"This way, we can no longer delay it."
Izuna muttered to himself after burning the secret message sent from the Uchiha front line with a Fire Release technique.
Three days. He had only three more days—whether he found the tailed beast or not, he had to return to the front lines after this time was up.
As the deputy clan leader, if he stayed away from the clan for too long, not only would his status be affected, but more importantly, the Senju brothers—Hashirama and Tobirama—were not easy opponents to deal with. Without him by Madara's side, his older brother might have already been overwhelmed.
"Uchiha Izuna, you..."
Mito started to speak, but Izuna interrupted, "Can we stop using our names for now?"
Mito bit her lower lip lightly, but refrained from saying the words that were on her mind.
"For these next three days, stop practicing your sealing techniques."
Izuna formed a hand seal, and in an instant, fifty shadow clones appeared around him. They spread out, performing a meticulous, carpet-like search of the area. Izuna turned to Mito with a casual wave, "I'll focus on finding the tailed beast. After that, I'll have plenty of time to practice senjutsu with you."
He pulled Mito back down to the ground beside him, found a nearby branch, and began drawing in the dirt at his feet. One hand held the branch, while the other, rather dishonestly, held Mito's hand.
Mito tried to resist several times, but her efforts were in vain. She could only glare at Izuna, annoyed, and let him hold her hand. As her attention shifted, she focused on the sketch Izuna was drawing on the ground and realized with surprise that it was a map of the battlefield—the ongoing battle between the Uchiha and the Senju.
From the front lines near Mountain:
On the Uchiha side, the forces were led by Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Ishiki, with four subordinate ninja clans, including those led by Watanabe Ryoukai. Altogether, the Uchiha's forces numbered about two thousand.
On the Senju side, five days ago, the battle had been led by the quasi-Kage-level Senju Takema and the Kage-level Senju Tobirama. According to the new intelligence, Senju Hashirama himself had joined the front lines, bringing with him five hundred Uzumaki reinforcements. The total number of Senju forces was now over three thousand.
This wasn't unexpected. After all, the Uchiha had only had one year to recover since their last major battle. If it weren't for the support of clans like Watanabe, the gap in power would have been even greater.
To the north, Pass seemed insignificant in comparison. The terrain was narrow and difficult to navigate, making it a poor spot to camp. Uchiha Death Squad was stationed there with only four hundred men to prevent Tobirama from pulling off a surprise attack like he had in the past.
"And as for Senju kawaragi... is he managing the rear?"
Izuna frowned in thought, troubled by the lack of detailed information about Senju kawaragi's whereabouts. It was as if the Senju leader was being purposefully kept out of sight.
"Ah!"
Mito's sudden exclamation snapped Izuna out of his thoughts. He turned and found himself met with a fist, aimed right at him. Mito's face was red with both embarrassment and anger.
"That hurts!" Mito said, wincing as she pulled her hand free from his grasp.
Izuna glanced down and realized that while lost in thought, he had unconsciously squeezed Mito's hand too tightly. He quickly released her hand, his expression softening. "Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
Mito quickly retracted her hand and turned her body away, glaring at him before refusing to look in his direction again.
On the third day, dark clouds loomed overhead, perfectly reflecting Izuna's somber mood.
It was the last day, and if he failed to find the tailed beast, he would have no choice but to return to the battlefield empty-handed.
Sitting beside him, Mito watched as he erased the battle map from the dirt. She hesitated, then asked quietly, "Are you preparing to head back?"
"Yeah. Today is the final day," Izuna replied, his voice soft. Then, with a small smirk, he added, "If the plan to capture the tailed beast fails, I'll just have to ask you to spend more time helping me with senjutsu practice."
Mito looked away, her expression conflicted. She found herself in an impossible situation—helping Izuna, a member of the Uchiha Clan, meant aiding the enemy. Her own Uzumaki Clan was allied with the Senju, and by supporting Izuna, she would be helping the Uchiha gain an advantage against her people.
But why couldn't she refuse him?
She knew he could use his Sharingan to force her compliance, but even she knew that wasn't the real reason. The Sharingan, while powerful, couldn't control someone's actions in such a precise way. At most, it could force a confession, but sealing techniques like those involved with senjutsu were far too complicated for that kind of mind control.
Suddenly, Izuna's face shifted, and he said in a low voice, "I've found it."
Mito turned toward him, startled. Before she could respond, Izuna was already sprinting north, his voice trailing behind him, "Stay where you are. I'll be back soon."
"Wait!" Mito called after him, reaching out, but Izuna had already disappeared.
In the mountainous region ahead, a massive creature covered in dark blue flames prowled across the withered grass, its two tails swaying lazily in the wind. The creature, Matatabi, resembled a demonic cat, its entire body engulfed in the eerie blue fire.
Matatabi, the Two-Tails, was a master of fire-based ninjutsu, similar to other tailed beasts with elemental affinities. Izuna, knowing the Two-Tails' skills in fire-based techniques, believed the creature would be compatible with the Uchiha Clan's own abilities.
When Matatabi lay down to rest, the sound of footsteps rustling through the grass made the cat's ears twitch. The beast opened its eyes to see a young man in black approaching—Uchiha Izuna.
"Matatabi, the Two-Tails..." Izuna called out as he stopped fifty meters from the giant creature, staring up at the demon cat with unwavering determination.
"You know my name?" Matatabi's voice, deep and worn from age, carried the weight of its many years of existence.
"I need your strength," Izuna said plainly. "Sooner or later, all of you tailed beasts will fall under human control. If you choose to ally with me, I can at least guarantee you freedom outside of battle."
Matatabi's eyes narrowed, its fiery gaze studying the young Uchiha. After a long silence, the beast's voice rumbled, "Leave, human. I don't trust your words, and I have no interest in meddling in human wars."
Izuna sighed, unsurprised. "I expected as much." His eyes glowed red, three tomoe of the Sharingan spinning in his pupils. "But what if I say I won't take no for an answer? You will be my summon!"
(End of Chapter).
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