Uchiha Tō had completely settled down. He no longer entertained any thoughts of sneaking out for ambushes. He spent all day cooped up in Xin City, practicing Taijutsu and fortifying their defenses.
The black-cloaked man from that night had left a profoundly deep impression on him. He continuously dispatched shinobi to gather intelligence, but unfortunately, they couldn't find a single trace or clue.
Taking a moment, he wrote a secret report detailing the intelligence and his speculations—suggesting it might be a descendant of the Ghost Clan—and sent it to the main compound. He hoped the clan would pay close attention and preferably dispatch one or two Peak Jōnin specifically to investigate.
Regarding this request, the high-ranking elders presiding over the clan compound could only exchange bitter smiles. Dispatch one or two Peak Jōnin? Are you joking? Where would the current Uchiha clan find the spare manpower to send out? Uchiha Tō was in the north and his intelligence was delayed; he didn't know the current state of the main battlefield, but they certainly did.
"Forget it. Let the Patriarch on the frontlines decide on this matter. Sigh!" one of the elders said, shaking his head.
The Senju had gone completely mad this time...
This was the consensus reached by the Uchiha high command. They didn't know what kind of crazy pills Senju Butsuma had swallowed. Not only had he personally taken to the battlefield, but he had even called Senju Rakan to the front. If that were all, it might have been manageable, but he had actually mobilized a full two-thirds of the Senju clan's total military strength to launch a frenzied, all-out assault on the Kazama River Valley.
Wasn't he afraid that other shinobi clans would take advantage of the situation? One had to remember that ever since the Kaguya clan was brutally taught a lesson last time, they had been waiting with bloodshot eyes for an opportunity for revenge.
As it turned out, the Senju really weren't afraid. Enter the Uzumaki clan—the number one clan of the Land of Whirlpools, a unique shinobi clan renowned throughout the Warring States for their Sealing Jutsu.
As one of the "Four Clans" among the Land of Fire's "Two Sects, Three Houses, Four Clans, and Five Secret Arts," they had always maintained close ties with the Senju.
While the Uzumaki clan hadn't formally joined the war, they made highly aggressive troop movements pointed directly at the Kaguya clan. It was a blatant warning: If you dare to interfere right now, we will obliterate you.
The current Patriarch of the Kaguya clan was secretly furious about this, but he didn't have any good countermeasures. On paper, their combat strength was slightly higher than the Uzumaki's, but he absolutely refused to start a pointless, bloody war with them for no reason. Whatever. Let the Uchiha and Senju tear each other apart.
Meanwhile, on the frontal battlefield, Uchiha Tajima was suffering miserably. Not only was he single-handedly facing off against both Senju Butsuma and Senju Rakan, but his Shadow Guards had suffered catastrophic losses, leaving only two alive.
In the past, the Shadow Guards were an incredibly vital force on the battlefield. Intelligence gathering, reconnaissance, assassination, frontal combat—they were masters of almost everything. Now, with only two remaining, they were completely suppressed by the Senju Anbu, putting the Uchiha at an extreme tactical disadvantage.
Yet, Tajima didn't dare recall Uchiha Fujin or Uchiha Tō. He had redeployed troops once before, and the entire northern region was still in chaos, while the southern situation remained unstable. Rumor had it that the Chiba clan, seeing the two titans at war and the Uchiha exhausted, was getting restless.
The Kazama River Valley!
The Uchiha had constructed fortified camps on the high ground, setting up traps and burying the earth with dense layers of paper bombs, turning their defenses into an iron fortress.
Ninjutsu blotted out the sky, crisscrossing constantly. The clash between the two sides had entered a white-hot phase from the very beginning. Senju shinobi charged the Uchiha camps with complete disregard for their lives.
Uchiha Zhan's resolute face was covered in black soot, with streaks washed clean by his sweat. His throat was practically smoking, burning with a spicy pain—the aftereffect of continuously using Fire Style Ninjutsu for an entire day.
Watching countless kunai strapped with paper bombs being hurled out, his heart bled. This is all money! Since the war began, an unfathomable amount of wealth and supplies had been burned through. If a mid-tier clan had to bear these costs, they would likely have gone bankrupt already.
The Senju assault had lasted an entire day. From morning until dusk, both the Uchiha and Senju shinobi were completely exhausted. Finally, before the sun withdrew its final lingering rays of light, the Senju retreated.
Cheers erupted from the Uchiha side. They had successfully survived another day. On the battlefield, there was nothing more worthy of celebration than that.
Looking up at the scorching sun through the black smoke of the battlefield, the daylight mercilessly baked the earth. The corpses of the Senju shinobi piled up in front of the camp began to rot in a terrifyingly short amount of time, causing a thick, pungent stench of death to permeate the entire Uchiha fortress.
Uchiha Zhan took a bowl of clear water handed to him by a subordinate and downed it in one gulp. His throat finally felt a bit better. He ordered hoarsely, "Use Fire Style to burn all these corpses. Otherwise, if a plague breaks out in this weather, we'll be in massive trouble."
In front of the camp, an uncountable number of shinobi from both sides had fallen. Row upon row of corpses were stacked on top of each other. Ignited by the Uchiha's Fire Style, they burned fiercely, emitting a foul, nauseating odor.
Uchiha Zhan walked toward the central command tent in the distance, where Uchiha Tajima was stationed. Entering, he saw Tajima resting his head on the desk, taking a brief nap. His arm was bandaged in several places. He was simply too exhausted. Last night, Senju Butsuma had personally led a night raid on the camp. Tajima had fought desperately to repel him, engaging in a bloody melee that lasted the entire night.
This morning, the enemy had attacked again, led by Senju Rakan. Without even a moment to rest, Tajima had led his men to hold the line. Eventually, he became so exhausted that Zhan had to step in and relieve him so he could rest in the tent for a while.
Hearing footsteps, Uchiha Tajima woke up alertly. Seeing it was Uchiha Zhan, he rubbed his face and said, "Sit. What's the situation?"
Zhan sat down and replied, "It's fine. The Senju have retreated. They aren't having an easy time either. I exchanged a few blows with Senju Rakan; it's nothing we can't handle."
Tajima nodded. Just as he was about to speak, a figure suddenly materialized. It was one of the Uchiha Shadow Guards. "Patriarch, the latest intelligence from the north has been relayed from the main compound."
Tajima offered Zhan an apologetic smile, took the secret letter, and began reading. His expression shifted rapidly. "Those northern clans actually started fighting among themselves? Excellent. Excellent! But Uchiha Tō, that idiot, actually went out to attack them? Isn't that just forcing them to unite? The Ghost Clan, huh...?"
After finishing the letter, Tajima fell silent, a look of deep contemplation on his face. A long moment later, he ordered, "Transmit my orders. Transfer Uchiha Tō from the north to the main battlefield immediately. Hand over command of the northern situation to Uchiha Shinji for the time being. Issue strict orders: no offensive maneuvers are permitted. He is only to hold Xin City. Those clans have already fractured once; it will be incredibly difficult for them to unite their hearts again."
"Yes, Patriarch!" The Shadow Guard nodded, preparing to leave and relay the orders.
"Patriarch, is it really okay to transfer Uchiha Tō here? What about the north...?" Uchiha Zhan exclaimed in surprise.
Tajima waved his hand. "It doesn't matter. According to the intelligence, the northern clans are tearing each other apart from the inside. With Uchiha Shinji—a Peak Jōnin—stationed there, along with several Elite Jōnin, holding Xin City won't be a problem."
Seeing Tajima's confidence, Zhan didn't press the issue further, and the two began discussing the current battlefield situation.
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