Senju VS Uchiha: The First Time (2)

They, too, were choosing a master. As the saying goes, a wise bird chooses its tree to nest in. While Sato was choosing the Uchiha Clan, the Uchiha Clan was, in turn, choosing him. He surmised that if he refused the Uchiha today, the same proposal would simply appear before other generals or magistrates tomorrow. With this thought in mind, Sato weighed his options and spoke.

"Thirty thousand strings of cash. This will serve as the initial capital for establishing your base of operations, and it is the full reward for your first mission to secure the name of legitimacy. I want you to completely sabotage the bridge currently under construction at the borders of the Land of Grass, the Land of Rain, and the Land of Fire. I don't care what methods you use; I want that bridge to remain unfinished within the next six months!"

"Understood, my Lord!"

"I am not finished yet. Thirty thousand strings of cash is no small sum; do you truly think you can earn it with such a minor act of sabotage? Furthermore, within that same six-month period, I want you to kill Akiyama Nobunori!"

"Understood, my Lord!"

"As for the name of legitimacy, I will formally petition the Daimyo. Once Akiyama Nobunori is dead, you shall have what you desire! But until then, this matter must remain hidden. Do you understand?"

"Understood!"

"Thirty years of hiding in the wilderness, living in a daze—once the heart is unburdened, it is bound to shake the heavens! Your mission begins today."

"My Lord, I have a suggestion I would like to present to you."

"Speak!"

"Although the Land of Rain is plagued by constant downpours and treacherous mountains, its location sits at the heart of the lands of Earth, Wind, and Fire. It does not merely connect our three great nations; should war break out, it will inevitably become a logistical battlefield we can exploit. The terrain between the Land of Rain and our Land of Fire is the most perilous, surrounded by mountains and intercepted by a great river that forms a natural barrier. If we begin construction now on a bridge that links the Land of Rain and the Land of Fire, then once you have swept through the interior of the Land of Fire, you can lead your army to strike directly into the Land of Rain, launching a full-scale assault on the lands of Earth and Wind. Moreover, this would effectively contain the war outside the borders of our Land of Fire, ensuring our homeland remains free from the large-scale destruction of any army."

"Hmm! Your reasoning is sound. However, that is Akiyama Nobunori's project. Very well, the order is changed: you must assassinate Akiyama Nobunori with all your might within one month. I shall take full control of that site once he is dead!"

"Yes!"

The bright moon hung in the sky, its silver light falling like frost, yet it brought a warmth to the pitch-black night that one could not quite perceive. No one knew just how vast this forest of fifty-meter-tall trees truly was, nor what sights lay within its depths.

Footsteps suddenly broke the silence of the woods. Leading the way was Uchiha Izuna, followed closely by over thirty ninjas clad in the Uchiha Clan's signature fire-fan attire. A figure darted through the shadows, and Izuna's eyes instantly shifted into the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. The moment the figure in the shadows met his gaze, their body froze. An Uchiha ninja behind Izuna flickered with the Body Flicker Technique, appearing beside the figure and decapitating them in one swift motion.

"Five men on guard, clear the rest!"

Less than a minute after the figure fell, a ninja clad entirely in black emerged from the earth, leaped onto a tree, and knelt before Izuna. Izuna nodded, holding his palm out toward the front.

"After tonight, the Haguro Clan shall exist no more!"

A similar scene unfolded by a lake a thousand miles from the forest. Mingye sat in a small boat, swaying on the water. A child of no more than twelve years old rowed the boat, ferrying Mingye to the opposite shore. Mingye pulled a silver tael from his sleeve, tossed it to the boy, and said with a smile, "Hurry home now!"

"My Lord, this is far too much!" The child stared at the silver in a daze. For a mere ten-minute boat ride, the man had given him so much. Shy and nervous, the boy quickly spoke his sincere thanks.

"It is not much! Not much at all," Mingye said, his voice sounding deeply somber. He walked into the woods and vanished from the boy's sight. The child glanced at the forest, then silently turned to head back to his boat. Suddenly remembering his father's words, he walked to an unremarkable tree, arranged some scattered stones into a strange pattern, and then turned back, happily clutching the silver as he skipped toward his boat. Suddenly, the boy felt a chill at his neck. He wiped it with his hand, only to find red blood staining his fingers. His body refused to obey him, and he collapsed to the ground. The silver tael felt as heavy as a thousand pounds as it slipped from his hand. The boy lay on the ground, his eyes fixed on where the silver had fallen, his heart filled with regret that he had suddenly grown so sleepy.

That was enough money for Father to buy me a new set of clothes!

