After the people Senju Tobirama brought and Izuna both left the council hall and were led by servants to the guest rooms, Hatake's top ninja immediately erupted into argument.
"Damn it—what should we do now?"
"Curse it. Whether it's Senju or Uchiha, offending either one brings us no benefit!"
"If we choose wrong, Hatake will face annihilation!"
While everyone argued furiously but couldn't decide, Hatake Ren—the peak Jonin who had spoken earlier—said, "Clan Head, I think we should agree to Uchiha Izuna's method."
"Getting involved in the struggle between those two beasts—Uchiha and Senju—will only increase casualties in a clan that's already short on people. Remaining neutral is best."
The moment he said it, someone shot back, "But if we declare neutrality, doesn't that mean we offend Senju?"
"Exactly. Senju is close to us. If Senju attacks, will Uchiha really help? And even if they want to, can they get here in time from so far away?"
Hatake Ren went speechless.
The room turned into a shouting match again.
A few minutes later, another Hatake ninja with silver hair spoke up. "Enough!"
Everyone shut up and turned to look.
It was Hatake Shuoyue, the second-strongest of Hatake, ranked above Hatake Ren.
Hatake Shuoyue cupped his hands toward Hatake Suiya. "Clan Head, which side are you leaning toward?"
Hatake Suiya's brows knit tightly. "To tell the truth, I don't want our clan pulled into the fight between Uchiha and Senju. We were already a small clan. If we get dragged into a war at that level, who knows how many people we'll lose."
Hatake Shuoyue said, "Clan Head, in my foolish opinion, in the shinobi world as it is now, Hatake can no longer remain neutral."
Hatake Suiya, Hatake Ren, and the others frowned, looking at Hatake Shuoyue in confusion.
Hatake Shuoyue explained on his own. "Now that geniuses like Uchiha Izuna, Uchiha Madara, Senju Hashirama, and Senju Tobirama have appeared, the course of the entire Warring States era is bound to change."
"The two-strongest-clans rivalry between Uchiha and Senju that's lasted for hundreds of years will end in their generation, because they've left the next generation too far behind. The moment either side collapses first, the other will have an overwhelming advantage and swallow the opposing clan whole."
His words made cold sweat break out across the room, yet no one could deny the reality.
Think about it—if Uchiha Izuna and Uchiha Madara died first, Uchiha would no longer have anyone who could hold back Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama, and Uchiha would be destroyed by Senju.
And the reverse was true as well.
If Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama died first, Senju would have no one who could stop the Uchiha brothers, and Senju would be destroyed by Uchiha.
In other words, the Warring States would enter an era of one-clan dominance.
And that state would last at least until that side finally died out.
"So we should pick a side and make our position clear," Hatake Shuoyue continued. "If we force ourselves to stay neutral, leaving aside that we've already offended Senju, will Uchiha really let us go afterward? We'll end up pleasing neither."
After Hatake Shuoyue finished, everyone felt he was right.
The times were different. Hatake could no longer remain neutral.
"Then, according to Lord Shuoyue, should we ally with Uchiha or Senju?" Hatake Ren asked quietly.
"Senju!"
Hatake Shuoyue answered without hesitation. "Our territory is close to Senju and far from Uchiha, so of course it should be Senju."
"Besides, the Uchiha are too difficult to deal with. I'm sure you've all heard the stories. An alliance with them makes it even harder to guarantee smooth exchanges of interests between both sides. From any angle, we should stand with Senju."
He wasn't wrong. If you were choosing an alliance, you chose the one closer to you.
Put simply, when it came to where you worked, everyone wanted it close to home.
It was convenient, and it felt safer.
Hatake Suiya finally spoke, his tone grave. "But have you thought about this? If tomorrow morning we declare that we'll submit to Senju, what do you think Uchiha Izuna will do?"
Cold sweat dripped down the sides of their faces.
One Jonin said in a trembling voice, "He'll... probably slaughter people in our territory?"
That's right. Once they became enemies, Uchiha Izuna would see no reason to hold back—he would strike inside Hatake's own grounds.
Leaving aside that Izuna already seemed, faintly, to be the strongest person in the Warring States...
Even an ordinary clan-head-level expert, once they began wreaking havoc in the heart of a clan's territory, would cause casualties on an unimaginable scale.
That was why, once an enemy breached a clan's stronghold, the outcome was ninety percent decided.
And that said nothing of the fearsome reputation Izuna had built in previous battles.
He had single-handedly annihilated hundreds of joint forces from the Senju and Uzumaki clans.
In that battle alone, the number of shinobi Izuna killed exceeded the entire fighting force of the Hatake clan.
For a moment, everyone felt a fresh wave of anxiety.
It seemed the problem had circled back to square one.
Even if they counted the forces Senju Tobirama had brought along, it probably wouldn't be enough.
At that moment, Hatake Sakutsuki spoke again. "Clan Head, I have a plan that can spare us from this calamity."
Hatake Saiga's face lit up with joy. "Speak quickly."
"Tomorrow, we first agree to Uchiha Izuna's demand and declare our neutrality."
The moment Hatake Sakutsuki said this, someone was about to ask him the reason in puzzlement.
Hatake Sakutsuki raised a hand, signaling everyone to be quiet and listen.
He continued: "Once they learn we're staying neutral, neither the Uchiha nor the Senju will have reason to attack us in the short term."
"After Uchiha Izuna leaves for good, we secretly send envoys to the Senju and declare our willingness to ally with them. That way, won't we avoid this disaster?"
Everyone's faces brightened with understanding. So that was it—this would indeed avoid an attack on their clan by Uchiha Izuna.
Hatake Saiga nodded in satisfaction. "Good. We'll do it Sakutsuki's way. Afterward, you'll also serve as the envoy to the Senju."
"Yes!"
Izuna did not possess superhuman hearing and could not eavesdrop on what Hatake Sakutsuki and the others were discussing.
But it must be said, Hatake Saiga and his council had overlooked a serious flaw.
Though they might avoid Izuna's attack this time using such a near-betrayal tactic, did they really think Izuna would let them off in the future?
Unless, after joining the Senju, they could utterly crush the Uchiha.
Otherwise, once this great war ended, they would inevitably face the Uchiha's unrelenting fury.
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