Orochimaru, Jiraiya

The Land of Rain was plagued by ceaseless rain all year round, but today, for once, the rain had stopped. The sky was still gloomy, though.

For the Land of Rain, this already counted as a rare "sunny day." Tsunade walked ahead, with Uchiha Kō following behind.

Tsunade was filled with the joy of reuniting with her fellow students, while Uchiha Kō was considering how to secure the greatest possible benefit for Lady Tsunade.

A short while later, watched by villagers and soldiers, the two arrived at the village entrance, where Uchiha Kō saw Orochimaru and Jiraiya.

The two wore battle uniforms much like Tsunade's and had each brought a unit. Judging by their numbers, Orochimaru's force still had around seven hundred men, while Jiraiya's had around six hundred.

That was only natural. There were bound to be casualties in war. Reaching the village in four days with fewer than half their forces lost was proof enough of their abilities.

Seeing them, Tsunade smiled. "Orochimaru, Jiraiya, you two finally made it!" she said, going out to greet them, her face bright with joy.

When Jiraiya saw Tsunade, a gleam flashed in his eyes. "Oh, it's you, Tsunade. You look well! Hahahaha!" His hearty laughter earned him a scornful glance from Orochimaru.

Orochimaru shook his head, then looked at Tsunade. She didn't look the least bit tired or even grief-stricken. He was curious about what had happened to her; even he had only recovered yesterday.

As Orochimaru pondered this, Uchiha Kō suddenly said, "Lady Tsunade, Lord Orochimaru, Lord Jiraiya, there are too many eyes and ears outside the village. Please come inside quickly so we can discuss military and political matters together."

Tsunade smiled. "Kō is right. Orochimaru, Jiraiya, come into the village with me. The troops can enter as well, but they'll have to follow the rules."

"Rules?" Orochimaru's eyes lit up. He hadn't expected the shinobi in this village to follow rules. What kind of rules were they?

Tsunade then explained the Five Kill Rules. The eagerness in Orochimaru's eyes was impossible to hide.

"Princess Tsunade, who came up with these Five Kill Rules? Could you introduce me? This person is a real talent—a true genius!" Orochimaru said with a smile.

Tsunade smiled and pointed at Uchiha Kō, who had just spoken. "It was him. Kō—Uchiha Kō."

"Uchiha?" Jiraiya furrowed his brow. Shouldn't Uchiha be with his own unit? Why had he been assigned to Tsunade?

Although the Senju Clan had become more like ordinary people and abandoned the Senju surname, Tsunade's unit was still undeniably a Senju force. How could they possibly allow a Uchiha to boss them around?

Tsunade wasn't one for scheming, so she told them everything Uchiha Kō had done, including his Magnet Release: True Sight Eye.

Orochimaru's eyes shone. Could I get a dozen loyal aides like him? He probed, "Princess Tsunade, my unit is short of someone like him, too. How about—"

Jiraiya didn't seem to have much of a reaction, but Tsunade frowned. "Grandmother chose him as my aide." The meaning was clear.

Orochimaru pursed his lips. Fine. I only asked for one person, and you bring up Lady Mito. How am I supposed to argue with that? He sighed. "I suppose Kō and I just weren't meant to work together."

The three entered the office. None of them took the seat at the head of the room; instead, they discussed their next move together.

At the village entrance

Uchiha Kō sized up the two units, with many Senju Jonin following behind him.

Orochimaru's unit was fine. It included shinobi from the Hatake Clan, the Hyuga Clan, the Akimichi Clan, the Nara Clan, the Yamanaka Clan, and other families. Most were reasonable and considerate.

Jiraiya's unit, on the other hand, consisted of the Uchiha Clan, the Aburame Clan, the Kurama Clan, and the Hayate Clan. Uchiha Kō couldn't help wondering if Sarutobi Hiruzen had done it on purpose. Compared with Orochimaru's force, Jiraiya's was clearly weaker by several degrees.

Under that kind of pressure, Jiraiya had still managed to keep his force at six hundred men. Uchiha Kō genuinely admired him for it.

The other clans were all cordial when they saw him, politely greeting him. The Uchiha Clan was the exception. Some recognized Kō and curled their lips; others let out cold laughs.

The Senju Jonin behind Uchiha Kō smiled. Go on, laugh all you want. The more arrogantly you laugh now, the worse you'll suffer when the time comes.

Uchiha Kō knew the Uchiha Clan's ways and paid them no mind. Walking to the front, he said, "You've traveled a long way and fought all the way here. Thank you for your hard work. I'm here to welcome you into the village."

No one objected to that, but his next words stirred them up, especially the Uchiha.

"Lady Tsunade has established these rules. Anyone who breaks them will be put to death! One: trespassing in private homes is punishable by death. Two: stealing supplies is punishable by death. Three: raping civilians is punishable by death. Four: bullying the weak is punishable by death. Five: forcing people to buy or sell is punishable by death." Uchiha Kō repeated the Five Kill Rules to make sure there wouldn't be any trouble when he had to enforce them.

"We already know all that. Can we go into the village and rest now? Everyone here is exhausted," a Uchiha Jonin said coldly.

Aside from the Uchiha, no one else spoke. They simply watched in silence. The Senju Jonin frowned. The Uchiha Clan really was irritating.

Uchiha Kō followed the voice. Well, look at that—it was an older man, a Uchiha Jonin. Uchiha Kiyoshi was said to have been around since the Warring States Period and held great influence in his clan. He had been sent to lead the Uchiha this time.

"What? Do you have a problem?" Uchiha Kō narrowed his eyes at Uchiha Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi was taken aback. This guy didn't seem as cowardly as the rumors claimed.

But he wasn't someone who could be pushed around, either. "What if I do? And what if I don't?" Uchiha Kiyoshi said cockily.

The Senju Jonin behind Uchiha Kō couldn't take it anymore and moved to step in. But Uchiha Kō said, "Stand down!" The Senju Jonin hesitated, then obediently backed off.

Uchiha Kiyoshi's pupils contracted. He hadn't expected the Senju Clan to hold the words of the so-called useless man so highly!

This guy's not simple. He was already on his guard, though he kept a look of disdain on his face.

"If I remember correctly, this senior is Uchiha Kiyoshi, right?" Uchiha Kō said calmly as he stepped forward and narrowed his eyes.

He was representing Lady Tsunade as he kept the shinobi forces in line, so everything he did reflected on her. He couldn't ignore Uchiha Kiyoshi's provocation.

Doing so would make him lose face, and it would also dishonor the force and Lady Tsunade. So he had to step forward.

"That's right. I'm Uchiha Kiyoshi. What do you want, Uchiha Kō?" Uchiha Kiyoshi emphasized the words "Uchiha Kō," reminding him that he was a member of the Uchiha Clan.

Uchiha Kō smiled faintly. "Nothing much. I'm just itching for a fight. Would you be willing to give me some pointers, senior?" As he spoke, he formed the Seal of Confrontation toward Uchiha Kiyoshi.

The Uchiha widened their eyes. Uchiha Kiyoshi looked just as incredulous as the rest. This kid had only just turned eighteen, yet he was bold enough to challenge him!