The Hagoromo Clan Leader stood atop the watchtower, looking down over the entire Hagoromo Clan Territory. Grief filled his heart as he watched several Fuma ninja infiltrate the grounds.
Had the Hagoromo really fallen this far?
He formed hand seals, and the formations in the territory's watchtowers activated simultaneously, enveloping the entire clan territory.
However, the five tallest watchtowers were far too conspicuous as targets, so they used genjutsu to erase the towers from sight.
Even when Fuma ninja passed directly beneath them, they saw only an empty sky if they looked up.
The Old Clan Leader closed both eyes, and a red eye opened in the center of the pattern.
The space of the entire clan territory unfolded within his perception, constructing a three-dimensional panorama in his mind.
Just as he was about to devote his full attention to killing the intruders within the formation, he suddenly sensed someone unexpected crossing the barrier's boundary.
Izuna?
The Old Clan Leader's brow furrowed deeply.
Had the enemy obtained intelligence? Had word of Izuna's visit to the Hagoromo leaked?
His first suspicion was the Transformation Technique.
He directed more ocular power toward the figure.
That blazing, densely condensed chakra was something only one person in the entire Warring States period possessed-
It was indeed Uchiha Izuna.
Confusion stirred in his heart.
Izuna had already evacuated with Setsuna. Why had he returned?
Perhaps the situation had changed?
At his command, the ground beneath Izuna's feet silently shifted, connecting his location to the tower where the Old Clan Leader hid by the shortest possible route.
An opening slid silently into the tower's ground floor. Izuna leaped inside without hesitation.
The Old Clan Leader heard Izuna's footsteps but did not turn.
The Heavenly Eye's omniscient perspective covered the entire clan territory, but the price was a sharp decline in his awareness of his immediate surroundings-
He could clearly see a Fuma ninja snapping a dry branch underfoot a mile away, yet remain completely unaware of someone approaching from behind within a hundred meters.
His son, Hagoromo Tensho, had been maintaining the domain in just this way when Tobirama Senju used the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique to block his Heavenly Eye's perception and close in under cover of absolute darkness.
When the blade pierced his heart, Tensho had not even had time to turn around.
"Why did you return?" the Old Clan Leader asked.
Izuna stopped three paces behind him and said slowly, "I have a new tactical idea. I believe we can turn this place into a graveyard for every invader."
The Clan Leader paused, then shook his head. "If the Hagoromo Clan were at its peak, certainly. With all twelve elders gathered, the Heavenly Eye's power could turn the entire clan territory into a death trap within a day. Anyone who entered would never leave."
"But now..." He sighed. "More than half the twelve elders have passed away. Even counting me, only six old men remain who can sustain the formation."
"What if we include the Uchiha?" Uchiha Izuna asked.
The Clan Leader turned his head slightly, his brow tightly furrowed. "The Uchiha cannot maintain the Hagoromo's formation."
Izuna chuckled. "No, I mean putting the Uchiha inside the formation to teach those opportunists a painful lesson."
A hint of gratitude appeared on the Old Clan Leader's face, but he said, "Autumn is nearly over. The Uchiha still have payments to collect and defenses to reinforce. Surely you cannot transfer your main force here. There appear to be only twenty Fuma enemies right now, but more and more will come. All we can do is trap them here and keep the front lines from being affected."
"But your chakra is finite," Izuna said evenly.
"I know."
"Once one of you weakens, a gap will appear in this barrier. For every stronghold on the front lines, that will mean the rear has fallen and they are being attacked from both sides."
The Old Clan Leader's hands slowly tightened on his knees. He remained silent for a long time, until the only sound in the tower's upper chamber was the wind pouring through the observation window.
"Does heaven truly mean to destroy the Hagoromo?" he asked slowly.
Izuna stepped forward. "That is why I came-with a new strategy."
The Clan Leader did not respond, so Izuna continued:
"Although the Hagoromo Clan and the Uchiha have cooperated in many ways, we have never considered combining our techniques. It might produce an unexpected effect."
