The beginning of peace talks and the center of the storm
The groundbreaking informal meeting between Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara at the Valley of the End was like dropping a red-hot boulder into a pool of water that had been calm for decades. Although no written agreement had been signed, not even a single explicit promise had been uttered, the keywords "peace talks" and "marriage," along with the news that Uchiha Aoi was still alive and under the protection of the Senju clan, spread like wings, piercing the tightly guarded clan walls with astonishing speed, causing unprecedented shockwaves among the leaders and core members of both clans. This was no longer just ordinary gossip, but a direct encounter between the clan leaders. Its symbolic significance and potentially disruptive nature made all who heard it unable to remain calm.
The Senju Clan: A Fierce Clash of Ideals and Reality
Within the Senju clan, the initial discussion about Tobirama's "secret possession" of an Uchiha woman quickly escalated into a heated debate about the clan's future. When Hashirama formally proposed the idea of peace talks with the Uchiha, perhaps even consolidating peace through marriage, at an internal meeting, the entire meeting room felt like it had been bombed.
The supporters, mostly younger ninja or clan members deeply inspired by Hashirama's idealism, were overcome with emotion, their eyes gleaming with hope. "Hashirama-sama, you have great foresight! This is a feat that will break the cycle of hatred and forge a new future! We, the Senju, must lead the ninja world towards peace!" They believed this was the only way to end generations of bloodshed and a manifestation of Hashirama-sama's great heart.
But the opposition was equally strong, perhaps even more pointed. Led by several experienced elders who had personally witnessed many brutal battles, they were filled with grief and anger, their faces livid. "Ridiculous! Peace talks with the Uchiha? And a marriage alliance? This is a betrayal of the generations of martyrs who died in battle! This is the weakness of bowing down to the mortal enemy!" One hot-tempered elder even slammed the table and pointed at Hashirama (although he was restrained, his anger was obvious), "Clan leader! Have you forgotten what Master Fukuyama (the previous clan leader) taught us? How many of our compatriots died at the hands of the Uchiha Sharingan? And now you're actually going to welcome Uchiha Madara's sister into your family? This is a humiliating disgrace!"
Inevitably, signs of division emerged within the clan. From the dining hall to the training grounds, muted arguments could be heard everywhere. Those who trusted Hashirama chose to follow, but many more harbored doubts and even harbored secret resentment. Faced with the overwhelming wave of opposition, Hashirama demonstrated his immense authority and decisiveness as clan leader. Rather than suppressing it, he convened numerous meetings, where he and Tobirama patiently (though anxiously) explained to the clan members the necessity of peace, the strategic value of marriage, and the long-term benefits of a future joint village. With his characteristic calmness and logic, Tobirama analyzed the issue from the perspectives of risk control and maximizing benefits, attempting to channel emotional resentment into rational considerations. Ultimately, thanks to Hashirama's unparalleled prestige and his persuasive strategic analysis, the main voices of opposition were temporarily suppressed, and the clan reluctantly reached a consensus to "initiate peace talks and then proceed based on the situation." However, undercurrents remained turbulent, and many held unresolved resentments.
The Uchiha Clan: A Crisis of Trust and the Test of the Clan Leader's Authority
The Uchiha clan's reaction was even more intense and chaotic than that of the Senju clan. When Madara brought back news of his meeting with Hashirama at the Valley of the End and Hashirama's proposal for peace and marriage to the clan's high-level meeting, it triggered not a discussion but a near-storm.
"Peace talks? With the Senju? Madara-sama, have you been deceived by Senju Hashirama?"
"Marriage? Let Miss Aoi marry Senju Tobirama? The murderer who killed Izuna-sama?! This is absolutely impossible!"
"This is a great humiliation for the Uchiha! We would rather die in battle than accept such humiliating conditions!"
"Madara-sama, are you making this decision for the future of the Uchiha, or... just to protect Miss Aoi?"
Doubts, objections, and even angry accusations echoed throughout the meeting room. Many radical clan members, especially those who had lost loved ones in the war, simply could not accept the idea of reconciliation with their sworn enemy. Even more unacceptable was the fact that the sister of the clan leader, whom they cherished like a jewel (although she was the sister of the previous clan leader, Aoi held a preeminent position after Madara's ascension), was marrying the second-in-command of the Senju clan. They saw this as a violation of Uchiha honor. Some even began to subtly question Madara's motives, believing he might be putting personal interests above public ones, sacrificing the interests of the clan for his sister's safety.
