The clash between the two clans lasted for decades, with neither backing down. Both sides were evenly matched and had their moments of victory and defeat.
However, the scales of victory gradually tilted in the Senju clan's favor when they found an unexpected ally- the Uzumaki clan.
A prodigy of the Senju clan left the clan premises to discover his talents since he didn't fit well with the Senju clan's practices. The prodigy rediscovered the lost art of Sealing and made a name for himself.
After several years, he returned to the Senju clan with his family and started a branch family with a focus on the Fuinjutsu techniques. Eventually, this branch family developed into a clan and separated itself from the main family.
The Uzumaki clan and the Senju clan remained sworn allies since the founder of the Uzumaki clan was the blood brother of the then Senju clan.
With their common ancestry, the Uzumaki clan also rose to prominence thanks to the continuous support of the Senju clan.
With the combined power of the Senju and Uzumaki clans, the two clans easily suppressed their enemies, including the Uchiha clan.
After several years of continuous defeat, the Uchiha clan was pushed into a corner and their numbers dwindled.
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Somewhere in the woods in the Land of Fire
In a large settlement,
"Damn it! We can't continue like this."
An angry man in his early thirties slams his fist on the ground.
"Brother, just give me your orders and I will slaughter those Senju mutts." He turns to a tall, middle-aged, fair-skinned man with spiky, waist-length black hair. The middle-aged man has his eyes closed and arms crossed with a slight frown on his face.
Several people, including old and young, sit in front of the middle-aged man with similar enraged expressions.
"Yoshiro is right! The Senju and the Uzumakis have pushed us into a corner." An elderly man clenches his cane in anger.
"How many causalities did we suffer in our previous skirmish?" Another elder turns to a middle-aged clan member.
"Elder, we lost fifteen people in that encounter." He remarks.
"And how many enemies did we kill?" The elder grumbles.
The middle-aged man turns silent and lowers his head.
"We only managed to injure 5 of their shinobis and kill three."
"Pathetic useless bastards!" The elder's eyes turn into Sharingan as he seethes with rage.
"The survival of our clan is at stake! At this rate, our legacy will end with this generation." Another elder sighs and closes his eyes.
"Ichiro, what are your odds against the Senju brat in a fight?" An elder turns to a silent, middle-aged man.
"We are evenly matched in skills. I can't win against Kenzo in a one vs one battle." Ichiro remarks.
"Damn it! Without those bastards from the Uzumaki clan to save him Kenzo would have been a dead man long ago." Yoshiro grits his teeth.
"Let me ponder over this matter! I will come up with a solution soon." Ichiro opens his eyes and turns to the elder.
A few minutes later, Ichiro is the only person left in the Naka shrine.
He stands up and walks towards the left wall. Ichiro infuses chakra into his fingers and taps on a tile on the wall.
A secret door opens on the floor and Ichiro walks inside. After descending the stairs, he arrives in front of a large stone tablet.
"Why didn't you propose my plan during the meeting?" A black shadow crawls out from beneath the stone tablet.
"We are still on sure about the feasibility of it! If the plan didn't work, the Uchiha clan will end up losing a lot more." Ichiro argues.
"Hmph… are still stuck in your delusion and unable to see the reality? Very well, so be it!"
The black shadow enters the ground and disappears.
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A few months later,
Inside the Uchiha clan graveyard,
Ichiro silently stares at a tombstone with white lilies on top.
"Yoshiro!"
A drop of tear leaks from his eyes as he clenches his fists. Yoshiro was his only remaining brother and the youngest of them all. Years of bitter struggle had cost him all his family members. His father, his uncles, and his brothers- every person that he considered family had slowly died- right in front of him. All of them spent their last breath in his hands as he was too helpless and powerless to save them. And now his youngest brother, whom he doted on the most, left him too.
"YOSHIRO!"
Ichiro slams his fists on the ground and bursts out in tears.
"I… I am sorry, Yoshiro! Brother couldn't keep his promise. He wasn't able to save you. He wasn't…"
-------
Inside the Uchiha Naka Shrine,
"Have you finally decided?"
A black shadow crawls out of the ground.
"Yes!" Ichiro clenches his fist.
"I will see it to the very end!" He resolutely stares at the black shadow.
"And I am ready to pay any cost." Ichiro's eyes turn into Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Very well!"
The black shadow disappears into the ground. Ichiro walks out of the secret underground room.
After his departure, the Black Zetsu crawls out of the ground and stares at the stone tablet.
"Looks like this generation of Indra's reincarnation is a failure. I have to start preparations for the next generation. Eventually, I will succeed in my goal."
Black Zetsu casts another glance at the stone tablet before vanishing into the ground.
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A few more years pass in the blink of an eye.
The power and prestige of the Uchiha clan continue to plummet. Their numbers dwindle and the members of the Uchiha clan are forced to move out of their clan hideout. After being driven out of their home, the morale of the Uchiha clan members hits rock bottom.
In a small settlement in a forest of the Land of Fire,
Inside a small building,
The members of the Uchiha clan gather for another emergency meeting. The appearance of several elders looks haggard and there are way fewer members in the meeting than the previous.
The clan members are silent, their heads hung low. There is no enthusiasm or energy among any member. The clan meetings are just a formality now.
"Clan leader… will he come?" A clan member asks after a slight hesitation.
The clan members silently stare at Ichiro's empty seat.
During the past three years after Yoshiro's death, Ichiro stopped attending any clan meetings. All the management and decisions were left to elders.
A few clan members voiced against it. However, Ichiro's importance and contribution to the clan was for everyone to see.
In these three years, Ichiro was quite aggressive in their battle against the Senju and the Uzumaki. Most of the casualties that the two-clan suffered were all because of him. He even captured several enemies and tortured them.
Currently, no one was strong enough to stand ground for the Uchiha clan. The entire clan was dependent on Ichiro for support. It's because of these reasons, that no one berated him despite his negligence of his duties as the clan leader.
"Today's meeting is held by the clan leader." One of the elders finally breaks the silence.
The clan members raise their heads in surprise. There is still hope in their desperate eyes.
Moments later, Ichiro enters the room. He glances at the remaining few clan members and occupies his seat.
"Clan leader, today we would like to discuss…"
One of the elders opens his mouth to speak about the agenda of today's meeting. However, Ichiro interrupts him with the raise of his hand.
He forks out a small vial of blue liquid from his pocket. The eyes of all clan members are drawn to the vial with curiosity.
"This is…" they murmur amongst each other.
"This vial contains a special medicine that took me three years to prepare." He passes the vial to one of the elders.
"This medicine is the key to the revival of our clan."
The elder curiously stares at the vial while Ichiro explains.
"This medicine induces very strong hallucinogenic effects, mimicking the effect of condition a person suffers during the awakening of their Sharingan."
"Then does this mean?"
The eyes of the clan elders lit up as they heard Ichiro's explanation.
"If what you said is true, then our clan still has a chance!"
After a moment of excitement and hope, the enthusiasm of the elder cools down.
They return the vial to Ichiro and calmly ask.
"Such a good thing is too good to be true!" One of the clan elders shakes his head.
"It's not like the clan hasn't tried something like this in the past. During the previous Great Demon War Era, the previous leaders also tried something like this. However, the side-effects of such a medicine were too great to be useful."
The clan elders skeptically stare at the glass vial in Ichiro's hand.
"Then tell me, what choice does our clan have?" Ichiro raises his voice in a few volumes.
"We have no choice! This is a gamble we must take." He remarks with a firm face.
"Hmm…" The clan elders and members silently stare at each other.
"I am willing to take the risk."
Before they could refute Ichiro's claim, a young clan member stepped forward.
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