The Duck in My Mouth Flew Away

Uchiha Izuna had realized what was happening, but he knew his cousin hated trouble above all else. He figured the cousin would never agree to take the position of clan head, so he would have to transfer the power over to him quietly and imperceptibly.

He was more than happy to cooperate with his elder brother in this, as for the two of them, family ties were far more important than power.

What's more, his cousin was indeed better suited to be the head of the Uchiha Clan than his brother.

Meanwhile, the Uchiha banquet had yet to conclude, and over on the Shinjo side, the defense was tightening due to the terrifying strength of Senju Tobirama.

However, the Southwest Alliance had strength in numbers. Senju Tobirama lacked the overwhelming power of Senju Hashirama, and even he could not fight off so many opponents at once, forcing him to advance with caution.

"The Senju Clan only sent this many people? It seems their main force has already been intercepted by the Uchiha."

Matsuda Masahiro breathed a sigh of relief after repelling a wave of attacks from Senju Tobirama.

"Hahaha, now we can rest easy. At least we won't be sold out by the Uchiha."

"The Senju Clan actually let a young kid lead the team; they really look down on us."

Yamada Miyashu let out a cold snort, his eyes filled with disdain.

Shinjo Rana stood behind the two men without speaking. Although Senju Tobirama was young, his strength was not to be underestimated. If she could take this opportunity to finish off both Matsuda Masahiro and Yamada Miyashu, that would be perfect.

But now was not the time. Once they had taken everything they came for, that would be the moment to strike.

By then, the wealth of the Matsuda and Yamada clans would all belong to her Shinjo Clan.

Shinjo Rana laughed wildly in her heart, yet her face remained extremely calm.

The repelled Senju Tobirama did not give up. He prepared to use the Flying Thunder God Technique to catch them off guard, intending to kill the heads of the Matsuda, Yamada, and Shinjo clans first, which would naturally cause the Southwest Alliance to collapse without a fight.

The battle grew increasingly intense, and many interested parties were watching the situation on the battlefield.

Senju Hashirama's Wood Release had left both Sarutobi Sasuke and Shimura Takeo reeling.

Fighting two clan-head-level powerhouses alone, Senju Hashirama's invincible aura made countless people stop in their tracks. That god-like power was as unreachable as a chasm of divine retribution.

Uchiha Yang's banquet had dispersed, but the grand feast belonging to the Uchiha had only just begun.

At the Senju Clan's third line of defense, the fierce and brutal ninjas of the Kaguya Clan charged through the Senju defenses without regard for their own lives.

"Now that the Senju main force is gone, it's time to collect our debts. The Senju family has always sold Bloodline Grass to us at exorbitant prices. This time, we will reclaim our treasure land and have our own Bloodline Grass."

After Kaguya Haruo, the head of the Kaguya Clan, killed a Senju chunin, he let out a savage, wild laugh, his terrifying white bones stained with the blood of Senju ninjas.

For how many years had it been? He had never fought as joyfully as he did today.

"Roar!"

At the mention of Bloodline Grass, the eyes of all the Kaguya ninjas who had awakened the Dead Bone Pulse turned frantic.

Only the Kaguya ninjas who had awakened the Dead Bone Pulse could understand the pain of the bloodline disease—the sensation of ants crawling through their bone marrow, and the reality that they would not live long.

Bloodline Grass was the only known medicine capable of suppressing the Dead Bone Pulse disease, but unfortunately, that treasure land had been seized by the Senju Clan a century ago.

Now, they had the chance to reclaim what was rightfully theirs.

And so, the white terror belonging to the Kaguya Clan descended upon the Senju ninjas.

Sharp white bones erupted from the ground, and the caught-off-guard Senju ninjas were impaled one by one, their blood painting the bones crimson.

Kaguya Haruo was a genuine clan-head-level powerhouse. With a single Body Flicker Technique, he charged into the ranks of the Senju ninjas, a swirling storm of white terror—an indiscriminate attack and the bane of taijutsu users.

Any Senju ninja touched by this white storm was left covered in wounds, dripping with blood, with not a single intact part of their body.

When a tiger falls to the plains, it is bullied by dogs.

When the Senju Clan was at its peak, even the reckless Kaguya Clan dared not provoke them, forced to honestly spend vast sums of money to purchase Bloodline Grass.

But now, while the Senju Clan was at its weakest, the Kaguya Clan stabbed them hard in the back.

This strike pierced straight into the Senju Clan's main artery.

Seeing that the Senju Clan might never recover, many vassal clans began to harbor ulterior motives; after all, loyalty could not put food on the table.

These ninja clans had chosen to attach themselves to the Senju for the sake of survival, and they had paid their protection fees; they were not about to be wiped out for the sake of the Senju.

And the only ones capable of shielding them without fear of offending the Senju were the Uchiha.

While the Senju family was busy and overwhelmed with deploying their forces, these ninja clans quietly withdrew from the Senju Clan, taking their entire families with them.

