But it only served to alleviate the pain; it did nothing to mitigate the vision damage caused by the Mangekyo.
"Enough. Stop the treatment," Izuna said, rising to his feet. "Back to the fortress."
"A resounding victory for the Vice-Clan Head in his first campaign! Our clan's triumph is just around the corner," said Uchiha Ise, a Jonin under Uchiha Kong, trying to curry favor.
"Are you blind?" Izuna said coldly. "That was just a ruse to deceive them."
Once the army had fully regrouped, they quickly moved back to defend Stonecastle. Izuna's face was grim. "I need to find a breakthrough soon. I can't maintain this state for long."
Uchiha Ise looked embarrassed. Uchiha Kong clapped the young man hard on the shoulder. "Idiot boy, your flattery backfired, didn't it? Be smarter next time!"
Uchiha Ise shrugged with a wry smile and fell in with the main force returning to the Stonecastle base. On the way, he couldn't help but ask, "The Vice-Clan Head's new Sharingan is..."
Uchiha Kong's expression was also grave. "Mm... According to the Clan Head, it has extremely powerful side effects. It seems there are many restrictions on its use."
Uchiha Ise sighed. "A pity. If only it could be used without limit..."
***
Izuna's first battle as Vice-Clan Head thus came to a close. For two days, the five-clan alliance led by the Hagoromo clan made no move.
This meant Izuna's objective of deterrence had been achieved.
However, the sheer size of the force the enemy had deployed also put immense pressure on Izuna.
*Damn it, you could have at least let me transmigrate to after Konoha's founding!*
Of course, complaining was just complaining. He still had to face what was in front of him.
Thanks to the Sharingan of the reconnaissance squads, Uchiha Ise soon brought Izuna fresh intelligence.
Although Kikawa Yoichi was dead, the Kikawa clan had not withdrawn from the alliance. Instead, Kikawa Kenji, Kikawa Yoichi's younger brother, had been appointed the new clan head, and they continued to prepare for war against the Uchiha.
At the same time, they had gotten a rough estimate of the five-clan alliance's total strength.
The total number of combatants committed to this war was around two thousand three hundred—a figure they had confirmed after their initial victory.
Izuna's side, on the other hand, had fewer than five hundred.
In a spartan room, furnished with only a bed and a desk, Izuna sat before the desk, quietly pondering his strategy by candlelight.
Requesting reinforcements from the clan was basically impossible.
There was no telling when the Senju to the east would pounce.
Although Izuna was confident Senju Hashirama wouldn't make a move, he was currently only the Senju's Vice-Clan Head.
The clan head, Senju Yuma, and his younger brother, Senju Tobirama, were not to be underestimated.
Right now, the only way forward was to increase his own strength.
With this thought, Izuna opened the system skill tree again.
A screen of light appeared:
[Player: Uchiha Izuna
Cultivation: Kage-level
Chakra Natures: Fire, Wind, Lightning
Kekkai Genkai: Mangekyo Sharingan
Skill Points: 72]
The skill points he had accumulated were almost enough to redeem an A-rank ninjutsu, but getting the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan was impossible.
300 skill points—he probably couldn't obtain that many even after the war with the five clans ended.
Distant water couldn't quench a nearby fire. Izuna had to make a choice, and soon.
Suddenly, Izuna noticed a technique:
[Flying Thunder God Technique (B-rank): Locked, 80 Skill Points]→[Flying Thunder God Technique: Second Step (A-rank): Locked, ?? Skill Points]
→[Flying Thunder God Technique: Third Step (S-rank): Locked, ?? Skill Points]
The initial Flying Thunder God Technique, the one Senju Tobirama used to ambush them on Taihang Mountain Road, was B-rank.
It allowed for instantaneous movement via seals on custom kunai.
But it was limited to single-point teleportation, making it somewhat one-dimensional in application.
The A-rank Flying Thunder God Technique: Second Step, however, allowed for multiple, consecutive teleports, offering far greater range and flexibility.
Namikaze Minato had improved upon Senju Tobirama's Flying Thunder God Technique, earning himself the title of "Yellow Flash."
The Third Step could even erect a barrier and teleport attacks away from within it.
Both Namikaze Minato and Senju Tobirama had used this technique to redirect devastating attacks like the Tailed Beast Bomb.
The initial Flying Thunder God was only B-rank, but its utility far surpassed that of a typical A-rank or even S-rank ninjutsu.
Seeing the Flying Thunder God Technique, Izuna couldn't help but think of Senju Tobirama.
*That guy probably hasn't earned the title of "The Ninja World's Fastest" yet.*
*If I had the Flying Thunder God, wouldn't I have to compete with him for that title?*
Suddenly, an idea struck Izuna.
*Wait, a technique just like Senju Tobirama's...*
After a moment of thought, Izuna shot to his feet. He spread a map on his desk, the location of the five-clan alliance's camp already marked in red.
He had always felt that the situation—five clans joining forces to attack the Uchiha—was very similar to the Warring States period of his past life, when multiple states attacked the state of Qin.
If that was the case, then how did Qin escape its predicament and go on to unify the world?
It was simple, really: a stratagem of sowing discord.
An alliance's strength lay in its unity. Once you broke them apart, there was nothing to fear.
"Someone, bring me Department Head Kong," Izuna called out.
The guard at the door immediately responded, "Yes, Vice-Clan Head."
A few minutes later, Uchiha Kong arrived.
"Vice-Clan Head, you summoned me so late at night. Is something the matter?" Uchiha Kong asked as he entered Izuna's room.
"Have a seat," Izuna said, gesturing with his hand.
After they sat facing each other, Izuna asked, "I had you come here tonight because there's something I need to understand."
"Oh?" Uchiha Kong raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening."
"I know the Hagoromo clan developed a grudge against the Uchiha ten years ago, but do the other four clans also have a feud with us?"
"Not really, no. That's why I was so surprised when Hagoromo Masanari united the four clans to pressure our borders."
"Which means the Fuma and the other three clans are motivated purely by profit."
Uchiha Kong nodded in agreement. "That should be correct. Their clan lands are all in the arid southwestern region. They've likely been coveting our clan's fertile lands for more than a day or two."
After a pause, Uchiha Kong continued, "The Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi clans, on the other hand, are located in the northwest. While their lands aren't as prosperous as ours or the Senju's, they aren't bad either. That's why they haven't rushed to get involved.
Of course, more importantly, they are wary of the Uchiha's power."
In his previous life, Izuna had been a poor student, but he'd always had an interest in history.
The annals of warfare were filled with countless examples of alliances being shattered by stratagems of sowing discord.
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