Hyūga Tennin cursed a few more times under his breath. Rubbing his throbbing temples in frustration, he waved his hand to officially dismiss the war council.
Once the elders filed out, he stood up and retreated to his private quarters in the rear estate.
Upon entering his room, he let out a long, heavy sigh. His face was lined with utter exhaustion as he sank onto a luxurious velvet rug, burying his face in his hands in absolute silence.
"Father, please have some tea. Don't stress yourself to the point of illness."
An eight-year-old girl dressed in pristine white robes quietly approached. She gently set a cup of freshly brewed, strong tea on the low table in front of him.
"Ah, Tamamo. Sigh." Tennin lifted his head. Seeing his daughter, his stern expression softened. He picked up the teacup and downed the bitter brew in a single gulp.
"I'm sorry, Father. It's all because I acted so recklessly last time that things have escalated to this point," Hyūga Tamamo said, biting her lower lip in deep remorse.
Tennin shook his head and let out a long breath. "Do not blame yourself. The blood feud between us was sealed the moment we ambushed the Uchiha compound. Whether you participated in the encirclement of Uchiha Xuan or not, they would have declared war eventually. It was only a matter of time. Right now, the only ones I am truly furious with are the Senju."
"Father, do you mean... the Senju are doing this on purpose?"
Tennin stood up and scoffed coldly. "Hmph. Given the sheer military might of the Senju clan, if they truly wanted to rescue us, do you really think a mere strike force led by Uchiha Tō could stop them?!"
"But haven't we already sworn fealty to them as a vassal clan? What benefit does abandoning us bring them? It will only allow the Uchiha to act even more arrogantly."
Tennin shook his head slowly. "Tamamo, you are naturally brilliant, and your comprehension of Ninjutsu is highly unique. But there are some things in this world that can only be understood through years of bitter experience. A 'vassal clan'... Heh. We Hyūga possess our own Kekkei Genkai, our own ancient legacy, our own sovereign territory, and a military force that ranks at the very pinnacle of the Warring States. Tell me, with that kind of immense power, if we choose to call them our masters today, we are their vassal. But if we decide we no longer wish to serve them tomorrow... what exactly are they to us?"
Tamamo looked thoughtful. "But if that's true, aren't they afraid of the Uchiha growing too powerful if we fall?"
Tennin chuckled mockingly. "That is precisely why they mobilized their army. Senju Rakan is currently sitting at the Kazama River, staring at Uchiha Tō and 'fishing.' It is nothing more than a calculated deterrence. Whenever the Senju feel like it, they can instantly add their chips to the table and crush the Uchiha vanguard. Furthermore, the Senju know exactly how resilient our clan is. With the Uchiha's current strength, unless they mobilize every single man, woman, and child in their clan, wiping us out is practically impossible.
"Tamamo, you belong to the Main Branch of the Hyūga. There are harsh truths you must learn to see clearly. The Warring States Era is a world where only the size of your fist matters. Why are the Senju so fearless? Because their fists are massive. Why can the Uchiha act so ruthlessly? Because their fists are equally massive. Today's enemy is not necessarily tomorrow's foe. In this world, if the profit is high enough, the man who murdered your father can become your closest ally. By the same token, blood brothers will slaughter each other for a large enough piece of meat.
"The Hyūga are in this precarious situation because we are merely a lone wolf that mistakenly intervened in a death match between two starving tigers. A snake trying to swallow an elephant out of sheer greed... But it doesn't matter. We have enough food reserves to last half a year. The Uchiha are fighting a two-front war. The final outcome has yet to be written."
Tennin strode toward the door and threw it open. His footsteps were firm and powerful, having buried all his anxieties and frustrations deep within his heart.
Tamamo watched her father's retreating back, his silhouette radiating a dazzling, unyielding light under the sun.
"Guards! Relay my orders! All internal clan affairs are to be immediately handed over to Grand Elder Shinsō for arbitration. I am personally taking command at the front lines!"
The massive three-clan war, which had only ceased a few months prior, had been violently reignited by the Uchiha. The battlefield was already a raging inferno of blood and steel. The Uchiha had invested heavily this time, even recalling their two Kage-level commanders stationed at the northern and southern borders to lead the vanguard.
Uchiha Tajima remained at the main compound, acting as the grand strategist. He received the latest battle reports daily, monitoring the shifting tides of the frontlines to dispatch reinforcements as needed. Beyond the Hyūga front, he also had to keep a strict eye on the borders—especially the territory bordering the Fūma, Aburame, and Chiba clans. If a conflict suddenly erupted there, Uchiha Yutaka might not be able to handle it alone.
However, none of this suffocating, continent-spanning tension affected Uchiha Xuan in the slightest.
In fact, his days were incredibly comfortable right now. There were several reasons for this, but the primary one was that he had finally moved out.
In this life, he had been adopted by Uchiha Tajima and given a small house within the Clan Head's estate. While it was spacious enough, living under Tajima's roof had always given Xuan a stifling sense of claustrophobia. This feeling had only magnified after Tajima's brutal interrogation and subsequent loss of trust.
So, Xuan took the 80,000 ryō bounty he had earned from butchering the Blood Ninja and bought his own private estate.
The previous owner of the manor had been an elderly Uchiha veteran who had peacefully passed away in his sleep. In the brutal Warring States Era, dying of old age in a warm bed was an incredibly profound achievement. Strength was secondary; to survive that long required absolute, heaven-defying luck. Consequently, Xuan firmly believed the estate had immaculate Feng Shui and insisted on buying it.
It cost him a staggering 50,000 ryō—a blatantly exorbitant price—but Xuan felt every single coin was worth it.
Currently, he was lounging on the second floor of a beautiful wooden pavilion within his new courtyard. It was a highly atmospheric structure named the "Wind and Rain Pavilion," meant for listening to the elements in peace.
The weather at the end of March was peak perfection. The courtyard was filled with cherry blossom trees in full bloom, their delicate pink petals drifting beautifully on the spring breeze.
In front of Xuan sat a premium red sandalwood table, laden with various fresh fruits, exquisite pastries, and a small porcelain bottle of sake.
Sitting directly across from him, looking incredibly irritable with his own cup of sake, was an eight-year-old Uchiha Madara.
Ever since Xuan moved into this luxurious manor, Madara had visited several times. The more he saw of Xuan's massive estate, the more his own quarters felt like a cramped closet. Unfortunately, Madara didn't have 50,000 ryō lying around to buy his own mansion. Consequently, he ended up running over to Xuan's house every other day—a habit that only grew worse after he tasted the little maid's phenomenal cooking.
Of course, every time he visited, he always brought up the exact same topic. Just like right now.
"What exactly is it going to take for you to come to the battlefield with me?" Madara asked, his face clouded in utter gloom as he downed his cup of sake in one shot.
Xuan casually tossed a roasted pine nut into his mouth. He was completely immune to this line of questioning by now. Over the past seven days, he had lost count of how many times Madara had asked him this.
"Fighting and killing all day long... it completely ruins the harmony of the world," Xuan sighed theatrically. "Look at these cherry blossoms falling in the courtyard. It's the absolute perfect season for flower viewing. The battlefield is such an eyesore. How could it possibly compare to the comfort of drinking sake under the falling petals? Besides, why do you keep trying to drag me along? If you want to go so badly, just sneak out and go. It's not like I'm tying you to a chair."
Madara choked on his retort, his face flushing with irritation. Refusing to speak, he aggressively stuffed a pastry into his mouth and chewed angrily.
Xuan just chuckled softly. Watching the pink petals dance on the wind, he let out a satisfied sigh.
"Now this is living."
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