Tobirama Senju

By the time Senju Shuto entered the command tent, it was already three in the afternoon.

Tobirama had only just found a moment to gulp down a few bites of rice ball with some cold miso soup.

He looked up at Shuto. "You're saying the Hagoromo used a tactic they'd never used before and caught you off guard?"

Senju Shuto nodded. "We've never seen that kind of combination ninjutsu. They used Wind Release to pulverize Earth Release into dust, then ignited the dust to create a massive explosion."

He paused, then added reluctantly, "But it'll be easy to counter next time-use Wind Release to scatter the dust, or Water Release to soak it. Either would work."

Tobirama tapped his fingers lightly against the desk twice.

"That isn't the battlefield-control approach the Hagoromo rely on. It's far too vicious, and it doesn't fit Hagoromo Shogatsu's style either."

He knew what Shogatsu was like.

The man always stuck to tried-and-tested methods, advancing steadily and leaving no openings. He excelled at defensive counterattacks and rarely risked trying unproven tactics.

Improvising a combination of three chakra natures on the battlefield, one that could backfire at the slightest misstep, was not something Shogatsu could have dreamed up.

He raised his head. "Did they see through the Water Release and shuriken tactic too?"

"Yes," Shuto admitted. "As long as the new defenders stay alert, they can counter with an Earth Wall the instant the Water Release clears the cliff."

Tobirama leaned back in his chair, his fingers falling still.

His own Water Release shuriken tactic and the enemy's dust explosion followed the same principle-catching the enemy by surprise.

Once seen through, their effectiveness plummeted. These were not tactics that would work forever, but surprise attacks designed specifically to catch an opponent off guard.

"Who do you think devised their tactical plan?"

Shuto mentally went through every noteworthy commanding jonin in the Hagoromo Clan, then shook his head with a frown.

Tobirama narrowed his eyes and gave a cold laugh before delivering his verdict. "It looks like one of mine."

"Lord Tobirama!" Shuto jerked his head up in astonishment.

"They learned from my tactic and may even have developed a new one on the spot," Tobirama said, thinking aloud. "Since when did the Hagoromo Clan have someone like that?"

Shuto composed himself. "Could it be the Uchiha? According to our intelligence, the Uchiha began sending reinforcements to the Hagoromo Clan the day before yesterday. Reports from the border outposts suggest their commander this time is Uchiha Izuna."

Tobirama immediately rejected the idea. "The Uchiha have always preferred overwhelming their opponents with Fire Release. Besides, this isn't Izuna's style."

Uchiha Izuna's style was to crush his enemies head-on. His swordsmanship and Fire Release were both known for their overwhelming power. He fought like a rabid dog and never deigned to bother with such roundabout tricks.

Shuto fell silent for a moment, then said, "Still, those dozen or so men on the opposite bank were only captured because the attack caught them completely off guard. In a direct confrontation..."

"Now that does sound like Hagoromo Shogatsu." Tobirama's brows drew together slightly, and he glanced toward the temporary prison outside the tent where the captives were being held.

They had captured seven Hagoromo: two with the heavenly eye and five ordinary clansmen.

In terms of negotiations, that put the Hagoromo and the Senju on equal footing. Talks would be difficult to advance and could easily reach a stalemate.

Truthfully, he did not want to negotiate.

As he saw it, wiping out the Hagoromo in one push would deprive the Uchiha of a powerful ally. That would give the Senju a greater advantage on the battlefield against the Uchiha.

The Hagoromo were a tough nut to crack, but if they had the strength to break them, the rewards would be ample. After all, the Hagoromo Clan controlled the most fertile farmland in the region.

But Hashirama Senju had consistently vetoed that idea, forcing him to prioritize peace talks and forbidding any further escalation.

Now, although the Senju still held the advantage in strength at the negotiating table, the Hagoromo had Uchiha support.

If the conflict truly reached a fever pitch.

The ceasefire treaty they had only recently managed to sign with the Uchiha would become worthless all over again.

Besides, the Senju had suffered far too many losses in this war against the Hagoromo Clan.

The previous commander-in-chief stationed here had been Tobirama's aunt, Senju Kanto. She had died in the Hagoromo Clan's formation.

That was precisely why Tobirama had been transferred from the deadlocked negotiations with the Uchiha Clan to the Hagoromo front.

To exact an equivalent revenge, he had specifically targeted and killed the Hagoromo Clan Leader, Hagoromo Tensho.

His hand slowly clenched.

He could not accept coming away from this campaign without satisfactory gains.

However, the lobbyist he had bribed within the Fuma Clan had brought him some good news.

The lobbyist had persuaded the Fuma Clan Leader to exploit the chaos, leading the Fuma Clan to break through the Hagoromo's Sixth Settlement from the rear and seize grain from the Hagoromo Clan Territory.

The Sixth Settlement shielded the rear of the Hagoromo Clan Territory and occupied a crucial position. Its fall meant a gap had opened in the Hagoromo's rear defenses that could not be filled anytime soon.

This showed that the Hagoromo's strength was depleted. They could not keep fighting.

And now, with the Senju holding the upper hand on the main front, the Fuma having overrun the Sixth Settlement deep in the rear, and outsiders able to slip into their clan territory and steal grain, their entire defensive system was already collapsing.

If he were allowed to deploy his tactics, they should now tighten the encirclement across the board, applying pressure from the front and flanks simultaneously while taking the Hagoromo's strongholds one by one.

Within a month, the Hagoromo would be beaten back into their clan territory, unable to move an inch. By then, it would not be a negotiation-the Hagoromo would be begging the Senju for a ceasefire.

Unfortunately, Hashirama believed they should never push anything to the extreme.

"I did receive a tentative approach from the Sarutobi Clan." Shuto stepped forward and hesitantly reported the intelligence he had received. "The Hagoromo want them to act as intermediaries."

Tobirama raised his eyes.

The Sarutobi Clan was a wandering merchant clan famed for trading along the fringes of the shinobi clans. They had always remained neutral, never participating in the blood feuds between clans.

Choosing the Sarutobi as intermediaries meant the Hagoromo were serious.

They were still fighting the Senju nose to nose on the front lines, yet behind the scenes, they were already looking for a mediator.

"The Hagoromo want peace." Tobirama's gaze flicked aside.

"But they now have prisoners, as well as Uchiha support," Shuto reminded him. "The Hagoromo have more cards to play than before."