Worthy of Being the Shadow of a Village

In Yuji.

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

Salamander Hanzo sat in the leader's seat, saying nothing. He had grown somewhat silent of late; it had already been four months since he declared war on the three great nations—Fire, Wind, and Earth.

In 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 and, in just one day, slaughtered his army without leaving a single survivor, turning their forces toward his Yuji instead.

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 Hanzo possessed Kage-level strength himself, compared to the power of Sarutobi Hiruzen, Onoki, and the Third Kazekage, he fell far short.

He was also well aware of how much "padding" existed among the Jonin 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 by anyone.

Now, he finally realized how vast the gap was between a small nation and a great one, and how humiliating it was to be a citizen of a weak state.

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

He walked slowly out of the territory and looked up at the sky. Yuji—the name was meant to signify the clearing of the sky after rain. He had established his capital here to help the Land of Rain bid farewell to the days of being bullied and to welcome his own sunny days.

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

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

Salamander Hanzo's expression shifted, and then his fury burned. 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 the sound could carry further, all the way into the city.

However, just two or three minutes later, Salamander Hanzo understood Konoha's intent. He watched as the Rain Ninja troops lowered their swords and spears, their eyes turning red; they had lost their fighting spirit and had even begun to weep!

Salamander Hanzo gasped. Good, very good. The Konoha commander is formidable! A mere song of their homeland had made his own 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 reached an extreme low.

At that moment, he saw two scouts rushing toward Tsunade. Looking at the state of his own army, he had initially thought they would surrender, but he still felt that there might be some turn of events.

Tsunade's Camp

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

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

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

After finishing his report, the scout fainted. Uchiha Xiao's face went white, and he gritted his teeth, his eyes spitting fire. "Damn the Sand Ninja Village!"

Tsunade sighed. This matter could not be blamed on Uchiha Xiao; his tactics against the Land of Rain were sound, and the ambush by other nations was an accident.

Just as she was about to comfort Uchiha Xiao, another scout arrived. This one was a member of the Yamanaka clan, and his clothes were still relatively tidy; he seemed unharmed.

"Report to Lady Tsunade and Lord Uchiha Xiao: Onoki 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 rage, and his voice trembled.

He was not directing his anger at Uchiha Xiao, but at Onoki and the Iwa Ninja. These fellows had been nowhere to be seen before, but now that they were about to take Yuji, they all came out to stab them in the back!

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

She then had the scout taken away to rest. Uchiha Xiao gasped and knelt on the ground. "Please punish me, Lady Tsunade. It was a failure in my command."

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

Tsunade walked over to Uchiha Xiao and helped him up. "Whether Xiao-kun's strategy is brilliant or not, I, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya know clearly."

"Xiao-kun allowed us to nearly break through Yuji using only the vanguard and restricted Salamander Hanzo's movements. This is a plan that no one else could match."

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

"So, Xiao-kun, do not blame yourself. Everyone knows the strength of your strategy and your ability. Raise your head. What we need to do now is rendezvous with Jiraiya and Orochimaru and think about how to fight next." After Tsunade finished speaking, she smiled at Uchiha Xiao.

Uchiha Xiao rose slowly. He had underestimated the heroes of the world; he had forgotten that one should always leave a retreat for oneself. He had only thought about breaking Yuji and ending the war, never considering that the goals of the other two nations were not just to end the war, but to weaken them as well.

"Yes, Lady Tsunade!" Uchiha Xiao bowed, 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. After the two converged, they immediately asked where the commander was.

Uchiha Xiao sighed, assuming they had come to reproach him. So be it.

He opened his eyes and walked toward them, but to his surprise, Jiraiya and Orochimaru dropped to their knees instantly.

Uchiha Xiao: ?????

"The two of you are...?" Uchiha Xiao was stunned. Weren't they supposed to be here to blame him? He hurriedly helped them up.

"Orochimaru/Jiraiya, we led our troops poorly. We became complacent on the verge of taking Yuji and forgot to guard against the ninjas of other nations. Please, Commander, punish us!" Their voices were loud and powerful, moving even Uchiha Xiao.

Indeed, in a normal war, the commander provides the general direction, and the execution is the responsibility of those leading the troops. It was just that Uchiha Xiao was too responsible and had taken everything upon himself.

Uchiha Xiao was taken aback and quickly 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. "The command was your responsibility, but leading the troops was ours. A general should guard against all contingencies rather than blaming the commander, so this is our fault."

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 lead us and secure the greatest benefits for us!"

Uchiha Xiao's eyes trembled. That's right. The current Konoha was united as one; they would not point fingers at 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 of them. "Commander, please make your decision soon so we can secure the greatest benefits for us!"

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