When Hashirama had proposed the alliance, Sarutobi Furukawa had been somewhat taken aback, but he quickly understood the reasoning behind the Senju's actions. What followed, however, was Shimura Keizo—an ambitious man who dreamed of his two clans replacing the Senju and Uchiha—immediately rejecting the proposal.
This left the Senju brothers baffled. They could both see that the current war situation was clearly unfavorable for the Sarutobi and Shimura. Although no clan in this era wanted to get dragged into the mess between the Uchiha and Senju, their clans were facing a crisis. Shimura Keizo shouldn't have refused so decisively.
Moreover, Hashirama's proposal wasn't for the Sarutobi and Shimura to become vassals of the Senju, like the four clans in the northwest. It was merely a temporary alliance. The Senju primarily wanted to use this opportunity to stab the Uchiha in the back. Of course, Hashirama himself had never wanted to violate the truce the two clans had signed a year ago. But he wanted to win the support of the great Sarutobi and Shimura clans. This would give him a foothold for his dream of building a village where all ninja clans could coexist.
With Shimura Keizo's refusal, Hashirama turned his focus to Sarutobi Furukawa, trying his utmost to persuade him.
In the end, Sarutobi Furukawa's answer was also a rejection.
If not for his clans' current lack of strength, Shimura Keizo would have been tempted to imitate Uchiha Izuna's move from a year ago—capturing Senju Tobirama to blackmail the Senju—and seize the two brothers to extort a hefty price from their clan. But as it stood, he didn't have the power to risk offending the Senju. He could only let the two of them walk out the front gate.
After leaving the Sarutobi and Shimura clan grounds, a conflicted Senju Hashirama turned to his brother. "Tobirama, was I not sincere enough just now?"
Tobirama shot his older brother a cold look that screamed, *You're hopeless.*
*How could that be the reason?* Shimura Keizo and Sarutobi Furukawa's swift rejection came down to one thing: self-interest.
What they thought was a sure thing had ended in complete failure. This left the two brothers—the future First and Second Hokage of Konoha—feeling disheartened.
"It can't be helped. For now, we must return and consult with Clan Head Yuma and the others. The Uzumaki have maintained friendly relations with the Senju for a century; there shouldn't be any problems there," Tobirama said.
Hashirama sighed heavily. "Hah... I suppose that's our only option."
***
"The Uchiha withdrew their army?"
After a nearly week-long journey back to their clan grounds, Senju Hashirama heard the news and instantly understood why Shimura Keizo and Sarutobi Furukawa had rejected his offer of alliance without a moment's hesitation. By the time he and Tobirama had arrived at the Sarutobi and Shimura compound, the Uchiha had already pulled back.
The Senju's entire strategy had been to leverage the fact that the Sarutobi and Shimura were under constant attack by the Uchiha to propose an alliance. Now that the main enemy had withdrawn, they naturally had no reason to accept. Sarutobi Furukawa aside, that old fox Shimura Keizo was single-mindedly focused on surpassing the Uchiha and the Senju.
Not only that, but Senju Yuma, who had returned from the Land of Whirlpools, reported his encounter with Uchiha Izuna. He had witnessed them battling a Tailed Beast, saw two of his own Jonin killed, and learned that Uzumaki Mito—Hashirama's betrothed—had been captured.
This series of events was laid bare during the Senju clan meeting.
Uchiha Izuna had trespassed into the territory of the Uzumaki, an allied clan of the Senju. This was a clear violation of the truce agreement, not to mention the fact that he had killed two of their Jonin.
In an instant, the entire Senju leadership was consumed with rage. They all declared that since the Uchiha had been unjust, they shouldn't blame the Senju for being unrighteous. Since things had come to this, they might as well declare war on the Uchiha directly. The Uchiha had been the first to violate the agreement; they were the ones in the wrong.
Seated in the Vice-Clan Head's chair, Senju Hashirama looked extremely awkward. Within the Senju clan, he was the strongest advocate for maintaining the truce with the Uchiha.
However, just as Hashirama was about to stand and try to calm his furious clansmen, a scout brought back another piece of news.
The Uchiha had sent a message to the Senju demanding an explanation. Senju Hashirama had trespassed into the territory of the Sarutobi and Shimura clans—enemies of the Uchiha—in an attempt to form an alliance. This was a violation of the truce.
Therefore, the Uchiha demanded an answer from the Senju.
When this news broke, every member of the Senju leadership felt an urge to cough up blood. Their Vice-Clan Head had been the one to first go to the Land of Whirlpools and violate the treaty. Now he was turning the tables, accusing the Senju's Vice-Clan Head of breaking the agreement.
What a classic case of the villain crying foul first!
Senju Yuma's face was terrifyingly dark. He turned to Tobirama. "Tobirama, were your movements leaked?"
Tobirama's brow furrowed in deep thought. After a long moment, he spoke in a cold voice. "Hmph! It's another one of Uchiha Izuna's tricks!"
At the mention of that name, everyone in the room grew solemn. A year ago, it was this same Uchiha Izuna who had dealt them a major setback, forcing the Senju and Uchiha into a truce.
"What is going on? Tobirama, what does this have to do with Uchiha Izuna?" Senju Yuma asked, confused.
Tobirama explained, "That cunning bastard, Izuna, went to the Land of Whirlpools for his own purposes. But he was unexpectedly discovered by you, Clan Head Yuma. After escaping, he knew full well he had violated the treaty. So he turned the situation to his advantage, using my brother's attempt to ally with the Sarutobi and Shimura to frame us, claiming we Senju violated the treaty first."
Senju Buken frowned. "But how did he know that the Vice-Clan Head and you, Tobirama, went to see Sarutobi Furukawa and the others?"
Tobirama crossed his arms, a cold smirk on his face. "Hmph! As much as I hate to admit it, the man is a brilliant strategist. He captured Uzumaki Mito and must have interrogated her, deducing our plan from what he learned. As for the Uchiha's sudden withdrawal last week, that was most likely his doing as well. Uchiha Izuna knew that if the Uchiha army pulled back, the Sarutobi and Shimura would never ally with us. Hmph! A brilliant scheme!"
After hearing Tobirama's explanation, everyone present couldn't help but gasp. If Tobirama's analysis was correct, just how deep did Uchiha Izuna's strategic thinking run?
One of the clan's top Jonin spoke up. "So, how do we respond to the Uchiha?"
"What's there to say to those bastards who cry foul first?"
"We should mobilize our forces and attack immediately!"
"Yes, we should have done this a year ago!"
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