In Yuji
"Lord Hanzo, the city's food supplies are no longer enough for the civilians and the army. We'll run out by tomorrow at the latest!" a Rain Ninja reported to Salamander Hanzo.
Salamander Hanzo sat in the leader's seat, not saying a word. He had grown quiet. 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 taken him seriously at all. They had organized their own ninja forces in just one day, wiped out his army, then charged toward his Yuji.
Only then had he realized that the three great nations weren't weak. They had been waiting for an opportunity to counterattack and even seize greater gains.
Although Salamander Hanzo himself had Kage Level strength, he was nowhere near the level of Sarutobi Hiruzen, Ōnoki, or the Third Kazekage.
He knew exactly how much strength the Rain Country's elite ninja really had. He had only wanted to prove to the other nations that the Rain Country wasn't a soft target anyone could bully.
Only now did he realize just how vast the gap between small and great nations was, and how humiliating life was for the people of a weak nation.
He should have been full of confidence, but now visible strands of white had appeared in his hair. Salamander Hanzo sighed and waved for his subordinate to leave.
He slowly walked out of the compound and looked up at the sky. Yuji, Yuji—the name had originally meant "the rain has passed and the sky has cleared." He had established his capital here so the Rain Country could leave its days of humiliation behind and welcome its own clear skies.
But the drizzle overhead still fell without end, and his heart felt heavy.
Just then, the army surrounding the three city gates began singing a Rain Country folk song.
Salamander Hanzo's expression changed. Then he burned with anger. What did Konoha mean by this?
He climbed the eastern gate and looked toward Tsunade's forces. They were still stationed beyond the range of his attacks, channeling chakra into their voices to carry the song farther, all the way into the city.
Yet two or three minutes later, Salamander Hanzo understood what Konoha meant. He watched the Rain Ninja lower their swords, their eyes reddening as their fighting spirit ebbed away. Some even began to weep!
Salamander Hanzo drew in a sharp breath. "Good. Very good. Konoha's commander is impressive! Just a folk song from home, and my troops are already homesick, with most of their fighting strength gone. And now we're about to run out of food, too. Morale is at rock bottom."
At that moment, he saw two messengers heading toward Tsunade. Seeing the state of his own troops, he had been ready to surrender, but something told him there might still be a turning point.
Tsunade's Camp
"Report! A report for Lady Tsunade and Commander!" The messenger was an Uchiha scout, one of Jiraiya's men. He was covered in wounds, his expression grave.
Uchiha Xiao said nothing. His face paled, as if 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 Sand Ninja in a sneak attack. Our forces have suffered heavy losses and are now regrouping near Lady Tsunade!"
After delivering the report, the scout fainted. Uchiha Xiao's face paled. He clenched his teeth, anger blazing in his eyes. Damn Sunagakure!
Tsunade sighed. She couldn't blame Uchiha Xiao. His strategy against the Rain Country had been sound; the other nations' ambushes had been unforeseen.
She was just about to comfort Uchiha Xiao when another messenger arrived. This one was from the Yamanaka Clan. His clothes were still in decent shape, and he seemed unharmed.
"Report, Lady Tsunade, Lord Uchiha Xiao. Ōnoki personally led a force of one thousand ninja in an attack on our rear. Lord Orochimaru had made arrangements for the battle. We suffered two hundred casualties, and Lord Orochimaru is now leading five hundred ninja toward Lady Tsunade's position." Anger flashed in his eyes, and his voice trembled.
He wasn't angry at Uchiha Xiao, but at Ōnoki and the Iwa Ninja. They hadn't shown themselves before, but now that Yuji was about to fall, they had all come out to stab them in the back!
Uchiha Xiao's expression darkened. A pack of cowards! Tsunade took a deep breath and nodded. "Understood."
She had the messenger escorted away to rest. Uchiha Xiao sucked in a breath and dropped 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 Xiao's fault, but none of them could be the one to say it.
Tsunade walked over to Uchiha Xiao and helped him up. "Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and I all know how brilliant your strategy was."
"With only our vanguard, you nearly captured Yuji and kept Salamander Hanzo pinned down. No one else could have come up with a plan like that."
"Our goal was to deter the Rain Country and make Konoha's name known. We've already done that. Even our teacher couldn't have devised a plan like yours."
"So don't blame yourself, Lord Xiao. Everyone knows how strong your strategies and abilities are. Hold your head up. Now we need to regroup with Jiraiya and Orochimaru and figure out what to do next." Tsunade finished and smiled at Uchiha Xiao.
Uchiha Xiao slowly rose. He had underestimated the heroes of the world. He had forgotten that one should always leave oneself some room to retreat. He had only thought about breaking through Yuji and ending the conflict, never considering that the other two nations wanted more than to end the conflict—they also wanted to weaken Konoha.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade!" Uchiha Xiao bowed, then stepped aside and closed his eyes as he considered their next move.
Before long, Jiraiya returned with three hundred ninja, and Orochimaru returned leading five hundred. As soon as the two regrouped, they asked where the commander was.
Uchiha Xiao sighed. They had probably come to blame him. So be it.
He opened his eyes and walked toward them. To his surprise, Jiraiya and Orochimaru dropped to their knees at once.
Uchiha Xiao: ?????
"What are you two doing?" Uchiha Xiao was baffled. Weren't they supposed to come and blame him? He hurried to help them up.
"Orochimaru/Jiraiya, we failed to lead our troops properly. We were on the verge of taking Yuji and grew overconfident, forgetting to guard against the other nations' ninja. Please punish us, Commander!" Their voices rang out, loud and firm, moving even Uchiha Xiao.
In a normal war, the commander only needed to set the overall strategy. The troops' execution was the responsibility of those leading them. But Uchiha Xiao was so conscientious that he had taken everything upon himself.
Uchiha Xiao froze, then hurried to help them up. "What are you two saying? This happened because I failed to consider everything."
Orochimaru shook his head. "Commanding is your responsibility; leading the troops is ours. A commander should prepare for every possibility, not blame the person in charge. This is our fault."
Jiraiya nodded. "Exactly, Commander. We saw the city gates about to open, but forgot to guard our rear, which led to our defeat. So please don't blame yourself. Keep commanding us and help us secure the greatest possible gains!"
Uchiha Xiao's eyes trembled. That was right. Konoha was united now. They wouldn't blame each other; they would only look for their own shortcomings. That was the Konoha he loved!
Tsunade smiled and came over to stand with them. "Commander, please decide on our next move soon, and help us secure the greatest possible gains!"
Uchiha Xiao took a deep breath. His eyes flickered, and he smiled. "I will."