What exactly the Uchiha were planning, the Senju didn't know yet. But one thing was absolutely certain: it wasn't to their benefit.
In terms of overall raw strength, the Senju still held the advantage. However, if they forced a massive breakthrough across the Kazama River, the price paid in blood would be agonizingly high. The Senju were entirely unwilling to pay that price—at least, not for the sake of the Hyūga clan.
"The Kaguya... those damned Kaguya! Do they have a death wish?!" Senju Rakan gnashed his teeth. If the Kaguya hadn't suddenly appeared to attack their eastern coast, the Senju could have easily rallied enough overwhelming force to crush the Uchiha blockade. Unfortunately, there were no 'ifs' in this world.
With the Kaguya launching a sudden invasion, the Senju didn't dare pull more forces to clash with the Uchiha. To some extent, the Kaguya were even more dangerous than the Hyūga; once they started fighting, they were a bunch of bloodthirsty lunatics who completely defied all logic and reason.
"What exactly did the Uchiha offer the Kaguya to make those madmen attack us at a time like this?" Senju Unma asked, thoroughly bewildered.
"Hmph, who knows. But regardless of the reason, once this is over, we will make those lunatics pay the price. What do we do now?"
"What else can we do? We wait it out. We aren't going to sacrifice our Peak Jōnin just to carve a bloody path through the Uchiha lines. We will hold our ground until Clan Head Butsuma beats back the Kaguya. The Hyūga are an ancient, major clan; their foundations are deep enough to hold out."
The two Senju commanders ultimately reached this consensus.
Meanwhile, on the other battlefield, the Hyūga had repelled yet another Uchiha offensive—at the heavy cost of three Elite Jōnin and one Peak Jōnin.
Hyūga Tennin sat in his command tent, his face etched with agony. Every powerhouse at or above the Elite Jōnin level was an irreplaceable military asset to the clan. Losing even one felt like a sharp knife twisting directly into his heart.
"Patriarch, we cannot go on like this. Our food supplies have hit their absolute limit. Even Peak Jōnin need to eat! If they starve for a few days, they'll lose all combat effectiveness."
An old man coughed violently into his hand. When he pulled his palm away, it was coated in a fresh layer of blood. This was Hyūga Shinsō, the Grand Elder of the Hyūga and their second Kage-level powerhouse. He had previously been grievously injured by Uchiha Tajima. Before fully healing, he had been forced back onto the battlefield to repeatedly clash with Uchiha Fujin. His injuries had severely worsened, and he was currently hanging on through sheer willpower alone.
Tennin sighed heavily, rubbing his throbbing forehead in sheer exhaustion. He didn't fear frontal clashes. With the Hyūga's military strength and their massive terrain advantage, he was confident he could bog the Uchiha down within his borders. Even if they couldn't outright win, it never would have devolved into this nightmare.
But the severed food supply was like a fishbone lodged deep in his throat. How could they fight? As long as the Uchiha simply maintained the blockade, the Hyūga would literally starve to death behind their own walls.
"Where are the Senju reinforcements?! Didn't they say Senju Unma had also deployed to the Kazama River?! Are you telling me Uchiha Tō can stall both of them by himself?!"
Tennin roared furiously. He understood the Senju's underlying motives of weakening his clan, but it had gone far enough. It was time for them to intervene. If they didn't, this situation was going to spiral into a disaster nobody wanted.
The two Jōnin in the tent exchanged a nervous glance. One of them replied cautiously, "Patriarch, the latest intel hasn't—"
Just as he spoke, an eagle's sharp cry pierced the sky. From high above, a hawk slowly descended, a small scroll securely tied to its leg.
"It's here!" The Jōnin hastily ran out, retrieved the scroll from the bird, and rushed back to place it on Tennin's desk.
Completely disregarding his usual composed demeanor, Tennin hastily unfurled the scroll to read every single word. As he read, his face grew darker and darker, until absolute fury practically erupted from his pure white eyes.
"What is it... cough..." Shinsō asked, noticing his terrifying expression.
Tennin remained silent. He waved his hand, dismissing the two standard Jōnin from the tent. With a heavy sigh, he handed the intelligence scroll over. Shinsō read it silently, his face instantly contorting into a highly colorful mix of shock and horror.
"This... cough, cough... Have the Uchiha gone completely insane?!" Shinsō coughed violently, his words coming out in broken gasps.
Tennin forcefully forced himself to calm down. The more dire the situation, the more he needed absolute clarity. Only then could he lead his clan out of this predicament; that was his ultimate burden as the Patriarch.
"The Uchiha actually abandoned their northern and southern defenses, pulling all their border forces to reinforce the frontline against us. What exactly are they trying to achieve? Do they truly want to drag us down into a mutual suicide pact?"
Tennin thought fiercely, then violently shook his head. Impossible. Unless Uchiha Tajima had lost his mind and wanted to hand the entire Warring States to the Senju on a silver platter, he wouldn't do this. A desperate, dying counterattack from the cornered Hyūga would be enough to permanently cripple the Uchiha clan.
"If a mutual death isn't the Uchiha's goal, then what is all this for?" Tennin closed his eyes, thinking deeply. If I were Uchiha Tajima, making such a deranged, high-risk gamble... what exactly would I be trying to gain?
Could it be?! Suddenly, Tennin grasped a faint thread of logic. His brows knotted together tightly. He opened his eyes and stared at the map spread across his desk, his gaze rapidly sweeping back and forth across the territories.
After a long time, he slowly exhaled and offered Shinsō a bitter smile. "I think I finally understand. But without sufficient strength, understanding it is useless. We need to prepare to bleed heavily. The Uchiha's appetite this time... it's horrifyingly massive. And to think we naively assumed they were just here for petty revenge. We were absolute fools."
"Patriarch, what did you figure out?" Shinsō asked urgently.
Tennin just shook his head. "Don't ask. Wait for my signal tonight. Whether we fight to the bitter end or survive to draw another breath... it all depends on tonight."
Nightfall.
Inside the central command tent of the Uchiha camp, Uchiha Tajima knelt formally. On the desk before him lay the latest intelligence reports from the Senju front, which he was meticulously studying.
Suddenly, a gust of night wind blew past. The heavy flap of the tent fluttered gently, then fell still. Tajima's gaze instantly turned ice-cold. He didn't look at the flap, but rather turned his head to the side. Standing just beyond the left edge of his desk was a man who hadn't been there a second ago.
He was a middle-aged man in pristine white robes, radiating a natural, authoritative aura that somewhat mirrored Tajima's own. Most notably, his eyes were pure, pupil-less white.
"Hyūga Tennin. You actually dare to waltz right into my command tent. What immense gall!" Tajima stated coldly, making absolutely no effort to mask the naked killing intent in his eyes.
The intruder was indeed Hyūga Tennin. He wasn't angered by the threat, replying calmly, "Why wouldn't I dare? Weren't you waiting for me? Otherwise, you would have struck the exact microsecond I entered."
"Oh?" Tajima looked at him with genuine amusement. "Interesting. Suddenly, I'd like to hear what you have to say."
Tennin's expression remained perfectly stoic. "From this day forward, the Hyūga clan will completely sever our vassalage to the Senju. We will seal our borders and not step foot into the Warring States conflicts for ten years. Furthermore, we will pay the Uchiha ten million ryō, hand over three S-rank Ninjutsu scrolls, one hundred thousand kunai, one million paper bombs, and one million catties of copper ore. How about it?"
Tajima sneered. "Are you trying to dismiss a beggar?"
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