Cut the Grass, Remove the Roots

Once the Iwagakure Earth Release techniques were unleashed, the Amegakure troops were slaughtered like wheat before a scythe. The Amegakure jonin gritted his teeth and gave the order: "Break the canisters!"

Instantly, a purple toxic gas enveloped the battlefield. Before long, the Iwagakure ninja forces were knocked unconscious; they had never expected the Amegakure to have such a trick up their sleeves!

Some of the stronger jonin had not yet fallen, but their limbs were already growing weak. Seeing this, the surviving Amegakure ninja began their counterattack.

Their eyes were bloodshot as they hacked away at the ninja from the great nations. Their gazes were filled with hatred; these great nations always chose their small country as a battlefield, and their friends and families had died right before their eyes because of them!

Watching this scene, the Senju troops felt a sense of relief. If they had fought head-on just moments ago, they didn't believe they would have fared any better than the Iwagakure forces.

Soon, the toxic gas dissipated. The hundred-man Iwagakure unit was completely wiped out. As for the Amegakure, only about twenty remained, gasping for air, their hands trembling as they gripped their blades—a sign of total exhaustion.

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

Tsunade nodded and prepared to charge forward. Uchiha Kō nodded as well, sensing that there were no other signatures nearby.

And so, the exhausted Amegakure troops encountered the rested and waiting Senju forces. The outcome was clear at a glance.

Just then, an Amegakure ninja knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Tsunade. "Please, my lord ninja of the Land of Fire, spare us! We were forced into this against our will!"

Tsunade was moved. Just as she was about to speak, a flicker of hatred flashed in the Amegakure ninja's eyes. He drew his long blade and lunged at her.

"Magnet Release: Sand Binding Coffin!" Uchiha Kō formed a sword-finger gesture with his right hand and aimed his left at the ninja. A massive amount of flying sand converged, firmly restraining the man. His blade was knocked from his grip, and he was encased in sand, unable to move.

He glared viciously at Tsunade, the helplessness and pleading from moments ago vanishing entirely. He cursed, "You ninja of the great nations, your hands are stained with blood! You will surely meet your retribution! Hahahaha!"

As his voice trailed off, Uchiha Kō's expression turned cold. He clenched his left hand. A sickening crunching sound echoed as the sand sphere tightened; the bottom of the sand turned a deep, blood-red, and crimson liquid began to seep out.

Uchiha Kō flicked his hand, sending the sand sphere flying far away. He didn't want the sight of this guy's death to affect Lady Tsunade.

The other Senju clansmen highly approved of Uchiha Kō's actions. To neutralize an enemy instantly and then kill them without hesitation—that was exactly what a ninja should do!

"Lady Tsunade, are you alright?" Long Yi asked, looking at Tsunade's dazed expression.

Tsunade snapped back to reality. She sighed and asked, "Are our hands truly stained with blood in the eyes of the smaller nations?"

No one responded. It was then that Uchiha Kō spoke up. "The fault does not lie with us, but with this ninja world where the strong prey upon the weak. It is true that our hands are stained with blood, but we do so to protect our own homes from violation."

Tsunade nodded, only half-understanding. This was the first time she had stained her hands with the blood of an enemy nation, and hearing the accusations of the enemy ninja had left her feeling lost.

"We must cut the weeds by the roots, especially on the battlefield! Look, Lady Tsunade, not a single one of our troops has died, and we have completed a battle. Shouldn't you be happy?" As he spoke, Uchiha Kō gestured toward the surrounding ninja.

The others nodded, expressing their agreement with Uchiha Kō's words. Some of the middle-aged Senju ninja looked at Uchiha Kō, finding the little guy quite interesting; he was the same age as Tsunade, yet he understood so much.

Under Uchiha Kō's persuasion, Tsunade regained her spirit. That's right—even if her hands were stained with blood, she was protecting her family! As long as she was clear on that point, it was enough.

Tsunade took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, everyone. I was too immature!" Following her apology, the Senju clansmen in the squad quickly spoke up.

"Princess Tsunade, this is not your fault."

"That's right, the first time I went to the battlefield, I was so scared I wet my pants!"

"Indeed, Princess, you don't need to blame yourself. We can grow up alongside you!"

Watching the group, Uchiha Kō felt a twinge of envy. Tsk, tsk, look at how united the Senju clan is.

Tsunade looked at Uchiha Kō, walked up to him, and said, "Kō-kun, from your performance just now, I can see you have great military talent. How about you serve as our squad's strategist from now on? During battle, I will follow your arrangements. How does that sound?"

Uchiha Kō pondered this. "That is possible, but I hope that once everyone returns to Konoha, you will keep this a secret. Tell the public that the results were achieved under Lady Tsunade's command."

Uchiha Kō scanned the group. The older ones immediately understood; he was building merit for their Senju princess. Their gazes toward Uchiha Kō became even warmer.

"Uchiha Kō, this... this isn't appropriate, is it?" Tsunade blushed. Wouldn't this mean she was stealing the credit for her subordinate's command?

The expressions of the Senju ninja shifted. They naturally wanted Tsunade to receive the credit, but this didn't seem fair to Uchiha Kō.

Uchiha Kō knew clearly that if he, an Uchiha, claimed this merit, it would be his death warrant. Danzo would fixate on him, viewing him as a thorn in his side. But if Tsunade held this credit, it would become a valuable political asset for her future.

He couldn't say this out loud, as he wasn't sure if there were any Danzo loyalists among the Senju, and revealing his intellect prematurely would be dangerous.

By handing the credit to Tsunade, the Senju troops would collectively keep the secret, ensuring not a single word leaked out.

"My mind is made up. If Lady Tsunade wants me to participate in command, please agree to this condition," Uchiha Kō said sincerely, kneeling on the ground.

Tsunade was flustered, not knowing what to do. A middle-aged Senju man stepped forward. "Lady Tsunade, look, Kō-kun is so sincere. If you refuse, it might be a bit too... why not just agree for now?"

His eyes were calm as he looked at Uchiha Kō, projecting goodwill.

Uchiha Kō smiled slightly. It seemed the Senju clan was not lacking in clever people.

At the request of both the Senju clansmen and Uchiha Kō himself, Tsunade finally agreed. Nominally, the squad remained under her leadership.

In reality, the commander had become Uchiha Kō. As for him, he continued to lie on Long Yi's back, using his True Sight Eye to scout the area ten miles ahead as the group marched steadily forward.