Back home, Shigenen, Hitomi, and his younger brother Genji were already having dinner.
The Sengoku period was unlike later eras; productivity was low, and electric lights didn't exist.
Although there were braziers and candles, normally people were accustomed to resting at sunset, so eating dinner in the evening was already considered late.
Hanzō wasn't particular about such things. He greeted them and sat down, ready to eat.
Shigenen was currently making a pained face as he fed his struggling young son.
Genji, over a year old, had only recently been weaned. He was still very resistant to eating, extending his chubby little hands to his mother in a "hug me" gesture, babbling, and ignoring the spoon Shigenen held to his mouth.
"My little ancestor, just one bite, please, ah, be good~~"
"Hmph!" The little guy turned his head away, showing no respect for his father.
Hanzō, while shoveling down his food, couldn't help but snicker.
"What are you laughing at, you brat?" Shigenen naturally noticed Hanzō's quiet laughter and immediately put on a stern face.
"Did you learn everything your dad taught you today?" Shigenen asked with a fierce expression.
"Of course," Hanzō replied, looking at his outwardly fierce father with a helpless expression.
"You're not completely useless, at least," Shigenen snorted.
However, his fierce look didn't scare Hanzō; instead, it terrified his little son in his arms. Genji's mouth puckered... "Waaah—"
"Oh, oh, oh, there, there," Hitomi, looking disgusted, took her son from her husband's arms.
In just a few seconds, Genji burst into laughter through his tears, making Shigenen incredibly jealous.
"Hanzō, that brat, was precocious since he was little. Now even Genji discriminates against me..." Shigenen muttered under his breath.
Hanzō, meanwhile, carefully tried to reduce his presence... asking him to act spoiled like a 'real' child... spare him... Just as the family was filled with laughter, there was a sudden, urgent knocking at the door.
"What is it?"
The smile on Shigenen's face instantly vanished, replaced by a serious expression, and the aura of a great clan leader emerged, completely unlike the unreliable middle-aged dad he had just been.
"Reporting to the Clan Head, the Great Elder has called an emergency meeting."
"Understood," Shigenen replied.
The ninja outside the door disappeared silently.
Shigenen looked apologetically at Hitomi and said, "My dear..."
"Yes, go," As the Clan Head's wife, Hitomi was also someone who considered the bigger picture.
Shigenen then stood up, patted Hanzō's head, and disappeared from the room... "Great Elder."
When Shigenen arrived at the meeting hall, all the high-ranking clan members were already present.
This included Clan Head Shimada Shigenen, the nine elders led by Great Elder Shimada Hidenaga, and Shimada Yoshitō, the "steward," who sat at the very end.
Calling him a steward was actually quite different from Hanzō's previous impression of a head servant; it was more akin to a "Great Elder" under a Daimyō.
That is, the chief official responsible for internal affairs.
Those who served as stewards were ordinary clan members without cultivation talent. While the clan's military affairs were led by the Clan Head and Great Elder, with the other eight elders assisting,
the "steward," who managed all internal affairs and was only accountable to the Clan Head, wielded considerable power.
However, in this Sengoku period, ninja clans prioritized military strength, so even if the steward had rendered great service, he could only sit at the lowest position in this high-level meeting.
"Since the Clan Head has arrived, I will speak plainly," the elderly Great Elder began.
In the Sengoku period, with an average lifespan of just over twenty, the Great Elder, already past sixty, was undoubtedly a living fossil. Even Shigenen held the experienced Great Elder in high regard.
"Today, the Fire Country's Daimyō's office sent people to contact us, hoping we would accept their employment," the Great Elder slowly stated.
Everyone remained silent. Because employment was a minor matter—as a ninja clan, they were essentially a mercenary group—the fact that the Great Elder had hastily convened a high-level meeting meant there must be another reason.
Indeed, the Great Elder continued, "The people from the Daimyō's office told us that our opponents this time are the Uchiha and Hagoromo clans."
"Uchiha?"
"Hagoromo clan?"
The elders were in an uproar.
Shigenen frowned and said, "Facing the Hagoromo clan alone, our Shimada clan naturally has no fear. Even if the opponent is the Uchiha, as long as the price is right, we can talk. But facing both clans simultaneously..."
Shigenen exhaled and said, "I'm afraid we are not up to the task."
The Shimada clan had no fear of dealing with the Hagoromo clan, and while the Uchiha were a notch stronger than the Shimada clan, ninja confrontations weren't just about superficial strength. With proper strategy, it simply involved taking some risks. If the Daimyō's office offered a suitable price, the Shimada clan would still dare to accept.
But facing both clans simultaneously, the hope of success would be too low. Ninja clans took money to do jobs, not to take money to die.
Seeing this, the Great Elder explained, "A few days ago, the Shogun hired the Hagoromo clan to smuggle valuable goods. After the Daimyō's office noticed something amiss, they hired the Senju clan to investigate and recover them. But who knew the Shogun had secretly also hired the Uchiha? Now the Senju clan is in trouble, which is why the Daimyō's office came to us."
The "Shogun" was also an official position in the Daimyō's office, but due to his excessive power, he controlled the ninja forces belonging to the Daimyō's office. By now, he was already too powerful to be controlled. If it weren't for the many external ninja clans, the Daimyō would probably have been sidelined by the Shogun long ago.
However, the Daimyō also dared not rashly introduce ninja clans to eliminate the Shogun. Firstly, the Shogun would also hire ninja clans. Secondly, if the ninja forces in the Shogun's hands were eliminated, the Daimyō's office might become a plaything for the ninja clans.
At least externally, the Shogun was still an internal minister of the Daimyō's office; the two could be considered to be in a struggle that didn't break them apart.
After hearing the Great Elder's explanation, the atmosphere in the hall immediately relaxed.
With the Senju clan as backup, the Shimada clan naturally wouldn't back down.
"So it's those old squabbles between the Daimyō and the Shogun again, hahaha," the Fourth Elder laughed.
The other elders also chimed in, but only the steward Yoshitō and Shigenen continued to look at the Great Elder.
"However..." The Great Elder looked around and said, "The Senju clan was already surrounded by the Uchiha and Hagoromo a day ago. If the Senju clan has already been wiped out by the time we arrive, we would likely be walking into a tiger's den."
Silence immediately fell over the surroundings.
"However, the commission offered by the Daimyō's office is very generous. This employment comes with both risks and rewards. Whether to trust the Senju clan and take a gamble, or to preserve our strength, I truly find it difficult to decide. That is why I have called you all here to discuss it together."
After speaking, he looked at everyone.
The Third Elder spoke, "Everyone, I think it's worth a try. The Senju clan is also a major clan; they're not so easily wiped out. This level of risk, I don't think it's worth us backing down."
"But..." another person began.
Everyone discussed for a long time, but no consensus was reached.
The Second Elder suddenly said, "What does the Clan Head think?"
Seeing this, Shigenen slowly stood up, and the elders also quieted down.
"That guy Butsuma isn't so easily eliminated," Shigenen suddenly smiled, "The Daimyō's office is sending money over; how can we not accept it?"
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately understood that the Clan Head had decided to take on the mission, and they no longer objected.
Shigenen looked around and said, "All elders, listen to my command: go back and order your clan members to prepare for one night. Tomorrow, we will depart to meet Uchiha Tajima and Hagoromo Ran.