But the Uchiha and Senju, whose strength surpassed even the Hyuga's, had few vassal clans. The reason was the relationship between these two top clans of the Warring States Period. The Hyuga clan's style was relatively stable; being their vassal had more pros than cons. But the Uchiha and Senju were at each other's throats every few days. Being their vassal was tantamount to becoming cannon fodder in the wars between two of the most powerful clans of the era. No one wanted to get caught between those two beasts.
"Clan Head Watanabe, are you able to speak for all four clans?" Madara asked.
"Yes," Watanabe Ryokai said with confidence. The four clans were on the verge of extinction. Before he came here representing them, he had already discussed it with the other three clans. No matter what choice he made, the other three would follow. They were all in the same boat now.
A smile crept onto Madara's lips, instantly filling Sarutobi Kosuke with a strong sense of unease.
Sure enough, the next second, Madara spoke: "You may leave, Mr. Sarutobi Envoy."
The meaning was clear. The Uchiha would accept the four clans as vassals and attack the Sarutobi and Shimura together.
"Clan Head Uchiha!" Sarutobi Kosuke cried out in surprise and tried to step forward.
But as soon as he took a step, he was blocked by Uchiha Enka and Uchiha Shin on either side. Their crimson Sharingan spun slowly in their eyes. The moment Madara accepted Watanabe Ryokai's vassalage terms, they had become enemies.
"Show him out," Madara said flatly.
***
CRASH!
Upon returning to his clan's territory from the northwestern front and hearing that the Uchiha had chosen to accept the four northwestern clans as vassals and reject their peace offer, Shimura Keizo flew into a rage. He smashed his most prized jade porcelain tea set on the floor, shattering it to pieces.
"Willing to become vassals just to get the Uchiha's support... Heh, Watanabe Ryokai, you're a clever one. But I wonder if you'll live to see tomorrow!" Shimura Keizo cursed.
*Do you think the Uchiha are so easy to cling to? Even if you escape this disaster, the next time they fight the Senju, you'll be the first ones they send to their deaths!*
"Calm down, Keizo." Sarutobi Furukawa handed him a fresh cup of tea. "What we need to consider now is how to deal with the situation now that the Uchiha have joined the war."
After receiving news of the Uchiha's entry into the war, Shimura Keizo had rushed back to the clan grounds without stopping. Sarutobi Furukawa, in turn, had dispatched another Near-Kage level expert from the Sarutobi clan, his younger cousin Sarutobi Furuyuki, to take Shimura Keizo's place as the supreme commander of the northwestern front.
Reminded by his old friend, the hot-tempered Shimura Keizo calmed down a little. He sighed heavily and asked, "What do you think we should do, Furukawa?"
"The Uchiha joining the war is certainly dangerous, but it doesn't mean we have no chance of winning."
"Hmm?"
Sarutobi Furukawa continued, "Although they've sent a force of about six hundred, they've actually kept many of their people in the east to guard against their mortal enemies, the Senju. In other words, they are not coming into this fight with the intention of wiping us out."
Shimura Keizo thought about it and felt it made sense. Although the Uchiha clan head, Uchiha Madara, was personally leading the charge, it was likely because he was a new clan head, having been in his position for a year, and had yet to produce any significant military achievements. Uchiha Izuna, who had made a name for himself on the northwestern front, and veteran powerhouses like Uchiha Gakugyo and Uchiha Sen were still guarding their original posts. The Uchiha did not intend to go all-out in this war.
So, they still had a chance of winning.
"So you're saying, as long as we defeat the force led by Uchiha Madara, the Uchiha won't send more reinforcements to attack, right?"
"That's right. We don't need to be afraid just because we hear the Uchiha have joined the war." Sarutobi Furukawa was a hero of the Warring States Period, and his aura gradually became more commanding. "We are not without a chance of winning this battle."
***
Even most people within the Uchiha clan thought that Izuna was staying behind in the clan grounds to hold the rear. But in reality, what remained in the clan was just one of Izuna's shadow clones.
Izuna himself, after Madara sent word from the front that the four northwestern clans had willingly become Uchiha vassals, had set out north from the clan grounds. He was heading to the nameless island that Uchiha Zuoxiu had found, the home of Jugo's ancestors.
The Five Great Shinobi Countries had not yet been established, so the land beneath Izuna's feet could not yet be called the "Land of Fire." But the Land of Waves, an island nation that had seen little warfare, was already established. Izuna's route was to first reach the Land of Waves, then rent a boat and head north, to the sage art island at the northern tip of the Land of Waves.
Sage Chakra. That was Izuna's goal for this trip. This substance was very likely to help alleviate the side effects of the Mangekyo Sharingan. Once he obtained it, he and Madara would be able to use the Mangekyo more frequently, which would raise their strength to another level.
Before arriving, Izuna hadn't realized that the Land of Waves was founded even earlier than the Land of Fire. It was a country that lived off the sea. Its constantly humid climate was unsuitable for agriculture, and its infrequent contact with the outside world meant it had not become a territory contested by the numerous ninja clans. As a country, however small, it probably wasn't until the founding of the Land of Fire and the advent of a peaceful era that more and more people crossed the sea to live there.
At a small town's port in the Land of Waves, Izuna found a group of boatmen and asked if they could take him to an island to the north.
"You mean Sage Island?" one of the boatmen, a bare-chested middle-aged man around forty-five with the smell of fish clinging to him, asked in surprise after hearing Izuna's description of his destination.
"Sage Island?" Izuna frowned, amused. The name was corny, but on second thought, it was surprisingly fitting.
The boatman nodded. "That island was originally a nameless, deserted island. But about fifty years ago, a group of strange people suddenly appeared, took it over, and started calling themselves Sage Island."
Izuna had read through the history of the ninja world. About fifty years ago, in an era even before Uchiha Tajima and Senju Butsuma, there was a race skilled in a peculiar ninjutsu that became the public enemy of all the ninja clans in the Warring States Period. When their strange ninjutsu went out of control, their bodies would undergo drastic changes, and they would become emotionally unstable, with a penchant for bloodlust and indiscriminate killing. Such behavior attracted a lot of trouble, and worse, they had even attacked ninja from other clans. As a result, this clan suffered a fate similar to the future Uzumaki clan: they were attacked by all the clans of the Warring States Period and eventually fled, but there was no clear record of where they went.
Putting together the information he had now, Izuna could pretty much figure it out.
His thoughts returning to the present, Izuna asked the boatman, "This Sage Island you speak of is my destination. Can you give me a ride?"
The boatman hesitated. "Well... the environment on their island is even worse than here in the Land of Waves. We usually sell them vegetables, medicinal herbs, and other goods in trade, and we can get a good price..."
"Get to the point!" Izuna said impatiently.
The boatman hurried on, "The people on that island are very exclusive. We've been trading with them for many years, but we only ever complete the transactions at the docks. Last time, a curious kid tried to sneak in to have a look and was almost beaten to death. If we bring an outsider..." As he spoke, the boatman's eyes darted around nervously.
Izuna couldn't be bothered with any more of his nonsense. He took out a two-tael gold ingot from his robes and tossed it to him. "Is this enough?"
The boatman's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he saw the gold. Fearing Izuna would change his mind, he nodded repeatedly. "No problem, no problem! We'll set sail first thing tomorrow morning!"
Izuna turned to find lodging at an inn near the docks. The boatman's voice followed him from a distance, "Hey, if they catch you, please don't rat me out! Those people are really strange, and I'm afraid..."
***
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