Hyūga Tennin remained utterly impassive. He hadn't actually expected such a meager offering to move Uchiha Tajima. This was a negotiation, after all. You always started with a lowball offer and slowly haggled your way up.
"I do not know what the Uchiha clan truly desires. But harmony is the most precious thing of all. Surely, everything is open to discussion," Tennin said calmly.
Tajima sneered. "'Harmony is the most precious thing'? Why didn't you say that when you launched a sneak attack on our compound? Why didn't you say that when you ambushed our clan's genius right on our doorstep? Now you want to talk about harmony? What an absolute joke."
Tennin's expression still didn't change. "That was a misunderstanding. The Senju were pulling the strings from the shadows the entire time. We are victims in this as well." Without missing a beat, he shoved all the blame onto the Senju. The Senju weren't here to defend themselves anyway; it would be a waste not to use such a perfect scapegoat.
"Hmph. If that is your stance, then we have nothing left to discuss." Tajima snorted coldly, clearly dissatisfied with the other party's attitude.
Tennin kept his face composed, but secretly clenched his fists. He desperately wanted to unleash a full Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms right into the man's chest. Unfortunately, beggars couldn't be choosers. The Hyūga clan simply couldn't afford to drag this out any longer.
"Twenty million ryō, five S-rank Ninjutsu scrolls, two hundred thousand kunai, two million paper bombs, and two million catties of copper." Tennin doubled his previous offer.
A hint of amusement flashed in Tajima's eyes. Suddenly, he stated, "One hundred million ryō. Thirty S-rank Ninjutsu. One million kunai. Ten million paper bombs. Ten million catties of copper. Furthermore, we want one hundred thousand full sets of matching shinobi gear and armor. Oh, and you will hand over the mastermind behind that little ambush—that little girl."
"What?!" Tennin was genuinely shocked. These demands vastly exceeded the absolute maximum limit of what the Hyūga clan could pay. Moreover, handing over Hyūga Tamamo was fundamentally impossible. Putting everything else aside, her status as a member of the Main Branch alone meant she could never be surrendered.
Smack! Tennin slammed his palm onto the desk, his anger flaring. "Clan Head Uchiha, I came here to negotiate, not to be played for a fool! I hope you understand that."
Tajima mocked him openly. "Negotiate? Negotiations only happen when both sides are on equal footing. Does the Hyūga clan possess that kind of strength right now?"
Tennin stood up, glaring coldly at Tajima. His chakra began circulating violently through his tenketsu, instantly throwing the airflow in the tent into chaos. "The Hyūga clan may not be the absolute strongest in the Warring States, but anyone who tries to force us into a corner had better weigh the consequences carefully. If the fish dies, the net tears. We are more than confident in our ability to drag you down with us."
"Is that so?" Tajima also stood up. A terrifying, boundless chakra swelled within him, hidden but ready to detonate. The atmosphere in the tent became suffocatingly oppressive. His eyes had already shifted into a blood-red hue, the three tomoe spinning sharply within.
Tennin stared directly into those demonic eyes, refusing to yield a single inch. His aura continued to climb, dropping the temperature in the room so drastically that frost practically condensed in the air.
The two Kage-level powerhouses locked horns, neither willing to show the slightest hint of weakness. Suddenly, the three tomoe in Tajima's eyes spun in unison. Tennin let out a muffled groan, but quickly followed it with a cold sneer.
"Genjutsu? I anticipated this before I even arrived. I used a sealing jutsu to seal a portion of our Grand Elder's chakra inside my own body. While it will only last for a single day, I can effortlessly shatter your illusions at any moment."
Tajima remained silent. A moment later, he suddenly chuckled. The three tomoe faded from his eyes, and he completely retracted his oppressive aura. "Truthfully, you only need to agree to give us one specific thing, publicly renounce your vassalage to the Senju, and seal yourselves away from the shinobi world for ten years. If you agree, we will withdraw our army immediately."
"What thing?" Tennin asked, a deep sense of foreboding blooming in his chest.
"The Xindong Mine," Tajima stated flatly.
Tennin's pure white pupils shrank slightly. "Clan Head Uchiha," he gritted out, "do not be too greedy. Forcing us into a dead end benefits no one."
Among the various resources in the Warring States Era, the next generation of youth ranked first. Ninjutsu heritage ranked second. Following that were material resources. But there was one material even more precious than food: mineral veins. Mines provided the raw materials to forge weapons and ninja tools—they were the literal synthesis of military might and economic wealth, serving as the pillar of any clan's industry. The primary reason the Uchiha clan possessed such staggering wealth was because they controlled three major mines within their territory.
The "Xindong Mine" was a massive copper mine located within Hyūga territory. It was the only operational mine the Hyūga clan controlled; it was, quite literally, their financial lifeblood.
"Am I the one forcing you into a dead end?" Tajima countered. His aggressive attitude from earlier had vanished entirely, replaced by an unnerving, lukewarm calm.
Tennin agonized internally. The Xindong Mine was their lifeline; seventy percent of the clan's finances relied on that single copper vein. But right now, every extra day they held out dragged the clan deeper into hell. The Jōnin and Elite Jōnin could endure starvation for a while, but the children couldn't. Without food, children were collapsing every single day. They were the future hope of the Hyūga clan.
Resources can be found again. The mountain isn't going anywhere. As long as the Hyūga clan survives, there will always be hope of taking it back.
"Fine. I agree. You withdraw your troops tomorrow, and the Xindong Mine will belong to the Uchiha." Tennin's heart bled as the words left his mouth.
Tajima threw his head back and laughed heartily. "Excellent! Why didn't you just say so earlier? The Hyūga truly are a major clan of the Warring States. What spectacular resolve!"
Tennin shook his head, a complex, bitter taste filling his mouth. He sighed. "Both the Senju and I severely underestimated you. You were playing a terrifyingly massive game of shogi this entire time. You completely abandoned your northern and southern borders just to wage this war. While our Xindong Mine was certainly one of your objectives, I fear it wasn't your true goal. Your true objective all along... was the Kazama River Valley."
Tajima's eyes immediately turned ice-cold. "Hyūga Tennin, you shouldn't speak such baseless nonsense. I am here purely to enact revenge for your two prior transgressions against my clan."
Tennin just shook his head. "I won't tell the Senju. Their actions this time have chilled my heart to the core. Though if I were Senju Butsuma, I likely would have done the exact same thing. But they didn't expect you to seize this golden opportunity so flawlessly. Tomorrow, after you 'withdraw' your army, you're going to march straight for the Kazama River. The Senju won't be able to react in time. It is practically guaranteed that the Kazama River Valley will fall back into Uchiha hands. Well played. Well played indeed."
Tajima stared at him for a few seconds before smiling. "So, will the Hyūga try to launch another sneak attack on us like last time?"
Tennin sighed softly, looking as though he had aged ten years in an instant. "The Hyūga clan honors its word. We will seal our borders for ten years. But there is one thing I still cannot figure out. How exactly did you convince the Kaguya clan? If they hadn't suddenly gone mad and invaded the Senju coast, your defensive line at the Kazama River would have been torn to shreds long ago—even with you sacrificing your northern and southern borders to reinforce it."
Tajima replied with chilling nonchalance, "It was nothing much. I simply promised to gift them one of our clan's operational mines. A copper mine."
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