Upon reading the contents of the treaty, Uchiha Takeya raised his brows."This… compared to the conditions we first proposed, isn't this cutting things down far too much?"
Aside from the first clause, which aligned with both sides' interests, the second and third were clearly watered down.Full reparations had been reduced to a mere twenty percent, and the proposed five-year truce had been slashed to just two.
Senju Kumazuna gave a cold, dismissive snort."Those kinds of conditions—you don't really expect anyone to believe you thought they were achievable, do you?"
And he was right. War reparations were, by custom, something the defeated paid to the victorious.Judging from the way the battle had been going, if it had continued, the Senju would have won without question.The Uchiha had only gotten lucky by capturing Tobirama—and now they had the gall to demand full reparations? Laughable.
The Uchiha hardliners, including Takeya, scowled, their expressions darkening. Across from them, the Senju glared back with equal hostility.Centuries of blood feud made both sides want nothing less than to annihilate the other. The air was thick with the threat of violence, ready to ignite at any moment.
"Fine, twenty percent it is,"Uchiha Izuna finally spoke up, breaking the tension."But the truce must be extended to three years."
"This…"
"Kazuma, what do you think?"
Kumazuna had been about to respond, but Izuna deliberately shifted the question toward Senju Hashirama.
On the surface, the truce period should have been neutral, benefiting both clans equally.But in truth, the longer it lasted, the more it favored the Uchiha while offering little to the Senju.
The Uchiha had suffered greater losses in this campaign.They were like a beast wounded more severely than its rival, desperately in need of time to heal before the next fight.
Hashirama had clearly not expected Izuna to push the matter onto him so suddenly.While he hesitated, Izuna struck again.
"Ten years ago… you haven't forgotten what you promised my brother by the lake, have you?"
At those words, both Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama froze, their expressions shifting instantly.
Back then, when neither knew the other's family name, they had met as boys and sworn to one day build a village together.Now, trapped by the weight of their clans' blood feud and the brutal momentum of war, they were forced to cross swords instead.
Had it really been ten years already?
For a moment, Hashirama's heart surged with emotion. He tilted his head back, drawing in a deep breath, his eyes glistening faintly.
"Brother, don't be deceived!"Tobirama shouted urgently.
He too had been there that day, but unlike his brother, he understood Izuna's ploys all too well.This was an appeal to emotion, a manipulation—a soldier's desperate trick.
Yet, while such a tactic might seem clumsy, for someone like Senju Hashirama, it was the perfect key.
And indeed, after a long breath, Hashirama nodded."I… agree with Izuna. Besides, our clan also needs time to recuperate."
"Lord Hashirama!""Young Clan Head!"
The Senju erupted in shock, many of them visibly angry.
But Hashirama only shook his head."My mind is made up. Say no more."
Izuna's lips curved into a small smile."Senju Hashirama's word carries the weight of mountains. Since that's settled, let's sign the agreement."
"You despicable bastard…"Tobirama ground his teeth, still bound by Izuna's jutsu.
Izuna only sneered at his glare.Despicable? Not half as much as you.
With Hashirama himself—second-in-command of the Senju and their inevitable future leader—having spoken, even Kumazuna, though unwilling, dared not oppose him.Seeing the unshakable determination in Hashirama's eyes, Kumazuna relented, knowing better than to cross the man destined to lead their clan's future.
With both their chiefs—Uchiha Tajima and Senju Butsuma—long dead, the treaty was signed instead by their deputies, Uchiha Takeya and Senju Kumazuna.
Once each side held a scroll bearing both signatures and handprints, Hashirama immediately pressed,"Good. Now release Tobirama."
Under normal circumstances, Izuna would have insisted the Senju withdraw from Mount Kumo before releasing him.But, recalling how he had just cornered Hashirama emotionally, Izuna decided to grant him face this time. He lifted the binding jutsu at once.
Tobirama hurried back to the Senju's side, his face grim."My apologies, everyone."
He knew full well that everything had unfolded this way because he had been captured.
"It's fine, it's fine. Anything can happen on the battlefield."Hashirama, ever the doting elder brother, rushed to comfort him.
"Let's return home. This wasn't your fault, Tobirama. The enemy was simply too underhanded."Kumazuna added.
The two mightiest clans of the Warring States had agreed to a three-year truce.That meant—for three years—the entire shinobi world would fall eerily quiet.
With Mount Kumo as the boundary, the Uchiha and Senju withdrew to their respective homelands.
The deaths of Uchiha Tajima and Senju Butsuma also meant that both clans would soon elect new leaders.By all appearances, those leaders would be Uchiha Takeya and Senju Kumazuna, the current deputies.At least, that's what everyone assumed.
At the Uchiha camp on Mount Kumo, the clan's shinobi busied themselves with battlefield cleanup—collecting weapons, salvaging food stores, folding up tents and cloth, and preparing to haul everything back to the compound in readiness for the next inevitable war.
And then there were the bodies.The corpses of their fallen comrades, to be carried home so their families could mourn.
Izuna sought out Madara and found him sitting alone."Brother, why are you here by yourself?"
From the moment the treaty had been signed, Madara had not spoken a single word. Izuna's curiosity got the better of him.
Madara glanced at him, silent for a long moment before finally saying,"…It's nothing. I just didn't expect Hashirama to still remember the things we said as children."
More than ten years had passed since then.
Izuna blinked in surprise, then shrugged, turning to leave.The eternal bond between Indra and Asura—the destined "friends" across reincarnations—was something he had no desire to dwell on.
But just as Izuna turned to go, Madara stopped him.
"Izuna… do you think it's even possible?A village where all shinobi could live together in peace?"
That kind of question—it didn't sound like something Madara would ask.Izuna nearly blurted that out, but instead brushed him off half-heartedly.
"Worry about ending the blood feud between Uchiha and Senju first."
Even that alone was enough to give Madara headaches.
Erase the hatred between their two clans?How could that ever be easy?
His own father, brothers, kin—how many had been killed by Senju hands?And on the other side, Hashirama's father, brothers, and kin—how many had been slain by Uchiha blades?
As Madara sank deep into thought, Izuna turned and walked away.
Already, the storm born from the fluttering of his butterfly wings had begun to stir.One thing was certain: in the original history, the Uchiha had never been granted this chance to recover and heal.