The three battlefields had completely drained the Senju Clan's strength.

The only solution was to abandon one of the battlefields, shorten the clan's defensive lines, and consolidate their power to protect the vital fronts and resolve the crisis of being invaded one after another.

Meanwhile, Senju Hashirama had also beaten Sarutobi Sasuke and Shimura Takeo into a state of retreat.

Senju Hashirama was simply too powerful. Relying on his unparalleled chakra reserves and terrifying Wood Release, even two clan-head-level powerhouses could not gain the slightest advantage against him.

Both men had been severely wounded by Senju Hashirama.

"I do not wish to kill you. What I want is not death, but to build a world of peace together."

Standing atop his Wood Golem, Senju Hashirama pressed his palms together and spoke loudly and solemnly to the two severely wounded men on the ground.

Sarutobi Sasuke had initially considered surrendering, but he had been too proud to do so before a junior. Now, having expected to fall here, he was shocked that the Senju head was actually offering to let him go.

"Are you serious?" Sarutobi Sasuke frowned, his eyes locked onto him.

This world had always been one of deceit and treachery, a place of kill or be killed; there was no precedent for letting an enemy go.

"I swear in the name of the Senju Clan head: as long as the Sarutobi Clan and the Shimura Clan are willing to retreat, my Senju Clan will let bygones be bygones. We can even sign a treaty to coexist peacefully and build a peaceful world together."

Senju Hashirama spoke loudly, appearing incredibly naive.

"Clan Head, so many of our kin have died at their hands; how can we just let them go like this?"

"That's right, Clan Head! We must kill them today to show the Shinobi World that our Senju Clan is not to be trifled with."

The high-ranking Senju members who had gathered around Senju Hashirama were immediately displeased and retorted.

"Hatred only spreads from generation to generation. To end the chaos of war and build a peaceful world, one side must be the first to set aside their hatred and extend a hand of peace to the other."

"I do not want my children to go to the battlefield before they are even grown. I have already lost several brothers, and even my father died on the battlefield."

"I want to break this cycle. If we only put down the weapons in our hands, we can achieve peace and build a village where many clans live together."

"Everyone would be free of hatred, able to share their surnames, make friends sincerely, and live in a village filled with laughter."

At this moment, Senju Hashirama's personal charisma began to take hold, his "Talk-no-Jutsu" began to work, and he looked at everyone with incredibly sincere eyes.

"I am begging you all. I truly, truly want to invite you to join me in building such a village."

In front of everyone, Senju Hashirama bowed deeply, his face streaming with tears.

A powerhouse at the level of a clan head, a Senju leader who had just defeated two clans, was actually bowing.

The Senju high-ranking members fell silent, never having expected their leader's dream to be so grand.

A peaceful village... they found themselves feeling a glimmer of anticipation.

Sarutobi Sasuke and Shimura Takeo watched Senju Hashirama intently; they could feel his sincerity.

"Senju Clan Head, your dream is grand, but I do not see the possibility of it."

"I admire your spirit, however."

"All members of the Sarutobi Clan, withdraw with me."

Sarutobi Sasuke led all the ninjas of the Sarutobi Clan in a retreat.

Shimura Takeo said nothing, but followed behind Sarutobi Sasuke, leading his own clansmen away.

Seeing them leave, Senju Hashirama smiled, for he saw progress toward his dream.

Although Sarutobi Sasuke had not agreed on the spot, he could feel that the other man had indeed been moved.

If he just worked a little harder, no matter the cost, peace would surely be realized.

Senju Hashirama's gaze became incomparably firm.

Uchiha Compound.

Uchiha Izuna read the latest intelligence regarding Senju Hashirama and laughed with disdain.

"With a leader like Senju Hashirama, I have a premonition that the Senju Clan's final outcome will certainly not be a good one."

Uchiha Yang smiled as he looked at him. That was true enough; in the future, the Senju Clan would be dissolved by Senju Hashirama and scattered throughout Konoha.

In the end, only Senju Tsunade would be left to carry the title of the entire Senju Clan.

Of course, it was also possible that they would eventually be quietly "exterminated" by the darkness of Konoha.

Meanwhile, the Sarutobi Clan and the Shimura Clan were struck by a sudden explosion while on their way back from their defeat.

By the time Sarutobi Sasuke and Shimura Takeo regained their senses, the convoy responsible for transporting their wealth had been wiped out, and the treasures had vanished into thin air.

The men arranged by Uchiha Madara had struck just as the two clans were exhausted from a major battle, easily seizing the wealth they had worked so hard to plunder.

"Damn you, Uchiha! I will never share the sky with you!"

Sarutobi Sasuke and Shimura Takeo were no fools; realizing they had been used by the Uchiha Clan, they were so enraged they spat blood.

This time, they had lost their wives and their soldiers, effectively working for the Uchiha Clan for nothing.