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No one spoke up to ask Yutaka to stay. It was his punishment, and no one wanted to risk getting involved by running their mouth.
Compared to the fate of the former Elder, the others were clearly more concerned about who would fill the empty Elder seat.
Sen stood up directly.
"Clan Head, Yutaka has been punished, but the three Elder positions are still vacant. We should decide on the candidates as soon as possible."
Tajima fell silent for a moment before waving his hand, gesturing for him to sit. He spoke indifferently,
" The matter of the Elders requires careful consideration. We will discuss it later."
Unlike the peak Jōnin eyeing the Elder seats, Tajima, as the Clan Head, had his own ideas. The three Elders of the clan held immense power; if they were united in their opinion, they could even overturn the Clan Head's decisions.
Since taking over the leadership, Tajima had been stonewalled by the Elders several times, holding quite a bit of resentment in his heart. This was exactly why he hadn't rushed to appoint new ones after the previous two were killed in the sneak attacks two years ago.
Now that he had finally managed to remove the last Elder and achieved true centralization of power, someone was actually jumping out to suggest appointing new ones? What a joke.
Of course, he knew he could delay it for a while, but not forever. The positions would have to be filled eventually—but he would drag it out for as long as possible.
Sen wanted to say more, but after receiving a sharp glare from Tajima, he forcefully swallowed his words. He sat down with a dissatisfied expression and said no more.
Tajima changed the subject and began issuing orders regarding the defense lines against the Senju and their stance toward other ninja clans. He distributed several urgent missions before his face turned grim.
"The Hyuga clan must pay the price. We must let the entire Warring States know the consequences of offending the clan."
All the ninjas present roared in agreement, clenching their fists with eyes burning with rage.
In the blood of the family, there flowed a natural, inexplicable arrogance. They looked down on other clans in the ninja world. Aside from their old rivals, the Senju, they viewed all other families as inferior, unworthy of even being their opponents.
Yet, it was precisely one of these "inferior" clans that had sneak-attacked them while they were fighting the Senju—and they had nearly succeeded. If not for the emergence of two monsters in the new generation, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
This was the ultimate provocation. They absolutely had to make the enemy pay in blood.
Just as their discussion was heating up, a black shadow leaped into the hall, landing beside Tajima. The figure handed him a secret report and vanished instantly.
Xuan frowned slightly. The person who had just entered had completely suppressed their presence. Dressed in a black bodysuit with their face covered, they looked like a traditional shadow ninja. They had ignored everyone in the room, delivered the letter to Tajima, and left immediately.
"That was one of Father's personal Shadow Guards. I saw them once by accident when passing his room. They usually don't appear in front of the clan members. It's strange that they acted so openly today," Madara whispered, seemingly noticing Xuan's confusion.
Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly. Shadow Guards? I've never heard of them before. It seems there are still many things about the clan that I don't know.
Tajima opened the report and read it silently. He knew his Shadow Guard wouldn't appear in public unless the situation was critical.
As he read, his expression darkened, and the anger in his eyes intensified. Finally, he slammed the report onto the table with a loud smack.
"Damn those Hyuga! They don't even care about their ancestors' honor! To survive, they actually did something this shameless!"
The crowd below, unsure of what had happened, looked at him in confusion.
Tajima roared,
"This is the latest intelligence from the front lines. The Hyuga clan has asked the Senju for aid. They have voluntarily become a Vassal Clan to the Senju! Pah! Utterly disgraceful. Truly an inferior clan."
The crowd was stunned. They never expected this kind of news.
One had to understand that being a Vassal and being an Ally were two completely different things. An alliance, regardless of who was stronger or weaker, was a treaty of equality; both parties held the same status.
But becoming a Vassal Clan was different. That was a complete submission. In the future, when the Clan Heads met, the Hyuga leader would have to bow his head. The clan would have to offer up a quarter of their mineral production and resources as tribute every year. Their status would be lower. Generally, unless a clan was at a complete dead end, no one would be willing to become a vassal to another.
The Hyuga were one of the few great clans of the Warring States period. Aside from the two titans—Uchiha and Senju—they were considered a first-rate powerhouse. For them to bow their heads to the Senju was something no one had imagined before today.
Instantly, the entire hall erupted into curses against the Hyuga. They have the nerve to call themselves possessors of one of the Three Great Dōjutsu? They are practically dragging down the clan's value by association! A clan like that isn't even fit to carry our shoes!
Xuan watched quietly. He had a clear understanding of his position: he was young and his rank was low. His words wouldn't carry much weight and would likely be ignored. In that case, it was better to remain silent. With the System in hand, it wouldn't take him many years to become a Kage-level powerhouse.
After mocking the Hyuga for a while, someone asked Tajima,
"Clan Head, what do we do now? Do we still declare war on the Hyuga?"
"Quiet!"
At Tajima's command, everyone shut their mouths and turned to look at him.
Tajima considered for a moment and said,
"We retreated in a hurry back then, which resulted in the loss of the Wind Rift Valley region. That area originally separated the Hyuga and the Senju. Now that the Senju have seized it, the territories of the two clans are connected. If we rashly attack the Hyuga now, the situation won't be optimistic... For now, we focus fully on defending against the Senju. Stabilize the situation first; it won't be too late to target the Hyuga later."
Following Tajima's words, the others bowed their heads in agreement.
Subsequently, Tajima stopped talking about the two rival clans and said,
"Now, let's talk about something happy. On the night of the Hyuga sneak attack, our clan produced two geniuses. They joined forces to kill an enemy Jōnin. Otherwise, the consequences would have been dire. Now, let us cheer for our two prodigies, Madara and Xuan!"
The group of Jōnin immediately parted ways, surrounding Madara and Xuan in the center and loudly praising them. Their praise was genuine; in the Warring States period, nothing was more joyous than the appearance of geniuses in the clan's next generation.
Xuan looked at them, trying his best to keep his expression flat, though he felt quite pleased internally. It never felt too bad to be praised.
Madara, on the other hand, lifted his head arrogantly, putting on a haughty expression.
"Alright. I now officially announce that Madara and Xuan are recognized as Special Jōnin of the clan. Each of you is rewarded with one A-Rank Ninjutsu. You may go to the Clan Archives later to learn them. I have already informed the Guardian Jōnin; you can enter directly," Tajima announced.
Xuan was delighted. He hadn't expected such a reward. He didn't care much about the title of Special Jōnin, but the clan's secret jutsu collection definitely held some good stuff.
Tajima added,
"Xuan, after you collect your Ninjutsu, take a trip to the Fujiwara Mines. Several groups of bandits have been restless there recently. Go and deal with them."
Xuan paused slightly, looking at Tajima's face, and nodded.