't dare make a move. They simply waited to see how things would develop.

But several ambitious clans had already begun kicking the Senju while they were down.

The moment the Senju Clan showed even the slightest weakness, these people would swarm in and bite a chunk out of the giant.

The Uchiha Compound.

"Report! Senju Hashirama has started fighting Sarutobi Sasuke and Shimura Takeo!"

"Report! The latest news from New City: Senju Tobirama is killing everyone he sees. Matsuda Masahiro, Yamada Miyashu, and Shinjo Rana have engaged him!"

At the banquet hosted by Uchiha Yang, one clan member after another responsible for receiving intelligence came to report the latest developments.

"It seems Senju Hashirama has realized that empty promises won't convince anyone."

After hearing the report, Uchiha Madara's face curled into a sneer.

"Cousin, with things like this, could something unexpected happen? What if Sarutobi Sasuke and Shimura Takeo can't hold off Senju Hashirama? What should we do then?"

Uchiha Izuna was speechless at his elder brother's expression. He then looked toward his cousin and asked worriedly.

At those words, the drunkenness of everyone present began to fade.

"Gentlemen, rest assured. Everything is under my control."

Uchiha Yang sat calmly in the seat of honor, answering the room's watchful eyes without hurry.

[Brain: You should know that the Land of Fire has more resources than anywhere else in the Shinobi World, and it is also home to the greatest number of ninja clans.]

[Brain: Don't forget, besides the Hyuga Clan, which usually keeps to itself, there's also a clan of hotheads: the Kaguya Clan, with its Shikotsumyaku.]

[Brain: That clan suffers from Bloodline Disease, and the mountain range inside the Senju Clan's defenses is where the vital herb that can temporarily suppress the disease grows.]

[Brain: The Kaguya Clan calls this herb Bloodline Grass. The Senju Clan uses it to keep the hotheads along the border of its defenses in line, even selling it to them at exorbitant prices. Now they have a chance to seize the grass for free.]

[Brain: Tell me, if you were in their shoes, wouldn't you be tempted?]

[Sharingan: Tempted? I'd be more than tempted. I'd want to seize the entire mountain range, so we'd never have to depend on others for Bloodline Disease again.]

[Hand: If even the Sharingan thinks that way, then it's probably going to happen.]

[Sharingan: What's that supposed to mean, "if even I think that way"?]

[Hand: You know how it is. There's no point explaining.]

As the owner of the brain, Uchiha Yang could figure all this out with just a little thought. He simply couldn't be bothered to think about it most of the time.

Uchiha Yang could even know what his brain had thought without thinking about it himself.

Seeing how confident Uchiha Yang looked, everyone set aside their concerns and went back to drinking and enjoying themselves.

After all, Uchiha Yang had never let them down.

"Report! Senju Tobirama has single-handedly driven off Clan Leader Matsuda, Clan Leader Yamada, and Clan Leader New City!"

A clan member carrying a report hurried in from outside.

"That bastard Senju Tobirama has gotten even stronger."

Hearing the bad news, Uchiha Izuna slammed his fist down on the table.

"Lord Izuna, I haven't finished yet," the clan member hurriedly said when he saw how furious Izuna was.

"Go on." Uchiha Izuna took a deep breath and calmed down.

"According to the report from the clan members we sent over, Senju Tobirama is killing people up front while our clan members pick up the valuables behind him. They're almost out of storage scrolls."

The clan member spoke loudly, his face brimming with delight.

"Hahaha! By the time Senju Tobirama realizes what's going on, New City will still be an empty city. All he'll have done is reclaim an empty city."

Uchiha Izuna was finally happy.

"Send the order in the clan leader's name. Tell them to quit while they're ahead and avoid clashing with Senju Tobirama. Greed will only hurt the bigger picture," Uchiha Yang instructed the clan member.

The clan member offered no objection. He accepted the order and left.

This was because Uchiha Madara had told the entire clan that Uchiha Yang's orders were his own.

It was part of Uchiha Madara's gradual transfer of power. He had to make the transition without a sound, so his cousin wouldn't notice.

Uchiha Yang simply thought this was more convenient and didn't give the matter any further thought.