***
"Young Lord Madara, Young Lord Izuna. The clan head and Senju Butsuma have killed each other. We have no time for grief. We must find a way to withdraw our forces back to the clan's territory."
In the main tent of a temporary encampment on the Mount Congyun battlefield, in the Land of Fire, a man of nearly forty spoke. His name was Uchiha Gakugyo. Besides the clan head, Uchiha Tajima, he was the strongest warrior in the Uchiha clan and also served as the deputy clan head, Tajima's second-in-command.
Just two days ago, during a great battle between the Uchiha and the Senju, Uchiha Tajima and Senju Butsuma—the leaders of the two most powerful clans of the Warring States period—had fought to a mutual death.
Now, the two clans were camped less than a few dozen li apart, and another great battle could erupt at any moment.
Uchiha Gakugyo advocated for an immediate retreat, to lead all their forces back to their territory to rest and recuperate.
"I fear the Senju clan won't let us go so easily," Uchiha Madara, barely in his early twenties, stated coldly.
His words were met with agreement from the other clan members.
"Young Lord Madara is right."
"Both clan heads may be dead, but we Uchiha are at a disadvantage."
"I also doubt the Senju will pass up such a golden opportunity."
"If we retreat, they'll surely pursue with their entire army."
Although the battle two days prior had seen both Uchiha Tajima and Senju Butsuma fall, the overall state of the war still favored the Senju. The Uchiha's greatest fear now was that if they tried to withdraw, the Senju would pursue them from behind, catching them in a pincer. That would be disastrous.
Madara glanced at his younger brother, Izuna, who had remained silent to his left. "Izuna, what are your thoughts?"
Izuna was in a complete daze. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined he would transmigrate into the world of Naruto.
And into the Warring States period, the most brutal era of all!
*If I had to be transmigrated, I'd much rather have ended up in Boruto's era, where you can just play video games and laze your life away.*
But his only choice now was to accept reality. Rubbing his temples, Izuna said, "It's late. Everyone should rest for tonight. We'll continue this discussion tomorrow morning."
The Uchiha elders in the tent were all taken aback, completely unprepared for such a response.
"But... we don't have time for that, do we?" one of the elite Uchiha jonin said. "The Senju are probably preparing to attack us as we speak. We must make a decision as soon as possible."
But then, Madara suddenly spoke up. "No, Izuna has a point."
"Hashirama... ah, no, Senju Hashirama. I know the man. With Senju Butsuma gone, even with Senju Yuma around, Hashirama's position in the clan is now pivotal."
Madara continued, "Both the Senju and the Uchiha are exhausted from the battle two days ago. If we fight now, our casualties will be several times higher than normal. Knowing his personality, he would never choose to launch a surprise attack at a time like this."
"Tonight, we'll do as Izuna says. Everyone, get a good night's rest. We'll resume our discussion in the morning."
Since the order came from Madara, and his reasoning seemed sound, no one argued further. They left the main tent and returned to their own to rest.
When only Madara and Izuna remained, Madara asked, "Izuna, is there something you wanted to tell me in private?"
Izuna's expression darkened. *I just got here and needed a moment to sort out my thoughts. How did you interpret that as me wanting a private conversation?*
Still, since Madara had asked, Izuna found a plausible topic. "Brother, have you awakened it, too? That power."