Butsuma Senju shut himself in a dark room for a long time before finally making up his mind.
"Yunjian, send word to every member of the Senju Clan. The First Elder and Second Elder will stay to guard the clan. Everyone else will march with me!"
Hashirama Senju looked at his father in bewilderment. "Father, you said we were marching, but where are we attacking?"
Butsuma Senju's gaze grew deep. "Naturally, I have chosen what will benefit our Senju Clan most."
Hashirama Senju shook his bowl-cut head. "I don't understand."
The silver-haired boy beside him kicked him, exasperated by his cluelessness. "You idiot, big brother! The Uchiha are our greatest enemy, of course."
"The Uchiha and Hyuga are fighting for supremacy. One side will eventually lose."
"At a time like this, whether we Senju choose the Hyuga or the Uchiha, we stand to gain immensely!"
Butsuma Senju looked at his second son with approval. "Tobirama, who taught you all this?"
The silver-haired boy was only a year older than Jing Xiu and Izuna, making him just six, yet he thought clearly and had a keen grasp of the changing situation.
"Father, I enjoy running simulations on a sand table in my spare time. These were the conclusions I reached."
The satisfaction in Butsuma Senju's eyes grew more pronounced. "With you supporting your elder brother in the future, our Senju of the Forest will surely reach greater heights. Even unifying the shinobi world may be possible."
He looked back at Hashirama Senju, considering inwardly, It seems I'll have to let this boy meet that Uchiha prodigy.
If Hashirama can't overpower that Uchiha boy, I may have to give Tobirama the position of future clan leader instead.
When Madara Uchiha arrived at Greenleaf Cliff with Jing Xiu on his back-the frontline camp that had once belonged to the Senju but now belonged to the Uchiha-
The Senju army was already at its gates and might charge into the Uchiha camp at any moment.
Madara looked at the unconscious Jing Xiu, then at the battlefield poised to erupt. In the end, he skirted Greenleaf Cliff, traveled from Eight-Banner Plain through Ueno, and finally returned to the Naka River.
In his heart, Jing Xiu and Izuna always came before the clan.
Madara Uchiha had barely returned and had not yet had time to settle Jing Xiu in when Uchiha Yamashiro, the Uchiha Clan's second-strongest fighter and its First Elder, who had remained to guard the clan grounds, summoned him to the council hall.
"Young clan leader, fighting could break out at Greenleaf Cliff at any moment. The clan leader is devoting all his strength to hunting down Hyuga Tennin."
"Our Uchiha Clan now stands on the brink of disaster. We ask that you lead the clan in resisting these powerful enemies."
Even after their discussion, the Uchiha Clan failed to reach a consensus.
The Second Elder's faction hoped the clan would hold its ground and wait for reinforcements. Once the elite forces led by Uchiha Tajima returned, every problem would resolve itself.
The First Elder advocated attacking as a means of defense.
A thief could wait a thousand days for his chance, but no one could guard against him for a thousand days.
Once the Uchiha were forced onto the back foot, even Uchiha Tajima's return would hardly allow them to regain their footing and maintain the balance between the two great powers, the Uchiha and Senju.
Madara Uchiha returned to his residence with his brows tightly furrowed. Given his temperament, he strongly agreed with the First Elder's proposal.
If he forced the First Elder's plan through, he would need the entire Uchiha Clan to work together, concentrating all its strength into a single fist.
Only then would they have a chance to carve a bloody path through the Senju's encirclement and pursuit.
But he still lacked sufficient prestige. He could tell that, despite the Second Elder's outward respect, the man had his own designs.
Oblivious to all this, Izuna hugged Madara's leg. "Big brother, you're supposed to teach me the Two-Stage Shuriken Throwing Technique today!"
Seeing Izuna eased some of Madara's irritation. He flicked Izuna's forehead. "I still have things to do. Next time, I promise!"
Izuna covered his reddened forehead and grumbled, "You always say that!"
