"The next generation—aren't they about ready to be deployed?" Izuna suddenly asked.
Madara was stunned for a moment, then slapped his forehead, laughing. "Right, right, right! How could I forget? The juniors you trained have grown up."
Thinking back, it had been three years since Izuna had transmigrated here. When he first arrived, he realized the importance of the next generation and frequently used ninjutsu from the System Skill Tree to instruct them.
The children who had been under ten years old back then had now matured.
One could not compare the Warring States period to the era of the Konoha ninjas. In the future, twelve was the age of graduation; here, it was the age for the battlefield.
Even in the previous generation, when Uchiha Tajima and Senju Butsuma were clan heads, there were times of manpower shortages where children as young as eight were thrown into the fray.
Of course, they weren't placed on the front lines, but by future standards, those were still A-rank missions or higher.
The children Izuna had taught were now around twelve or thirteen years old. It was time for them to transition from apprentice ninjas to the clan's official fighting force.
Madara immediately ordered Uchiha Zuoxiu to find Uchiha Kai and bring the list of students aged twelve and above.
Soon, having obtained the list, Madara scanned it carefully before handing it to Izuna. "There are fewer than three hundred, but it's a significant force."
Izuna smiled. "They will be stronger than the average combatant of our generation. After all, I instructed them personally."
"Haha, you planned for this right from the start, didn't you?"
Madara crossed his arms over his chest and laughed heartily.
All that remained was to carve the names of those who had made great contributions onto the clan's memorial stone at the entrance and arrange the funerals—tasks that dampened the mood.
The dead were paramount. The Uchiha held a grand funeral for the clansmen who died in the war.
During wartime, these things were kept simple—burial followed by a prayer was sufficient. But during a truce, the rituals were far more elaborate.
For seven consecutive days, every house in the Uchiha clan hung white flags and silk.
Only after the burial, condolences, and blessings were completed did things slowly return to normal.
However, right after the funeral ceremonies concluded, Madara sought out Izuna, claiming he hoped Izuna could handle more of the clan's trivial matters. He wanted to focus his attention on cultivation.
Izuna knew that Madara felt dissatisfied due to the gap in strength between himself and Senju Hashirama.
Since he didn't have enough Skill Points to help Madara acquire the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan yet, Izuna agreed to the proposal.
Madara was certainly trusting; anyone with ill intentions could have used this opportunity to seize the clan head's power and sideline him.
Today, a green leaf with a small hole eaten by a silkworm drifted in through the window.
Izuna, who was reviewing documents with a brush, picked up the green leaf and held it against the backdrop of the blue sky outside.
"Konohagakure..."
Izuna whispered the name unconsciously.
"Lord Vice-Clan Head, apologies. Another batch of documents requires your review."
Uchiha Ise's voice sounded from outside the door. Izuna put down the leaf and signaled for him to enter.
Soon, Uchiha Ise entered carrying another pile of scrolls, placing them by Izuna's side. He bowed his head. "While the Clan Head is in seclusion, you have worked hard, Lord Vice-Clan Head."
Ise had taken over Uchiha Takahiko's position, handling these administrative duties.
"Ise, was any of your family killed by the Senju?" Izuna asked abruptly.
Uchiha Ise paused. "Lord Vice-Clan Head, why do you ask?"
"Nothing, just asking casually." Izuna continued reviewing the documents without looking up.
Uchiha Ise bit his lip. "My parents... died on the Northwestern battlefield, but my best friend... he died at the hands of the Senju."
"If the Senju came seeking an alliance, what would be your attitude?" Izuna asked again.
"What?!"
Uchiha Ise was so frightened he jumped up from the tatami.
"Don't get excited," Izuna looked up and smiled. "Just chatting. Treat it as a hypothetical."
"Vice... Vice-Clan Head, even as a hypothesis, that's impossible," Uchiha Ise retorted in a low voice. After a moment of silence, he replied, "Even if we step back... no, ten thousand steps back... if such a thing really happened, I wouldn't want to agree. Too many of our clan have died by their hands. Lord Vice-Clan Head, wasn't it the same for your father, Lord Tajima, and your four brothers?"
Izuna stopped his brush and waved his hand. "Alright, you may leave."
"Yes, this subordinate takes his leave."
Uchiha Ise knelt, bowed, and then rose to leave.
Izuna put down his brush, picked up the green leaf again, stretched, and tossed it out the window.
"Hundreds of years of hatred... how could it be let go so easily?"
Although in the original work, Madara was moved by Senju Hashirama's sincerity and agreed to the cooperation between the two clans to build Konoha, the journey was by no means smooth sailing.
"The road is still long," Izuna felt a sense of powerlessness for the first time.
Even possessing power unmatched by anyone in the Warring States period thus far, the word "peace" still felt incredibly distant.
Although the four clans like the Watanabe were now merely Uchiha vassals—or to put it harshly, walls to defend against foreign invasion—Izuna did not treat them like servants. He maintained a relatively amiable attitude.
Not to mention that the founding of Konoha was still a distant prospect.
The new settlements of the four Northwestern vassal clans were located to the North, West, and South of the Uchiha territory.
This defensive wall reminded Izuna of an anime he had watched in his past life: Attack on Titan.
In that story, the city was divided into three layers: outer, middle, and inner.
Now, considering the massive block of Uchiha territory, the four Northwestern clans were the outer layer. Where Izuna and the main family resided was the innermost, most secure core.
To the East was the natural barrier of Mount Congyun, which was now completely under Uchiha control.
To the South lay the Hyuga.
Now that the identity of Tobi was highly likely to be compromised, Izuna knew he had to be wary of the Hyuga. However, given the Hyuga's strength, if they attacked from the South, the four vassal clans likely wouldn't be able to hold them off for long.
A flash of inspiration struck—Izuna thought of the Two-Tails.
Could it be added to the defensive line?
Although when signing the summoning contract, Izuna had agreed not to disturb its normal life, the Two-Tails didn't have a specific base and liked to wander.
He just wanted it to change its residence. If enemies came, it could fire off a few Tailed Beast Bombs to solve the problem.
Although he felt it was unlikely to work, Izuna tried the Summoning Technique with a mindset of "give it a shot."
"Summoning Technique!"
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