Uchiha Madara faced unprecedented internal pressure. He sat expressionless in his seat of honor, but the undercurrents swirling within his Mangekyō Sharingans betrayed his inner turmoil. He had to wield his immense strength and unshakable authority as clan leader to suppress the unrest. However, he knew that suppression alone was insufficient. He spent an unusually long time, patiently (even to his limit) explaining the pros and cons to the elders and core members: the drain of continued war, the potential for a stronger foreign enemy in the future, and the breathing space and growth that this peace negotiation could offer the Uchiha clan. He emphasized that a marriage wasn't a surrender, but rather a strategy to maximize benefits under the new circumstances, a way to ensure Aoi's safety and seize the initiative. The process was incredibly difficult, with each persuasion felt like chipping a crack in the ice. Ultimately, drawing on Madara's years of accumulated authority and the concerns of some pragmatic factions about the current situation, the clan reluctantly agreed to send representatives to participate in the first formal peace talks, but only on the condition that the Uchiha clan maximized its interests and scrutinized every detail of the marriage.
Neutral Ground: The First Clash of Verbal Blades
Despite numerous obstacles, with the strong push of the two clan leaders, the first formal peace talks were secretly held in a carefully selected neutral location located in the buffer zone between the two clans' spheres of influence - a long-abandoned small shrine.
The atmosphere was intense from the moment the representatives entered the shrine. The Senju delegation, centered around Hashirama and Tobirama, was supported by two elders skilled in negotiation. The Uchiha delegation, led by Madara, was accompanied by two elders renowned for their shrewdness and toughness. The two groups sat distinctly on opposite sides of the long table, their glances practically sparking. The air was thick with silent hostility and deep distrust.
The meeting was filled with tension from the outset. When it came to the most practical issues of territorial division, the allocation of water and mineral resources, and the question of dominance in the villages that might be jointly built in the future, both sides engaged in a heated exchange of words, refusing to give up an inch.
"The border outposts must retreat ten miles! This is the bottom line for showing sincerity in peace talks!" The Uchiha elder said in a firm tone.
"What a joke! Those outposts were bought with the blood of our warriors! Why should we give them up? If anyone wants to retreat, it should be you!" The Thousand Hands Elder immediately retorted.
"Iron ore mining rights must be shared! Otherwise, peace talks are meaningless!"
“Sharing is allowed, but the distribution ratio must be calculated based on the actual controlled area!”
Every discussion of the clauses was incredibly difficult, every proposal and counterproposal akin to walking a tightrope. Hashirama strove to mediate, attempting to guide both sides toward a brighter future, but resentment ran deep, and the struggle for interests was naked and brutal. Madara remained silent most of the time, observing from the sidelines. Only on crucial issues would he assert his position with brief but weighty words, exerting pressure.
The Silent Pawn at the Center of the Storm: Uchiha Aoi
In this fierce battle over the fate of the two clans, the issue of the marriage between Senju Tobirama and Uchiha Aoi is undoubtedly the most central, sensitive, and unique of all. Unlike territorial resources, which can be quantified and divided, it carries a significance far beyond its own.
The Senju clan, especially Hashirama, emphasized the irreplaceable importance of marriage in building trust between the two clans, integrating their bloodlines, and symbolizing the beginning of peace. Tobirama was relatively silent, but when he spoke, he calmly expounded on the "positive impact" of the marriage on security and intelligence sharing, presenting it as a strategic choice that would benefit both sides.
The Uchiha were extremely wary of this. They repeatedly questioned the Senju's true intentions, demanding extremely detailed and binding guarantees to ensure Aoi's personal safety, status and dignity, and the rights of any future offspring after marrying into the Senju family. They even used the harshness of the marriage terms as a crucial test of the Senju's sincerity in the peace talks.
Time and again, Uchiha Aoi's name was mentioned, discussed, and weighed in the heated arguments. She remained in the quiet courtyard of the Senju clan, oblivious to the storm raging outside that would determine her future. Every day, she faced the same four-sided sky, silent maids, and invisible barriers. Perhaps she still feared and struggled with her captivity and uncertain fate, unaware that her name was being placed on the negotiating table by a group of men, tied to the weight of territory, resources, and family honor, all in a cold bargain.
She was no longer simply Madara Uchiha's sister, a woman with her own emotions and will. In the grand political machinations, she was forced into becoming a precious sacrifice, a symbolic figure, a crucial link between two feuding families. Her personal joys and sorrows, her hopes and fears for the future, seemed so insignificant in the face of the grand issues concerning the survival and development of her clan, yet they strangely influenced the entire negotiation process. Whether the peace talks progressed or reached an impasse directly determined whether she would remain under "courtesy" house arrest or be formally propelled down the path of an uncertain marriage. She stood at the very center of the storm, yet she was the most silent and powerless voice, her fate being shaped and sealed bit by bit by these distant negotiations. The currents of history swept her towards a future set by others.
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