Setting Izuna aside, the people destined to leave their names in future shinobi history—Madara, Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama—were all steadily approaching the peaks they would one day reach.
Leaving aside Madara with the Rinnegan and Senju Hashirama with True Several Thousand Hands for the moment, Senju Tobirama's strength was already drawing closer and closer to what it had been in the original story.
Especially after he realized he had been left far behind by the other three, he spent the last two months in brutal cultivation.
Now, his sensing ability had edged infinitely close to a shinobi's limit.
When he led a Senju squad into the Hatake clan grounds, sat down, and quietly swept his hand to sense the Chakra throughout the entire settlement, he already knew Hatake's total population and how they were distributed.
At that moment, inside Hatake's council hall, the two sides were in negotiations.
Senju Tobirama was doing everything he could to convince Hatake Suiya to side with Senju.
As a politician, Senju Tobirama didn't preach lofty ideals the way Senju Hashirama did—dreams like "founding a village."
Instead, he approached it from a practical standpoint. He first explained to Hatake Suiya how many ninja clans had already aligned with Senju, how Uchiha still stood alone, and how, if Hatake joined Senju, there was a real chance they could end the endless Warring States era.
Hatake Suiya wasn't particularly old, but he wasn't an idiot either. Of course he could hear the exaggeration in Tobirama's words.
For example, that latter point—that they could end the Warring States era.
Leaving aside the fact that Uchiha wouldn't be so easy to wipe out, there were also major clans like Hyuga, Sarutobi, and Shimura. Not one of them was someone you could take lightly.
If the tide of war shifted, who could say what those clans would do?
Still, Tobirama's logic wasn't without merit. If Hatake stood with Senju, then when Senju and Uchiha clashed again, the opening stages of the war would tilt overwhelmingly toward Senju.
But it also meant Hatake would be on Uchiha's blacklist.
Not everyone could bear the consequences of offending that mad-dog clan.
Even a powerhouse like the Uzumaki only made up its mind to support Senju and fight Uchiha to the bitter end after enduring the humiliation of Uzumaki Mito being stolen away.
Just as Hatake Suiya was weighing what to do, a Hatake guard suddenly hurried into the council hall and whispered a few words into his ear.
Hatake Suiya's face changed drastically. He couldn't even hold back and blurted, "How did you let him in that easily?!"
"I'm very sorry. It seems the opponent's strength far exceeds our expectations."
The Hatake guard looked unwilling as well.
Senju Tobirama frowned, his right index finger tapping the tatami in front of him.
His sensing flared, sweeping across the entire Hatake clan grounds.
In an instant, Senju Tobirama sensed it.
Yesterday, the total number of Hatake—fighters, women and children, servants, logistics—had been 1,280.
Now it was 1,281.
And the Chakra of that extra person was the most familiar Chakra in his life, second only to his elder brother, Senju Hashirama.
And at this very moment, it was standing outside the door.
Senju Tobirama called out coldly, "I didn't expect the Uchiha Vice-Clan Head to be so polite. I thought you'd barge in by force."
That's right. Standing outside the entrance, that newly appeared Chakra was Izuna.
Everyone in the council hall went pale.
Uchiha Izuna was here?!
Hatake Suiya bit his lower lip, then lifted his hand. "Let him in."
"Yes!"
Very quickly, the meeting room doors opened, and Izuna walked in with a smile on his face.
"Haha, Tobirama, your Sensing Technique has improved again. Terrifying, terrifying. Looks like ambush tactics won't work on you anymore."
Then Izuna's next sentence made Senju Tobirama and the other Senju in the room turn white.
"What a shame your strength is still so pathetic."
Senju Tobirama's neck flushed red with rage.
On Hatake's side, people swallowed hard, their throats tight with nerves.
Some of them couldn't even believe what they'd heard.
He said Senju Tobirama was weak?
Even if Uchiha Tajima and Senju Butsuma came back from the dead, they wouldn't dare say something like that, would they?
Even more unbelievable was the fact that Senju Tobirama didn't refute it.
Could this Uchiha "Pupil Emperor" really be on that level?
"Clan Head Hatake Suiya, it's our first meeting. I am Uchiha Izuna."
Izuna clasped his fist in greeting, smiling.
"The pleasure is mine."
Hatake Suiya looked grim. After hesitating, he said, "I am currently meeting with Mr. Tobirama. Perhaps Mr. Izuna should..."
"That's not necessary, Clan Head Hatake."
Senju Tobirama spoke. "I've already said what I came to say. Now let Vice-Clan Head Izuna speak. Vice-Clan Head Izuna, do you need us to step out?"
As he said this, Senju Tobirama's eyes swept toward Izuna.
"No need, no need. It's not like it's something shameful. I'm not some scheming plotter, hahaha!"
Senju Tobirama and the others darkened again. Who couldn't hear Izuna's barbed sarcasm?
But Uchiha Izuna's skin was too thick, wasn't it?
He had used who knew how many underhanded tricks himself, and he still had the nerve to say he wasn't a plotter.
"About what Vice-Clan Head Tobirama said to Clan Head Hatake, I can pretty much guess it," Izuna said with a smile. "Nothing more than how many reinforcements Senju has gathered, how huge your advantage is, and how much land and resources you can carve up for Hatake once you take down Uchiha."
"My offer is much simpler."
Izuna's expression turned solemn. "All I want is for Hatake not to participate in this war. Clan Head Hatake can keep Hatake neutral. That's all."
Izuna had no intention of recruiting Hatake into this war.
Mainly because of the distances between Hatake, Uchiha, and Senju: Hatake was far from Uchiha and close to Senju.
On top of that, Senju could directly barter with land and resources, while Uchiha couldn't offer anything enticing enough.
The distance was simply too great—Uchiha couldn't even give them land if they wanted to.
And the odds of getting Hatake to agree to an alliance with Uchiha were too low.
If Hatake agreed, Senju could turn around and attack them, and even if Uchiha wanted to send reinforcements, it would be extremely difficult from so far away.
Since Hatake Suiya wanted neutrality, then fine—stay neutral.
Hatake Suiya fell silent.
When two tigers fought, a wolf like Hatake would feel crushed no matter which side it backed.
But if he said he wanted to remain neutral now, that meant accepting Uchiha Izuna's proposal—which meant offending Senju.
His fist clenched so hard his nails dug into his palm until blood seeped out.
Minutes later, one of Hatake's three top experts, a peak Jonin named Hatake Ren, spoke from behind and to Hatake Suiya's right. "Why don't the Uchiha and Senju wait a bit? We need to discuss this among ourselves. We'll give both sides an answer tomorrow."
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