At first, Izuna might have been pleased, but hearing it over and over was starting to make him sick.
"Izuna has really opened our old eyes this time. To think those four clans actually had the guts to go to war with Sarutobi Furukawa and Shimura Keizo!"
Second Elder Uchiha Tianzang praised Izuna for a moment before stroking his beard and sighing in amazement.
The Shadow Investigation Department under Uchiha Zuoxiu had just reported that the Sarutobi and Shimura clans had formally declared war on the northwestern Watanabe, Fuma, Saito, and Kikawa clans. The four clans, in turn, had re-formed their alliance to resist the Sarutobi and Shimura.
The news hadn't yet spread throughout the Warring States Period, but they believed everyone would know within a week or so.
The impossible had happened, exactly as Izuna had predicted, and the clansmen couldn't help but equate Izuna's name with "uncanny foresight."
"Hahaha, if we win this war, Izuna will have earned a third-class merit even without setting foot on the battlefield," Madara couldn't help but laugh, the battle-crazed blood in his veins already beginning to boil.
"Vice-Clan Head, what should our next step be?" Uchiha Enka asked excitedly, and the others all turned to Izuna with expectant eyes.
*Seriously? I don't even plan on fighting in this war, so why is everyone asking me? Do they really think I'm some kind of Zhuge Liang?*
With all eyes on him, Izuna had no choice but to speak. "In a direct confrontation, the four clans are no match for the Sarutobi and Shimura, even if their combat power were doubled. Their only option is a war of attrition."
"You mean..."
"We wait. When the four clans are on the verge of collapse, we'll declare war on the Sarutobi and Shimura. At that point, even if we do nothing, the four clans will come groveling to us for help."
Realization dawned on everyone, and they voiced their strong approval of Izuna's plan. The Uchiha clan naturally possessed an innate pride when dealing with outsiders. The thought of the four clans shamelessly begging to become Uchiha vassals was incredibly satisfying.
"Vice-Clan Head, what action do you think the Senju will take?" asked Third Elder Uchiha Kai. As old rivals, the Uchiha were always thinking about the Senju.
"To the Senju, both the four clans and the Sarutobi and Shimura are neutral parties. For now, they will likely choose to wait and see."
They discussed matters for a while longer. On the surface, the Uchiha remained quiet, but in secret, they had already begun to assemble their forces, preparing for war against the Shimura and Sarutobi clans.
***
Meanwhile, the Shimura and Sarutobi clans had openly finished mobilizing their troops and were preparing to advance westward. The supreme commander was naturally Shimura Keizo, while Sarutobi Furukawa was responsible for holding the rear and guarding against sneak attacks from other ninja clans.
In Shimura Keizo's eyes, the two clan heads were not even needed to deal with four petty clans.
"Furukawa, those four little clans are definitely planning to drag us into a war of attrition and use the time to call for reinforcements. You must watch their movements closely," Shimura Keizo reminded Sarutobi Furukawa as the troops set out.
It wasn't hard to guess what the Watanabe elder and the others were thinking.
Sarutobi Furukawa frowned and nodded. Until the moment Shimura Keizo had returned with the four clans' declaration of war and furiously decided to dispatch troops, he had been against starting this war.
The reason, of course, wasn't that he feared the four clans. With the strength of the Sarutobi and Shimura, they wouldn't be afraid even if they had lost twice the number of Jonin, let alone the twenty-odd they did lose.
The more important reason was the lack of a clear strategic objective.
On the surface, Shimura Keizo was launching this war to avenge the deaths of Shimura Ri and the twenty-plus Jonin. But anyone with a brain could see that the four northwestern clans couldn't possibly have killed them. They had neither the motive nor the strength.
It was as if an unseen hand were pulling the strings from behind the scenes.
But the losses his own two clans had suffered were real, and acquiring resources and wealth through a war with the four clans was one way to solve the problem. Yet for some reason, Sarutobi Furukawa felt a persistent, ominous premonition.
In the end, Shimura Keizo set out at the head of a combined army of one thousand Shimura and Sarutobi ninja, a vast and mighty force. An army of this scale seemed like an overreaction to the strength of the four northwestern clans, but that was precisely Shimura Keizo's intention: to broadcast the power of the Shimura and Sarutobi clans to all the clans of the Warring States Period.
The loss of the twenty-odd Jonin had been a closely guarded secret. During the talks a few days prior, Shimura Keizo hadn't even mentioned the specific number to the elders of the four clans. This was to prevent the intelligence from leaking and giving any funny ideas to other clans who held grudges against the Sarutobi and Shimura.
***
"Vice-Clan Head, as you ordered, my men have investigated. There is indeed a group of ninja with unusual bodies on an island to the northeast."
In the Uchiha clan grounds, inside Izuna's residence, Uchiha Zuoxiu was pointing at a map and explaining the situation to Izuna. He pointed his index finger to a small island in the sea, northeast of the Senju clan's territory. "This is the village where they've gathered. The island has no name. The climate is constantly humid, making it difficult for crops to grow, so none of the major clans have bothered to fight over it. The people living there all possess the strange ability you described."
Izuna studied the island's location. Though his memory was hazy, he surmised it was an island north of where the future Land of Waves would be.
*So this is the island where Jugo's ancestors lived?*
"Did your men engage them?" Izuna asked.
"No. Per your orders, the men from the Shadow Investigation Department only conducted a covert investigation, but... it seems we were nearly discovered. Their sensory abilities are so strong, they could easily be compared to the Senju's ninja. We didn't dare risk a conflict," Uchiha Zuoxiu said, a lingering fear in his voice.
Izuna smiled faintly. Users of sage arts were all masters of perception. It seemed he had the right place.
Just then, a special Jonin from Uchiha Zuoxiu's Shadow Investigation Department appeared, dropping to one knee. "Vice-Clan Head, Lord Zuoxiu, a message has arrived from Lord Uchiha Kong in the northwest. Shimura Keizo is personally leading an army of one thousand and has already set up camp on the northwestern border, confronting the allied forces of the four clans."
"Vice-Clan Head," Uchiha Zuoxiu looked at Izuna.
"Notify all clansmen of Jonin rank and above. We're holding a war council."
***
For two months, the Uchiha and other clans had been quietly observing the battle between Shimura Keizo and the four northwestern clans, waiting for the most opportune moment to enter the war.
As a result, Izuna had enjoyed two months of peace.
He hadn't paid much attention before, when his mind was entirely focused on the battlefield and training his ninjutsu. But once he had free time, Izuna found that he still had the same base desires as any normal man—for example, the longing for a woman.
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