“War,” Hashirama sighed heavily, watching Ayato hurry away, then looked at Madara.
“It’s certainly not safe here anymore.
Let’s go back for now!”
“Mm.”
Hashirama, who had run quite far, suddenly remembered something and turned back to call out to Madara: “Let’s meet here again next time!
With Ayato!”
Hearing this, Madara nodded, then turned and rushed into the forest, his figure quickly disappearing.
Hagoromo Clan Territory Central Tower, Clan Head’s Office.
Clan Head Ryunosuke was watching the four high-ranking Hagoromo Clan Elders arguing endlessly before him with a serious expression.
A fierce-looking man suddenly slammed his palm onto the table in front of Ryunosuke with a “bang,” demanding, “What else is there to hesitate about, Ryunosuke?”
Third Elder Jinchi, standing nearby, spoke up: “This is a serious matter, so it’s normal for Ryunosuke to have concerns.”
The man spun around abruptly, staring grimly at the Third Elder: “What concerns?
The Shimura and Sarutobi have already confirmed their alliance.
Two years ago, the Shimura Clan alone was enough to exhaust us.”
“Now that their two clans have allied, our elite forces haven’t recovered, and the new generation of Ninja are not up to the task.
Aside from accepting the Uchiha Clan’s request for an alliance, tell me, how do we win this war?”
Seeing the Third Elder remain silent, he looked at the man next to the Third Elder: “Are we relying on you?
Toranosuke?”
“Huh?” The man whose name was called seemed to have been interrupted from wandering in thought, completely confused: “I listen to my older brother.”
“Hmph!” Seeing Toranosuke’s reaction, the man looked back at Ryunosuke, who was sitting in the chair: “Are you planning to enter the battlefield yourself?”
Without waiting for Ryunosuke to reply, he continued to speak to himself: “If you enter the fray yourself, Sarutobi Sasuke and Shimura Musashi definitely won’t stand by and do nothing.”
“Those two aren’t just difficult; they’re extremely troublesome.
Do you have the confidence to defeat them?” A trace of helplessness flashed in the man’s eyes as he said this: “After all, Fourth Elder and I are already at our limit just dealing with Sarutobi Taro and Shimura Torini.”
“Or are you planning to have the First Elder join you on the battlefield?”
Hearing the man mention him, the First Elder, who had been standing in the corner, slightly opened his half-closed eyes.
The white-haired First Elder was nearly seventy years old, his face covered in age spots.
The few elders in their forties in the office looked like children standing before him.
Although the First Elder looked so frail he might stop breathing at any moment, having experienced three successions of Clan Heads, he was the tacitly acknowledged strongest person in the Hagoromo.
He had turned the tide multiple times, saving the Hagoromo Clan from disaster, and was a stabilizing force like a divine needle anchoring the sea.
Therefore, when they heard Eito say this, the expressions of the other three instantly changed, and Ryunosuke shouted angrily, “Enough, Eito!
What nonsense are you spouting?
“Heh heh, if this old body of mine can die for the Hagoromo Clan in the end, that would be a decent outcome,” the First Elder said, smiling dismissively.
“That’s not what I meant, First Elder—”
As Eito was about to explain further, the office door suddenly opened.
“Old man, this is bad—”
Seeing the strange atmosphere in the room, Ayato swallowed, realizing he seemed to have arrived at the wrong time.
“This is the excellent apprentice you trained, Ryunosuke.” Seeing Ayato rush in, Eito sneered: “He just barges into a confidential place like this?
Does he think this is a marketplace?”
This Second Elder usually looked down on Ayato, and their relationship had always been poor.
The reason for this was related to the Second Elder’s grandson.
Aside from the Hyuga Clan, which valued bloodline more than life itself, the succession of Clan Heads in most families in the Ninja World was determined by strength.
Whoever was stronger became the next Clan Head.
Although the Clan Head’s descendants were unlikely to be weak, the succession in most Ninja Clans ultimately went to the direct bloodline.
Still, everyone publicly adhered to the principle of strength supremacy.
For instance, Sarutobi Sasuke, who only recently took the position in the last few years, was previously a commoner of the Sarutobi Clan.
He rose to power relying solely on his absolute strength.
