Naruto: The Beautiful Uchiha is Actually Me?

Chapter 16 Can the eldest brother be of some use?

Far away in the forest on the other side of the Naga River, the Mori clan is holding an emergency war meeting.

Recent battles have been a series of defeats, to the point that their losses are no longer negligible. Based on Senju Butsuma's years of vigilance and his recent analysis of the battle situation, he has already guessed the enemy's next move...

Butsuma Senju is no ordinary man who led the Mori clan to where they are today; he was not a reckless brute. On the contrary, Butsuma Senju possesses exceptional analytical skills, always able to discern a possibility favorable to the clan in battles large and small.

“If I were that old man Uchiha Tajima, I would never let such a great opportunity slip by…” Butsuma said to his subordinates while pointing at the map.

"But Chieftain... even if we understand their intentions, given our current state, it seems we have no other option but to fight back with all our might..."

A member of the Senju clan standing nearby raised his doubts. Although the clan leader's analysis was quite accurate, the current situation of the Senju clan was not very optimistic.

He glanced at the map, pondering how to proceed in this battle...

Unless... this large area is completely abandoned and a roundabout tactic is adopted.

Buddha frowned deeply. He knew all too well that this was an extremely dangerous and critical moment. If they were to engage in a head-on battle, even if they managed to hold onto this place, the price they would pay would be incredibly high.

However, if they adopt a roundabout tactic and directly abandon this area, they cannot guarantee that they will be able to successfully encircle and annihilate the enemy.

This risk is too great; even with the advantage of terrain, the best outcome is not guaranteed.

As everyone fell silent, a clear, melodious female voice broke the stillness...

"Chieftain, I don't think things are all that bad right now..."

Upon hearing the female voice, Senju Butsuma's spirits lifted, and his expression softened considerably.

"Sakura, you have an opinion? Tell us about it!"

The woman, known as Sakura in the Buddhist community, had a high ponytail of jet-black hair, her eyebrows were raised, and her eyes were full of shrewdness and competence. Even though her long bangs covered half of her face, her outstanding appearance and temperament were still undeniable.

She was a trusted confidante of the Buddha, and was most skilled at devising strategies, helping the Sen clan resolve crisis after crisis.

At that moment, a glint of insight flashed in her eyes, and she pointed to a corner of the map, saying, "We don't need to hold this area, nor do we need to employ any flanking tactics, yet we can still gain a certain advantage..."

Sakura began to analyze various factors that would influence the course of the battle, from the terrain to the weather, and even the timing of the Uchiha clan's possible attack.

After finishing her analysis, she calmly continued, "We only need to make good use of one of the terrain features here to achieve victory."

"Hmm? Where am I...?"

Buddha looked around for a long time, but even with his tactical perspective, he couldn't find anything special.

"This is a dense forest, but there are many poisonous flowers around. These flowers don't bloom this season, but there is one exception that can make them bloom suddenly... Chieftain, you should understand now."

"In addition to the advantage of the slope around here, and the possibility of heavy fog in the next few days... any ninjas unfamiliar with this area will be easily taken down by us."

Butsuma now fully understood. This place seemed unremarkable, even he, the clan leader, had forgotten about it. This meant the Uchiha wouldn't know anything about it, so the battle plan was almost clear... they didn't even need much defense on the front; they could simply fight and retreat. And once they gained the upper hand... by combining forces from both sides, the chances of victory would be extremely high.

This plan is far better than either a defensive strategy or a roundabout approach. Although the conditions are more demanding, its success rate is definitely higher than the other two.

"Okay, let's do it this way!"

Buddha breathed a sigh of relief... Now, even if they didn't achieve a great victory, at least they could protect this area, and they might even inflict a heavy loss on the Uchiha!

......

Unlike the tense atmosphere in the Buddhist temple, the four Senju brothers were sitting on the bed, each doing their own thing.

Hashirama and Kawarama chatted, their laughter occasionally breaking the silence, while Tobirama leaned against the wall, legs crossed, engrossed in a book, equally worried about the situation with his father...

Only Itama, neither playing with his eldest and third brothers nor quietly reading like his second brother Tobirama, was in a bad mood...

It should be said that he has been feeling quite down ever since Yan Yi left.

Although he didn't show it much, his father still asked about it. Itama had no choice but to use the lie Tobirama had given him last time, saying that the lions had been released...

The Buddha simply nodded slightly and told him to cultivate diligently, without taking it to heart.

Tobirama was aware of this as well, since Itama had been staying at home recently. Although he would occasionally go out, he wouldn't bring food with him.

Itama was sitting alone by the window, quietly watching the moon in the night sky...

"I heard that Father has been busy fighting the Uchiha lately. I wonder how Yan Yi is doing... Has he returned home safely?"

Even though Yan Yi had left, he would still secretly take out the jade stone Yan Yi had given him from time to time, and stare at it silently for a very long time...

For example, right now, he couldn't resist secretly taking out the jade again and holding it in his palm. The cool touch felt very comfortable to him...

Yan Yi... why did you have to be from the Uchiha clan...?

Itama was really sad. He had finally made a friend, a friend who was his own, but it turned out to be a member of the Uchiha clan, their mortal enemy.

This truly validated Yan Yi's message to him: they would never be friends again.

Although the time was short and joyful, after the joy came endless emptiness...

While Itama was absentmindedly holding the jade, Tobirama, sitting in the corner at a distance, noticed his younger brother's unusual behavior. Tobirama gave Itama a deep look, his expression somewhat serious...

Although he was reluctant to think about that possibility, his naturally keen perception forced him to focus more attention on Itama.

My younger brother has been acting very strangely lately. It's definitely not the kind of emotion an animal would have after being released into the wild... It's more like someone has left him.

Furthermore, the other party was definitely not an allied family of the Senju, nor was it a friendly or neutral family... If they were from his own family, he could simply invite them to his home. Considering Itama's unusual behavior recently—frequently taking food out and staying for the entire day—Tobirama had already roughly guessed what was going on...

Itama, his fourth younger brother, rescued a child from an enemy family while he was away.

This is the possibility after Tobirama's analysis.

However, Tobirama did not expose Itama's clumsy pretense. He knew that his younger brother was just kind, not stupid, and that he would not reveal the family's secrets.

But Itama can't go on like this... his father will find out sooner or later. And although Itama was very careful, Tobirama still saw the jewel in his hand. If his father finds it on him...

The consequences are unimaginable.

At this moment, Itama was still immersed in his own world and did not notice the serious look in his second brother's eyes.

Tobirama closed the book and sighed silently...

Tonight, he really needs to have a serious talk with his younger brother. He wonders if his older brother can actually do anything; he always leaves him to handle these things, showing absolutely no sense of responsibility as the eldest brother!

Moonlight streamed through the window, and night fell completely.