"Hey! Clan Head!"
"That's not appropriate!"
"The Kaguya side should be handled by the Vice-Clan Head…"
Hearing Madara's decision, Uchiha Ise and the others grew anxious.
Though the Uchiha had never fought the Kaguya many times in history, they'd still heard of the formidable Shikotsumyaku.
Comparing the Hatake and Kaguya, the Kaguya were clearly stronger.
Though they never said it openly, everyone knew Izuna's strength now far surpassed Madara's.
No matter how you looked at it, Izuna should attack the Kaguya while Madara dealt with the Hatake.
Uchiha Ise and the others couldn't help but wonder—did Madara really not understand this?
Izuna remained silent on the side.
Of course Madara understood.
It was just his powerful pride that wouldn't allow Izuna to charge ahead of him anymore—or rather, he couldn't stand being the one protected instead of the protector.
Seeing the determination in Madara's eyes, Izuna knew this decision was one not even nine oxen could drag back.
As long as he doesn't run into Senju Hashirama, it should be fine.
Izuna thought inwardly.
Though Senju Hashirama was a predecessor of Uzumaki Naruto in the art of Talk no Jutsu, he was still just one man.
To suddenly persuade so many clans, he'd definitely need to send out many people.
Both Izuna and Madara might encounter Senju Hashirama, but the question was who.
In this situation, Izuna could only pray it would be him.
Right now, if Madara faced Senju Hashirama, he wouldn't exactly be beaten to a pulp or crushed—but getting suppressed was a certainty.
Izuna didn't try to stop Madara. He turned his gaze to the other high-ranking members below. "During this period, guard the roads from Senju territory to the major clans like Hyuga, Sarutobi, and Shimura. If they're also swayed by Senju Hashirama, that'll be trouble."
Major clans all had their own pride—just like in Izuna's past life during the Three Kingdoms era.
Everyone wanted to dominate the realm alone. Everyone wanted to be the one to unify the chaotic age.
So compared to smaller clans, major clans were far less likely to ally with others.
But the problem was, you couldn't judge Senju Hashirama by normal logic. This guy's Talk no Jutsu rivaled Uzumaki Naruto's—who knew who'd win in a debate between them?
"Yes!!!"
The crowd below responded in unison.
Fine. This time, let's leave it to fate.
After the meeting ended, Madara returned to his own estate.
Compared to Izuna's home, which now had Mito as a wife, Madara's place felt far emptier.
"Clan Head."
A servant at the door approached, carrying a brand-new blood-red suit of armor.
"What is it?"
Madara, who was preparing ninja tools for his upcoming confrontation with the Kaguya, turned toward the main entrance.
The servant placed the armor before Madara and bowed. "This is a new suit of armor forged by the Weapons Division on Lord Izuna's orders. He specially had one sent to you."
Madara glanced at it and nodded. "I see. Thank you. You may go."
"Yes."
The servant left. Once Madara was alone again in the estate, he resumed organizing his ninja tools and weapons.
At this moment, he still hadn't noticed the faint tadpole-like black marking on the inside of the armor's shoulder guard.
As for the Hatake clan—who had three hundred combat members during the Warring States period but seemed reduced to only Hatake Kakashi by the Fourth Great Ninja War—Izuna was quite curious.
He immediately ordered Uchiha Ise to bring him all the clan's preserved records on the Hatake.
Whether from Izuna's transmigration or the original owner's twenty-some years of life, neither had any experience fighting the Hatake.
For that reason, the clan didn't have much documentation on them either.
The most recent battle occurred shortly after Izuna and Madara were born, when Uchiha Tajima had led the Uchiha in a clash with the Hatake Clan Head of that time.
The man's formidable blade techniques and Lightning Release had left a deep impression on Tajima, who had been under thirty at the time.
This clan had a high average level of strength. Their only weakness was their small population—only about three hundred total combat members.
I wonder if there's something wrong with their genes.
Now, the Hatake Clan Head who had once given Uchiha Tajima so much trouble was dead.
The current Hatake Clan Head was named Hatake Kiba, aged thirty-four—not particularly old by clan head standards.
He had been fighting in the north. According to Shadow Investigation Department intelligence, he was Kage-level in strength.
Proficient in Lightning Release and Wind Release—two highly offensive chakra natures.
Regarding his stance toward the Uchiha and Senju, Hatake Kiba had adopted a neutral position.
He probably just wanted the Hatake to survive this age of endless strife.
With Hatake's strength, they might not be a tiger on the same tier as the Uchiha or Senju.
But they were still a vicious, hard-to-shake hyena. Once you got on their bad side, there was every chance they'd tear a bloody chunk of flesh from you.
So even though most of the ninja clans regarded them as second-rate, no family would go out of its way to pick a fight.
"Izuna,"
Mito held a tray in both hands, the food on it still steaming.
Izuna glanced at the sunset sinking outside the window.
So it was already this late, without him even noticing.
"Mito, I'm heading out tomorrow, so you don't need to prepare meals for me."
Izuna got up to meet her.
"Mm."
Mito had a gentle, dutiful temperament. Though she wasn't even eighteen yet, she understood perfectly well that, given her position, it wasn't appropriate for her to interfere in the Uchiha clan's wars, so she didn't ask.
That night, Izuna meant to sleep the same way he had the last few days, holding Mito in his arms.
He'd never believed that nonsense about doing that sort of thing draining your energy. Still, Madara's willfulness today had left him a little on edge.
In the original story, Uchiha Madara's pride and arrogance were plain as day. Thinking about it carefully, it wasn't easy for him to have held back as long as he had.
What Izuna hadn't expected was this: before bed, Mito washed up with extra care, then came over in a thin gauze bathrobe. Under Izuna's astonished gaze, she pressed her red lips together, and only after a long moment did she force out a sentence.
"Y-you should... go wash up too?"
Mito always had the habit of cleaning up before sleep, but she usually did it while Izuna still liked to sprawl out before bed.
And she certainly didn't look like this, or make this kind of hint.
Izuna scooped her up in his arms and carried her toward the bath.
"Ah...?!"
Mito cried out in alarm.
"Let's wash together."
Izuna gave her a wicked grin.
...
Hours later, Izuna let out a heavy breath. Looking down at Mito's pretty face, flushed crimson, he finally brought his rather rough fervor to an end.
Watching Mito lying there, boneless and unmoving, Izuna's lips curled upward as his gaze wandered over every inch of her.
"Smack!"
Mito managed to open her eyes at last and slapped his roaming hand, shooting him an indignant glare.
"Why were you so... proactive today?"
Izuna murmured against her ear.
Mito licked her lips, a little dry from all the screaming earlier. Her beautiful eyes fell half shut as she whispered, "Because you're all I have left..."
Izuna froze at that, then slowly drew her soft body into his arms as if he wanted to meld her into himself.
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