Izuna immediately wrote back saying he had a solution and that they just needed to calmly handle the Senju attacks for now. In the letter, Izuna repeatedly instructed Madara that he was absolutely forbidden from stepping onto the battlefield again, and specifically forbidden from using the Sharingan.
That hothead. If he ran into Senju Hashirama again, nine times out of ten he would be forced to pull out the Armored Susanoo again. At that point, his eyes really would go completely blind.
The war between the Hyuga and the Sarutobi-Shimura alliance finally erupted.
The location was the jungle region in the central battlefield of the Land of Fire. It wasn't flat plains, but it certainly couldn't be called rugged terrain either.
After many years, Hyuga Clan Head Hyuga Tenso, who had once been mentioned in the same breath as Uchiha Tajima and Senju Butsuma, personally took to the field. He intended to use this war to proclaim the might of the Hyuga clan.
Of course, he didn't join the fighting immediately. Instead, he appointed Hyuga Yuanzheng, who was also Kage-level, as the commander-in-chief of the front lines.
As the war began, the Gekko clan, having lost their leader, went into a killing frenzy.
Across the field, Sarutobi Furuyuki and the others were bewildered as they faced the Gekko ninja. While fighting them off, many heard the Gekko shouting that they would avenge their Clan Head.
Sarutobi Furuyuki, who had previously investigated the matter, was very confused.
Gekko Fūha is dead? How can that be?
When I went to investigate secretly before, I heard him talking with Yuan.
Feeling that something was extremely fishy, Sarutobi Furuyuki immediately informed the two Clan Heads, Sarutobi Furukawa and Shimura Keizo, after the battle ended.
Shimura Keizo appeared extremely dismissive of the report. He flicked his sleeve and said, "Hmph! As I see it, Gekko Fūha nine-out-of-ten died of illness. The Hyuga are simply using this event to frame our two clans and boost their own morale."
Sarutobi Furukawa, however, fell silent.
What Shimura Keizo said wasn't impossible, but wasn't it a bit too coincidental? Sarutobi Furuyuki had just discovered the conversation between Gekko Fūha and Yuan, and then Fūha died of illness?
"Now isn't the time to think about such things, Furukawa," Shimura Keizo said, walking over to the map with a solemn expression. "First, think of how to deal with the Hyuga. This is our first direct confrontation, and the trouble caused by the Byakugan is beyond our expectations."
Sarutobi Furukawa raised an eyebrow but ultimately chose to put the matter aside for the time being. Shimura Keizo was right; they needed to focus on dealing with the reality before them.
Nearly two months passed in a flash.
During these two months, Izuna launched repeated attacks against the opposing Senju camp.
However, Senju Yuma and Uzumaki Hiro'umi continued their strategy of hiding in their shells like old turtles, refusing to come out. Combined with the defensive barriers of the Uzumaki clan, their defense was strengthened to an unknown degree. Even Izuna couldn't easily break through.
Looking at his Skill Points, which hadn't increased by a single point in two months, Izuna felt a sense of suffocation for the first time in his life.
In a corner of the Uchiha camp, inside the tent where Mito was temporarily staying.
Izuna lay on Mito's jade-like knees, complaining. "I never realized Senju Yuma had this 'old turtle' attribute. Since they won't come out, what if I send him a set of women's clothing to humiliate him? I could mock him, saying he's as timid as a woman, afraid to accept the challenge. Maybe that would work?"
Mito's fingertips brushed through the bangs on Izuna's forehead. Suddenly, she said, "The 'old turtle' you're cursing... that includes my grandfather, doesn't it?"
Izuna looked up at Mito's beautiful face. A strand of red hair hung down by her ear, tickling the side of his face.
Slapping his own forehead, Izuna sighed. "Caught again? Since when?"
Mito narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly. "I noticed the last time you deliberately changed the subject. Your skill at lying to enemies is first-class, but in front of me, you show flaws."
Toward the end, her tone carried a hint of sweetness. What woman didn't hope to be the special exception in her lover's heart?
"I have a way to help you lure the Senju and Uzumaki alliance out," Mito said suddenly.
"Huh?"
Izuna bolted upright from Mito's lap, staring at her in disbelief.
Did this woman have any idea what she was saying?
"You just said sending a piece of women's clothing would be a good method," Mito said, a faint smile gracing her lips. "We just need to change it slightly. Send mine."
Izuna locked eyes with her. After several seconds of silence, he spoke. "Are you asking me to send you back in exchange for a decisive battle with them?"
Mito's plan was simple: Izuna would use her release as a bargaining chip to secure a duel with Senju Yuma.
"Are you truly plotting for my sake, or do you just want to go back?" Izuna asked, his expression darkening.
It was the first time he had looked at her with such unkindness.
"A bit of both," Mito answered honestly. "You know I have to return eventually. I am the heir of the Uzumaki clan. I shoulder the responsibility of my clan's rise and fall. This is my fate."
"And if I refused to let you go?" Izuna asked, his tone threatening.
Mito fell silent for a moment. Then, she pulled the jade hairpin from her hair. She pressed the sharp point against her own throat. "Then I would have no choice but to do this."
A sudden burst of killing intent erupted from Izuna, startling the two Uchiha ninja guarding outside. They wondered what on earth was happening inside. Was the Vice-Clan Head planning to kill the woman?
Mito lowered the jade hairpin from her throat. She leaned in proactively, pressing her lips against the corner of Izuna's mouth.
What shocked Izuna even more was that Mito wrapped her arms around his neck. Following the movement of her hands, he slowly fell back onto the bedding.
"The final step... I'm sorry, I can't do that yet. But at least, aside from that... anything is fine."
For Mito, who had been raised with a conservative education, saying such a thing was her absolute bottom line.
Izuna's breathing grew ragged, and he brought his mouth down fiercely upon Mito's red lips.
Early the next morning.
When Izuna gradually roused from his slumber, he felt that the beauty he had fallen asleep holding was no longer in his arms.
Opening his eyes, he found Mito sitting upright before the vanity mirror, grooming herself. She was wearing the Uchiha kunoichi outfit he had brought for her when they launched the surprise attack on the Senju stronghold.
"Awake?"
Hearing the movement behind her, Mito stood up with a gentle smile. She picked up Izuna's clothes. "Here, let me help you dress."
Izuna opened his mouth to speak but ultimately said nothing.
He wanted to ask her to stay. He wished he could wake up like this every day.
But he knew it was impossible.
First and foremost, Uzumaki Mito herself would not agree to it.
After tying his sash, Mito picked up her neatly folded white kimono and handed it to Izuna. The meaning was clear.
"Can't I send you back tomorrow?" Izuna asked suddenly.
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