Even with Madara's disposition, upon hearing this news, his jaw instinctively dropped. Not even the Uchiha and Senju could ignore losses of this magnitude. This wasn't just a scratch; this was a lung being pierced through!
Then, a flash of insight struck Madara. "How did they get into a fight with the Hagoromo?" he asked urgently.
This was another question. After the Uchiha and the four clans, how had the Shimura gotten entangled with the Hagoromo, a clan Izuna had already exterminated?
Izuna smiled faintly. "I used a little trick. Brother, don't ask about the details. All you need to know is that the Sarutobi and Shimura clans have now suffered heavy losses. If we ally with the four clans, an Uchiha victory is practically guaranteed. But be careful not to overuse your Mangekyo Sharingan."
Madara looked directly at Izuna, and after a moment, he let out a laugh. "Izuna, I feel like I can't quite see through you anymore."
Izuna shrugged with a light laugh. After the two brothers chatted for a while, Izuna brought up his intention to leave the clan territory for some time.
Hearing that Izuna was planning to leave, Madara was naturally a bit worried, but not about Izuna's safety. With Izuna's current strength, while he might not be unbeatable, Madara believed no one could stop him if he wanted to leave. The main issue was who would manage the clan when he was leading the army into the war between the Sarutobi-Shimura and the four northwestern clans.
Izuna said it wasn't a problem. He would leave a Shadow Clone in the clan, just like future Hokage Uzumaki Naruto. As long as his real body didn't suffer a critical blow or run out of chakra, the Shadow Clone wouldn't disappear. Besides, he didn't plan to be gone for too long. A Shadow Clone should be sufficient.
***
Meanwhile, both the Senju and Uchiha had dispatched reconnaissance ninja to secretly monitor Shimura Keizo's group. They both called off the pursuit after the group entered the northwestern plains. The terrain there was a vast expanse of canyons and plains with an open, endless line of sight. Shimura Keizo was a Kage-level expert; under these circumstances, unless he had the brains of a pig, he would undoubtedly notice he was being followed.
Still, by tracking him this far, the various clans could more or less guess his destination.
The group, including Shimura Keizo, numbered thirty-one. Just then, an elite Shimura Chunin spoke up, "Clan Head, we're about to enter Liang Town."
Shimura Keizo nodded with a dark expression, not uttering a single word. Anyone who wasn't blind could see how foul his mood was.
In truth, Shimura Keizo's bad mood hadn't started today. Ever since the news of the death of his second-in-command, Shimura Ri, the clan's strongest warrior after himself, had arrived two months ago, Keizo's mood had been perpetually sour.
It wasn't just the near-Kage level Shimura Ri. A total of ten Shimura Jonin and four Tokubetsu Jonin, along with ten Sarutobi Jonin, had all died on the main road from the Sarutobi-Shimura territory to Liang Town.
Who killed them? They didn't know. There were no survivors. Shimura Ri's body was missing; only his head had been left at the scene.
After that, the four northwestern clans, represented by "Tobi," had made no further contact. Tobi himself seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth.
As one of the top ninja clans of the Warring States period, how could Shimura Keizo swallow the loss of so many elite members? If Tobi wouldn't come to him, then he would go himself!
The incident had a massive impact within the clan, and the Sarutobi and Shimura could not afford any more losses. The two clan heads, along with their high command, had discussed the matter and decided that Shimura Keizo, a Kage-level powerhouse, would personally go to the four clans and demand a clear explanation.
But there was one thing they still hadn't figured out: which of the four clans did Tobi belong to? Whenever he had infiltrated the Sarutobi-Shimura territory, he had always claimed to represent the "four clans," but whether he was Fuma, Watanabe, Saito, or Kikawa, Shimura Keizo and the others had no idea.
Now that the war was over, the four clans had long since dissolved their alliance and gone their separate ways.
In the end, Shimura Keizo simply wrote four letters, one for each clan, demanding they meet for negotiations in a small town on the northwestern border—Liang Town, the very place where the grain exchange had originally been planned.
