Thousand Hands' Decision

The Senju clan's emergency meeting lasted from the early afternoon until the sun finally set. The atmosphere in the spacious conference hall was as heavy as lead. The light from the windows gradually dimmed, accentuating the stern features on the attendees' faces. The smoke from cigarettes and the steam from tea curled up, but they couldn't dispel the anxiety and oppression that permeated the air.

One proposal after another was carefully put forward and placed on the table for everyone to examine and analyze, and then was rejected one by one due to various unavoidable risks and disadvantages, like a stone thrown into stagnant water, which only caused a momentary ripple before sinking into the cold abyss of reality.

Dispatch a massive army and intercept the Uchiha wedding procession with thunderous force? This proposal seemed the most powerful and most aligned with the sympathies of some hardline elders. However, a more sober analysis revealed its low feasibility. This would be tantamount to declaring war on both the Uchiha and Yozuki clans simultaneously. Even if the Senju clan currently held the upper hand, it would be impossible to simultaneously withstand the overwhelming pressure from both directions, especially since the main battlefield would most likely be within the Land of Fire. Regardless of victory or defeat, the Senju clan would suffer incalculable losses, their homeland potentially reduced to scorched earth. This was a decidedly unprofitable and disastrous strategy.

So, as a second best option, dispatch a crack team of elite soldiers for a disguised attack? Disguise themselves as roving rebel ninja, fierce bandits, or even create a seemingly accidental natural or man-made disaster? This method seems ingenious, and the risks are relatively manageable. However, upon closer inspection, it proves extremely difficult to execute. The Uchiha Sharingan is renowned in the ninja world for its powerful insight and ability to penetrate illusions; ordinary disguises and transformations would be difficult to deceive. Furthermore, given Madara Uchiha's deep regard for his sister, the escort for the wedding procession would undoubtedly be of the highest caliber. A clash would likely lead to a stalemate, exponentially increasing the risk of exposure and unpredictable consequences.

Some suggested a more devious strategy: spreading rumors, carefully fabricating negative stories about the Uchiha or the Yeyue clan, attempting to sow discord before the alliance was finalized, fostering mutual suspicion and undermining the marriage from within. However, this plan was immediately rejected. Time was running out. With the marriage news already out, it was likely that the leadership of both parties had already reached a basic agreement. How could they easily abandon a major decision concerning the clan's interests over some unidentified and unverified rumor? Furthermore, the Yeyue clan was known for their straightforward character and their reverence for strength. They would likely scorn such insidious schemes and machinations. It might even have the opposite effect, drawing the two clans closer together as they faced the rumormongers together.

The discussion seemed to have reached a dead end, every possibility mercilessly repelled by the thick wall of reality. A suffocating silence descended upon the meeting room. The elders frowned, some silently smoking, others drumming their fingers unconsciously on the table. The air seemed frozen.

In this deadlocked, almost hopeless atmosphere, Senju Tobirama, who had been as silent as an iceberg, observing and analyzing everything calmly with his sharp red eyes, suddenly spoke. His voice was not loud, but it was unusually clear and calm, like an ice pick that instantly pierced the stagnant air:

"Perhaps, we can be more flexible in our thinking. We don't need to be obsessed with completely preventing the marriage itself. We can achieve our goal by simply ensuring that it 'cannot be successfully completed.'"

In an instant, all eyes - anxious, tired, helpless - were instantly focused on him.

Sitting in the main seat, Hashirama Senju looked at his younger brother who always came up with amazing ideas, and said in a deep voice: "Tobirama, tell me your ideas in detail." There was a subtle expectation in his tone, but also a hint of worry.

Tobirama stood up and walked over to the massive map of the Ninja Realm hanging in the center of the conference room, his gaze fixed squarely on the area between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning. "The key to a marriage alliance lies in 'people,'" he said flatly, as if stating a simple fact. "Contracts, agreements, and covenants all require specific individuals to fulfill. If the central figure in the marriage alliance—Uchiha Aoi—meets an accident during the wedding procession, such as... an 'accidental death,' or..." He paused subtly, a cold glint flashing in his red eyes, "...is abducted by an unknown force and remains missing. Then, the marriage will naturally lose its foundation and fall apart. And afterward, all the blame can be attributed to the 'accident,' or..."

He paused again, his eyes sweeping over everyone present. "...or, subtly direct them to other 'interested and capable' forces that have nothing to do with us Senju. For example, those rebel ninja groups that have been eyeing the border between the two countries, or other families with old grudges against the Uchiha and Yeyue families."

A dead silence fell in the meeting room. Everyone understood the unspoken, bloody meaning of Tobirama's words. This was undoubtedly the most brutal and direct method, but also potentially the most effective. Cutting the grass at its roots, ending it all once and for all. However, this "root" was a vibrant young woman, seemingly unrelated to the current hatred.

After a brief silence, an elder raised the most crucial technical question: "The plan sounds good, but how will it be implemented? Uchiha Madara is no fool. He will definitely send the clan's top forces to escort them, and he might even follow them secretly. To succeed under their noses, and to do it cleanly and without leaving any trace, is extremely difficult."

