Masashi carefully held Ayato, as if the person in his arms were a fragile item.
He stood up and glanced at Madara, who was standing dumbfounded, and a surge of anger rose in his heart.
It was to protect this Uchiha that Ayato suffered such severe injuries, right?
Although he desperately wanted to kill the Uchiha standing before him, there were more important matters at hand.
He forcefully suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice, “Move.”
Madara was currently consumed by deep self-reproach.
Hearing Ayato’s clansman reprimand him in an unfriendly tone, he clenched his fists so hard that his fingernails dug into his flesh without him noticing, merely turning sideways awkwardly to let them pass.
Watching Masashi carry Ayato away, Madara instinctively asked, “Where are you taking him?”
Predictably, he received no answer.
Madara gritted his teeth and continued, “If you’re going for treatment, why don’t you come with me to the Uchiha Clan Compound?”
Although the man was Ayato’s clansman, Madara was still worried about Ayato’s condition: “Given Ayato’s state, you can only rush him to the Hagoromo Clan’s frontline camp, right?”
“In the same amount of time, you’d be better off following me to the Uchiha Clan.
The distance is similar to your camp, and we have better medical facilities.”
Masashi stopped upon hearing this.
He was indeed planning to take Ayato to the frontline Wartime Camp, because Ayato’s current physical condition meant he couldn’t possibly survive the trip back to their clan village.
But the medical conditions at the camp…
Masashi couldn’t help but frown, thinking of the Medical Ninja and wounded he had seen there over the past few months.
He lowered his gaze to the person in his arms.
Ayato’s heartbeat and pulse were so weak Masashi could barely sense them, and his body was ice cold, devoid of any warmth.
Going to the Uchiha Clan was indeed a better choice, but—He turned around, staring coldly at Madara, and said in a chilling voice, “Why should I trust you?
We haven’t officially formed an alliance yet, and the Uchiha have no reason to waste medical resources.”
The Sengoku Era was nothing like later generations; Medical Ninja were always scarce talents among the various Ninja Clans of this time.
Not to mention the quality of their techniques, many Minor Ninja Clans didn’t have Medical Ninja at all, relying solely on ordinary doctors to treat the wounded.
The lack of proper medical care after injuries was one reason why the average lifespan of Ninja during the Sengoku Era was very short.
Madara knew the man in front of him was swayed, so he immediately threw caution to the wind, quickly stripped off his upper clothes, and turned his back to Masashi:
“You still have exploding tags, right?
Stick them on me!
If I deceive you, you can detonate the exploding tags.”
Masashi was stunned by the actions of this Uchiha ‘Hedgehog Head’. Find the original chapter at g.com.
Are there Uchiha who value loyalty and righteousness?
Weren’t the Uchiha generally described as a group of ruthless Combat Fanatics?
What was with this ‘Hedgehog Head’ who was now offering his life as collateral?
The person behind him remained motionless for a long time.
Madara thought Masashi didn’t trust his standing within the Uchiha Clan, so he whispered:
“My father, Uchiha Tajima, is the Clan Leader of the Uchiha Clan.
If you threaten them with my life, the Uchiha will agree to any demand.”
“Don’t hesitate any longer.
Every second we delay increases Ayato’s danger.” Madara looked anxiously at the unconscious Ayato in Masashi’s arms: “Don’t worry about me, I—”
Before Madara could finish speaking, Masashi raised his hand and stuck an exploding tag onto Madara’s back: “Lead the way.”
“Uh—” Masashi’s decisive action made Madara swallow the rest of his words.
He quickly put his shirt back on and muttered, “Follow me.”
The next day, at the Sarutobi Clan Compound, Clan Leader’s Residence.
“A bunch of useless trash!
You can’t even handle a simple task like this!”
Several Ninja knelt with their heads bowed before Shimura Musashi and Sarutobi Sasuke, not daring to breathe loudly.