Leaning against the railing upstairs and looking down, Jing Xiu naturally took it all in.
Madara smiled up at Jing Xiu. Suddenly remembering everything Jing Xiu had done during the "Lure the Snake from Its Den" mission, he tentatively told him everything that had happened at the clan meeting.
Jing Xiu thought for a moment, then looked at Madara Uchiha. "Madara, what do you think would be the worst-case scenario right now?"
Madara considered it. "The Senju and Hyuga joining forces with several smaller clans to attack the Uchiha."
Jing Xiu nodded, then shook his head. "The worst-case scenario is far worse than you imagine."
"If Father dies in battle while Hyuga Tennin survives, that would be the worst-case scenario."
"The chances of that happening are extremely slim, but considering defeat before victory is the key to winning consistently."
Madara Uchiha's expression turned exceptionally grave at Jing Xiu's words.
Jing Xiu continued his questions. "If the worst happens, as the young clan leader, you'll have to succeed him. What would you do then?"
Madara thought for a moment. "Launch an all-out attack on the Hyuga. To kill Father, Butsuma Senju and Hyuga Tennin would have to work together."
"Before dying, Father would surely inflict serious injuries on Hyuga Tennin."
"If we Uchiha act fast enough, we can eliminate the Hyuga before they join forces with the Senju."
"As for the Senju..."
Jing Xiu finished for him. "With the Uchiha's love of battle and the power of the Sharingan, the Uchiha Clan would surely grow stronger with every fight."
"After wiping out the Hyuga, the Uchiha would struggle to maintain their rivalry with the Senju as equal powers, but they could still occupy vast stretches of the Land of Fire and recuperate."
"However, the Senju would use their overwhelming strength to steadily encroach on the Uchiha's resources, eventually reducing them from a great clan to a minor one, before finally exterminating or absorbing them."
Madara nodded, agreeing with Jing Xiu's assessment.
Jing Xiu sighed. "Preserve the land but lose the people, and you lose both. Preserve the people but lose the land, and you can keep both."
"If things truly reach that point, you should lead the clan east across the sea to the Land of Water. With the Uchiha Clan's strength, you could easily subdue the Hozuki and Yuki clans."
"Then fight a decisive battle against Kaguya and ultimately become the dominant power in the Land of Water."
"Use the ocean's geographical advantages to rest and rebuild. You could advance to attack or retreat to defend. Once unrest breaks out in the Land of Fire, you could make your comeback and fight the Senju again."
Hearing this, Madara struck his palm with his fist and praised the idea repeatedly. "Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant!"
Jing Xiu waved a hand. "Now that you understand the worst-case scenario, how do you think you should handle the current situation?"
After hearing Jing Xiu's strategic plan for the worst-case scenario, Madara had a clearer idea of where he stood.
He considered it. "Both the First Elder and the Second Elder have their limitations."
"If we attack as a means of defense, our clan will merely die a more heroic death. We'll still vanish into the currents of history in the end."
"Just like the Sage of Six Paths' Ninshu. Ninshu was far stronger than the Senju and Uchiha are today, but how many people in the shinobi world still remember it?"
After pondering for a long while, he sighed. "Even so, I still think the First Elder's strategy has more merit."
"Withdrawing from our territories and holding the clan grounds would seem a sound, conventional approach with very little risk."
"But if we really did that, our Uchiha Clan would be no different from dry bones in a grave, with no future left."
"War means complex, ever-changing circumstances. Perhaps those changes will offer hope for our clan's future."
Jing Xiu raised his brows. "You mean the power of the gods?"
Madara nodded.
Jing Xiu offered little further comment. He knew exactly what kind of person Madara was. Although Madara was willing to discuss things with him, that did not mean he could control Madara's choices.
Nor would Madara obey his every word.
For a moment, the room fell silent.
Just as Izuna pushed open the door, Jing Xiu suddenly spoke. "Have you heard the story of the tiger, the wolf, and the dog?"