Several years passed in the blink of an eye. In the ninja world, the reputation of the Uchiha clan had already quietly changed course.
The Uchiha, who were once infamous and often intimidated others with the Sharingan, had now somehow become synonymous with a clan of benevolence and righteousness.
Clan leader Uchiha Katsu personally issued orders for the clan's ninja to frequently leave the clan territory and go to nearby villages to help ordinary civilians plow fields, sow seeds, and harvest wheat and rice, never asking for any payment.
He also took the initiative to set aside a century of grudges and sent envoys to visit the major ninja clans with letters of goodwill.
Even the long-time enemy, the Senju clan, had officially made peace with the Uchiha, and there were no longer any open hostilities between them.
Inside the territory of the Senju clan.
The young elder Senju Mio observed the transformation of the Uchiha and could not hide the admiration in her expression.
She could not help saying to the clansmen beside her, "Uchiha Katsu is kind by nature. He is definitely not someone who enjoys killing. Everything he has done is truly meant to lead the Uchiha toward a stable and good life."
Deep down, Senju Mio more or less viewed Uchiha Katsu through a favorable lens.
When the other Senju elders heard this, they all showed gentle expressions and agreed, saying they had no desire to continue entangling themselves with the Uchiha, whom they once considered "mad dogs."
They presented an attitude of being tired of war and longing for peace.
But this goodwill was only on the surface. The Senju clan had never truly put down their hostility.
They were merely using the ceasefire to accumulate strength, waiting for their vitality to recover before striking at the Uchiha again.
Meanwhile, inside the Uchiha clan's council hall.
Uchiha Katsu stood with his hands behind his back, his fingers lightly resting on the map spread out before him.
His scarlet Sharingan appeared calm and steady, yet his gaze was locked firmly on the region between the Minami Naka River and the Kita Naka River.
Outsiders all praised him as kind and benevolent, but none of this was the Uchiha clan sincerely turning over a new leaf.
Helping civilians, befriending ninja clans, making peace with the Senju... these were all disguises he had carefully woven, merely a strategy to hide his strength and quietly develop.
All the patience and concessions were only meant to gather enough power so that one day he could lead the Uchiha clan to seek broader territory in the ninja world.
Uchiha Katsu's finger slowly traced the river lines on the map.
"The Uchiha need a truly stable place to stand. And the Minami Naka River and the Kita Naka River are the best locations…"
"In the future, I will build the Uchiha clan's shrine there, the Naka Shrine."
Uchiha Katsu realized that the Uchiha needed land of their own as a true base in order to maintain the prosperity of the clan.
So he set his sights on the southern and northern Naka Rivers on the Senju side.
At present, the entire Uchiha clan had a total population of eight thousand people. Their strength was powerful enough for a decisive battle.
This number already rivaled the Uzumaki and Senju.
They were unquestionably a major clan.
Although the Uchiha could fight head-on, Uchiha Katsu still wanted to reduce battle losses to the lowest possible level.
"Next, I will lead the Uchiha to shift from defense to offense!"
"Whether we end up disgracing ourselves or seeing the flames of the Uchiha rise, it will be decided in the next few days…"
"Someone!", Uchiha Katsu called out calmly.
The next second, a Uchiha ninja knelt on one knee at Katsu's feet.
"Next, announce to the outside world that I was assassinated. Say that assassins from the underground bounty exchange killed me…"
———
A few days later, shocking news like a bolt of thunder suddenly spread from the Uchiha clan territory across the entire ninja world.
Clan leader Uchiha Katsu had unfortunately been assassinated.
As soon as the news came out, it instantly caused an enormous uproar throughout the ninja world, shocking all sides.
The major ninja clans sighed in regret and issued statements of sorrow. Everyone said that good people never lived long.
The clan leader who had changed the Uchiha's fierce reputation and treated others with kindness had died so young.
The ninja world, which had gradually become calmer thanks to Uchiha Katsu's goodwill, was now covered in a layer of sorrow because of this sudden death.
Among all the clans, the Senju clan was the most shaken.