The child had no strength left to voice the words in his heart. A white-haired man walked from behind the boy, following his gaze to where the silver had fallen. He picked it up, looked at the boy's struggling eyes, and though his own expression remained blank, he walked over, lifted the boy's hand, placed the silver into his palm, and pressed it against his chest.

The child's expression seemed to soften into a smile. He thanked the white-haired man before drifting into a dream, imagining himself waking up to reunite with his parents, dressed in his new clothes.

Alas, the child had never known what cold was, nor what death meant. His ignorance left him entirely untouched by fear. And so, with a smile, he calmly accepted the cruelest thing in this world.

The white-haired man sighed softly, shook his head, and turned to walk into the forest. As he stepped into the trees, the howling of wolves echoed across the land.

"Big Brother!"

At the Senju Clan's encampment, Hashirama was resting and recovering from his injuries when the door was suddenly pushed open. Tobirama rushed in, gasping for air.

"What happened?" Hashirama asked, seeing Tobirama's agitation.

"Just last night, the Togakushi and Haguro clans were completely wiped out by the Uchiha Clan. They have already begun!" Tobirama caught his breath, stood straight, and answered Hashirama.

"What! Togakushi, Haguro... No! Their next target is likely the Kurohabaki Clan, who reside in the same region. We must stop the Uchiha Clan's madness!" Hearing Tobirama's words, Hashirama thought quickly. He suddenly recalled the Kurohabaki Clan, who were on good terms with those two small clans and had close ties with the Senju. Realizing Madara's intent, he stood up from his bed, grabbed his armor, and began putting it on while speaking to Tobirama.

"I came here to tell you exactly that. Father is already gathering the clansmen. He says this time we must give the Uchiha Clan a head-on blow!" Tobirama nodded and replied.

"I'm on my way!"

Hashirama took less than a minute to don his armor, and together with Tobirama, he rushed out of the house toward their father's location.

Outside, Butsuma, dressed in full military regalia, seemed to have been waiting for them. Beside him stood a man with long red hair whom they had never seen before.

"Are these the two young masters of the Senju?"

Butsuma looked somewhat embarrassed at the long-haired man's question, though it was merely a flicker of awkwardness. He forced a smile and said, "Forgive the lack of manners. Hashirama, Tobirama, come here and greet your great-uncle! This is Uzumaki Aihara!"

With the war looming, Hashirama and Tobirama were already on edge. They never expected that upon reaching their father, he would point to a man who looked no older than twenty-three or twenty-four and tell them to call him "great-uncle." Hashirama couldn't help but mock him, "Uncle?! Father, what kind of joke are you playing at a time like this? He looks to be the same age as us! Hey kid, who are you with? How dare you make us call you great-uncle!"

Tobirama, however, was different. Without a hint of protest, he immediately bowed to Uzumaki Aihara and offered his greeting.

"Greetings, Uncle."

Hashirama was stunned. He pointed at Uzumaki Aihara and looked at Tobirama, momentarily at a loss for words.

"Tobirama... you!"

Butsuma felt a secret thrill, glad that someone else was finally as embarrassed as he was, yet he didn't hold back as he slapped Hashirama on the head and scolded him.

"You ill-mannered brat, don't you know that the ninjas of the Uzumaki Clan are famous for their longevity? Don't be fooled by the fact that Aihara looks like he's twenty; his true age is already over fifty!"

"What!"

"Idiot!"

Staring at Uzumaki Aihara as if he were a monster, Senju Hashirama truly couldn't fathom what the man had been fed while growing up to maintain the appearance of a twenty-year-old at fifty. Beside him, Tobirama seemed to have been mentally prepared for this; while delivering a final jab at his brother, he turned to his father and asked, "Father, the ninjas of the Kurohabaki Clan must be on the verge of being attacked by the Uchiha Clan right now. Do you not intend to mobilize immediately to provide reinforcements?"

Butsuma nodded. When he had sent Tobirama to fetch Hashirama earlier, he had indeed been planning a life-or-death battle against the Uchiha Clan, but the arrival of Uzumaki Aihara had disrupted his original plans. He spoke to the two of them, "I will handle this matter personally; there is no need for the two of you to accompany me."

Upon hearing Butsuma's words, Hashirama was visibly surprised. It wasn't as if he hadn't told Butsuma how powerful Madara was, and he hadn't expected Butsuma to seemingly ignore his warnings. Anxiously, he spoke up, "What! Father, you know the capabilities of Uchiha Madara—do you really think you are stronger than me?"

"Hashirama, our goal this time is merely to rescue the Kurohabaki Clan, not to engage in a death match with the Uchiha Clan. We have more important matters to attend to!"