"…my sister stayed with the Uchiha clan…"
"…Lord Madara said…"
…
Aburame Aoi held her breath, picked up her pen again, and shakily wrote the words "that girl," then pointed to the "Uchiha clan" she had just written.
Tamayo Nara had stayed on the Senju clan's Hot Spring Street long enough that she thought the girl Senju Wakama liked would be a member of the Senju clan itself.
After all, the Senju clan now consisted of handsome men and beautiful women on average; not only were they beautiful in appearance and well-proportioned in physique, but they were also elegant, learned, and reserved in nature, truly capable of driving those who hadn't seen much of the world into a frenzy.
In such circumstances, it was normal for Senju Wakama to look down on outsiders.
But… Tamayo Nara could never have imagined that the girl Senju Wakama was hiding was actually from the Uchiha clan, the sworn enemy of the Senju clan.
Moreover, listening to their conversation.
The Uchiha clan and the Senju clan did not seem as unfriendly as they appeared on the surface.
That terrifying Senju Princess had stayed with the Uchiha clan for some time.
Could the Uchiha clan truly resist her?
And, listening to the conversation between Senju Wakama and Uchiha Yuki, could it be that their two clans… were just… feigning conflict?
What if the Senju clan and the Uchiha clan were enemies on the surface, but actually working together!
Aburame Aoi and Tamayo Nara exchanged glances; both seemed to have reached the same conclusion.
Aburame Aoi silently recalled her insects, then gestured to Tamayo Nara to stop watching and quickly clear out with her.
The two didn't dally, silently leaving the forest.
Before leaving, Aburame Aoi thoughtfully re-covered the hole with dry grass.
After layering thick dry grass and dead leaves, Aburame Aoi and Tamayo Nara worked together to cover it with the small mound of earth the insect swarm had just excavated.
Walking side-by-side, they fled far away, only slowing their pace once the Senju clan's new territory was visible in the distance.
"You're thinking what I'm thinking, aren't you?"
Aburame Aoi said eerily, "Those two clans… are pretending to be enemies."
Tamayo Nara frowned, "That remains to be verified."
"Hmph…" Aburame Aoi sneered, "We'll know just by checking the casualty figures for these two clans over the past few months."
There was no need to check at all.
Because during the clan conflicts, only Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara were fighting, causing devastation.
If one didn't know the truth, observers could only be terrified by their landscape-altering power, with no capacity to consider that these two god-like men were actually fighting fixed matches.
Only these two would clash, and they often ended in a draw.
It looked incredibly impressive.
But what about their clan members?
What did the clan members who went to the battlefield do? Were they also fighting each other?
How could that be?
Perhaps those ordinary clan members, just like other ninja clans, found a hidden spot to watch the show, and then went home to eat after those two top-tier ninja finished their fight?
Tamayo Nara knew that Aburame Aoi's猜测 was very likely the reality.
If the Senju clan and the Uchiha clan were already working together.
Why would they fight fixed matches and pretend to be enemies?
The answer was obvious.
Having stayed on the Senju clan's Hot Spring Street for so long.
Tamayo Nara had become aware of too many of the Senju clan's methods.
More accurately, Tamayo Nara had clearly recognized the Senju Princess's terrifying methods for accumulating wealth.
Everything the Senju clan did was related to accumulating wealth.
Their methods for dealing with nobles and ninja clans were certainly different.
So what were the benefits of the Senju clan and Uchiha clan fighting fixed matches?
Huge commissions…
Some nobles hired the Uchiha clan as the "attackers" to assault rival nobles;
And the attacked nobles would pay handsomely to hire the Senju clan for protection.
Thus, the two clans would clash.
As long as they fought fiercely enough, as long as they genuinely deployed troops.
With the devastating power of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, nobles would witness god-like strength, and when the time came, would they dare to withhold the commissions?
The Senju clan received money from one side.
The Uchiha clan received money from the other side.
A fierce battle like a tiger, but on inspection, casualties were less than five.
After the violent performance concluded, both clans raked in immense profits.
And if these two ninja clans, considered benchmarks in the industry, were working together.
Then for other ninja clans, it would be the cruelest reality.
"We must report this matter to our own ninja clan," Tamayo Nara said gloomily.
"Isn't this good news for you?" Aburame Aoi looked blankly at Tamayo Nara. "As long as you submit, your Nara clan can get on board with the powerful Senju clan."
Now it seemed the decisions made by those clan heads back then were mistaken.
One wrong step, and every step thereafter was wrong.
Now the Senju Princess had returned, and she was even more unapproachable than Senju Butsuma.
Trying to grovel for favor now would be almost impossible to succeed.
Without paying an even greater price, it would likely be impossible.
The crucial point was that the most terrifying thing about the Senju Princess was that no one could possibly guess what she truly wanted to do.
Tamayo Nara snorted, "It's not that easy. We angered the Senju clan before, and now we can still get along amicably, not because they're afraid of us, but because they're 'flexing their muscles'…"
Tamayo Nara finally understood.
The Senju clan allowed envoys like her and Aburame Aoi to stay on the Hot Spring Street for an extended period.
When human desire was merely to survive, their wishes were pure and modest.
But when human desires were magnified, even luxurious living couldn't satisfy them; people would pursue greater and more beautiful happiness.
And because their abilities were insufficient while their desires were too strong, those who had "seen the world" uncontrollably plunged into unprecedented suffering.
After seeing the handsome men and beautiful women of the Senju clan, would their village youths like Cuihua and Gou'dan still seem appealing?
After tasting the delicacies from the Senju clan's grand feasts and temple fairs, could they still swallow the cold rice balls they had eaten for most of their lives?
After enjoying the Senju clan's convenient private toilets and bathrooms, would their former dry latrines and public bathhouses still be considered high-class amenities?
After learning that the Senju clan's medical methods could indeed extend lifespans, and even easily earn them wealth they wouldn't dare dream of in a lifetime, was it still worth it for them to repeatedly brave perilous situations for their livelihoods?
Tamayo Nara asked herself introspectively, did she truly like Senju Wakama?
Or was it that she actually liked everything about the Senju clan!
A wry smile appeared on her face.
No wonder Senju Wakama completely ignored her.
Because she merely wanted to use the Senju clan's facilities long-term and sought to remain with the Senju clan through legitimate means.
Tamayo Nara couldn't influence her clan head's thoughts; she could only try her best to persuade the clan head to change his mind and merge with the Senju clan.
But if Tamayo Nara hadn't seen these advantages of the Senju clan, would she have done this?
No…
She knew it herself.
The terrifying Senju clan.
They had a perfect grasp on human nature.
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