The Duck Was Right There, but It Got Away

Uchiha Izuna had realized something, but his cousin usually hated trouble more than anything. He probably wouldn't agree to take the clan head's position, so it would have to be transferred to him gradually, without making a fuss.

He was happy to help his elder brother with this. To the two of them, family ties mattered far more than power.

Besides, their cousin really was better suited than his elder brother to lead the Uchiha Clan.

The Uchiha banquet was still underway, while New City had gone on high alert because of Senju Tobirama's terrifying strength.

Unfortunately, the Southwest Alliance had strength in numbers. Senju Tobirama was no match for Senju Hashirama, and even he couldn't fight off four opponents at once. He could only advance cautiously, step by step.

"The Senju Clan only sent this many people? Looks like the Uchiha stopped their main force."

After repelling one of Senju Tobirama's attacks, Matsuda Masahiro breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hahaha! Now we can relax, at least. The Uchiha won't be able to sell us out."

"The Senju Clan actually put some youngster in charge? They really think too little of us."

Yamada Miyashu gave a cold snort, his eyes full of disdain.

Shinjo Rana stood behind the two men without saying a word. Senju Tobirama might have been young, but he was no weakling. If she could use this opportunity to kill Matsuda Masahiro and Yamada Miyashu, that would be wonderful.

But now wasn't the time. The moment to strike would come after they'd taken everything they wanted.

Then all the wealth of the Matsuda Clan and the Yamada Clan would belong to my Shinjo Clan.

Shinjo Rana laughed wildly to herself, though her expression remained perfectly calm.

Senju Tobirama didn't give up after being driven back. He planned to use the Flying Thunder God Technique to catch them off guard and kill the clan heads of the Matsuda, Yamada, and Shinjo Clans. Without them, the Southwest Alliance would naturally fall apart without a fight.

The battle grew increasingly fierce, and many interested parties watched its progress closely.

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

Fighting two clan-head-level opponents alone, Senju Hashirama displayed such overwhelming might that countless people stopped in their tracks. His godlike power seemed as unreachable as the depths of divine punishment.

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

At the Senju Clan's third defensive line, the ferocious Kaguya Clan shinobi charged fearlessly through their defenses.

"The Senju main force is away. It's time to collect what we're owed. The Senju Clan has been selling us Bloodline Grass at exorbitant prices time and again. This time, we'll take back our sacred land and grow our own Bloodline Grass!"

After killing a Senju Chunin, Kaguya Haruo, the Kaguya Clan's head, laughed savagely. The terrifying white bones covering his body were stained with the blood of Senju shinobi.

For so many years, he had never fought with such abandon as he did today.

"Roar!"

At the mention of Bloodline Grass, every Kaguya shinobi who had awakened the Shikotsumyaku went wild.

Only Kaguya shinobi who had awakened the Shikotsumyaku could understand the agony of Bloodline Disease: the sensation of ants crawling through their bones. They wouldn't even live long.

Bloodline Grass was the only known medicine that could suppress Bloodline Disease caused by the Shikotsumyaku. Unfortunately, the Senju Clan had seized the land where it grew a century ago.

Now, they had a chance to reclaim what was theirs.

And so the Kaguya Clan's white terror descended upon the Senju shinobi.

Sharp bones erupted from the ground. Caught off guard, one Senju shinobi after another was impaled on them, their blood staining the bones red.

Kaguya Haruo was a genuine clan-head-level fighter. With a Body Flicker Technique, he plunged into the Senju ranks. The whirling white terror attacked indiscriminately, a natural enemy of Taijutsu.

Any Senju shinobi touched by that white storm was left covered in wounds, drenched in blood, with not a single uninjured patch on their body.

When the tiger falls, even dogs will bully it.

When the Senju Clan was at the height of its power, even the brawling Kaguya Clan hadn't dared to provoke it. They could only obediently pay a fortune for Bloodline Grass.

Now, while the Senju Clan was at its weakest, the Kaguya Clan had stabbed it viciously in the back.

That blow had struck the Senju Clan right in its lifeblood.

When many vassal clans saw that the Senju Clan might never recover, they began to waver. After all, loyalty couldn't put food on the table.

These shinobi clans had chosen to rely on the Senju Clan to survive, and they had paid protection fees. They couldn't let their own clans be wiped out for the Senju Clan's sake.

And the only clan that could protect them from the Senju Clan's wrath was the Uchiha Clan.

While the Senju Clan scrambled to deploy its forces, these shinobi clans quietly withdrew from its fold, taking their entire clans with them.