The Hagoromo Clan also employed a strength-based succession system, so the Second Elder had always hoped his grandson would inherit the position of Clan Head.
But his grandson’s talent was mediocre.
Even though he had sent his grandson to the front lines early, forcing him to fight between life and death day and night, his growth rate remained disappointing.
Therefore, he equally disliked the outstandingly talented Retsu and Ayato, as these two made it impossible for his grandson to ever become the Clan Head.
“I apologize, Second Elder, I will leave now.”
It was indeed wrong of him to barge into a meeting of high-ranking leaders, so Ayato apologized resolutely and prepared to leave.
“Since you’re already here, why don’t you tell Ryunosuke what you came to say?” The First Elder smiled kindly as he looked at Ayato.
Unlike the Second Elder Eito, the First Elder was very fond of this outstandingly talented junior.
“This…” Although the First Elder had spoken, Ayato looked hesitantly at Ryunosuke.
The Second Elder and Fourth Elder jointly managed all external combat affairs for the clan.
Considering his seniority, Ayato would soon be sent to the front lines.
Although he wasn’t afraid of Eito, it would be troublesome if his team members suffered retribution over such a small matter.
“Since the First Elder has spoken, go ahead and tell us.
We have a moment,” Ryunosuke said.
“Isn’t that right, Eito?”
“Hmph!” The Second Elder snorted coldly and turned his head away, indicating his agreement.
Having received confirmation, Ayato stopped stalling and quickly unsealed a scroll.
“Yuta?” The Second Elder exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the corpse on the ground.
“I remember he was supposed to be on the Eastern Front Battlefield. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
How did he die?”
“The Eastern Front Battlefield?
Why did you go there?” Hearing the Second Elder’s words, Ryunosuke looked at Ayato with a hint of reproach.
The so-called Eastern Front Battlefield was the battlefield against the Sarutobi Clan.
That location was about a hundred kilometers away from the clan village, and it would be impossible for a regular Ninja to go there unless they had received a mission.
Ryunosuke asked this because he was worried Ayato had recklessly entered the combat zone and might be in mortal danger.
“That’s the problem, old man.”
Ayato retrieved a small scroll from the corpse: “He was already dead when I found him at Naka River.
At the same time, I found this on him.”
Hearing this, Ryunosuke quickly took the scroll, read it rapidly, and then slammed his fist onto the table.
After taking several deep breaths to calm himself, he handed the scroll to the impatient Second Elder.
Within a few minutes, the scroll had passed through the hands of all the elders, and the office was terrifyingly silent.
After a long pause, the Second Elder gritted his teeth and said, “Yuta died trying to deliver this intelligence, Ryunosuke, you—”
He suddenly turned and looked at Ayato: “You did very well.
You don’t need to worry about what happens next.”
“Let him stay and listen,” the composed First Elder suddenly said, handing the scroll to Ayato.
“He’ll be involved eventually anyway, so consider this early experience.”
He’ll be involved eventually anyway?
The reactions of the people in the room varied upon hearing the First Elder’s statement.
Besides the Fourth Elder, all the Elders were gathered in this room.
They were discussing matters vital to the clan’s survival.
What did the First Elder mean by saying Ayato would be involved later?
Did he mean Ayato would become an Elder, or was he tacitly being groomed as the next Clan Head?
If it was the former, that was fine, but if it was the latter…
Thinking this, the Second Elder and Third Elder simultaneously looked up, their eyes fixed on Ayato with complex expressions.
Fifth Elder Toranosuke didn’t care about what others were thinking; he was the first to speak: “Big Brother, according to this intelligence, we have no choice now.
We can only ally with the Uchiha.”
“Exactly.
Damn the Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka Clans for daring to interfere in our affairs,” said the usually gentle Third Elder, now furious as he addressed the main point.
“How did they get mixed up with the Sarutobi Clan!”
The Second Elder’s face was so grim it looked like water was about to drip from it: “If we weren’t spread so thin right now, Fourth Elder and I would lead a team to slaughter those three clans completely!”
The First Elder’s expression was also exceptionally solemn: “It is precisely because we are spread thin right now that they dare to kick us while we’re down.”
Having finished reading the scroll, Ayato also clearly processed the information.