At night, the Uchiha clan was stationed at their camp on the mountain. To prevent Senju Tobirama from escaping, Izuna personally monitored him outside the cage. Both inside and outside the prison, there was an uneasy silence.
After a while, an Uchiha guard entered and said, "Chief Izuna, you should go eat. I'll keep watch for a while."
Izuna touched his somewhat empty stomach, nodded, and walked out of the dungeon.
Soon after, a notable Uchiha Chunin brought a bowl of broth stewed with wild vegetables and wild boar to Izuna.
"Chief Izuna."
"Thank you."
The Chunin replied, "If the young patriarch hadn't rescued me today, I would have died on the battlefield."
Izuna noticed that one of the Chunin's eyes had lost its luster and turned completely white. He furrowed his brow and asked, "Have you used Izanagi?"
Izanagi, even among the Uchiha, was a forbidden technique, the ultimate illusion capable of distorting reality.
The Chunin covered his blind left eye and replied with a bitter smile, "Yes, but compared to losing my life, losing an eye is worth it."
After a bit more small talk, the Chunin left. Izuna sat casually at a stone table, tasting the broth, which was a feast for the Warring States Period.
"Izuna," Uchiha Madara approached.
"Ah, big brother," Izuna responded as the two brothers took their seats across from each other.
"Thank you for today. I don't know how many lives would have been lost otherwise."
It was difficult to reconcile this sentiment with the future Ninja Shura that Madara would become, but from the words of Senju Hashirama, who would be reincarnated in the dirty land, it was clear that Madara had been a very affectionate person before Izuna's death. Only later did he change, embarking on a path of no return.
"By the way, brother, do you want to use the Kaleidoscope?" Izuna asked aloud, sensing the cold chakra emanating from it.
Madara shrugged, a bitter smile on his face. "As much as I don't want to admit it, without the Kaleidoscope, I can't defeat Hashirama."
But he quickly regained confidence. "Despite the side effects, I can definitely use this power to defeat Hashirama. I won't lose in the next battle."
No, you will still lose, Izuna thought to himself.
Although it was only the second half, he had witnessed parts of the battles between Madara and Senju Hashirama. Currently, Hashirama had not yet awakened Wood Release, but he could heal his wounds automatically using Wood Release chakra, indicating that he had likely awakened his powers recently. By then, Madara would be completely suppressed.
However, Izuna chose not to undermine his brother's confidence and remained silent. Fortunately, Madara changed the subject, "Do you think Senju will agree to your conditions?"
"Not a chance," Izuna answered without hesitation.
Based on Izuna's assessment, it was impossible for Senju to agree to withdraw from Uchiha territory. As for compensating Uchiha for all losses and a truce for five years, it was almost... no, definitely impossible!
Uchiha and Senju had been at war for hundreds of years, with no precedent for a ceasefire lasting even six months.
Madara was surprised. "Then why propose such conditions?"
Izuna inwardly sighed. Not to mention his strength, Uchiha Madara was lacking in political savvy and emotional intelligence.
"No wonder he couldn't defeat Tobirama Senju, who was less powerful than him. When he finally left Konoha, no one in the Uchiha clan was willing to follow him."
"Raise the price," Izuna explained. "It's like selling vegetables; you start with a high price and then lower it to reach a deal that works for both parties. It's the same with war negotiations."
Madara paused, still not quite grasping the concept. His thought process revolved around defeating enemies head-on.
Izuna shrugged. It didn't matter if Madara understood.
As Izuna expected, from the other side of the mountain, in Senju's camp, over a dozen senior members, led by Senju Kawaragi and Senju Hashirama, were in heated discussions regarding Izuna's request.
For someone as significant as Senju Tobirama, it was inevitable to consider a truce with Uchiha. However, fully agreeing to Izuna's conditions was out of the question.
After nearly three hours of debate, the senior leaders of the Senju clan decided to adopt the plan proposed by Senju Kawaragi.
Senju Hashirama frowned. "Will Uchiha agree to such conditions?"
Senju Kawaragi patted Hashirama's shoulder. "You still lack political insight. Uchiha Izuna may sound like a lion, but he doesn't genuinely believe we will accept his terms. He's waiting for us to 'lower the price.'"
Hashirama's political emotional intelligence was higher than Madara's, but he wondered, "Does this mean Izuna thinks that far ahead?"
Kawaragi huffed, "Hmph, this little fox may not be as strong as Uchiha Madara, but he's as cunning as Uchiha Tajima. I wonder what tricks he used to catch Tobirama."
Hashirama pondered, "Does this imply that Izuna's strength surpasses Tobirama's?"
Early the next morning, the battlefield on the mountain, still soaked with the smell of blood from yesterday's fight, gathered both Uchiha and Senju to face off once again.
"Have you brought anything?" Uchiha Ishiki asked in a deep voice.
While the future era would undoubtedly belong to Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Izuna, Senju Hashirama, and Senju Tobirama, the current leaders were Uchiha Ishiki and Senju Kawaragi.
Hearing Ishiki's question, Senju Kawaragi produced two scrolls and asked, "Where is Tobirama?"
Uchiha Ishiki turned sideways, and Izuna escorted Senju Tobirama into view. With a calm expression, he stated, "Sign the truce agreement before I release him."
"Tobirama!" Senju Hashirama exclaimed anxiously.
"Brother, I'm fine," Senju Tobirama reassured him.
Uchiha Ishiki and Senju Kawaragi took their seats across from each other on simple chairs. Kawaragi unfurled the scroll, revealing the truce document's contents, which consisted of three main points:
1. The Senju must withdraw from the west of the mountain and return all previously occupied Uchiha territory.
2. They must compensate Uchiha for 20% of their losses in this battle.
3. There will be a truce for two years, during which neither Uchiha nor Senju will be allowed to step into the other's territory.
(End of this chapter).