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

The only solution was to abandon one battlefield and shorten the clan's defensive line. That way, they could concentrate their forces, protect the most important lines, and deal with the successive invasions.

Meanwhile, Senju Hashirama had made Sarutobi Sasuke and Shimura Takeo lose their will to fight.

Senju Hashirama was simply too powerful. With his inexhaustible chakra and terrifying Wood Release, even two clan-head-level fighters couldn't gain the slightest advantage against him.

Both men were gravely wounded by Senju Hashirama.

"I don't want to kill you. Killing isn't what I want. I want us to build a peaceful world together."

Standing atop the Wood Golem, Senju Hashirama pressed his hands together and addressed the two gravely wounded men on the ground, his expression solemn.

Sarutobi Sasuke had initially considered surrendering, but he couldn't bring himself to do so when his opponent was a junior. He had thought he was about to die here, yet the Senju Clan's head was offering to spare him.

"Are you serious?" Sarutobi Sasuke asked, frowning as he stared intently at him.

This world was built on deceit and treachery. It was kill or be killed; no one ever let their enemies go.

"I swear in the name of the Senju Clan's head: if the Sarutobi Clan and the Shimura Clan are willing to withdraw, the Senju Clan will hold no grudge against you. We can even sign a treaty and live in peace, building a peaceful world together."

Senju Hashirama spoke loudly, with disarming innocence.

"Clan head, so many of our people have died at their hands. How can we just let them go?"

"Exactly, clan head! We have to kill them today to show the Shinobi World that the Senju Clan isn't to be trifled with."

The Senju Clan's senior members, gathered around Senju Hashirama, immediately objected in protest.

"Hatred will only spread from one generation to the next. To end the fighting and build a peaceful world, one side has to let go of its hatred first and reach out to the other in peace."

"I don't want my children sent to the battlefield before they're even adults. Several of my younger brothers have died, and even our father fell on the battlefield."

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

"A village where we hold no grudges against one another, where we can share our surnames and sincerely befriend each other, and where laughter rings out."

At that moment, Senju Hashirama's charisma began to shine, and his earnest words began to sway those around him. He looked at everyone with heartfelt sincerity.

"I'm begging you all. I truly, truly want to invite everyone to build a village like that together."

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

A clan-head-level fighter who had defeated the heads of two clans was bowing to them.

The Senju Clan's senior members fell silent. They hadn't expected their clan head's dream to be so grand.

A peaceful village... It sounded kind of appealing!

Sarutobi Sasuke and Shimura Takeo gazed intently at Senju Hashirama. They could feel his sincerity.

"Senju Clan Head, your dream is a noble one, but I don't see how it could come true."

"I respect your ideals."

"Everyone from the Sarutobi Clan, we're withdrawing!"

Sarutobi Sasuke led every Sarutobi shinobi in retreat.

Shimura Takeo said nothing. He simply followed Sarutobi Sasuke, leading his clansmen away as well.

Senju Hashirama smiled as he watched them leave. He could see his dream beginning to come true.

Although Sarutobi Sasuke hadn't agreed on the spot, Hashirama could sense that he had truly been moved.

If he kept trying, no matter the cost, peace would surely come.

Senju Hashirama's gaze grew utterly resolute.

The Uchiha Compound.

Uchiha Izuna read the latest intelligence on Senju Hashirama and laughed in disdain.

"With a clan head like Senju Hashirama, I have a feeling the Senju Clan won't have a happy ending."

Uchiha Yang smiled at him. That wasn't wrong. Later on, the Senju Clan would be disbanded by Senju Hashirama, and its members would scatter throughout Konoha.

In the end, only Senju Tsunade would shoulder the name of the entire Senju Clan.

Of course, it was also possible that Konoha's darkness had quietly wiped the clan out.

On their way back after their defeat, the Sarutobi Clan and the Shimura Clan were hit by a sudden explosion.

By the time Sarutobi Sasuke and Shimura Takeo came to their senses, the convoy carrying their valuables at the rear had been wiped out, and the treasure had vanished without a trace.

The people Uchiha Madara had arranged had struck while both clans were exhausted from their recent battle, easily stealing the wealth they'd worked so hard to plunder.

"Damn Uchiha! I'll never let you get away with this!"

Sarutobi Sasuke and Shimura Takeo weren't fools. Once they realized the Uchiha Clan had used them, they were so furious they nearly spat blood.

They had lost both the battle and the loot, working for the Uchiha Clan for nothing.