Seeing the terms, Uchiha Gakugyo raised an eyebrow. "Compared to our initial proposal, isn't this a bit of a steep discount?"
Aside from the first point, which both sides agreed on, the second and third had been significantly reduced. Full reparations had become twenty percent, and a five-year truce had become two years.
"You probably never expected us to accept your original terms, did you?" Senju Yuma snorted dismissively.
And he was right. War reparations were always paid by the loser to the victor. If this battle had continued, it was clear the Senju would have won. The Uchiha had just gotten lucky and happened to capture Tobirama. To think the Senju would turn around and pay them full reparations? In their dreams!
The faces of Gakugyo and the other Uchiha hardliners turned grim. Across from them, the Senju glared back mercilessly. A century of blood feud meant both sides wanted the other dead, and the situation could explode at any moment.
"Twenty percent is twenty percent," Izuna spoke up. "But the truce must be extended to three years."
"That..."
"Hashirama, what do you think?" Senju Yuma was about to reply, but Izuna had directed his question to Hashirama.
On the surface, a truce affected both sides equally. But the longer it lasted, the more it would benefit the Uchiha and disadvantage the Senju. The Uchiha had suffered more severe losses in this battle. It was like two wounded beasts; the one more grievously injured would naturally want a longer rest. It would give it more time to heal for the next fight.
Hashirama clearly hadn't expected Izuna to suddenly put him on the spot.
As he hesitated, Izuna spoke again. "You haven't forgotten what you and my brother said by the lake ten years ago, have you?"
At his words, both Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama's expressions changed.
In the past, they had met without knowing each other's surnames and had made a vow to "build a village together." Now, forced by their families' feud and the state of the war, they stood with swords drawn against each other.
Had it really been ten years?
A wave of emotion washed over Hashirama. He took a deep breath and looked up, his eyes glistening.
"Brother, don't fall for it!" Tobirama shouted anxiously. He had been a witness to that past, but he also understood Izuna's ploy. He was playing the sympathy card.
Yet, as foolish as such an emotional appeal might seem, it was perfectly suited for someone like Hashirama.
Sure enough, after taking a deep breath, Hashirama replied, "I... I agree with Izuna's suggestion. Our clan needs time to rest and recover as well."
"Lord Hashirama!"
"Young Lord Hashirama!"
A commotion erupted among the Senju ninja, many of whom looked furious.
But Hashirama shook his head. "My mind is made up. Say no more."
A smile played on Izuna's lips. "Senju Hashirama is a man of his word. In that case, let's sign the agreement."
"You despicable bastard, Uchiha Izuna," Tobirama snarled through gritted teeth as Izuna held him bound.
Izuna merely cast a disdainful glance at Tobirama's furious glare. *Despicable? I've got nothing on you.*
With Hashirama, the current number two in the Senju clan, having spoken, Senju Yuma knew he couldn't object. Seeing the determination in Hashirama's eyes and not wanting to alienate the young man who would undoubtedly carry the future of the clan, he ultimately acquiesced to the decision.
With their clan heads, Uchiha Tajima and Senju Butsuma, dead, it fell to their second-in-commands, Uchiha Gakugyo and Senju Yuma, to sign the agreement.
Once each side held a signed and hand-printed copy of the treaty scroll, Hashirama said impatiently, "That should do it. Release Tobirama."
Normally, Izuna would have retorted, "You withdraw from Mount Congyun first, then I'll release him." But considering he had just manipulated Hashirama, Izuna decided to give him some face and immediately released the binding jutsu.
Tobirama quickly walked back to the Senju ranks, his face dark. "My apologies, everyone." This outcome was entirely his fault for getting captured.
"It's alright, it's alright. Anything can happen on the battlefield," Hashirama, the ever-doting older brother, quickly comforted him.
"Let's return to the clan compound. This wasn't your fault, Tobirama. The enemy was just too cunning," Senju Yuma added.
With the two strongest ninja clans of the Warring States period agreeing to a three-year truce, the entire continent would see a significant reduction in conflict for that time.
Using Mount Congyun as the border, the two clans began to withdraw to their respective lands. The deaths of Uchiha Tajima and Senju Butsuma also meant that new clan heads would have to be elected. In the public eye, it would likely be the second-in-commands, Uchiha Gakugyo and Senju Yuma.
Likely...
***
In the Uchiha camp on Mount Congyun.
The Uchiha ninja were cleaning up the battlefield, gathering weapons, leftover food, cloth, and other supplies to transport back to their clan compound in preparation for the next inevitable war.
They were also gathering something else... the bodies of their fallen clansmen, to be brought back to the wives and children waiting at home.
Izuna found Uchiha Madara. "Brother, why are you here all alone?"
Madara had been silent ever since the truce was signed, which made Izuna curious.
Madara glanced at him and, after a long pause, said, "Ah... it's nothing. I just didn't expect that fellow, Hashirama, to still remember what happened when we were children."
More than ten years had passed since then...
Izuna was taken aback for a moment, then shrugged, preparing to leave. He had no desire to understand the bond between the generational best friends, Indra and Asura.
But as Izuna turned to go, Madara stopped him. "Izuna, do you think it's possible... to create a village where all ninja can live together?"
*Asking a question like that is completely out of character for you...* Izuna almost blurted out. Instead, he gave a half-hearted reply, "First, we need to find a way to eliminate the hatred between the Uchiha and the Senju."
That question alone was enough to give Madara a headache. Eliminate the hatred between the two clans? How could that be easy? Forgetting the centuries of accumulated animosity, countless of his own father, brothers, and relatives had died at the hands of the Senju. And the same was true for them; countless of Hashirama's father, brothers, and relatives had died at the hands of the Uchiha.
Glancing at the pensive Madara, Izuna turned and walked away. The storm from the flap of his butterfly wings was already beginning to brew. At the very least, he was certain that in the original story, the Uchiha had not been given this chance to rest and recover.
Transmigrating to this point in time might have been a great fortune amidst misfortune for Izuna. While this was perhaps the era in Naruto where life was cheapest, the timing of his arrival was simply too coincidental. It was right after Uchiha Tajima's death, when his predecessor had just obtained the Mangekyo Sharingan. This way, with no emotional attachment to Uchiha Tajima, he had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan without any pain.
***