What Shimura Keizo wanted now was compensation. "Compensation" sufficient to make up for the loss of over twenty Jonin.
The four elders present were all old foxes past their sixties. They had a vague idea of Shimura Keizo's true intentions.
But they simply couldn't afford it! Not long ago, they had spent a fortune to ransom the prisoners captured by the Uchiha. Were they now supposed to spend another huge sum to deal with Shimura Keizo?
Moreover, the Uchiha had held their clansmen captive. Paying to get them back was something they could grudgingly accept. Shimura Keizo's actions, however, seemed to them like blatant extortion.
*We don't know a thing about what you're talking about. We don't even know if your people really died, and even if they did, we didn't kill them. Why should we give you money?*
At this thought, the faces of the four clan elders and their guards grew grim. The atmosphere fell into a dead silence.
"We must trouble Clan Head Shimura to stay in Liang Town for a while. Allow us one day to discuss this," the Watanabe elder finally said in a heavy voice.
Shimura Keizo thought for a moment. "Fine. Tomorrow, at this time, I will await your answer."
With that, Shimura Keizo stood up and led his men out of the room.
"Outrageous!" The Saito elder slammed his fist on the wooden table. With a loud crash, the table, already cracked from one blow, disintegrated into splinters.
"This is indeed too much," the Watanabe elder said, striving to maintain his composure, but his eyes were filled with rage. "Do you think our people killed his men?"
"Impossible!" the other three elders replied in unison.
"Although we were in charge of logistics, an operation against the Sarutobi and Shimura clans is a major undertaking. Would the clan heads not have informed us beforehand?" the Fuma elder retorted.
The others nodded in agreement.
The Kikawa elder sneered, "I think that brat Shimura Keizo is just trying to shake us down!"
The Watanabe elder frowned, clenching his jaw. "Our four clans have just suffered a defeat, and new clan heads have not yet been chosen. If we go to war with the Sarutobi and Shimura clans now... the consequences will be unimaginable..."
Ransoming their prisoners from the Uchiha was a small mercy amidst their misfortune. But even so, they were in no condition to fight the Sarutobi and Shimura.
"Then what do we do? We can't actually pay them, can we? How much money would that be?" The wrinkles on the Kikawa elder's face twisted together.
Judging by Shimura Keizo's attitude, he likely wouldn't be satisfied until he had emptied the meager savings their four clans had left.
"Of course we can't pay," the Watanabe elder replied without hesitation. "Satisfying that brat Shimura Keizo's appetite would certainly drain all our savings. At that point, we would become targets for other ninja clans."
"Watanabe, what are you suggesting?" the other three asked, turning to him.
"Fight," the Watanabe elder spat out the word through gritted teeth.
Although his answer was expected, it still sent a jolt through everyone in the room. With their current strength, fighting the Sarutobi and Shimura would be like an egg hitting a rock.
"Hear me out. This war is not entirely hopeless for us." The Watanabe elder gestured to his guard, who understood and handed him a scroll.
The Watanabe elder moved to another table and unrolled the scroll, revealing a map. He pointed to the locations of the Sarutobi and Shimura clan territories, and then to their own. "Look, the Sarutobi and Shimura territories are far from us. It would take a Jonin five days to get here, and a Genin probably more than ten. If they're transporting supplies like grain, it would take half a month."
"If Shimura Keizo wants to start a war, they'll have to come all this way to fight us. Geographically, we have the advantage."
"Of course, this alone won't bring us victory. It will only serve as a delaying tactic. We have to wear them down."
"Wear them down?" the Kikawa elder frowned.
"That's right. We'll fight a war of attrition. You heard them—the Sarutobi and Shimura clans seem to have lost a significant number of their elite fighters. Their combat strength has been weakened. We can afford a war of attrition."
The Saito elder chimed in, "So, you're saying we use the time we buy with a protracted war of attrition to find reinforcements from other ninja clans?"
"Correct. It's our only way out. Any objections?"
The Watanabe elder's gaze swept over the other three elders.
The three old men shook their heads without hesitation.
Paying Shimura Keizo that massive sum would be a death sentence anyway. Better to fight. If we win, we'll gain a trove of supplies. Our clans might even grow stronger!
***
The next day, at the same time.
Shimura Keizo led the Shimura ninja back to the room where they had negotiated the day before. But what awaited him was not the fawning of the four elders and a massive payment, but their cold indifference and a formal declaration of war.
Stunned, Shimura Keizo and his men erupted in fury. He nearly tore the war declaration to shreds.
"You... you have some nerve! Petty clans from the northwestern border, daring to declare war on the Shimura and Sarutobi!"
Shimura Keizo had thought they would, at most, try to haggle and reduce the compensation. He never expected them to play such a final card, throwing a declaration of war in his face.
At being called "petty clans," the ninja from the four clans bristled with anger, barely restraining themselves from attacking.
The Watanabe elder raised a hand to stop his bristling guards, but his own tone offered Shimura Keizo no courtesy. "Clan Head Shimura calls us petty clans. Why not attack us and see for yourself what these 'petty clans' are made of?"
Now that they had decided to make a clean break, there was no need to save face.
Veins bulged on Shimura Keizo's forehead. But Liang Town was still their territory, and starting a fight here was too risky. He suppressed his rage, his body trembling as he sneered, "Watanabe, Saito, Fuma, Kikawa... Heh, hahaha..."
"Fine. Just fine! Then let's change the terms of compensation! You'll pay with the lives of everyone in your four clans!"
***
"The Vice-Clan Head is a genius!"
"The Vice-Clan Head's foresight is uncanny!"
"Hahaha, I told you! How could the Vice-Clan Head's decision possibly be wrong?"
In the highest council room of the Uchiha clan grounds, the three great elders, the old guard, and the young faction all voiced their praise for Izuna.
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