Shimura Musashi stared at the scattered corpses before him, his face so grim it looked like it might drip water: “Sasuke, didn’t you say you deployed Sarutobi Taro?
How could the assassination still fail?”
Sarutobi Sasuke looked utterly pained as he performed a Release Technique on an unopened scroll: “Sarutobi Taro is right here!”
Sarutobi Sasuke’s heart was bleeding.
Sarutobi Taro was one of the clan’s top Experts, and he had died in vain during this Assassination Mission.
Not only would the pressure on the frontline battlefield increase, but the weakened Sarutobi Clan would likely be subservient to the Shimura Clan within the alliance from now on.
Thinking of this, Sarutobi Sasuke was instantly filled with resentment, and he spoke to Shimura Musashi in an unkind tone: “I told you long ago to dispatch one of your Elite Ninja, but you refused to listen.
Are the Uchiha easy to provoke?”
Shimura Musashi, standing beside him, looked at Sarutobi Taro’s mutilated corpse, severed into two halves, and a flicker of joy flashed in his eyes.
He hadn’t actually expected this seemingly surefire mission to fail, but fortunately, he had used the excuse of tight Frontline Fighting to avoid sending out his clan’s elites.
Although the Assassination Mission failed this time, Sarutobi Taro’s death was equivalent to severing the Sarutobi Clan’s arm. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
In future “cooperation,” Sasuke should be more inclined to follow his suggestions.
However, stabilizing his friend’s emotions was more important right now.
Shimura Musashi calmly poured Sarutobi Sasuke a cup of tea and gently soothed him: “This was indeed my lack of foresight.”
“But you know my situation, and Shimura Torini’s strength is still somewhat inferior compared to that Old Man Hagoromo Eito, so he really couldn’t be spared.”
Shimura Musashi subtly glanced at the empty space behind Sarutobi Sasuke: “You still have Morinosuke now that Taro-san is gone.
If Torini meets with an accident, the Shimura Clan would be left with only me.”
He deliberately understated the strength of the Shimura Clan, and his words subtly implied that the Sarutobi Clan should take the lead among the two clans.
Hearing Musashi’s display of weakness, Sarutobi Sasuke felt much better internally, though his anger did not subside externally: “Then what do you propose we do now?”
“They were only considering an alliance before, but now that we’ve interfered, the Uchiha will likely attack even if they don’t ally.”
Hearing Sarutobi Sasuke’s words, Shimura Musashi’s expression also became solemn.
He lowered his head in thought for a moment, then a flash of inspiration suddenly struck him.
He glanced deeply at Sarutobi Sasuke and said, “Don’t panic, Sasuke.
Remember when I mentioned seeking refuge with the Senju Clan?”
“Are you suggesting we seek refuge now?”
“That’s right.
Although seeking refuge with the Senju now, without having achieved any merit, means our two clans might not receive the status we previously anticipated.”
Shimura Musashi paused here and let out a long sigh: “But if we don’t seek refuge soon, I fear we won’t be able to withstand the Uchiha’s wrath.”
Hearing this, Sarutobi Sasuke’s expression fluctuated between dark and light for a long time before he finally whispered, “Alright, I will immediately send someone to the Senju Clan to request an alliance.”
“No, Sasuke.
Your Sarutobi Clan is too close to the Uchiha and Hagoromo Clans.
Drawing people away now would make it even harder to resist the attacks from those two clans.”
Hearing that Sarutobi Sasuke planned to send people to the Senju Clan, Shimura Musashi quickly spoke up to stop him: “Let me handle this matter.
I will finalize it quickly and request the Senju Clan Leader to send people over to help.”
Sarutobi Sasuke did not doubt Shimura Musashi’s words and nodded solemnly: “Then I’ll leave it to you, Musashi.”
Shimura Musashi gave Sarutobi Sasuke a reassuring look and left Sarutobi Sasuke’s residence with his subordinates.