Uchiha Kiyoshi came sprinting all the way over, moving so fast his feet barely seemed to touch the ground, as if demons were chasing him. He didn't dare stop or delay for even a moment.
By now, he was panting heavily and drenched in sweat. His clothes were torn by branches, and his hair was a tangled mess. He looked utterly disheveled—more so, even, than the soldiers fighting bloodily on the front lines.
Seeing him, Tsunade furrowed her brow slightly, wondering to herself what had happened.
She waved gently, signaling one of her subordinates to bring over a flask of water, and said kindly, "Drink slowly. Don't choke." Watching Uchiha Kiyoshi's frantic, anxious appearance only deepened her confusion.
Had some urgent order come down? But why had Uchiha Kiyoshi himself come to deliver the message instead of the usual scouts? And judging by how disheveled he looked, the message he carried had to be significant.
But with Uchiha Kiyoshi looking so frantic and flustered, Tsunade didn't feel she could ask him directly what had happened just yet.
After taking the flask, Uchiha Kiyoshi drank greedily, gulping down several mouthfuls of cool water with loud gulps.
Once his thirst had eased a little, he finally looked up at Tsunade and gasped out, "Uchiha... Xiao, Lord Xiao, said... said..." But the words seemed to catch in his throat, and he couldn't manage to finish.
What did he say? Hurry up and tell us! Tsunade urged him anxiously, tiny beads of sweat even appearing on her forehead. Tsunade wasn't the only one on tenterhooks. The shinobi present, Long Yi and Long Er, along with the other Uchiha clan members, were just as anxious. But seeing Uchiha Kiyoshi's grave expression and his hesitation, they didn't want to pressure him too much.
At last, Uchiha Kiyoshi took a deep breath and slowly began, "Siege the city as a last resort; winning hearts is the best strategy. The enemy's provisions have run out, so their morale is bound to collapse.
"Now, all we need to do is send shinobi to the nearby towns to learn the local folk songs, then have them sing loudly in front of the enemy.
"That will surely unsettle Salamander Hanzo and his men, shatter their psychological defenses, and let us win this battle without a fight!"
On his way here, Uchiha Kiyoshi had repeatedly weighed and organized these words in his mind.
After hearing him out, Tsunade first looked puzzled. After all, could a powerful enemy like Salamander Hanzo really be made to surrender with just a few songs?
She fell into deep thought and murmured, "If Salamander Hanzo doesn't surrender, what should we do then?"
Then she raised her head and looked straight at Uchiha Kiyoshi, waiting for a convincing answer.
Just then, a deep, authoritative voice rang out. "If they refuse to surrender, we'll keep them surrounded. Once the city's food runs out and they can no longer feed themselves, they'll naturally fall into chaos." As the voice trailed off, Uchiha Xiao's tall, imposing figure slowly appeared.
Everyone turned toward the voice. Uchiha Xiao stood in the wind, clad in a black battle robe, like an immovable mountain. His eyes were sharp as a hawk's, and his presence was imposing enough to make people shudder.
At the sight of Uchiha Xiao, the Senju forces' shinobi, who had been looking somewhat weary, immediately perked up, their faces brightening with delight. For some time now, Uchiha Xiao had demonstrated such astonishing strategic skill and mastery of the art of war that everyone was thoroughly impressed.
His arrival was like a shot of adrenaline, stirring the crowd. But after her initial delight, Tsunade's expression quickly turned serious. She strode up to Uchiha Xiao, brows drawn together, and chided him, "Xiao, how could you come to the front lines in person? As our army's commander, don't you even know the simple principle that a wise man does not stand beneath a crumbling wall?"
Faced with Tsunade's reproach, the smile at the corner of Uchiha Xiao's mouth faded slightly. He scratched his head sheepishly and explained, "Hehe, Lady Tsunade, don't be angry. I was getting terribly bored cooped up in the command post at the rear. Watching everyone fight so bravely, how could I just sit in my tent? So I couldn't help coming over to see what was going on."
Uchiha Xiao's gaze wandered, as if he didn't dare meet anyone's eyes.
He had come here in secret purely because he was worried about Tsunade's safety.
Not long ago, he had just put his carefully planned psychological-warfare strategy into action. But ever since, an indescribable unease had lingered in his heart, making him feel that something bad was about to happen.
Overwhelmed by that powerful premonition, Uchiha Xiao had struggled with himself for a while before finally deciding to head to the front lines.
After all, if anything unexpected really happened, he would be right there to respond as quickly as possible and prevent things from getting worse.
Tsunade gazed without blinking at Uchiha Xiao, who looked somewhat flustered. After a long moment, she sighed helplessly. "Forget it. There's no point worrying about it now. I wouldn't be able to figure it out anyway." Tsunade had never been very fond of thinking through complicated problems; it took far too much energy.
Then Tsunade looked at Uchiha Xiao with a serious expression and said solemnly, "But, Xiao, I'll make this clear upfront.
"Now that you've come to the front lines and joined my unit, you must follow my orders and do as I say. You are absolutely not to act on your own!"
Though those words sounded like a stern warning, Tsunade was really trying to protect Uchiha Xiao's safety.
Uchiha Xiao was an intelligent man. How could he fail to understand what Tsunade really meant?
He nodded slightly to show he understood and replied firmly, "I will obey Lady Tsunade's orders without fail. Even if the way ahead is a mountain of blades and a sea of flames, I'll charge forward without hesitation and never take a single step back!"
With that, he lifted his head sharply, a confident, composed smile spreading across his face.
Seeing this, Tsunade raised her brows and nodded to herself.
Then she began calmly organizing the next steps.
First, she ordered her subordinates to learn the local folk songs carefully. Then she sent her scouts to quickly inform Jiraiya and Orochimaru of what was happening.