The high-ranking Uchiha ninja in the tent looked at each other.
"Well, that's quite a coincidence!"
"Yes, for the envoys of both sides to arrive at the same time."
"Watanabe Ryokai. I know him. He was one of the peak Jonin who survived the battle at Stonecastle in the northwest. I didn't expect the new clan head to come as an envoy himself."
"It just goes to show that the four clans have been pushed to the brink by that old fool Shimura Keizo."
After a brief discussion, Uchiha Shin turned to Madara, who was dressed in a black coat over red armor, and asked, "Clan Head, who do you want to see first? The Sarutobi or the Watanabe?"
Madara closed his eyes and thought for about half a minute, then opened them. "No need to make it so complicated. Have them both come in."
Everyone exchanged glances, more or less guessing what Madara intended to do.
*Has he been spending too much time with the Vice-Clan Head? Has he learned his tricks too?*
After receiving Madara's orders, the two Uchiha Chunin quickly left the tent to deliver the message.
Less than two minutes later, the two groups entered the main tent one after another. Uchiha Shin, Uchiha Enka, and the others were already standing imposingly in rows to the left and right of the main tent.
The first to enter was the delegation representing the Sarutobi and Shimura clans. Upon seeing Madara, the lead envoy clasped his hands in a salute. "Clan Head Madara, and to all the esteemed members of the Uchiha, I am Sarutobi Kosuke. I am here on behalf of the Sarutobi and Shimura clans to negotiate for peace."
He had just finished speaking when Watanabe Ryokai and his group, representing the four northwestern clans, came in behind him.
Watanabe Ryokai and Sarutobi Kosuke locked eyes, each seeing the deep hatred in the other's gaze. But they were also quite surprised. Faced with two delegations representing different ninja clans, Uchiha Madara had chosen to receive them at the same time.
"Welcome, envoys of both clans. The war is at a critical stage, and I don't have time to listen to each of you individually, so I've invited you both in together. No objections, I hope?" Madara asked, without a hint of apology.
*Even if we had objections, we couldn't voice them.* Sarutobi Kosuke and Watanabe Ryokai thought simultaneously. Right now, the Uchiha held all the power. All they could do was endure.
In this war, whichever side gained the Uchiha's support would gain an absolute advantage.
With this thought, they both replied, "You are too kind, Clan Head Madara."
Uchiha Shin and the others on either side struggled to suppress their smiles, listening as Madara spoke.
"Well then, I'd like to hear what the Sarutobi envoy has to say first. Four months ago, a convoy of ten carts carrying food to our northwestern front and twenty of our clansmen died at the hands of your allies, the Shimura." Madara crossed his arms. Though he didn't yet have the overwhelming intimidating presence of the future Ghost of the Uchiha, the makings of it were already there. "As far as the Uchiha are concerned, we've never had much quarrel with your two clans. Why did you kill our people?"
Sarutobi Kosuke was incredibly nervous. Of course, he couldn't tell the truth, so he could only give a vague answer. "It was all a complete misunderstanding. Of course, Shimura Ri, who committed such a grave error and tried to conceal it, is now dead. We sincerely hope to reconcile with the Uchiha."
At this, Sarutobi Kosuke took a scroll from his subordinate on his right, handed it to the nearby Uchiha Enka, who then presented it to Madara.
Madara opened it. The scroll contained a list of reparations. It stated that if the Uchiha withdrew their army, the Sarutobi and Shimura clans would pay a massive sum and even offer one S-rank and three A-rank ninjutsu scrolls. It was an incredibly generous offer.
"The Sarutobi and Shimura clans haven't fought any wars in the last two years. I see you've been quietly amassing a fortune," Madara said, his tone a mix of admiration and sarcasm.
Sarutobi Kosuke gave a dry laugh. "As long as Clan Head Madara is willing, the terms are negotiable."
Seeing the situation turning against him, Watanabe Ryokai quickly had his own subordinate bring out the "Alliance Terms" scroll he had prepared. It was passed to Uchiha Enka and then to Madara.
Sarutobi Kosuke couldn't help but glance at Watanabe Ryokai. For the new Watanabe clan head to come as an envoy himself, it seemed he was truly determined to ally with the Uchiha.
Madara opened the "Alliance Terms" sent by Watanabe Ryokai. The contents mainly concerned an alliance between their clans. This included the provision that after defeating the Sarutobi and Shimura, all spoils of war would go to the Uchiha, save for what the four northwestern clans needed to cover their losses. Furthermore, the four clans were willing to offer a portion of their resources as a sign of good faith.
But the amount they offered was nothing compared to what the Sarutobi had put on the table.
Under normal circumstances, Madara would have definitely accepted Sarutobi Kosuke's proposal. While avenging his fallen clansmen was important, securing benefits for the living was even more so.
But according to Izuna's plan and for the long-term interests of the Uchiha, Madara could not take the conventional path.
"Clan Head Watanabe, is this what you call sincerity?" Madara asked, looking up.
The undisguised coldness in his expression brought joy to Sarutobi Kosuke and a shock to Watanabe Ryokai.
*Did the Sarutobi clan offer that high a price? So high that Uchiha Madara is this dissatisfied with our offer?*
"If this is all your four clans can offer, then I see no need to continue this discussion," Madara said with a cold snort, as if the four northwestern clans were not at all sincere about forming an alliance.
Watanabe Ryokai, a peak Jonin, felt his back drenched in cold sweat. If they failed to ally with the Uchiha, it would trigger a chain reaction. Other ninja clans would be even less likely to help them, and they would likely face the same fate as the Hagoromo clan.
*We must ally with the Uchiha, no matter the cost!*
At this thought, Watanabe Ryokai clenched his teeth and forced out the words, "We... our four clans... are willing to become vassal clans of the Uchiha!"
For one ninja clan to become the vassal of another was a double-edged sword and a very dangerous choice. Once a smaller clan became a vassal to a larger one, they would have to relocate their entire clan. They would move their clan grounds to the periphery of the larger clan's territory, serving as a defensive wall. This way, other clans wanting to cause trouble for the smaller clan would naturally have to consider the consequences of angering the larger one. But if the larger clan went to war, the smaller clans living on the outer wall would naturally become that wall.
For example, if the Watanabe became vassals of the Uchiha, other ninja clans would not dare to attack them casually. But if they were settled in the eastern part of the territory, they would become the Uchiha's shield against the Senju when they attacked. To put it bluntly, they would be cannon fodder.
Furthermore, if a vassal clan was suspected of colluding with the enemy, the main clan could wipe them out with ease. Once a clan became a vassal, they would be monitored by the larger clan, and their high-ranking members, in particular, would have very little freedom.
When Watanabe Ryokai said this, the eyes of Uchiha Enka and the others lit up. This was the very goal they had been working toward in all their top-level clan meetings.
Sarutobi Kosuke was also shocked. It was a very risky decision. Many large clans had vassal clans, the most famous of which was the Hyuga clan. The proud owners of the Byakugan had, by some accounts, the most vassal clans in the Warring States Period, numbering seven or eight in total, large and small. In their own words, the existence of these vassal clans was to protect the main Hyuga clan.
When Izuna learned of this, he felt that the Hyuga's future practice of having the branch family protect the main family probably originated from this custom of vassal clans.
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