Rainy Clearing
"Lord Hanzō, there isn't enough food in the city to supply both the people and the army. We'll run out by tomorrow at the latest!" a Rain Ninja reported to Salamander Hanzō.
Salamander Hanzō sat in the leader's seat, silent. He had grown somewhat withdrawn. It had been four months since he declared war on the three great nations: Fire, Wind, and Earth.
For the first two months, he had caught all three sides off guard and pushed into their territory. But the three great nations hadn't given it a second thought. They had organized the ninja in their countries and wiped out his forces in a single day, then charged toward Rainy Clearing.
Only then had he realized that the three great nations weren't weak. They had simply been waiting for an opportunity to counterattack and seize even greater gains.
Although Salamander Hanzō was Kage Level, he was nowhere near as powerful as Sarutobi Hiruzen, Ōnoki, or the Third Kazekage.
He knew all too well how many of the elite jōnin in the Land of Rain were all talk. He had only wanted to prove to the other nations that his country wasn't a helpless pushover.
Now, at last, he understood just how vast the gap between small and great nations was, and how humiliating life was for the people of a weak country.
He should have been full of youthful confidence, yet visible strands of white had appeared in his hair. Salamander Hanzō sighed and waved for his subordinate to leave.
He slowly walked out of his territory and looked up at the sky. Rainy Clearing—its name had originally meant that the skies would clear after the rain. He had established his capital here so that the Land of Rain could put its days of humiliation behind it and finally see clear skies of its own.
Yet the drizzle overhead continued without end, weighing heavily on his heart.
Just then, the troops surrounding the city's three gates began singing a ballad from the Land of Rain.
Salamander Hanzō's expression changed, then fury surged within him. What did Konoha think it was doing?
He climbed up to the East Gate and looked toward Tsunade's forces. They were still positioned beyond the range of his attacks, using chakra to amplify their voices so they would carry farther, all the way into the city.
But two or three minutes later, Salamander Hanzō understood what Konoha was doing. He watched the Rain Ninja lower their swords, their eyes reddening as their fighting spirit drained away. Some even began to weep.
Salamander Hanzō sucked in a breath. Fine. Very clever. Konoha's commander was formidable! A mere song from their homeland had made his troops homesick and robbed them of most of their fighting strength. And now they were about to run out of food, with morale already at rock bottom.
At that moment, he saw two messengers approach Tsunade. Looking at the state of his own troops, he had been ready to surrender, but he still felt that something might turn the tide.
Tsunade's camp
"Report! Lady Tsunade, Commander!" The messenger was a wounded Uchiha, one of Jiraiya's men. His expression was grim.
Uchiha Kō said nothing. His face paled, as though he had guessed what had happened.
"Our forces had the city gates surrounded, and everything was going smoothly. Then Chiyo, a Kage Level fighter from Sunagakure, led five hundred Sunagakure Ninja in a surprise attack on us. We've suffered heavy losses and are regrouping with Lady Tsunade!"
After finishing his report, the messenger fainted. Uchiha Kō's face turned pale. He gritted his teeth, fury blazing in his eyes. Damn Sunagakure!
Tsunade sighed. This wasn't Uchiha Kō's fault. His strategy against the Land of Rain had been sound; the surprise attacks by other nations had been unforeseen.
She was about to comfort Uchiha Kō when another messenger arrived. He was from the Yamanaka Clan, and at least his clothes were in decent shape. He didn't seem badly hurt.
"Report, Lady Tsunade, Lord Uchiha Kō. Ōnoki personally led a force of a thousand ninja in a surprise attack on our rear. Lord Orochimaru had made preparations, and we lost two hundred men in the battle. Lord Orochimaru is now bringing six hundred troops to join Lady Tsunade." Fury burned in his eyes, and his voice trembled.
He wasn't angry with Uchiha Kō. He was angry with Ōnoki and Iwagakure—the lot of them had been nowhere to be seen until Rainy Clearing was nearly theirs, and now they had all come out to stab them in the back!
Uchiha Kō's expression darkened. What a pack of cowards! Tsunade took a deep breath and nodded. "Understood."
She had someone take the messenger away to rest. Uchiha Kō drew a sharp breath and fell to his knees. "Please punish me, Lady Tsunade. I made a mistake in my command."
Long Yi and Long Er exchanged glances. They opened their mouths as if to say something, but a middle-aged Senju stopped them. Everyone knew this wasn't Uchiha Kō's fault, but they couldn't be the ones to say so.
Tsunade walked over to Uchiha Kō and helped him up. "Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and I all know how brilliant your strategy was, Kō."
"With only our vanguard, you nearly took Rainy Clearing and kept Salamander Hanzō pinned down. Your planning was beyond compare."
"Our goal was to intimidate the Land of Rain and make Konoha's name known. We've already accomplished that. Even our teacher couldn't have come up with a plan like yours."
"So don't blame yourself, Kō. Everyone knows how clever and capable you are. Lift your head. Our next step is to regroup with Jiraiya and Orochimaru and figure out what to do from here." When Tsunade finished speaking, she smiled at Uchiha Kō.
Uchiha Kō slowly stood. He had underestimated the heroes of the world. He had forgotten that a person should always leave themself room to retreat. He had focused only on taking Rainy Clearing and ending the conflict, never considering that the other two nations wanted more than peace—they also wanted to weaken them.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade!" Uchiha Kō bowed, then stepped aside and closed his eyes to consider their options.
Before long, Jiraiya returned with three hundred ninja, and Orochimaru with five hundred. As soon as they met up, both asked where the commander was.
Uchiha Kō sighed. They had probably come to blame him. So be it.
He opened his eyes and walked toward them, only for Jiraiya and Orochimaru to drop to their knees at once.
Uchiha Kō: ?????
"What are you two doing?" Uchiha Kō was bewildered. Weren't they supposed to blame him? He hurried to help them up.
"Orochimaru/Jiraiya failed to lead our troops effectively. We were on the verge of taking Rainy Clearing, and we let success go to our heads. We forgot to guard against the ninja of other nations. Please punish us, Commander!" Their voices rang out loud and clear, moving even Uchiha Kō.
Indeed, in a normal war, the commander only needed to set the overall strategy. The troops' execution was the responsibility of their leaders. But Uchiha Kō was so conscientious that he had taken all the blame upon himself.
Uchiha Kō was taken aback and hurried to help them up. "What are you saying, my lords? It was my failure to consider everything that led to this."
Orochimaru shook his head. "The strategy was your responsibility; leading the troops was ours. A commander in the field must prepare for every contingency, not blame the strategist. This was our mistake."
Jiraiya nodded. "Exactly, Commander. We saw that the city gates were about to open, but forgot to guard our rear, and that led to our defeat. So please don't blame yourself. Keep commanding us and help us secure the greatest possible gains!"
Uchiha Kō's eyes trembled. That was right. Konoha was united. They didn't blame one another; they only looked for their own shortcomings. This was the Konoha he loved!
Tsunade smiled and walked over to stand with the two men. "Commander, please decide our next move soon and help us secure the greatest possible gains!"
Uchiha Kō drew a deep breath, then smiled. "I will."
Before you continue