Long ago, the Senju and Uzumaki shared a lineage, meaning they likely both inherited the Sage of Six Paths' legacy. Izuna sometimes wondered if the Sage had passed his sealing techniques specifically to the Uzumaki.
For Izuna to face an army of four hundred Senju led by the peak Kage-level Senju Yuma with just one Tailed Beast naturally worried Uchiha Shin and the others.
But when Izuna unleashed his Mangekyo Sharingan, surprisingly, he actually held the four hundred men back.
Although he lacked the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and couldn't execute the arrogant Majestic Attire: Susanoo with the Tailed Beast, he stood atop the Two-Tails with a skeletal Susanoo. Boosted by Sage Mode, he unleashed a barrage of terrifying Sage arts.
He turned mountain ridges into mounds. The full power Izuna displayed put immense pressure on both the Uzumaki and Senju ninja.
Meanwhile, the Uchiha army led by Uchiha Shin and Uchiha Akichi, though lacking the strength to face the combined Senju and Uzumaki forces, felt no fear fighting solely against the two hundred Uzumaki led by Hiro'umi.
Bolstered by the terrifying power Izuna displayed, Uchiha morale surged.
Everyone pressed forward, blocking the red-haired army led by Hiro'umi, determined not to let them get near the Vice-Clan Head. Many clansmen were even willing to use the clan's forbidden technique, Izanagi, to stop them.
After a long, fierce battle, the Senju-Uzumaki coalition retreated.
The war entered a stalemate.
This scene had played out countless times during the era of Uchiha Tajima and Senju Butsuma. Looking at the history of the two clans, it seemed like an endless loop. Generation after generation, the fighting continued.
Although the Uchiha were currently at a relative disadvantage, it wasn't significant. The major ninja clans who had sent intelligence gatherers adopted a wait-and-see approach. Unless absolutely necessary or victory was certain, none wished to disturb these two tearing beasts.
After forcing back the coalition army led by Senju Yuma and Uzumaki Hiro'umi, Izuna returned to the Uchiha camp and issued two orders.
First, temporarily forbid direct engagement with the Senju; focus all combat power on defense and fight a delaying action.
Second, no one was to mention to Uzumaki Mito that the Uzumaki clan had arrived on this battlefield, nor reveal that the opposing leader was Uzumaki Hiro'umi.
While the Uchiha were a warlike clan, they were no slouches at defense. Occupying the highest ground at Shirotani Pass made their position easy to defend and hard to attack. After several attempts, the Senju-Uzumaki coalition failed to gain any significant ground.
As time passed, the reputations of three individuals from this first great war of the new generation began to rise.
The first was Senju Hashirama.
He had pioneered an elemental ninjutsu unprecedented in ninja history—Wood Release. It was so terrifyingly powerful that the phrase "one against a thousand" was no exaggeration.
Rumors were already spreading that if his opponents weren't powerful clans like the Uchiha, Hyuga, or Sarutobi, Senju Hashirama could end a war single-handedly.
Hearing these rumors, Izuna felt they were exaggerated. Senju Hashirama indeed had that potential, but that was for the future—at least not until he awakened powerful techniques like Wood Release: Wood Human Technique.
The second was Izuna, stationed at the northern Shirotani Pass battlefield.
Although he hadn't created a new nature release like Hashirama, he fought with a summoned beast wreathed in flames and the ghostly Sharingan, utilizing novel tactics never seen before.
He had repeatedly held off an army of hundreds led by Senju Yuma with just himself and a beast, remaining undefeated.
Before this, many had evaluated him merely as the "Brain of the Uchiha." The results of this war proved that, in addition to his intellect, he possessed terrifying power that rivaled his mind. No one wanted to face such a dreadful opponent.
The third was Uchiha Madara, facing Senju Hashirama on the main battlefield.
His evaluation, however, was slightly inferior to that of Senju Hashirama and Izuna.
The mere thought of this made Madara grind his teeth in hatred.
There was simply no helping it. Without fail, anyone who witnessed his battles with Senju Hashirama concluded that Hashirama was a cut above him. Although the Mangekyo Sharingan allowed him to fight on equal footing, the severe burden it placed on his eyes meant that in every engagement, Madara was the one forced to retreat first.
Consequently, his reputation naturally fell short of Senju Hashirama's.
If there was one other person worth mentioning, it was the Water Release grandmaster, Senju Tobirama.
Tobirama's mastery of Water Release combined with the Flying Thunder God Technique had gradually earned him the title of "Fastest Ninja of the Senju," especially since Izuna had not yet revealed his own use of the Flying Thunder God in a head-on confrontation.
However, in terms of raw power, Tobirama still couldn't catch up to the level of the top three. This fact greatly irked Tobirama, who had always viewed Izuna as his primary rival.
But Tobirama was a man of immense depth and patience; he swallowed his pride over such trivial matters. What worried Senju Tobirama far more was what kind of "poisonous scheme" Uchiha Izuna would concoct whenever the Uchiha faced an unfavorable situation.
After all, in Tobirama's eyes, that guy's conspiracies and tricks were even more terrifying than his combat prowess!
Izuna was indeed ready to strike. Before leaving, he made a special trip to see Mito to review the sealing technique capable of suppressing chakra rampages.
Similar in principle to the seal Yamato would one day use to suppress Naruto's Nine-Tails chakra, Izuna intended to use this technique to assist Madara in cultivating Sage Mode and alleviating the drawbacks of the Mangekyo Sharingan.
After Izuna practiced the sealing technique once for her, Mito tapped her chin with a delicate, jade-like finger. "Hmm... Although you aren't very skilled with it yet, it should be sufficient to suppress rampaging Sage Chakra."
Izuna smiled and pulled Mito's soft body into his embrace, planting a kiss on the Yin Seal on her forehead. "Thank you, Mito."
Rolling her eyes at him, Mito struggled slightly out of his hold, frowning as she looked up. "Are you keeping something from me recently?"
Izuna's expression froze for a split second. "No, why do you ask?"
Mito pouted. "The guards stationed at the tent entrance usually discuss the war situation, but lately, they've been completely silent. Did you issue a gag order to prevent me from knowing something?"
Izuna felt dark lines forming on his forehead. Damn it, having a woman who is too smart isn't always a good thing.
This was why many men preferred their women to be a little clumsy—though, of course, not clumsy enough to be abducted by someone else.
Unable to come up with an immediate answer, Izuna simply hugged her tighter and pressed his mouth against her red lips. He savored the sensation, a touch he had experienced countless times and knew intimately.
This time, however, Mito did not close her eyes to enjoy it. Her eyes were filled with dissatisfaction as she glared daggers at him, her teeth clenched tight to deny him entry.
It wasn't until Izuna lightly swatted her rear—attacking a sensitive spot—that Mito let out an instinctive gasp. Her jaw relaxed for an instant, and Izuna seized the opportunity.
As he conquered her defenses, Mito genuinely considered clamping her teeth back down and biting the bastard's tongue off to stop him from bullying her. But in the end, she couldn't bring herself to do it, letting the scoundrel bully her as he pleased.
"I have to leave for a while, so I won't be coming to see you."
After an indeterminate amount of time, Izuna finally released her, resting his forehead against hers.
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