The name of the Sarutobi-Shimura alliance still carried a great deal of weight. The four clans responded immediately, sending representatives to Liang Town. They couldn't figure out why Shimura Keizo wanted to see them. With the front lines active, they were only informed of logistical matters like the need for reinforcements of grain and weapons; specific details of the battle were rarely passed back to the rear.
Moreover, the clan heads of all four clans had been on the front lines, leaving only elders or seconds-in-command to manage logistics back home. They had never even heard of a person named "Tobi."
***
Liang Town, a small town on the northwestern border, could be described as a place where dragons and fish swam together—a motley mix of civilians, merchants, ninja, and samurai could be seen everywhere.
Shimura Keizo had long since had his men book an entire inn to serve as the negotiation site with the four clans.
When he arrived, the representatives of the four clans were already there. Their clan heads had all perished in the recent war, and their duties were now being handled by elders. As such, the arriving negotiators were all white-haired and white-bearded men.
"Clan Head Shimura, please, sit." The Watanabe elder stood and clasped his hands, gesturing for Shimura Keizo to take a seat. The four of them had arrived several days ago; geographically, they were much closer.
Shimura Keizo narrowed his eyes, nodded, and sat down.
"I wonder, Clan Head Shimura, for what reason have you personally come to see our four clans?" the gray-bearded Kikawa elder asked first.
*Still playing dumb?* Shimura Keizo sneered inwardly, his mood souring further.
"Not long ago, while you were engaged in battle with the Uchiha clan, our Shimura and Sarutobi clans graciously intended to offer you support. However, the delegation we sent was ambushed and killed by a mysterious force," Shimura Keizo said, his tone icy. "Don't the four of you elders think you owe our two clans a reasonable explanation for this matter?"
At his words, the four representative elders and the guards standing behind them were all stunned.
*The Sarutobi and Shimura clans planned to join the war? We never heard anything about that!*
The four old men exchanged glances. The Watanabe elder cleared his throat and explained, "Clan Head Shimura may not be aware, but all four of our clan heads were personally on the front lines. We old bones were merely responsible for rear support. We know practically nothing about the specifics of the battlefield, let alone that the Sarutobi and Shimura clans were preparing to enter the war."
"Hmph! Do you have any idea how many forces the Shimura and Sarutobi lost? Do you think you can just brush it aside with 'I don't know'? You were the ones who came shamelessly begging us for reinforcements!"
Shimura Keizo slammed his hand on the round table. Cracks spread out with a sharp snap, and it looked as if the wooden table would turn to dust in the next second.
The elders of the four clans and their ninja standing nearby frowned, a surge of anger rising within them. First, they were telling the truth; they really didn't know. Second, Shimura Keizo's attitude was far too arrogant. *The Shimura and Sarutobi may be strong, but why should we take responsibility for something we didn't do?*
In reality, Shimura Keizo had already lost his composure and was unable to think through the details of the incident, but it was understandable. After all, no ninja clan in the Warring States could bear the loss of so many high-level combatants. Moreover, compared to his grandson, Shimura Danzo, his personality lacked cunning and was far more explosive.
The Watanabe clan, arguably the strongest of the four, had their elder squint. "So, by Clan Head Shimura's meaning, you believe your two clans' ninja were killed by us?"
The four clans, whose alliance had been dissolved, now used the pronoun "we," indicating that in this moment, they had decided to join forces against the Shimura and Sarutobi.
"Hmph! I didn't say that. It's just that we lost so many people, and we need an explanation from the four of you."
Shimura Keizo wasn't a fool. With just a little thought, he could figure out that the four northwestern clans had nothing to gain by killing Shimura Ri and his men. Even if it were for the grain, that shipment was intended for them in the first place, so it made no sense. Furthermore, among the four clans, there was no ninja capable of facing a near-Kage level expert like Shimura Ri head-on.
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