As the Iwa Ninja unleashed Earth Release, the Rain Ninja were cut down like stalks of wheat. The Rain Ninja jōnin gritted his teeth, then ordered, "Smash the pots!"
Purple poison gas instantly engulfed 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 were still standing, but their limbs had already begun to go weak. The surviving Rain Ninja seized the chance to counterattack.
Their eyes were bloodshot as they cut down the great nations' ninja. Hatred filled their eyes. The great nations chose small countries as their battlefields, and their friends and family had died before their eyes, one by one—all because of these great nations!
Watching this, the Senju forces felt somewhat relieved. If they'd fought the Iwa Ninja head-on just now, they didn't think they would have fared much better.
Soon, the poison gas dispersed. The entire hundred-man Iwa Ninja unit had been killed. As for the Rain Ninja, around twenty remained. They gulped in air, their hands trembling as they gripped their blades—a sign of exhaustion.
Long Yi said, "Lady Tsunade, now is the perfect time to wipe out the Rain Ninja!"
Tsunade nodded and prepared to charge forward. Uchiha Xiao nodded as well; there were no other chakra signatures nearby.
And so, the exhausted Rain Ninja found themselves facing a fresh Senju unit that had been waiting for them. The outcome was obvious.
One Rain Ninja dropped to his knees and kowtowed to Tsunade. "Please, Fire Country ninja-sama, spare us! We had no choice!"
Tsunade was moved. Just as she was about to say something, a flicker of hatred crossed the Rain Ninja's eyes. He drew his long blade and lunged at her.
"Magnet Release: Sand Binding Coffin!" Uchiha Xiao formed a sword-hand seal with his right hand and aimed his left at the Rain Ninja. A mass of sand surged together, trapping the man securely. The sand forced the blade from his grasp, and it clattered to the ground. Wrapped in sand, he couldn't move.
He glared viciously at Tsunade. The helpless, pleading look from before was gone. He cursed, "You great nation ninja are covered in blood! You'll get what's coming to you! Hahahaha!"
As his words faded, Uchiha Xiao's expression turned cold. He clenched his left hand. With a series of crunching sounds, the Rain Ninja was crushed inside the sand. The sand at its base turned crimson, blood seeping through.
Uchiha Xiao 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 clan members wholeheartedly approved of Uchiha Xiao's actions. A ninja should restrain an enemy immediately, then kill without hesitation!
"Lady Tsunade, are you all right?" Long Yi asked, seeing her dazed expression.
Tsunade came back to herself and sighed. "In the eyes of the small nations, are our hands truly covered in blood?"
No one answered. But Uchiha Xiao said, "We're not the ones at fault. It's this Shinobi World, where the strong prey on the weak. It's true that our hands are covered in blood, but we're protecting our home from invasion."
Tsunade nodded, only half understanding. This was the first time she had shed the blood of an enemy nation. Hearing an enemy ninja condemn her had left her feeling confused.
"Leave no roots behind—especially on the battlefield! Lady Tsunade, look. Not one person in our unit has died, and we've won a battle. You should be happy, shouldn't you?" Uchiha Xiao said, gesturing toward the ninja around them.
The others nodded, agreeing with him. Some of the middle-aged Senju ninja looked at Uchiha Xiao with interest. He seemed to be about Tsunade's age, yet he understood so much.
With Uchiha Xiao's encouragement, Tsunade rallied. That's right. Even if my hands are covered in blood, I'm protecting my family! As long as I remember that, it's enough.
Tsunade took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, everyone. I was being immature!" At her apology, the Senju clan members in the unit hurried to reassure her.
"Princess Tsunade, it wasn't your fault."
"Yeah, this was my first time on a battlefield. I was so scared I wet myself!"
"That's right, Princess. Don't blame yourself. We'll be here with you as you grow up!"
Looking at everyone, Uchiha Xiao felt a little envious. Tsk, the Senju clan really knew how to stick together.
Tsunade turned to Uchiha Xiao and walked up to him. "Xiao, judging by what you've done so far, you have a real talent for military strategy. Why don't you serve as our squad's strategist from now on? In battle, I'll follow your orders too. What do you say?"
Uchiha Xiao considered it. "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 Xiao looked around. The older members immediately understood: he was helping their Senju princess build up her accomplishments. Their gazes toward him grew even warmer.
"Uchiha Xiao, that... doesn't seem right," Tsunade said, blushing. Wouldn't that mean she was taking credit for her subordinate's leadership?
The Senju ninja exchanged glances. They naturally wanted Tsunade to earn credit, but it didn't seem fair to Uchiha Xiao.
Uchiha Xiao understood that if he, as an Uchiha, earned this credit, it would become a death sentence. Danzo would keep a close eye on him, treating him like a thorn in his side. Meanwhile, the credit would give Tsunade a valuable political credential in the future.
But he couldn't say that outright. He wasn't sure whether anyone among the Senju was loyal to the Hokage, and revealing his reasoning might expose his intelligence.
If he gave Tsunade the credit, the Senju ninja would keep the secret as a group, and not a word of it would leak.
"I've made up my mind. If Lady Tsunade wants me to help direct the unit, then please agree to this condition." Uchiha Xiao knelt and spoke earnestly.
Tsunade was flustered, unsure how to respond. Then a middle-aged Senju stepped forward. "Lady Tsunade, Xiao is being so sincere. Refusing him would be a little... Well, why not agree for now?"
His gaze was gentle as he looked at Uchiha Xiao, offering him goodwill.
Uchiha Xiao smiled faintly. It seemed the Senju clan had its share of clever people.
At the insistence of both the Senju clan members and Uchiha Xiao himself, Tsunade eventually agreed. Officially, she remained in charge of the unit.
In practice, Uchiha Xiao had taken over command. 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.
The writing should be fairly detailed, I think. I want to change some of the endings, such as the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools, the Uchiha clan's destruction, the Three Little Ones, the Night of the Nine-Tails, and Kannabi Bridge. The early story may move a little slowly, but I'll do my best to make the protagonist and supporting characters more vivid.