Sarutobi and Shimura

Qin Mo smiled and did not answer. Instead, he called Crimson Snow over.

"Young master." Crimson Snow bowed to receive his orders.

"Notify Kaguya Feng. Have him bring men here at once," Qin Mo said softly.

"Yes!" Crimson Snow's hands swiftly formed a special summoning seal.

A small, swift messenger ninja hawk appeared out of thin air, carrying an invisible chakra message, and instantly turned into a streak of light that shot toward the northeast.

About an hour later, accompanied by dense, heavy footsteps, Kaguya Feng arrived with thirty elite jonin from the Kaguya Clan.

"Young Master Mo!" Kaguya Feng's voice was respectful, with a hint of fervor. "Thirty elites of the Kaguya Clan await your command!"

Qin Mo gave a slight nod. "When you came here, did you notice Senju Butsuma's forces lying in ambush?"

Kaguya Feng replied respectfully, "Reporting to Young Master Mo, your subordinate... did not discover anything unusual! The Kaguya Clan excels only at offense and is rather poor when it comes to sensory ability.

If the enemy set up an ambush here in advance, it would indeed be difficult for us to detect."

Hearing this, Qin Mo's brows furrowed slightly.

The Kaguya Clan's weakness was laid bare at this moment. Lacking sensory ability, they were prone to suffering major losses in intelligence and early warning.

Qin Mo waved a hand. "Forget it. This is not your fault. Take the men back to the clan grounds and stand by. Strengthen your guard and await my orders at any time."

"Yes! Young Master Mo!" Kaguya Feng swept a hand at the clansmen behind him. "Withdraw!"

The thirty Kaguya elites quickly vanished into the depths of the dense forest.

"Let's go back!" Qin Mo said calmly.

Almost at the same time the negotiations between Uchiha and Senju ended, thousands of miles away from the northeastern border, deep within the Shimura clan grounds.

Inside a simply furnished Japanese-style room where sandalwood incense curled through the air, two elderly men with deep, steady auras sat facing each other.

One had a thin face and eyes as sharp as a hawk. He was the clan leader of the Shimura clan, Shimura Sato.

The other was burly, with a square face and a trace of worry between his brows. He was the clan leader of the Sarutobi clan, Sarutobi Tetsuma.

"A one-year ceasefire... ceding three fortresses..." Sarutobi Tetsuma set down the secret report he had just received. "Sato-kun, for Uchiha, this one-year ceasefire is probably not peace, but a chance to catch their breath and expand!"

Shimura Sato picked up his teacup and took a light sip. "Tetsuma-kun is absolutely right. Uchiha has subdued the Kaguya Clan, Hozuki Clan, Snow Clan, and Hyuga Branch Family, and now they have torn three juicy pieces of meat from Senju without shedding a drop of blood!

This year, Uchiha absolutely will not sit idle!

Those neutral clans surviving in the cracks will likely be the first to bear the brunt, becoming prey for Uchiha to strengthen itself!

After a year, when Uchiha, having accumulated enough strength, faces Senju again... the Senju Clan will likely be in grave danger."

Sarutobi Tetsuma's brows were tightly locked. "That is exactly what worries me. Senju has hinted many times that they wish to ally with us and jointly resist Uchiha.

If we choose to side with Senju now, perhaps we can gain shelter for a time, but... right now, Uchiha's wings have already grown strong. Among its allies are war madmen like the Kaguya, and the Hozuki Clan's Hydrification Technique is mysterious and troublesome.

The Snow Clan's Ice Release is extremely powerful for controlling the battlefield, and the Byakugan of the Hyuga Branch Family is an even greater weapon of war!

As for Senju..."

Sarutobi Tetsuma sighed. "Though Senju is strong, it already shows signs of being unable to hold on alone.

On top of that, they have fallen out with the Uzumaki Clan and cut off powerful outside aid.

With the Senju Clan alone, how can they withstand the Uchiha alliance at the height of its power?

If we take Senju's side now, once Senju is defeated and destroyed, my Sarutobi and your Shimura clans will certainly face Uchiha's thunderous reckoning!

