Over a month passed. As Vice-Clan Head, after finishing his daytime duties managing countless affairs, the only thing that brought Izuna comfort was when Mito brought him a steaming hot meal she'd prepared herself to his room.
Then she would stand behind him and gently massage his shoulders and temples.
As a man in his twenties and in his prime, Izuna naturally couldn't help but pull Mito into his arms and lavish affection on her after each relaxing session.
Another day was drawing to a close. At dusk, Izuna had Mito in his lap and was exploring her soft tongue when Uchiha Ise's voice came from outside the door. "Vice-Clan Head, the Clan Head is convening a top-level meeting."
Izuna released Mito's red lips, clearly annoyed. "Got it. Wait for me in the meeting hall."
"Yes!"
The shadow at the door flickered, and Uchiha Ise was already gone.
Mito smoothed out her disheveled hair, glaring at him.
Every time a massage ends, it turns into this.
After helping Izuna straighten his robes, seeing his displeased expression, Mito smiled gently. She stood on her toes and gave him a light kiss on the cheek before seeing him off.
Feeling the heat that had pressed against her belly moments ago, Mito's own face began to burn.
Though he always liked to touch and grope, he hadn't forced her to take that final step.
It must be… very difficult for him, right?
Mito's face flushed as she wondered if perhaps she should give herself to him.
Meeting Hall
Izuna, who had just been enjoying romantic bliss, was naturally the last to arrive. Madara, Uchiha Ise, Uchiha Enka, Uchiha Zuoxiu, and other high-ranking leaders who had grown up alongside Izuna and Madara were already there.
"Sorry to keep you all waiting."
Though Izuna said this, his flat tone showed no real guilt.
"Not at all—we came too early."
Everyone present, except for Madara the bachelor, was already married and naturally understood why Izuna was late.
Madara, who had arrived earliest, looked a bit pitiful...
"Once again, it's Zuoxiu's Shadow Investigation Department that uncovered urgent intelligence."
Madara got straight to the point, standing and unrolling a new map hanging on the wall behind him.
Several locations on the map were circled in red.
Small clans in the northern corner.
The Mibu, Katsuki, and Yamashiro clans—all marked with red circles.
Smack!
Madara slapped the map, his tone deeply displeased. "The Shadow Investigation Department discovered that these small clans have been secretly shipping grain to the Senju compound."
Even Izuna's pupils contracted slightly at this news.
He'd originally estimated the Senju wouldn't declare war before the autumn harvest.
But in his indulgence with Mito, he'd forgotten even this.
If you don't have grain, you can borrow it!
"Borrowing grain?"
Uchiha Ise said in a low voice.
"I'm afraid it's not just borrowing grain."
Uchiha Zuoxiu, who had investigated this matter, spoke up.
"What do you mean?"
Uchiha Ise frowned at him.
Uchiha Zuoxiu rose and walked to the map, picking up a pen nearby. He connected the small clans in a line and explained, "Everyone, look. Geographically, all these small clans' territories are to the north of the Senju. According to the routes our Shadow Investigation Department traced, they're heading north by northeast. If the Senju continues acting in this direction, the clans they'll next want to ally with in this region are likely…"
Zuoxiu continued drawing the line forward. "The next target could be—"
"The Hatake!"
Izuna said aloud.
Exactly. Extending Zuoxiu's line further, the next stop would be the Hatake.
Right—the ancestral clan of the man later known as "Fifty-Fifty Kakashi."
This clan had a population of only about three hundred combat personnel, barely ranking as top-tier second-class.
Yet few clans dared underestimate them.
Masters of blade techniques and Lightning Release, they were an elite clan of the Warring States—a slightly weaker version of the Kaguya, you might say.
But in an all-out battle with the Kaguya, who would win was anyone's guess.
Thinking of the Kaguya, Izuna's expression shifted again, and he blurted out instinctively, "Wait! What about the Kaguya?"
In fact, the Kaguya weren't far from Senju territory either.
They were also close to the Uzumaki—the Senju's allied clan.
If the Senju were courting so many clans, there was no reason they wouldn't approach the Kaguya, right?
It sounded absurd, of course, because the Kaguya had just attacked the Uzumaki last month and killed many Senju shinobi.
By any normal logic, there was no way the Senju would try to ally with the Kaguya.
Yet Izuna knew better than to apply normal logic to Senju Hashirama.
In the original timeline, Hashirama had even made allies of the Uchiha—why couldn't he do the same with the Kaguya?
The others all thought it impossible for the Senju to seek an alliance with the Kaguya.
But besides Izuna, Madara—who understood Senju Hashirama all too well—also believed Hashirama was entirely capable of attempting to ally with the Kaguya.
"If that's the case, the situation becomes troublesome."
Madara's expression turned grave. "These small clans can at most provide logistical grain support, but the Hatake and Kaguya are different. If they also join the Senju alliance, their combined clan strength will surpass the Uchiha."
Though the Uchiha were proud, they weren't blind to reality.
After all, this wasn't the later era when even the Fourth Hokage wasn't an Uchiha, causing the entire clan to lose their heads.
If the Hatake and Kaguya allied with the Senju, the Uchiha would be suppressed.
At that point, even Izuna alone might struggle to turn the tide.
Though the others didn't understand why Izuna and Madara were both so convinced the Senju would approach the Kaguya, seeing the brothers' certainty, they set aside their doubts and focused on solving the current problem.
"Clan Head, Vice-Clan Head—what do you think? Will the Senju's next move be the Hatake, or the Kaguya?"
Uchiha Enka asked.
"I think they might split into two groups and move simultaneously."
Izuna's eyes narrowed. "What we need to do now is prevent their alliances. Once the Senju alliance grows larger, who knows how the major clans—Sarutobi, Shimura, Hyuga, Ino-Shika-Cho—will react."
Madara agreed. "In that case, we'll also split into two groups. Our targets, naturally, are the Kaguya and Hatake."
"I'll handle the Kaguya. Brother, you take the Hatake."
Izuna spoke up.
Though the Hatake and Kaguya were evenly matched in a fight, if you did the math carefully, the Kaguya were still stronger.
You could say it was seventy-thirty: Hatake thirty, Kaguya seventy.
So Izuna assigned himself the harder opponent.
Yet Madara immediately understood Izuna's intent. Recalling how battle after battle had been resolved by Izuna, while he, the older brother and Clan Head, had always been protected by his younger brother—the thought made Madara's stubborn temper flare. He barked, "No. I'll handle the Kaguya. Izuna, you deal with the Hatake."
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