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The next day, Akio woke up early for his morning training, planning to run two laps around the Senju compound to get his body moving.
However, as soon as he stepped out of the compound, he saw Hashirama returning alone from outside.
"Hashirama, did you... go out last night?" Akio asked, puzzled. At this time, Hashirama should have been at home with Mito, especially since he would be leaving for the western front again soon to fight over the mines.
"Ah, Second Grandpa, morning training, huh?" Hashirama greeted with a smile. "Yesterday, the Hyuga Clan Head asked us to mediate with the Uchiha, right? So, I went to talk to them last night."
"You went alone? Where was Tobirama?" Akio asked.
"Tobirama personally went west to gather intelligence. Second Grandpa, when he returns, don't tell him that I went to the Uchiha alone..." Hashirama had a look of secrecy on his face.
"Oh, I see," Akio replied calmly.
In his heart, Akio already understood what had happened. Hashirama must have gone to see Madara, and unsurprisingly, with his mastery of Sage Mode, he had likely beaten Madara thoroughly. That would explain why Hashirama looked so pleased with himself right now.
"As for Madara, he's probably sulking in the Uchiha compound right now," Akio thought to himself with amusement.
A boring week passed, and finally, Tobirama returned to the Senju compound.
However, upon seeing Hashirama, Tobirama's expression was grim.
"Big Brother, the situation in the west has become troublesome," Tobirama said after some thought.
"The western front has descended into complete chaos. Too many clans have gotten involved. If we step in now, we may end up becoming the common enemy of all of them."
"Which clans are involved?" Hashirama asked.
"Right now, the west is divided into three factions. The weakest is an alliance of minor clans, including the Sarutobi, Shimura, and Fuma clans, gathered by the Sarutobi in an effort to protect their chakra-conducting metal. In the middle tier, we have three mid-sized clans: the Inuzuka, Aburame, and Hatake. The strongest faction consists of three other mid-sized clans: the Akimichi, Nara, and Yamanaka. Their secret techniques complement each other perfectly, earning them the nickname 'Ino-Shika-Cho,' making them slightly stronger than the other mid-tier group."
"We don't have to make enemies of all of them. We could ally with one of the factions," Akio suggested with a smile.
Tobirama glanced at Akio. "That was my thought as well, but the question is, who do we ally with? If we choose the strongest three clans, they already hold the advantage and likely won't want us joining them. The middle-tier group is also quite strong, and they would demand a large share of the chakra-conducting metal. The weakest alliance is too weak—not even one clan leader among them. That would mean we'd have to face the six clan leaders from the other groups ourselves."
Under normal circumstances, the Senju Clan facing six clan leaders wouldn't be too concerning. However, the problem was the timing. The older generation of clan leaders was nearing retirement, and at their age, fighting another war would push them into full retirement. Meanwhile, the younger generation, led by Senju Tenyu, was still a step away from reaching clan leader-level strength.
Additionally, the Senju couldn't deploy their entire force, as they still had to keep an eye on the Uchiha.
"It's fine. They have six clan leaders, but we have the three of us," Hashirama said confidently.
"Big Brother, both Second Grandpa and I can each hold off one clan leader at most. That means you'd have to take on four by yourself. And the three Ino-Shika-Cho clan leaders working together will be difficult to deal with..." Tobirama said with concern.
Akio chuckled. "You underestimate your big brother... and, more importantly, you underestimate me. If it's you, I could take on ten."
Tobirama chose to ignore Akio's comment and continued speaking to Hashirama. "Even if you can handle four clan leaders, if you leave the battlefield, the Uchiha will likely make a move. The other elders can deal with them, but Uchiha Madara..."
"Don't worry, Tobirama," Akio interrupted again. "Madara is probably off somewhere training in secret right now."
"Training?" Tobirama was confused.
Akio and Hashirama said nothing further, leaving Tobirama to piece things together on his own. Though he wasn't sure what had happened, he could tell his brother was behind it.
With a sigh, Tobirama conceded. "Fine. I'll go gather our forces. We leave tomorrow. Who should we take?"
"We depart tomorrow. As for personnel, let's take a peak-level Jonin along with Teny'u. He's close to breaking through and needs more battlefield experience. Aside from that, bring a few elite Jonin and a good number of Chunin and Genin. They could use the training as well," Hashirama decided.
"Only taking Tenyu as a peak Jonin? That's not enough high-level combat strength," Tobirama said worriedly.
"It's fine. You and Second Grandpa are coming too. As for the six clan leaders, leave them to me," Hashirama said with confidence.
"But..." Tobirama clearly wanted to object but held back his words.
"Relax," Akio said with a grin. "In this era of warring states, your big brother can walk sideways. Give it a few years, and he'll be able to change the course of battles single-handedly."
"Fine," Tobirama muttered, reluctantly heading off to gather their forces. It was obvious he still wasn't fully at ease with his unreliable older brother.
Once the hall was empty, leaving only Hashirama and Akio, Hashirama turned to his grandfather. "Second Grandpa, you signed the Slug Summoning Contract last time, right?"
"That's right. I'll be using it in this war. I'll handle healing the Senju warriors," Akio affirmed.
"No, I meant... if I lose control and end up hurting the six clan leaders too badly, could you save them?" Hashirama asked awkwardly.
"Of course!" Akio agreed instantly, understanding Hashirama's intent.
"So, he's already working toward establishing Konoha, minimizing hatred among clans," Akio thought to himself.
Seeing Hashirama's grateful expression, Akio quickly left. While it was satisfying to earn the gratitude of the future God of Shinobi, dealing with Hashirama's gratitude all the time was just... awkward.
As the Senju compound bustled with preparations, Akio penned a letter to the Uzumaki Clan. It essentially read:
"No need to worry about me. I'm enjoying my leisurely life here in the Senju Clan. If I returned, I'd have to be a Great Elder... By the way, as in-laws of the Senju, I'd like to request a position as the Uzumaki representative within the Senju Clan..."
Who knew how the Uzumaki Clan Head would react to that?
And with that, two days later, Akio departed with the Senju forces, heading toward the Sarutobi Clan...
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