Of course, there was a very important prerequisite for Izuna's swift victory over Hagoromo Masanari.
Before the Uchiha clan had arrived, he had already expended a great deal of chakra fighting the four other clan heads.
Izuna hadn't so much come for a decisive battle as he had to pick up the scraps.
His crimson, three-tomoe Sharingan swept over the battlefield, sending a chill down the spines of the four clans' members who were fighting the other Uchiha.
***
The next day's sun gradually rose, illuminating the Uchiha's most important northwestern city—a city now stained red.
As more and more ninja from the five clans raised their hands in surrender, the northwestern war, which had lasted for over half a year, finally came to an end.
However, the heads of the four clans could not be allowed to live. The fewer people who knew of "Tobi's" existence, the better.
Under Uchiha Kong's orders, the surrendering ninja from the five clans were all taken to the dungeons of Stonecastle to be guarded.
The Uchiha ninja either collapsed on the ground in exhaustion or raised their hands in exultant cheers.
Regardless, their faces were filled with contented smiles.
*We won. I... survived!*
Amidst the charred ruins of the residence, Izuna sat on a blackened stone, listening to a report from Uchiha Ise, whose wounds had been simply dressed with bandages.
"Vice-Clan Head, a rough count shows we lost about 110 people in this battle. About 30 are too severely injured to fight again... The number of lightly injured is still being tallied."
The total casualties were nearly half of their forces. Such a result was to be expected.
After all, the disparity in numbers was significant, and the Uchiha had just fought a major battle the previous morning. With only half a day to recover, how much could they have truly regained?
But Izuna had no choice. The action plan, meticulously prepared over half a year, had yielded this one and only opportunity.
If he had missed it, all his previous efforts would have been in vain.
Just then, Uchiha Kong, leaning on a cane, limped over and reported, "Vice-Clan Head, I've finished my count. The number of ninja from the five clans who have surrendered to us totals 948. That's more than our entire fighting force in the northwest."
"Mm... This is truly a great victory, one rarely seen in our clan's entire history," Izuna replied with his eyes closed.
Uchiha Kong and Uchiha Ise exchanged a glance. After a silent nod, Uchiha Kong spoke up, "But I don't know how the clan head knew the five clans were going to fight among themselves last night. I just interrogated some of their ninja, and they said they had only just received the order last night and weren't clear on the details themselves."
How could Izuna, an enemy, know top-secret information that most of their own side was unaware of?
Uchiha Kong racked his brain but couldn't come up with an answer.
Izuna, who had been resting with his head down, suddenly revealed a mysterious smile. "Is that so? Do you really want to know?"
A chill ran down Uchiha Kong's spine. He quickly replied, "No, no, it's not that I want to know that badly. I'm just curious, purely curious, haha..."
As an old fox from Uchiha Tajima's generation, Uchiha Kong was politically savvy.
Hearing the tone of Izuna's question, he knew he didn't want to answer and immediately steered away from the topic.
Uchiha Ise chimed in, "We were foolish and failed to understand the Vice-Clan Head's efforts. Thinking back now, your command was truly masterful."
"Yes, yes."
"We completely misunderstood the Vice-Clan Head's strategy before."
"Please don't take any of our previous words to heart, Vice-Clan Head."
Hearing this, the Uchiha clansmen resting on the ground quickly gathered around, echoing Uchiha Ise's sentiments.
The series of strategies Izuna had issued, which had seemed baffling to them at the time, had indeed caused a lot of discontent among the rank and file.
But now, Izuna had led the Uchiha to victory in a seemingly impossible battle. At this moment, the entire northwestern contingent could be said to have been completely won over by him.
Izuna remained calm. He raised a hand to silence the crowd, and the atmosphere quieted down once more.
"Rest for half a day. At noon, everyone except those guarding the prisoners will assemble at the west gate."
"Yes, sir!"
***
A whole night of intense battle, a three-hundred-versus-two-thousand conflict—although it was a three-way melee—had indeed inflicted heavy losses on the Uchiha, with a third of their members killed in action.
The surviving clansmen either sought treatment from medical ninja or fell asleep where they stood.
Izuna's residence had been completely destroyed, so he took up temporary lodging in a vacant house.
Although Uchiha Kong offered to give up his own residence, Izuna wasn't particular about his living quarters and wasn't one for such formalities.
More importantly, he wouldn't need to stay in Stonecastle much longer.
Izuna checked his Skill Points.
They had shot up from 78 to 155.
That was even more than he had gained from signing the truce with the Senju.
But comparing the two, if he added the points from defeating Senju Tobirama and signing the truce, the previous occasion still yielded more.
*Are the Senju really worth more?*
He quickly exited the System Skill Tree, afraid that if he looked at those skills any longer, he wouldn't be able to resist exchanging his points for those S-rank and above jutsu.
He fell into a deep sleep on a makeshift bed. He didn't know how much time had passed before a knock on the door woke him.
"Vice-Clan Head, Vice-Clan Head, all the clansmen have assembled at the west gate. We're just waiting for you."
It was Uchiha Ise's voice.
Izuna's eyes snapped open, and he quickly got up. "I know. You go on ahead."
"Yes, sir."
***
After a quick wash, Izuna hurried to the west gate.
"Vice-Clan Head!"
Seeing Izuna arrive, the assembled clansmen shouted in a powerful, unified voice.
His gaze swept over the clansmen below.
From five hundred strong on the northwestern front a year ago, now fewer than two hundred remained.
Such a heavy price. No wonder Madara and Senju Hashirama hoped to end this era.
He shook his head, banishing the thought. It was too soon to think about such things.
After a dry cough, Izuna took a step forward and called out, "I know you are all injured, but the next action is crucial, so I had to call you out. For that, I ask your forgiveness."
"It's no hardship!" the crowd below roared in unison.
"Good," Izuna nodded and continued, "Next, we must decide how to deal with the five clans."
Hearing this, the clansmen's eyes lit up.
Although the five clan heads, led by Hagoromo Masanari, were dead, and the main forces they had sent to the battlefield had been killed or captured by the Uchiha, their respective clan lands still retained a basic level of fighting strength, though they were surely much weaker now.
As soon as Izuna raised the issue, the crowd erupted. Many of them, their eyes bloodshot with righteous anger, shouted:
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