"The Hagoromo Clan's Heavenly Eye is not an offensive kekkei genkai. It controls the battlefield. Within your domain, you can manipulate everything-space, terrain, reality and illusion. And although the Uchiha excel at genjutsu, we still fight mostly at close range. The two complement each other. That is also why our clans have intermarried for so many years."
The Heavenly Eye on the Clan Leader's forehead shifted slightly. "How exactly would we do it?"
"Lure them in, then wipe them out," Izuna said firmly.
"Do not kill all twenty Fuma ninja currently trapped inside the barrier. Keep them alive and let them see what we want them to see-use genjutsu when they come into view, making them believe the elderly, the weak, women, and children are still moving around the clan territory, and that the granaries are full of food. Make them think the Hagoromo Clan Territory is poorly defended, with only a few elders desperately maintaining the barrier."
The corner of Izuna's mouth curled into a wicked smile. "Then we deliberately open a gap and let a few escape..."
The Clan Leader's brow creased slightly. "You want the Fuma to come out in full force."
"Not just the Fuma. Once word spreads, the Senju and the Blood Horse will hear about it too. The Hagoromo Clan Territory is undefended but stocked with food-that news will be like a bleeding wound, drawing all three sharks."
"Lure the enemy deep inside." The Clan Leader's voice grew thoughtful. "Make them walk in on their own?"
Excitement entered Izuna's voice. "The more, the better. We only begin the slaughter once enough enemies have entered the barrier."
"The Hagoromo elders will use the Heavenly Eye to control space, teleporting Uchiha jonin behind the enemy's flanks. At the same time, they will create a localized Spatial Distortion-when flames pass through the distorted space, intangibility space will compress the outer flames, forming a high-pressure hollow zone at the center. When that structure collapses, the Great Fireball's power and range will multiply several times over. It will no longer be a Great Fireball. It will be Blast Wave Wild Dance."
The Clan Leader did not respond immediately. He was working through the process.
A Great Fireball would pass through a spatial passage distorted by intangibility. The outer edges of the flames would compress, the center would expand, and then the structure would collapse. The flames' path would be folded within the intangible creases, compressed, then released.
He ran through the process three times in his mind. The result was the same every time.
This Blast Wave Wild Dance would increase the power at least fivefold and the range threefold.
If the angle of distortion in the intangible passage was precise enough, it could even achieve a tenfold increase.
The Uchiha would not even need to know wide-area Fire Release techniques.
His hands were trembling.
"This strategy is entirely sound in theory!"
"Entirely sound!" Izuna affirmed.
He continued, "When the time comes, the Uchiha jonin will fight independently. There will be no need to organize them into teams. Each jonin will act alone, using the Sharingan's dynamic vision to hunt freely within the barrier. Your task will be to teleport each Uchiha to the best position to strike and create spatial distortions to support their Fire Release."
"The two additional Hagoromo fighters will not be there to support the attacks. The moment an elder runs low on chakra, one of them must take over, ensuring that no gap ever appears in the barrier."
"This strategy," the Old Clan Leader said, his voice hoarse with excitement, "does not require many troops."
"Correct." Izuna nodded.
"Yet it can unleash devastating destructive power!"
"Correct."
The Clan Leader suddenly raised his head and asked in astonishment, "Was this your idea?"
Izuna nodded slowly. "It was."
The Clan Leader snorted in disbelief. "This is nothing like traditional Uchiha tactics. Too devious, too crafty. It is not the head-on, overwhelming style your clan favors."
He drew out his words, a teasing note entering his voice. "You are afraid that the tallest tree will be the first to fall, aren't you? That child has not yet grown into his strength. If he were singled out and killed, it would truly be a loss for the Uchiha."
They both knew whom they were talking about.
Izuna changed the subject, suggesting, "Why don't we try it now? That way, I can teach the key points more quickly when the reinforcements arrive. You know how I fight."
"Sorry for the trouble, Izuna," the Old Clan Leader said, relieved of a heavy burden.
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