I fear... we would not escape the disaster of clan extermination!"

"Tetsuma-kun's concerns are not without reason," Shimura Sato said gravely. "But sitting still and waiting for death is no good plan either.

Uchiha's ambitions are vast. How could they allow neutral forces like us to remain free for long?

Rather than passively wait to be swallowed by them, we may as well take the initiative to unite and huddle together for warmth!"

"Sato-kun, you mean?" Sarutobi Tetsuma asked.

A sharp gleam flashed in Shimura Sato's eyes. "My suggestion is to secretly promote an alliance of neutral clans centered around my Shimura and your Sarutobi!

The Yamanaka Clan's mind secret arts, the Nara Clan's Shadow Binding and strategy, the Akimichi Clan's power of expansion and bursts of strength, the Hatake Clan's swordsmanship and Lightning Release...

If we can draw these families over and form a united force, we may not be unable to deal with Uchiha to some extent!

Even... if we add the Blood Pond Clan's terrifying blood-control ability..."

"Blood Pond?" Sarutobi Tetsuma's expression changed drastically, and he shook his head again and again. "Sato-kun, absolutely not!

Those madmen go berserk at the sight of blood and are bloodthirsty by nature. They cannot be controlled at all! On the battlefield, they may indeed be sharp weapons for killing enemies, but they are even more likely to make no distinction between friend and foe and turn on our own side!

It is easy to invite a god in, but hard to send one away. This is drinking poison to quench thirst!"

After hearing Sarutobi Tetsuma say this, Shimura Sato also calmed down. "Tetsuma-kun's reminder is right.

The Blood Pond Clan is indeed far too dangerous and difficult to control. The drawbacks outweigh the benefits.

Then we will focus on the Yamanaka, Nara, Akimichi, and Hatake clans.

Their strength is balanced, each has its own specialty, and they act with relative restraint, making them easier to unite."

"But will they agree?" Sarutobi Tetsuma was still full of worry. "These families have always pursued neutrality and self-preservation. They may not be willing to be drawn into this whirlpool."

"In an age of great struggle, where is there any pure land?" Shimura Sato's tone was firm. "Uchiha's blade is already at everyone's throat!

Keeping oneself untouched is nothing but self-deception!

As long as we lay out the benefits and dangers clearly, explain the principle that when the lips are gone, the teeth are cold, and then promise sufficient benefits and alliance protection, we may not fail to persuade them.

Besides... this is also giving them a chance to choose self-preservation!"

Sarutobi Tetsuma was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded. "That is all we can do. Then the Night Moon Clan in the northeast (Cloud Ninja), the Sandfall Clan in the west (Hidden Sand), and that group of Stone Ninja skilled in Earth Release... should we also..."

"No!" Shimura Sato rejected it flatly. "First, the distance is far. Distant water cannot put out a nearby fire, and large-scale mobilization would be far too easy for Uchiha to detect.

Second, those forces are by no means good people. The Night Moon Clan is especially domineering, the Sandfall Clan is greedy, and the Stone Ninja are even more cunning!

Inviting them here would be no different from bringing wolves into the house!

Even if we ultimately defeat Uchiha, we would still have to pay an unimaginable price.

They might even turn guest into host, divide up the benefits, and leave us worse off than before!"

Sarutobi Tetsuma deeply agreed. "Sato-kun's insight is brilliant! This old man failed to think it through.

From the look of things, uniting the nearby neutral clans is indeed the safest and most feasible strategy at present."

"There is no time to lose." Shimura Sato rose to his feet. "Tetsuma-kun, we will each arrange trusted aides at once, carrying visiting cards and generous gifts, to visit those clans one by one."

"Good!" A glimmer of hope finally lit in Sarutobi Tetsuma's eyes. "I will go back and prepare immediately!"

The two clan leaders reached a consensus and quickly ended their secret discussion.

Sarutobi Tetsuma left in a hurry to prepare generous gifts.

Shimura Sato, meanwhile, stood by the window, looking at the gloomy sky in the direction of the Uchiha Clan Grounds, his eyes deep and grave.