Izuna pulled Mito down to sit with him again, found a stick, and began drawing in the dirt at his feet. But while one hand held the stick, the other shamelessly took hold of Mito's.
After several failed attempts to pull away, Mito could only glare at the shameless man and let him be. Gradually, her attention was drawn to the diagram he was sketching on the ground. Mito realized that Izuna was drawing a strategic map of the current battle between the Senju and Uchiha!
The Mount Congyun main front:
On the Uchiha side were Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Gakugyo, leading their forces, which included the four vassal ninja clans led by Watanabe Ryokai. All told, they had about two thousand men.
On the Senju side, according to the first battle five days ago, the leaders were the near-Kage level Senju Buken and the Kage-level Senju Tobirama. With the latest intelligence, Senju Hashirama had now joined the main front, bringing five hundred Uzumaki reinforcements with him. Their numbers had swelled to three thousand.
This wasn't surprising. After the war a year ago, the Uchiha had only had a year to recover. If not for absorbing the Watanabe, Kikawa, and the other two clans, the power gap would have been even greater.
The northern front at Shirotani Pass, however, was a smaller affair. The terrain was narrow and difficult for encampments, so Uchiha Shin was stationed there with only four hundred men. Their purpose was simply to guard against a surprise attack like the one Senju Tobirama had launched before, which had nearly destroyed their home base.
"Is the current clan head, Senju Yuma, in charge of holding the rear?" After summarizing the intelligence Madara had sent, Izuna found that there was no specific information on Senju Yuma's whereabouts. He frowned, deep in thought.
"Ow!" Mito's sudden cry broke Izuna's concentration. He turned to see her swatting at him with a fist. "That hurts!"
Izuna looked down and realized that in his contemplation, he had unconsciously squeezed her hand too tightly. He quickly let go, holding up his hands. "Ah, sorry, sorry..."
"Hmph!" Mito snatched her hand back, shot him a glare, and turned her body to the other side.
***
On the third day, the dense clouds overhead matched Izuna's mood perfectly.
This was the last day. If he couldn't find a Tailed Beast, he would have to return home.
Beside him, Mito saw Izuna erase the map he had drawn on the ground and guessed his intentions. "Are you getting ready to go back to the battlefield?" she asked.
"Yes, today's the last day." Izuna wiped the map clean, then suddenly smiled. "If the Tailed Beast capture plan fails, I'll just have to have you spend a bit more time helping me train in Sage Art."
Mito looked away, her expression complicated. She was truly in a difficult position. As an Uchiha, Izuna was an enemy of her Uzumaki clan, who were allies of the Senju. By helping him, she was indirectly helping the enemy fight her own people.
*But... why don't I refuse? Even if I did, he could just use his Sharingan to force me.*
She tried to rationalize it this way, but she knew that the Sharingan's control wasn't that infallible. At most, it could be used for interrogation; it couldn't force a target to perform specific actions. The sealing techniques required to suppress Sage Chakra were so complex that unless Mito was completely willing, the Sharingan could never achieve such precise manipulation.
Suddenly, Izuna's expression changed. "Found it," he said.
Mito turned to look at him, but he was already speeding off to the north. His voice drifted back to her from the distance, "Stay here. I'll be back soon."
"Hey..." Mito reached out, about to say something, but Izuna was already gone.
***
A mountainous region.
A monstrous beast resembling a demon cat, wreathed in deep blue flames, padded across a field of withered yellow grass. The two tails at its rear, also burning with an eerie blue fire, swayed in the wind.
The Two-Tailed Matatabi!
Its blue flames were said to be like Amaterasu, inextinguishable. Unlike the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails, which fought purely with Chakra, Matatabi, like the One-Tailed Shukaku with its Magnet Release, the Three-Tailed Isobu with its Water Release, and the Four-Tails Son Goku with its Lava Release, was highly skilled in a single element. It excelled at Fire Release, which meant it should have a high affinity with the Uchiha clan.
As Matatabi was napping on the grass, the sound of rustling footsteps suddenly reached its ears, causing the feline ears on its head to twitch.
It opened its eyes to see a young man in black clothes with black hair walking leisurely toward it.
"The Two-Tails... no, your name is Matatabi, isn't it?" Izuna stood no more than fifty meters away, looking up at the demon cat, whose size was comparable to the Eight-Tails.
"You know my name?" Matatabi mused aloud, her voice like that of a world-weary middle-aged woman, completely different from the Eight-Tails.
"I need your power, Matatabi," Izuna said, meeting her gaze. "Sooner or later, you Tailed Beasts will all be controlled by humans anyway. If you choose me, I can at least guarantee you absolute freedom outside of when I need your help in battle."
A human-like frown creased Matatabi's face. After about half a minute of silence, she replied in her womanly voice, "Leave, human. I don't believe your words, nor am I interested in intervening in human battles."
"You don't believe me, do you? I expected as much. But you didn't attack immediately, so it seems you're quite even-tempered." Izuna's black eyes gradually turned crimson, three tomoe spinning within them. "But what if I were to say that I *will* make you my summoning beast?!"
According to Killer Bee's later recollections, the bond between Matatabi and her Jinchuriki, Yugito Nii, was even stronger than his own with the Eight-Tails. The Hidden Cloud did have a knack for taming Tailed Beasts. Even so, if not for Matatabi's inherent nature, it would have been difficult to achieve such harmony with a Jinchuriki.
But no matter how good-natured Matatabi was, Izuna's almost coercive demand still sparked her anger.
Although Izuna wasn't Madara, who always spoke with an overbearing tone, he was still incredibly proud. It was impossible for him to grovel or beg for anything or anyone.
"ROOOAR!"
As Matatabi rose, her roar unleashed a sonic wave that formed a violent gust of wind, threatening to tear the grass from the earth. She raised her right paw and slammed it down.
Izuna formed a fist with his right hand, extending his index and middle fingers.
Body Flicker Technique!
*BOOM!*
Matatabi's claw struck the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust and smoke. Izuna had already reappeared ten meters from his original position.
He formed another one-handed seal. As a master of Fire Release, not just Izuna, but many Uchiha of Jonin-elite rank and above could perform most fire techniques with just the "Tiger" seal. Of course, a high-level jutsu like Great Fire Annihilation required two hands, but it was still fundamentally a single seal.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
A roaring fire dragon shot forward, striking Matatabi's massive body head-on. The crimson flames engulfed her blue-flamed form, burning relentlessly. But after just five seconds, Izuna noticed a problem.
Although his flames were burning on Matatabi's body, the innate blue flames covering her skin blocked his Fire Release, preventing any real damage to her.
Soon, the blue flames devoured the red ones. Matatabi let out another furious roar and charged at Izuna.
-----
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