The Shadow of a Village

In Rainy Clearing

"Lord Hanzō, the grain and provisions in the city are no longer enough to supply the populace and the army. We will run out of food by tomorrow at the latest!" a Rain Ninja reported to Salamander Hanzō.

Salamander Hanzō sat in the leader's seat, saying nothing. He had become somewhat silent of late; 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 the three parties off guard and pushed into their territories. However, the three great nations had not cared in the slightest; they organized their own ninjas in a mere day, slaughtered his armies without leaving a single survivor, and turned their sights toward his Rainy Clearing.

Only then did he realize that it was not that the three great nations were weak, but that they were waiting for an opportunity to counterattack and secure even greater benefits.

Although Salamander Hanzō possessed Kage-level strength himself, his power paled in comparison to that of Sarutobi Hiruzen, Ōnoki, and the Third Kazekage.

He was well aware of how much "padding" existed among the Jōnin of the Land of Rain; he had simply wanted to prove to the various nations that his Land of Rain was not a soft persimmon to be squeezed at will.

Yet, by now, he finally realized just how vast the gap was between a small nation and a great power, and how humiliating it was to be a citizen of a weak state.

He, who should have been in high spirits, now had visible strands of white hair appearing on his head. Salamander Hanzō sighed and waved his hand, signaling for his subordinate to withdraw.

He walked slowly out of the territory and looked up at the sky. Rainy Clearing—the original intent of the name was for the rain to pass and the sky to clear. He had established his capital here so that the Land of Rain could bid farewell to the days of being bullied and welcome its own sunny days.

Yet, the light drizzle in the sky continued incessantly, and his heart felt incredibly heavy.

Just then, the armies surrounding the three city gates began to sing the folk songs of the Land of Rain.

Salamander Hanzō's expression shifted, and then he was consumed by rage. What was Konoha trying to do?

He climbed to the East Gate and looked toward Tsunade's troops, discovering that they remained at a range beyond his reach, using chakra to amplify their voices so they would carry further, all the way into the city.

However, just two or three minutes later, Salamander Hanzō understood what Konoha's intent was. He watched as the Rain Ninja troops dropped their swords and spears, their eyes turning red, their fighting spirit lost, and some even beginning to weep!

Salamander Hanzō gasped. Good, very good. The Konoha commander is formidable! A mere folk song from their homeland had made his troops homesick and stripped them of most of their combat effectiveness, not to mention that they were about to run out of food—the morale of his men had already hit rock bottom.

Just at this moment, he saw two scouts running toward Tsunade. He looked at the state of his own army; they had been on the verge of surrendering, but he couldn't help but feel that there might be some turning point.

Tsunade's Camp

"Report! Report to Lady Tsunade, Commander!" The arrival was an Uchiha scout, one of Jiraiya's men. He was covered in wounds, his expression grave.

Uchiha Kō did not speak; his face turned pale, as if he had realized something.

"Our blockade of the city gates was proceeding smoothly, but who would have thought that the Sunagakure Kage-level powerhouse Chiyo would lead five hundred Sand Ninja to ambush our forces? Our army has suffered heavy losses and is currently falling back toward Lady Tsunade!"

Having finished his report, the scout fainted. Uchiha Kō's face went white; he gritted his teeth, his eyes spitting fire. Damn the Sunagakure!

Tsunade sighed. This matter could not be blamed on Uchiha Kō; his tactics against the Land of Rain were sound, and the ambushes by other nations were simply unforeseen accidents.

She was just about to comfort Uchiha Kō when another scout arrived. This one was a member of the Yamanaka Clan; his clothes were still relatively neat, and he seemed unharmed.

"Report to Lady Tsunade and Lord Uchiha Kō: Ōnoki personally led a force of one thousand ninjas to ambush our rear. Lord Orochimaru made deployments, but we suffered two hundred casualties in the battle. Currently, Lord Orochimaru is leading six hundred men to converge here with Lady Tsunade." His eyes burned with fury, and his voice trembled.

He was not directing his anger at Uchiha Kō, but at Ōnoki and the Iwagakure Ninja. These fellows had been nowhere to be found before, but the moment they were about to take Rainy Clearing, they all crawled out to stab them in the back!

Uchiha Kō's expression was grim. These rats! Tsunade took a deep breath and nodded. "I understand."

She then had someone take the scout away to rest. Uchiha Kō gasped and knelt on the ground. "Please punish me, Lady Tsunade. This Humble One has failed in his command."

Long Yi and Long Er exchanged glances. They opened their mouths, about to say something, but were stopped by a middle-aged Senju clansman. Everyone knew by now that this matter was not Uchiha Kō's fault, but they could not be the ones to say it.

Tsunade walked over to Uchiha Kō and helped him up. "Whether Kō-kun's strategy is brilliant or not, I, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya are all perfectly clear."

"Kō-kun allowed us to nearly break through Rainy Clearing using only the vanguard, restricting Salamander Hanzō's movements. That is a plan unmatched by anyone."

"Our goal was to intimidate the Land of Rain and establish Konoha's prestige, and that has already been achieved. Even the Teacher could not have devised such a plan."

"Therefore, Kō-kun, do not blame yourself. Everyone knows the strength of your strategy and your capabilities. Raise your head. What we must do now is rendezvous with Jiraiya and Orochimaru and consider how to fight the next phase." After Tsunade finished speaking, she smiled at Uchiha Kō.

Uchiha Kō stood up slowly. He had underestimated the heroes of the world. He had forgotten that one should always leave three parts of a path for oneself as a retreat. He had only thought of breaking Rainy Clearing and ending the war, never considering that the goals of the other two nations were not merely to end the war, but also to weaken them.

"Yes, Lady Tsunade!" Uchiha Kō bowed in salute, then stood to the side, closing his eyes to contemplate a countermeasure.

Not long after, Jiraiya returned with three hundred ninjas, and Orochimaru returned leading five hundred. Once the two converged, their first question was where the commander was.

Uchiha Kō sighed. They must be here to blame me. So be it.

He opened his eyes and walked toward the two, but to his surprise, Jiraiya and Orochimaru knelt instantly.

Uchiha Kō: ?????

"What are you two doing?" Uchiha Kō was stunned. Weren't they supposed to be here to reprimand him? He hurriedly moved to help them up.

"Orochimaru/Jiraiya, we led our troops poorly. Seeing that we were about to take Rainy Clearing, we became arrogant and forgot to guard against the ninjas of other nations. Please, Commander, punish us!" Their voices were loud and powerful, enough to move even Uchiha Kō.

Indeed, in a normal war, the commander provides the general direction, and the execution is the responsibility of those leading the troops. It was only because Uchiha Kō was too responsible that he had shouldered everything himself.

Uchiha Kō was taken aback and hurriedly helped the two up. "What are you two saying? It was clearly my lack of consideration that led to this situation."

Orochimaru shook his head. "Command is your problem, but leading the troops is ours. A general should guard against all contingencies rather than blaming the command, so this is our problem."

Jiraiya nodded. "That's right, Commander. Our troops saw the city gates about to open and forgot to guard the rear, which led to the defeat. So please do not blame yourself; continue to command and secure the greatest benefits for us!"

Uchiha Kō's eyes trembled. That's right. The current Konoha was united as one; they would not blame each other, but would only look for their own shortcomings. This was the Konoha he loved!

Tsunade smiled and walked over to stand with the two. "Commander, please make your decision soon so we may secure the greatest benefits!"

Uchiha Kō took a deep breath. A flash of light crossed his eyes, and he smiled. "I will."