If one tiger and one fox were no match for one tiger and one dog.
Then what about ten tigers and one fox against ten tigers and one dog?
The tiger represented strength, while the fox represented wisdom. Enough wisdom could draw out several times the original strength.
That was precisely why Jing Xiu valued the Nara Clan.
Any Nara clansman who achieved a measure of success with the Shadow Series Secret Techniques would make an excellent strategist.
If Madara Uchiha had possessed even an above-average strategist in the original timeline, the Uchiha Clan would never have ended up being exterminated.
The Nara Clan Head looked at the young Jing Xiu. "Forgive my bluntness, but you must be Young Master Jing Xiu, Clan Head Tajima's second son!"
"Can your words truly represent the Uchiha Clan?"
"Even Young Master Madara probably cannot speak for the entire Uchiha Clan with full authority!"
Madara took no offense at the Nara Clan Head's words. He wanted to say something, but Jing Xiu stopped him with a glance.
"Why bother testing us, Elder Nara? Between the present and the future, I believe you should know which to choose."
"True, without the present, there can be no future."
"But if all that remains is the present, there will be no future either."
Nara Takamoto thought for a long time before finally rising and bowing solemnly to the three of them. "Speaking only for myself, I am willing to let my son join the Uchiha Clan."
"What do the three of you think?"
Jing Xiu looked at Nara Takamoto with interest. "The Nara Clan truly lives up to its reputation for wisdom."
"From the moment you began speaking, Clan Head Takamoto, you have been trying to gather more information."
"First, you questioned my authority to make decisions, testing my relationship with Madara."
"Now, you are using the Nara Young Clan Leader to test the bond between us three brothers."
Hearing Jing Xiu's words, Madara recalled Nara Takamoto's tone and instantly understood his motives.
His gaze hardened. "Nara Clan Head, let me make this perfectly clear."
"No matter when or where, whether it is Jing Xiu or Izuna, their will is my will, the will of Madara Uchiha."
Nara Takamoto inwardly stiffened at those words. He had never expected someone as young as Jing Xiu to have eyes that could see straight into people's hearts.
Jing Xiu had seen through every little maneuver in his phrasing.
Nor had he expected the three Uchiha brothers to be so remarkably united, rather than harboring resentment over the right to inherit the clan.
Jing Xiu and Izuna were only six years old.
But children in the Shinobi World matured early. In the future, girls like Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno would already be thinking about romance at seven or eight.
Looking at the three before him, Nara Takamoto could not help recalling the Senju Brothers he had met during the day.
Finally, he gritted his teeth and made his decision. "I, Nara Takamoto, have two sons. My younger son is about the same age as Young Master Jing Xiu."
"If you would have him, Young Master Jing Xiu, he is willing to follow you."
Jing Xiu looked at Nara Takamoto with a faint, knowing smile, but did not expose the calculation behind his offer.
Before coming to the Nara Clan, they had naturally investigated its basic circumstances.
Nara Takamoto did indeed have two sons. His eldest was about Madara's age, while his second son was the same age as Jing Xiu.
Now that Nara Takamoto was letting his younger son leave with the three of them, his elder son would naturally leave with Hashirama Senju.
Hedging his bets like this was exactly what a clever man would do.
Jing Xiu pointed at Izuna. "I hope you can persuade the Yamanaka Clan and the Akimichi Clan, Elder Nara. The Ino-Shika-Cho Formation will become Izuna's most trusted partners."
"What do you think, Elder Nara?"
Nara Takamoto had not expected Jing Xiu to have such breadth of vision.
At that moment, he began to wonder whether his own decision was correct.
Madara suddenly spoke. "Elder Takamoto, could you explain why Jing Xiu chose the Nara Clan as his first target?"
Nara Takamoto understood that Madara was testing his knowledge and ability.
Although Jing Xiu had repeatedly stressed how wise the Nara Clan was.
Hearing was no substitute for seeing, after all. Madara also wanted to find out just how capable the Nara Clan Head before him truly was.
By addressing him as "elder" rather than "clan head," he was telling Nara Takamoto that this was merely a conversation between a junior and a senior, not a major matter between their clans.
Nara Takamoto looked at Madara, then at Izuna and Jing Xiu, before explaining. "The Seven-Clan Alliance may seem mighty and imposing, its prestige unrivaled for the moment."
"But the seven clans have their own factions."
"The Sarutobi Clan and the Shimura Clan are far stronger than any of the other five clans, so they became the alliance's leader and deputy leader."
"The Inuzuka Clan and the Aburame Clan are rather unusual. Both rely on external aids to strengthen themselves, so they have little common ground with the other clans."
"That is why those two clans have banded together."
"Finally, there are our Ino-Shika-Cho Clans, which have shared centuries of friendship."
"Intermarriage is commonplace among us."
"And within Ino-Shika-Cho, the Nara Clan has always handled strategy and decision-making. Generally, the other two clans agree with whatever our clan decides."
He paused there and studied the three brothers' expressions.
Madara remained expressionless, Izuna listened with keen interest, and Jing Xiu had even closed his eyes to rest.
Nara Takamoto realized that what he had just said had failed to impress any of them.
It seems Madara Uchiha is not the brute the rumors make him out to be. He has his own assessment of the situation.
With that thought, Nara Takamoto continued, "Of course, what I just described was merely an overview of the Seven-Clan Alliance."
"When the Uchiha Clan enters the picture, things change."
"The Sarutobi Clan excels at Fire Release, while the Shimura Clan excels at Wind Release."
"If we classify them by role, both clans produce versatile shinobi with an offensive bent."
"Their style resembles that of the Uchiha Clan, but the Uchiha Clan's overall capabilities far surpass those of either clan."
"So, to the Uchiha, there is practically no value in winning those two clans over."
"As I said earlier, the Inuzuka Clan and the Aburame Clan rely on external aids."
"The Inuzuka Clan excels at scouting and tracking with the help of Ninja Dogs, while the Aburame Clan relies on insects."
"If the Uchiha wished, they could simply seize the Ninja Dogs and Insect Swarms."
"So there is no need to expend too much effort on those two clans."
"Finally, I suspect this is the most fundamental reason you chose the Nara Clan."
"Our wisdom and our secret medicine."
"The Nara Clan's intelligence is partly innate, but the improvements brought by our secret medicine and the practice of our secret techniques also account for a considerable share."
"Our secret medicine can enhance mental power, which should also be quite helpful in developing the Sharingan."
"The Yamanaka Clan's Mind Techniques would be even more useful for training the Sharingan's genjutsu."
"Lastly, the Akimichi Clan's secret medicine can greatly improve physical resilience and strength. I imagine that would be of considerable help to the Uchiha as well."
Only then did Madara understand that Jing Xiu had not chosen the Nara Clan on a whim.
Instead, it had been the result of careful consideration.
If the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans truly were as Nara Takamoto described, the Uchiha Clan could undergo a qualitative leap in strength.
But Nara Takamoto was currently willing to send only his younger son, which meant their cooperation could only be limited in scope.
It could not be extended to the clan at large.
Nara Takamoto seemed to read Madara's thoughts. "Such an arrangement can benefit only a small number of people. It is not that we of Ino-Shika-Cho are unwilling, but that we are unable."
"Young Master Madara, I believe you understand the advantages and disadvantages better than anyone!"