"Thus, this requires the most meticulous planning and the strongest execution." Tobirama seemed to have anticipated this question, his answer being clear and flawless. "First, we must, at all costs, obtain the most accurate intelligence possible—the precise route the wedding procession will ultimately choose, the exact time of departure, the exact number of people, the detailed configuration of each guard, and their specific abilities. Second, based on this intelligence, we must select a location that is most suitable for an ambush, a surprise attack, and easy to evacuate, and make careful arrangements in advance. Third, we must dispatch a small, absolutely elite force, prioritizing quality over quantity. We must ensure a successful strike, and upon achieving our goal, we must immediately retreat a thousand miles away and not pursue the enemy. Finally, and most importantly, the operation must be thorough, leaving no one alive and no evidence that could incriminate us, the Senju. This includes traces of special ninjutsu, ninja tools, or even corpses."

His words were cold and emotionless, and his logic was frighteningly clear, as if what he was discussing was not the fate of a life or a family, but simply a task instruction that needed to be completed efficiently.

Hashirama Senju's brows were tightly knitted into the shape of a "川" character, with obvious reluctance and resistance on his face: "Tobirama, this...isn't this too much? That Uchiha lady, as far as we know, has not directly participated in the battle against us. She is largely innocent. And...Madara, he..." Hashirama's mind flashed with the crazy and paranoid look of Uchiha Madara. He couldn't imagine if Madara's most cherished sister died at the hands of Senju, even without any evidence, how terrible and crazy that man would fall into. The already bottomless hatred between the two clans would no longer have any possibility of being resolved, and would only spread into an eternal bloody battle to the death.

"Brother," Tobirama interrupted Hashirama calmly, even coldly. There was no wavering in his red eyes, only a rational iceberg. "This is war. In war, there is no absolute innocence, only differences in stance and interests. We pity Uchiha Aoi now, but once the alliance between the Uchiha and Yozuki is solidified, the number of Senju clan members who die on the battlefield in the future may increase tenfold, even a hundredfold! Those are also living people, brothers, fathers, and sons of others! For the survival of the clan as a whole, for the survival of the majority of the clan members, there are some things that someone must do, even if it goes against personal feelings."

His words were like a cold hammer of reality, shattering the last shred of hope. Though brutal, they laid bare the cold truth of the survival rules of the ninja clans of the Warring States Period. The Senju leaders present, even if some showed signs of pity, ultimately fell silent. Under the immense pressure of a clan's survival, individual moral sense seemed so fragile. They tacitly accepted that Tobirama's proposal was indeed the only feasible and highly successful solution.

Senju Hashirama looked into his brother's impassive eyes, then glanced at the silent elders around him. A complex mix of emotions flashed through his eyes—shock at his brother's cold calculations, anguish at the reality of his situation, and the weight of the decision he had to make as clan leader. Ultimately, it all dissolved into a barely audible sigh and a heavy decision. He closed his eyes, then opened them again a moment later, revealing only the clan leader's decisiveness:

"...Let's prepare according to Tobirama's plan. Tobirama, you are fully responsible for this matter. Draw up a detailed action plan and personally select the personnel. They must be the most reliable, strongest, and most discreet elites. The operational guidelines are just four words: fast, accurate, ruthless, and decisive. Most importantly, no evidence can be left that could expose me as the Thousand Hands!"

"Yes! Clan Leader!" Tobirama bowed his head in response, his voice steady and composed. But as he lowered his eyelids, shielding those crimson pupils, a fleeting, elusive flicker of complex emotions, one he wasn't even aware of. That brief moonlit encounter, that gaze, unlike any other Uchiha he knew, filled with clear curiosity and a hint of melancholy, was like a stubborn drop of water, trying to penetrate his frozen sanity. He subconsciously clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms, using the subtle yet sharp pain to forcefully dispel the chaotic, meaningless thoughts that shouldn't exist.

"Everything is for Qianshou." He emphasized to himself coldly in his heart again.

A conspiracy targeting the Uchiha wedding procession, designed to completely sabotage the marriage alliance, was thus finalized and rapidly unfolded. The Senju clan's vast war machine, with its characteristic efficiency and ruthlessness, began to operate. Countless hidden spies were activated, and various intelligence channels, both overt and covert, began to converge on the clan's territory. Several jonin currently on missions were urgently recalled with top priority. Various special ninja tools, detonating tags, and poisons were secretly prepared...

An invisible and deadly net began to quietly spread towards the Uchiha clan's upcoming marriage.

Meanwhile, within the Uchiha clan, preparations for the marriage proceeded intensely in a seemingly festive but subdued atmosphere. The gorgeous wedding gowns and generous dowry (especially the staggering number of weapons and medicine) were constantly being counted and packed. Uchiha Madara indeed increased patrols and counter-reconnaissance efforts within the clan territory, his Mangekyō Sharingan vigilantly scanning for any suspicious signs.

But he may not realize that the biggest and most deadly threat does not come from possible internal movements, but from the most familiar enemy who has been lurking outside, sharpening his fangs and setting traps.