The study.
As soon as he walked in, Uka Senju saw his aunt leaning against the tea table, eating snacks!
"Sit!" Senju Toka gestured.
"All right!" Following his aunt's instructions, Uka sat down across from her.
Looking at the snacks on the table, Uka Senju wisely refrained from asking why she was eating them right after a meal.
Instead, he asked why she had called him over. "Auntie, is something the matter?"
Senju Toka nodded but did not answer immediately.
Only after swallowing the last piece of walnut cookie did she look at the boy across from her and speak. "Two things. First, the first one!"
"The clan has tentatively decided how to deal with Danzo: compensation in the form of an exchange of interests will take priority, with punishment secondary."
"But you were the target both times Danzo made his move, so they asked me to get your opinion!"
An exchange of interests?
Looks like Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped in!
Uka Senju was familiar with the situation within the clan.
If Sarutobi had not intervened, the Senju would surely have made a move against Shimura Danzō by now. There was no way they would be talking about an exchange of interests.
What could the Shimura alone offer that would interest the Senju?
The four of them must have banded together!
If the Senju did not choose an exchange, their only option would be war.
Uka frowned and made a rough comparison of the two sides' strength in his head.
If they fought, the Senju were certain to win, but the price would not be small.
A weakened Senju was not what he wanted, either.
The village still had a longstanding enemy like the Uchiha, as well as cautious schemers like the Hyūga and Ino-Shika-Cho.
If both sides suffered, they would only be paving the way for others.
And if the Senju were weakened, his own fate probably would not be much better!
Seen that way, the clan's choice is very wise!
Having thought it through, Uka Senju calmly told his aunt, "Auntie, I agree with the clan. An exchange is the best choice!"
"Mm!" Senju Toka was very pleased with her nephew's answer.
They would not normally have consulted him about this, but the second elder had insisted that she return and ask.
He had also said her nephew was clever, not one of those foolish children who let their hot blood go to their heads.
Now it seemed the second elder had been right!
How did I never notice before?
Could it be that I got used to him after spending so much time together?
Then she thought of the matter that had remained undecided since the previous night.
Hoping to test him, Senju Toka asked, "Then what do you think we should get from the Third in exchange?"
"The clan hasn't decided yet?" Uka asked in return.
Toka smiled without answering and repeated her question instead. "What do you think we should get in exchange?"
Seeing his aunt's expression, Uka Senju lowered his head and considered the question.
How much they could get depended on how determined Sarutobi was to protect Shimura.
What they should ask for depended on what gave Sarutobi the confidence to protect him!
Given the Third's personality, he would not do something that brought him trouble for no reward.
He was probably protecting Danzo because he believed handing him over would not win back the Senju's trust!
He might not even be able to keep his current position.
That was why Hiruzen Sarutobi had stepped forward despite the pressure from the Senju.
In that case, there was a great deal they could get in exchange.
After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi had already made his position clear. He could not give up and back out halfway through.
As for what they should ask for, and what gave him the confidence to protect Danzo-
The Hokage had already secured his position, and he had the four clans banded together, as well as the forces he had accumulated over the past few years.
Hiruzen Sarutobi should have understood the gap between the two sides better than Uka himself.
Since he had still chosen to step forward, his goal could not have been merely to protect himself!
They want the upper hand too?
At that thought, Uka found the crux of the matter.
In his view, among Konoha's remaining major ninja clans, the Hyūga and Ino-Shika-Cho could not possibly get involved in this.
That left the Uchiha and the school as Sarutobi and his allies' only means of turning the tables.
The Uchiha were sworn enemies, and there was no way to settle that.
And the school!
Does Hiruzen Sarutobi take everyone for fools?
He's trained more than three thousand ninja in six years. Does he think nobody can see that?
Even if they could not see it, he, having watched the ending, definitely had to get involved.
Having sorted out his thoughts, Uka Senju organized his words and replied, "Auntie, the clan's primary goals should be half the control over the school, full control over medical affairs, half the control over the Barrier Team, and half the control over the mission center!"
The school had to come first, but getting all of it was probably unrealistic, so he suggested asking for half!
At this point, while Hashirama and Tobirama's prestige had not yet faded, half the school could train enough cannon fodder!
He wanted full control over medical affairs because the Senju were already the best medical-nin.
Once Hashirama and Tobirama's prestige faded with the passage of time,
the hospital would ensure that the Senju's influence over the lower classes and the nobility did not disappear!
The Barrier Team and the mission center were meant to guard against underhanded moves by the Sarutobi and Shimura.
The story from his previous life had made it perfectly clear that those four clans had few scruples.
Listening to her nephew's suggestions, Senju Toka tapped her fingers lightly on the tea table, considering what they meant.
The school was the same as the clan's proposal.
She could also understand the Barrier Team and the mission center!
But full control over medical affairs?
Unable to figure out what her nephew had in mind, Senju Toka asked, "The others are fine, but what use are medical affairs?"
"Besides, if we ask for so much, the clan and several of its allies combined won't have enough people to fill all those positions!"
Uka Senju had been prepared for his aunt's question and answered at once. "When faced with illness, nobles, ninja, and civilians all have the same needs. If the Senju control those services, their influence won't fade!"
"As for the shortage of people, I suggest the clan withdraw from departments such as the Anbu, administration, and interrogation, and trade the positions in those departments with the neutral faction!"
After a pause, Uka decided to say everything on his mind. "I also want the clan to trade its positions on the four fronts to the Hokage for absolute control over one front, as well as one-third of the funds the daimyo gives the village!"
Senju Toka was already very pleased with her nephew's choices of what to demand.
But when she heard his final suggestion, she too fell into thought.
Absolute control, one-third of the funding, and the people trained by the school would give the Senju a private army loyal to them.
And Konoha would be the one paying to maintain it.
A single front would allow the Senju and their allies to concentrate all their forces together!
There were advantages to spreading out and advantages to concentrating their forces.
Once their conflict was out in the open, concentrating their forces might be the better choice.
Having thought it through, Senju Toka rose, found a map on her desk, and handed it to Uka. "Which side do you want to choose?"
Uka took the map, spread it out on the tea table, and traced a line from east to west with his finger.
The line divided the Land of Iron in two and encompassed the entire southern part of the Land of Fire.
Watching Uka, Toka pointed to the gap left open in the southwest. "Why not take this entire section too?"
"Auntie, if we take the whole coastline, they definitely won't agree. This part is for the neutral faction," Uka replied.
Hearing her nephew's explanation, Senju Toka nodded in understanding and asked, "Why did you choose the south?"
Why?
For a moment, his aunt's question put Uka in a difficult position.
He had recommended this side because he had watched the anime.
He knew something would happen to the Land of Whirlpools, and he also knew the Mizukage would be caught up in internal strife until the Fourth Shinobi World War.
So the south was relatively safer than the other sides.
But he could not say that!
Uka Senju could only turn his gaze back to the map and, drawing on it and the memories in his head, think of an answer that fit the present situation!