Reiryū forcefully pushed Butsuma back.
He turned to look behind him, his eyes taking in the fierce fighting between Hagoromo clansmen and Senju enemies.
Although he couldn't yet see the Second Elder and the enemy forces, the sheer amount of chakra erupting from that direction was palpable. Anyone could sense that the battle behind them was desperate.
"Damn it!"
His face was ashen. The Hagoromo and Senju clans were locked in combat, and forcibly disengaging would result in heavy losses.
After all, the attack from the rear was clearly aimed at crippling the Hagoromo clan, so the Senju would not stand idly by and allow them to retreat. Withdrawal would come at a devastating cost.
However, the Hagoromo clan had no choice but to retreat, because Senju Butsuma had already led elite forces up from the rear of the battlefield.
The Hagoromo clan's rear guard was insufficient. Although the Second Elder was present, he couldn't hold them off for long.
If the conflict continued and the Second Elder's forces were defeated, the Hagoromo on the battlefield would most likely be wiped out!
Thinking this, Reiryū took a deep breath. Heavy losses versus total annihilation—anyone with eyes could see the choice.
However, if that happened, the Hagoromo clan would likely be unable to recover for a long time. Even worse, they might never recover at all.
But the situation didn't allow him to delay.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
Butsuma planted his sword in the ground and formed hand seals. A water dragon instantly surged toward Reiryū with overwhelming force.
"Mud Release: Mud Flow Wall!" Reiryū formed hand seals to defend.
A thick, viscous mud wall instantly rose from the ground, defending against the Water Dragon Bullet.
Standing behind the mud wall, Reiryū sighed.
Just as he raised his hand, preparing to painfully order a retreat—
Suddenly, a figure rushed toward them from behind the Senju lines.
"Clan leader! The Uchiha have suddenly launched an attack on Yoshino Pass! The clan territory is in dire need of protection!"
The Senju ninja arrived behind Butsuma. Though his voice was soft, both clan leaders heard the news.
Reiryū silently lowered his raised hand.
Truly, fortune favors us. The Senju had been ambushed by their old rivals, the Uchiha. Now, the Hagoromo clan could finally breathe.
Upon hearing the report, Butsuma was enraged, unleashing a terrifying surge of chakra. "Damn it! Those despicable Uchiha!"
"Clan Head Senju, shall we continue this battle?" Reiryū gripped his longsword, glaring at Butsuma.
Although his tone was measured, his actions spoke volumes: I'm not afraid of the Senju clan. I'd rather die than surrender!
If the Senju truly insist on fighting to the death, then even if my entire clan is wiped out here, I will tear a piece of flesh from your body!
Then, with such heavy losses, let's see how you fight the Uchiha.
Butsuma gave Reiryū a deep look. "Hmph! Consider yourself lucky!"
"Hagoromo clan, heed my command! Defend!" Reiryū loudly ordered his clansmen on the battlefield.
Seeing that Hagoromo had ceased its attacks, Butsuma raised his hand and shouted, "Senju clan! Retreat!"
Two or three minutes later, the Senju had completely withdrawn from the battlefield, even taking their dead with them.
Reiryū ordered the battlefield cleanup and a retreat back to camp.
The battle, which had lasted all morning, thus came to an end.
Bang!
Inside the Senju camp.
Butsuma kicked over the low table in front of him. "Damn the Uchiha! What are they thinking now?!"
The First Elder, who had also retreated from behind the Hagoromo lines, said, "I don't know, but the Uchiha suddenly launched an attack on our territory. Uchiha Tajima, their First Elder, and Third Elder have all appeared at Yoshino Pass."
"Currently, only our Second Elder and Third Elder remain in the clan territory. The Fourth Elder is defending against the Kaguya clan in the north. If we don't hurry back to support them, they probably won't be able to hold out for long."
Butsuma sat down angrily. "Of course I know! Immediately have everyone prepare to evacuate back to the clan territory!"
"Furthermore, Elder, you should lead one-third of our forces to remain and continue the attack on the Hagoromo clan. The Hagoromo have repeatedly opposed us. This time, we must annihilate them."
The First Elder was taken aback. "One-third of our forces? Clan leader, I'm afraid that won't be enough!"
Butsuma smiled meaningfully. "Don't worry, Elder. One-third is enough to wipe out the Hagoromo. After all, I've already contacted..."
Back at their camp, the Hagoromo clan's morale was noticeably lower.
It was clear to everyone that they were now at a disadvantage.
After all, the Senju were the strongest ninja clan besides the Uchiha. The battles on the field were indeed arduous, especially considering the large amount of supplies destroyed during last night's raid.
Therefore, most clan members in the camp were in low spirits.
Inside the council tent.
Reiryū was discussing countermeasures with the Second Elder, Hagoromo Ryūga, and a group of elite jonin.
"Everyone, please speak up. The Senju are pressing us aggressively. What should we do next?"
Reiryū spoke first.
After a long silence, Ryūga said, "Why don't we ask the Uchiha for help? Didn't that Senju jonin say today that the Uchiha attacked Yoshino Pass?"
At this moment, they were unaware that the Uchiha had launched a large-scale attack on the Senju, with their clan leader, First Elder, and Third Elder all on the battlefield.
They currently believed that the Uchiha were launching another surprise attack on the Senju, as usual, and would immediately retreat if the Senju were prepared.
Therefore, Elder Ryūga wanted to proactively request reinforcements from the Uchiha, hoping they would escalate their attack on the Senju.
"But what can we offer the Uchiha for their support?" a Hagoromo jonin asked.
Ryūga replied, "Use the newly discovered West Mountain iron mine."
The Hagoromo clan was located in the northwest of what would later become the Land of Fire, while the newly discovered iron mine was in the west of their territory.
The Uchiha could control the location of this iron mine, but the Senju would have to cross Hagoromo territory to obtain it.
It was precisely because of this, coupled with accumulated hatred from past missions, that the Senju launched a war against them.
Hearing his words, an elite jonin became agitated. "But we fought the Senju precisely because of the West Mountain Iron Mine! If we hand it over to the Uchiha, then what was the point of our life-or-death struggle?!"
Elder Ryūga glanced at him. "Then what do you suggest?"
The elite jonin was immediately speechless.
He then explained, "The Senju and the West Mountain Iron Mine are separated by our clan. Even if we willingly handed it over to them, they wouldn't feel at ease."
"After all, we're stuck in the middle, and we also have a grudge against them."
"If we were to renege one day, the mine we handed over wouldn't even require us to fight for it. We could simply sever the connection between the mine and the Senju, and it would automatically return to our hands."
"Therefore, even if we handed the West Mountain Iron Mine over to the Senju, they would still turn against us."
Before the mine was discovered, even though the Hagoromo and Senju had a feud, they weren't afraid.
After all, the Hagoromo were a first-rate ninja clan, and their strength shouldn't be underestimated. Without sufficient incentive, the Senju wouldn't bother to wage war against them.