*CRASH!*
The instant Shimura Keizo finished speaking, a loud bang echoed from the roof.
As a wooden beam shattered and collapsed, a single kunai embedded itself in the center of the hall's tatami mat.
In the same instant the kunai landed, a dark figure appeared.
"Who goes there?!"
The twenty or so Sarutobi and Shimura ninja guarding the hall swarmed in.
Sarutobi Furukawa and Shimura Keizo also instantly adopted combat stances.
"My name is... Tobi."
"My name is... Tobi."
Since he had based this whole stratagem and costume on Uchiha Obito, Izuna figured he might as well make things simple and use the alias he had used.
The more than twenty Shimura and Sarutobi ninja in the hall stood on high alert.
Only after the dust settled could they get a clear look at the intruder.
Not that it was much of a "clear look."
He wore a black cloak that concealed even his hair, and his face was hidden behind a strange, single-eyed spiral mask.
Even his voice was clearly altered, distorted by focusing chakra in his throat.
"Tobi..." Sarutobi Furukawa muttered the name, exchanging a glance with Shimura Keizo.
Both shook their heads, indicating they had never heard of such a person.
But for someone to infiltrate their proud clan lands all the way to this hall, and do it alone—he was no ordinary foe.
"A ninja isn't supposed to reveal his family name, is he?" Izuna said half-jokingly.
"Hmph!" Shimura Keizo waved his hand coldly, and eight Shimura clan ninja drew their swords, forming a circle around Izuna.
"Easy there, Clan Head Shimura. I've come today with sincere intentions to discuss a partnership with your alliance. My method of entry was a bit crude, but it was truly the only way."
The wariness on Shimura Keizo's face did not diminish in the slightest. Sarutobi Furukawa, however, took a step forward and asked in a deep voice, "Tobi... was it? What is your purpose?"
"Clan Head Sarutobi Furukawa of the Sarutobi clan. It's wonderful to have someone reasonable to talk to."
Izuna spread his arms in a feigned display of excitement. "I am a member of the four northwestern clans that recently allied with the Hagoromo. I am here on a secret visit, representing those four clans to request an alliance with the Sarutobi and Shimura."
*The four northwestern clans?*
The barren lands of the northwest were home to many small and medium-sized ninja clans, but the only ones allied with the Hagoromo were those four.
Fuma, Saito, Watanabe, and Kikawa.
*This man is from one of those clans?*
Their clan heads were at best peak Jonin. Where did a master like this come from?
"Didn't you partner with the Hagoromo? Now you claim to represent the four clans and request a partnership with us." Shimura Keizo was completely unconvinced.
"I say I represent the four clans because this is being done without Hagoromo Masanari's knowledge," Izuna said, his chakra-altered voice tinged with resentment. "Hagoromo Masanari's agreement with our four clans was that after conquering the Uchiha's northwestern lands, his Hagoromo clan would take fifty percent, and the remaining fifty would be split among our four clans."
"We cannot accept such terms. Therefore, I propose," Izuna's voice suddenly rose, "that the Sarutobi and Shimura clans join us. Together, we will eliminate the Hagoromo clan and divide the resources of both the Hagoromo and the Uchiha."
Sarutobi Furukawa's eyes widened in astonishment. Shimura Keizo's suspicion, however, persisted. "Let's take a step back... no, ten thousand steps back. Even if what you say is true, you could have gone to the Senju. They would be itching for a war with the Uchiha."
As soon as Shimura Keizo said this, the surrounding ninja tensed, their guard raised against "Tobi."
"Clan Head Shimura guessed correctly. But unfortunately, I already went to the Senju lands. Although Clan Head Senju Yuma was very tempted, Vice-Clan Head Senju Hashirama was vehemently opposed. He nearly tried to capture me. With no other choice, I came to you." Izuna waved his hands, feigning dejection.
"The Senju refused? How is that possible?!"
Everyone in the hall was shocked.
Until now, they had all believed the Senju were just biding their time, that their participation in this war was inevitable.
*This masked man must be lying.*
"Hard to believe, isn't it? But that's just the kind of man the new Vice-Clan Head, Senju Hashirama, is," Izuna continued. "The Uchiha's doom is near, and the Hagoromo are not on guard against us four clans. The chance of success is extremely high. I hope you two clan heads will join us in this grand undertaking."
"I cannot be away for too long, or it will arouse Hagoromo Masanari's suspicion. I will pay a personal visit to you both when I have the chance next time."
With that, Izuna prepared to leave.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Cannon Wave!"
A blast of compressed wind, visible to the naked eye and the size of a hot air balloon, shot toward him.
As the head of the clan most skilled in Wind Release during the Warring States era, the A-rank jutsu Shimura Keizo unleashed was almost as powerful as Izuna's own killer move, the Wind Release: Rasengan.
However, the masked man vanished on the spot.
After the Vacuum Cannon Wave had blasted half the hall to splinters, he reappeared in the same place without warning.
Shimura Keizo was stunned. "Body Flicker Technique?" he muttered. "No, there were no hand seals, and I didn't sense any chakra fluctuation. What in the world..."
Sarutobi Furukawa squinted from the side. "Is that... spatial movement?"
"Such a temper, Clan Head Shimura," the masked man said. "I told you, though you are a great clan, treating an envoy this way is going too far, don't you think?"
As his voice faded, the masked man's dark figure vanished again, leaving only one last sentence hanging in the air. "If you don't believe me, then just wait. The Senju will definitely not make a move."
***
After things had quieted down, Shimura Keizo asked in a low voice, "Furukawa, what do you think?"
"His last words were correct, at least. To prove whether he was telling the truth, we only need to see if the Senju take action."
Every ninja clan in the era believed the Senju would never pass up this opportunity. They would surely tear up the truce and declare war on the Uchiha.
But if, as "Tobi" claimed, the Senju did not go to war, then his story about seeking their cooperation would become much more credible.
After a moment of contemplation, Shimura Keizo asked, "If what he said is true, Furukawa, do you think we should act?"
Sarutobi Furukawa licked his dry lips. He knew his comrade-in-arms was tempted.
***
About five miles away from the Sarutobi-Shimura clan lands, a kunai was embedded in a pagoda tree.
A shimmering afterimage appeared. Izuna retrieved the kunai and took off his mask.
"The disposition of Asura's descendants is truly easy to exploit," he mused.
He would never actually go to the Senju lands as "Tobi."
Not only was the place teeming with powerful shinobi, but with the Flying Thunder God Technique alone, it would be impossible to come and go as freely as he had just done.
This jutsu, above all else, could never be revealed to the Senju.
That's right—Izuna had no intention of using this technique on the main battlefield. He would only use it under the persona of "Tobi."
And at that moment, even Izuna himself could not have foreseen that this decision would unleash a storm so immense that even he would be unable to stop it.
It took nearly three days to make the round trip between the Uchiha's Stonecastle and the Sarutobi-Shimura lands using the Flying Thunder God.
Izuna finally relaxed after confirming the enemy hadn't attacked during those three days. The first thing he did upon returning to his room was fall into a deep sleep to recover the massive amount of chakra he had expended from repeated use of the technique.
He had left the shadow clone just in case Hagoromo Masanari launched a sudden attack and grew suspicious upon discovering his absence.
The probability was low, but Izuna's plan could not afford a single mistake.
He slept for nearly twenty hours and didn't even wake up naturally. He was roused by someone.
-----
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