Inside the Senju clan's elders' council hall, the elders all showed complicated expressions after hearing the news of Uchiha Katsu's death. For a moment, the atmosphere in the hall froze.
After a short while, noisy discussions erupted one after another. Their emotions were mixed with clear feelings of regret and relief.
The regret was for the benevolent leader who had sincerely tried to guide the Uchiha toward kindness and peace with the other clans, only to meet such an early death.
The relief was that with Uchiha Katsu dead, the Senju clan had lost their most troublesome enemy. If they later turned hostile and attacked the Uchiha, it would certainly be several times easier.
As emotions surged, the elders immediately began fiercely arguing about whether they should attack the Uchiha clan at once.
"I think we should strike while the Uchiha are weak and finish them off! Launch a ninja clan attack immediately!"
"I don't think that's acceptable. Uchiha Katsu just died. If we attack right now, it would look extremely ugly. Our Senju clan was founded on the principle of love!"
"Oh come on! Why talk about love or not? I think we should just kill them!"
"No, no. The Uchiha will definitely be on strict guard during the mourning period."
Some slammed the table in agreement, saying the Uchiha were now leaderless and it was the perfect chance to crush them in one move.
Others frowned deeply and firmly opposed it, believing that attacking during a funeral would bring criticism from the entire ninja world and would not be worth it.
While both sides argued without end, an elder with a hesitant expression slowly stood up, looked around at everyone, and spoke in a deep voice.
"Everyone, even if the opportunity is good, if we attack the Uchiha now, the dove faction's Elder Mio will definitely not agree!"
As soon as the elders heard the name Senju Mio, their expressions immediately changed.
Within the Senju clan, the dove faction now held the upper hand.
And Senju Mio was unquestionably the strongest combat force in the Senju clan today. Her stance could directly influence any decision of the council of elders.
Just when the atmosphere in the hall became extremely tense, the heavy wooden doors suddenly burst open with a loud bang.
Senju Mio walked in slowly.
She was no longer the inexperienced girl she once had been.
She wore the Senju clan's standard black armor. The shoulder plates were decorated with cold metallic patterns.
Her posture was straight like a pine tree, her brows sharp and heroic, fully displaying the powerful presence of a top Senju ninja.
But at this moment, there were still tear marks on her face. The corners of her eyes were red, and even the tip of her nose was slightly flushed. It was obvious that she had just cried hard.
It was only human nature. She had once shared genuine feelings with Uchiha Katsu. Now that the man she loved had suddenly died, that grief could not be hidden.
Senju Mio suppressed the choking in her throat and spoke in a hoarse voice.
"The Uchiha clan just sent a handwritten letter. It says that before Uchiha Katsu died, he left a final wish. The only thing he hoped for was that I would personally come to the Uchiha clan territory and attend his funeral."
As soon as these words were spoken, the elders in the council hall exploded into alarm, each showing wary expressions.
The death of the Uchiha clan leader inviting another clan's leader to attend the funeral?
This was completely unbelievable.
It would be the first time the Senju attended a Uchiha funeral.
"Absolutely not! There must be a trap!"
"The Uchiha have always been difficult to read. Now that their clan leader suddenly died, this might be a trap to lure you in!"
"We can just send a few elders to attend the funeral in your place. You must not personally put yourself in danger!"
"No!"
Senju Mio immediately refused in a sharp voice. Her eyes carried a stubbornness and sorrow that others could not understand.
Senju Mio believed that this was Katsu's sincere final wish. Before he left, he still could not let go of her…
These elders had their minds full of clan politics and calculations of benefit. How could they possibly understand the feelings hidden beneath the hatred between their clans?
Seeing that Senju Mio insisted on going personally, the elders exchanged glances and quickly made their calculations.
Uchiha Katsu was already dead. In the entire ninja world, there was no longer anyone who could truly threaten the Senju clan. Even if the Uchiha tried something, they would not be able to cause much trouble.
After weighing it for a moment, they finally nodded and agreed to Senju Mio's request.