Mito didn't answer. She just gave him a fierce glare.
Facing Izuna's "turtle shell" defensive strategy, the troops led by Senju Yuma and Uzumaki Mito were unable to break through for the time being. As time dragged on, the pace of their offensive slowed significantly.
This gave Izuna the time he needed to attend to other matters.
In the Warring States period, within the Land of Fire alone, there were dozens of ninja clans, large and small. Among them, major clans like the Senju, Uchiha, Hyuga, Sarutobi, and Shimura occupied the most vast territories and resources.
Clans would constantly dispatch scout ninjas to monitor those of equal rank or similar strength. For instance, while the Uchiha and Senju regarded each other as mortal enemies, they also maintained surveillance on families like the Sarutobi, Shimura, Hyuga, and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. The only difference lay in the rank and number of spies deployed, which varied based on the target's strength.
For the Sarutobi and Shimura clans, they deployed a large number of spies to track the movements of the Uchiha and Senju. However, regarding the Hyuga—a major clan with strength comparable to theirs, perhaps even showing signs of surpassing them—they sent only a very small squad for surveillance.
The reason was simple: the Hyuga were too far away from their clan territories.
Not only was the distance great, but the geography was also unique. The Sarutobi and Shimura lands were located to the north of the Uchiha and Senju, while the Hyuga were situated to the south of those two rival clans. Aside from the distance, two massive behemoths—the Uchiha and Senju—stood directly in the way.
Therefore, throughout the centuries of history in the Warring States, the Hyuga had almost never gone to war with the Sarutobi or Shimura clans. Due to geography, they barely ever saw each other, which made the lack of conflict unsurprising.
Recently, the Sarutobi and Shimura clans, having suffered heavy losses, had been recuperating. However, Shimura Keizo held a deep, lingering grudge over the death of Shimura Ri and more than twenty Jonin, who had perished in unknown circumstances.
It was reminiscent of how the Fourth Raikage would one day convene the Five Kage Summit and nearly launch a war against Konoha simply because he mistakenly believed his brother, Killer Bee, had been captured by the rogue ninja Uchiha Sasuke. Everyone knew how serious the consequences could be if a leader had a bad temper.
Shimura Keizo's fiery temper was in no way inferior to the Fourth Raikage's. He had etched this vendetta into his heart, determined to take revenge.
Keizo focused the root of his hatred on "Tobi."
If not for that bizarre individual claiming to be from the Northwest Four Clans who lured Shimura Ri and his men to the northwest, they would not have died.
By now, Shimura Keizo had calmed down slightly. He realized Tobi couldn't possibly be from the Northwest Four Clans; aside from lacking the power to kill a Near-Kage level expert like Shimura Ri, doing so would have brought them absolutely no benefit.
It was also unlikely to be the Hagoromo clan, as they had been completely wiped out by Uchiha Izuna and the Uchiha clan a year prior.
So, who on earth was he?
Shimura Keizo racked his brains but couldn't figure it out.
Just then, the intelligence ninjas monitoring the Hyuga sent back word—Tobi had been spotted in the south, within Hyuga territory!
This news shocked both Shimura Keizo and Sarutobi Furukawa, but it also sparked a rush of excitement.
They had finally found their enemy. This vengeance would be exacted!
Shimura Keizo immediately dispatched a squad led by two Special Jonin to the south to investigate. They were ordered not to alert the enemy but to locate Tobi at all costs, or at the very least, uncover his true identity.
Tobi, naturally, was a persona created by Izuna wearing a black robe and a Spiral Mask. Furthermore, it was merely a Shadow Clone.
It had taken quite a bit of time to finally attract the attention of the Shimura ninjas.
Now, Izuna knew it was time for his main body to take the stage. He had to perform this play perfectly to hook that hot-tempered old man, Shimura Keizo.
In some respects, the Hyuga clan felt a bit perverse.
Possessing the Byakugan Kekkai Genkai, they held themselves in extremely high regard, believing their bloodline limit to be the finest in the entire Warring States—superior even to the Uchiha.
This intense superiority complex, combined with a total military strength arguably second only to the Uchiha and Senju, allowed them to absorb many surrounding ninja clans.
The Hyuga could be said to possess the most vassal clans in the Warring States.
Among them, Izuna knew of two clans that would belong to Konoha in the future: the Gekko clan and the Shiranui clan. Both were vassals of the Hyuga.
There were also three other clans—the Iga, Yamashiro, and Akame—that didn't produce many notable figures in the future Konoha.
In addition to these five vassal clans, two clan with secret techniques maintained an alliance with the Hyuga: the Inuzuka and Aburame clans.
These two clans lacked a Kekkai Genkai, but their secret techniques allowed them to manipulate ninja dogs and parasitic insects for combat, earning them a place in the Warring States. Although they had lost to the Hyuga clan in the past, considerations of survival and strength led them to form an alliance.
However, due to the gap in power, this alliance was not as equal as the relationship between the Sarutobi and Shimura. If there were spoils of war, the Hyuga absolutely took the lion's share, leaving the Inuzuka and Aburame to pick at the scraps.
These seven families formed a sturdy barrier, shielding the Hyuga in the safest position against the two beasts to the north—the Uchiha and the Senju.
"Was Tobi discovered right here?"
In an inn within a small town, a group of men dressed as wandering scholars but concealing weapons gathered in a room.
The men already in the room nodded at the newcomer's question. "Yes, he was spotted just outside of town. We deduce that Tobi is still within this town."
"Patriarch Keizo's order is to capture him alive. At the very least, we must investigate what force stands behind Tobi. Do not be careless," the newcomer stated gravely.
These two groups were indeed the intelligence ninjas dispatched by Shimura Keizo to investigate Tobi.
This small town was actually territory controlled by the Gekko clan, a vassal of the Hyuga.
Not every ninja clan was like the Uchiha, Senju, or Shimura—great clans capable of supporting a village-level population and power structure entirely on their own. Some smaller ninja clans were situated within civilian settlements. To survive, commoners would attach themselves to these clans; the ninjas would protect them, and in return, the clans collected large amounts of grain and supplies as payment.
The commoners didn't mind this arrangement. In this chaotic world, staying alive was all that mattered.
However, this setup offered more opportunities for other ninja clans to infiltrate, as their defensive measures were not as excellent as those of the Uchiha or Senju. But no one could be blamed for this; the disparity in overall strength was simply a fact of life.
At that moment, in the town, within the most sprawling estate bearing a plaque with the large characters "Gekko," resided Gekko Fūha, the patriarch of the Gekko clan.
The Gekko clan specialized in swordsmanship, with the Gekko Style Ninja Sword Technique serving as their signature art. Long ago, the Uchiha clan had even used the Sharingan to copy it, using it as a reference to modify Uchiha sword techniques.
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