Uproot the Weeds

With the Iwagakure Ninja using Earth Release, the Rain Ninja were cut down one after another like vegetables. The Rain Ninja jōnin gritted his teeth, then gave the order: "Smash the jars!"

At once, purple poison gas enveloped the battlefield. Before long, the Iwagakure Ninja forces had been poisoned unconscious. They hadn't expected the Rain Ninja to have a trick like this!

Some of the stronger jōnin hadn't fallen yet, but their limbs were already going weak. The surviving Rain Ninja began their counterattack.

Their eyes were bloodshot as they hacked down the great nations' shinobi. Hatred filled their eyes. The great nations chose their small country as a battlefield whenever they fought, and their family and friends had died before their eyes, one after another, all because of those great nations!

Watching this, the Senju forces felt somewhat relieved. If they'd fought the Rain Ninja head-on just now, they didn't think they would have fared much better than the Iwagakure forces.

The poison gas soon dispersed. The hundred-strong Iwagakure unit had been wiped out. As for the Rain Ninja, about twenty remained. They gasped for breath, their hands trembling around their blades—a sign that they were exhausted.

Long Yi said, "Lady Tsunade, this is the perfect moment to wipe out the Rain Ninja!"

Tsunade nodded and prepared to charge forward. Uchiha Kō nodded as well; there were no other chakra signatures nearby.

And so, the exhausted Rain Ninja forces faced the well-rested Senju forces. The outcome was obvious.

One of the Rain Ninja fell to his knees and kowtowed to Tsunade. "Please, Fire Country shinobi, spare us! We had no choice!"

Tsunade was moved. Just as she was about to say something, a glint of hatred flashed in the Rain Ninja's eyes. He drew his long blade and lunged at her.

"Magnet Release: Sand Binding Coffin!" Uchiha Kō formed a sword-like hand sign with his right hand and aimed his left at the Rain Ninja. A torrent of sand converged, binding him tightly. The sand forced the Rain Ninja's blade from his hand, and it clattered to the ground. Sand enveloped him, leaving him unable to move.

He glared viciously at Tsunade. The helpless, pleading look he'd worn moments ago had vanished. "You great-nation shinobi have blood all over your hands! You'll get what's coming to you! Hahahaha!"

As his words fell, Uchiha Kō's expression turned cold. He clenched his left hand. A series of cracking sounds rang out as the Rain Ninja was crushed inside the sand. The bottom of the sand mass turned crimson, blood seeping through it.

Uchiha Kō flicked his hand, sending the ball of sand flying far away. He didn't want the man's gruesome death to upset Lady Tsunade.

The other Senju were entirely in favor of Uchiha Kō's actions. Subduing the Rain Ninja immediately, then killing him without hesitation—that was what a shinobi should do!

"Lady Tsunade, are you all right?" Long Yi asked, looking at her dazed expression.

Tsunade came to her senses and sighed. "In the eyes of the small nations, are our hands really stained with blood?"

No one answered. But Uchiha Kō said, "We're not the ones at fault. It's this dog-eat-dog Ninja World. It's true that our hands are stained with blood, but we're protecting our home from invasion."

Tsunade nodded, seeming to understand, though not quite. This was the first time she'd shed the blood of an enemy nation. Hearing the enemy shinobi condemn them left her feeling lost.

"You have to wipe out the roots, especially on a battlefield! Lady Tsunade, look. Not one person in our unit has died, and we've won a battle. Shouldn't you be happy?" Uchiha Kō said, gesturing to the shinobi around them.

The others nodded, agreeing with Uchiha Kō. Some of the middle-aged Senju shinobi looked at him with interest. The kid seemed intriguing. He looked about the same age as Tsunade, yet he already understood so much.

Encouraged by Uchiha Kō, Tsunade rallied. That was right. Though her hands were stained with blood, she was protecting her family! That was all that mattered.

Tsunade took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, everyone. I was too immature!" At her apology, the Senju in the unit hurried to respond.

"Princess Tsunade, this isn't your fault."

"That's right! It was my first time on the battlefield, and I was so scared I wet my pants!"

"That's right, Princess. Don't blame yourself. We can grow up together with you!"

Looking at everyone, Uchiha Kō felt a little envious. Tsk, the Senju Clan really was close-knit.

Tsunade turned to Uchiha Kō, walked up to him, and said, "Kō, from what you've shown so far, I can tell you have a great talent for military strategy. Why don't you serve as our squad's strategist from now on? In battle, I'll follow your lead too. What do you think?"

Uchiha Kō thought it over. "I can do that, but I want everyone here to keep this a secret when we return to Konoha. Tell people that we achieved these results under Lady Tsunade's command."

Uchiha Kō glanced around at the others. The older ones understood immediately: he was helping their Princess of Senju build up her accomplishments. They looked at him with even greater warmth.

"Uchiha Kō, that—that doesn't seem right," Tsunade said, blushing a little. Wouldn't that make it look as if she'd taken credit for her subordinate's leadership?

The Senju shinobi's expressions shifted. Naturally, they wanted Tsunade to earn merit, but this didn't seem fair to Uchiha Kō.

Uchiha Kō knew that if he earned this merit as an Uchiha, it would become a death sentence. Danzo would keep a close eye on him and see him as a thorn in his side. But if Tsunade earned the merit, it would become valuable political capital for her in the future.

He couldn't say that openly, though. He wasn't sure whether there were any Senju who were loyal to the Hokage, and saying it might expose his intelligence.

If he gave the credit to Tsunade, the Senju forces would keep the secret as a group and not let a single detail slip.

"I've made up my mind. If Lady Tsunade wants me to help with the command, please agree to this condition." Uchiha Kō knelt and spoke earnestly.

Tsunade was flustered and didn't know what to do. Then one of the middle-aged Senju stepped forward. "Lady Tsunade, look how sincere Kō is. It would be a little... unreasonable to refuse him. Why not agree for now?"

His eyes were gentle as he looked at Uchiha Kō, showing him goodwill.

Uchiha Kō smiled faintly. It seemed the Senju Clan had its share of clever people.

At the insistence of the Senju and Uchiha Kō himself, Tsunade finally agreed. Officially, the squad was still under her command.

In reality, Uchiha Kō had become the one in charge. He continued riding on Long Yi's back, using the True Sight Eye to scout the area ten miles ahead as the group steadily advanced.