The First Lie

The front lines of the Land of Rain.

Kitahara Kaede lifted the flap of the command tent.

The atmosphere inside was colder than the rain outside.

The sand table was bristling with small black flags.

Each one represented a Konoha squad that had been routed or had gone missing.

The commander was a Jonin in his early forties, his left eye wrapped in bandages and his right arm in a sling.

His complexion was as gray as the sky outside the tent.

Seeing the three of them enter, he paused, his gaze sweeping over Tsunade and Jiraiya before finally landing on Kitahara Kaede.

"The Hagoromo Kaede from the western front?"

"Yes."

The commander let out a long breath, like someone who had been holding on for too long and had finally waited for a shift change.

"Hanzo took the field himself three days ago. A single breath of poison mist covered our entire B3 Position."

He pointed to a section on the sand table that had been crossed out.

"Two battalions, one hundred and twenty-seven men. Less than forty made it back alive."

Tsunade's gaze was pinned to the crossed-out area, her lips pressed into a thin line.

"What about the wounded?"

"The rear tents are full. There are only a few medical ninjas left, and we're running low on medicine."

Tsunade turned to leave.

Kitahara Kaede reached out to stop her.

"Hear him out first."

Tsunade stopped.

The commander gritted his teeth. "This godforsaken place is full of canyons and river channels. The constant rain doesn't just limit our offensive capabilities; it doubles the spread of Hanzo's Poison Style through the water vapor. The men on the front line don't even dare to get close."

"What about long-range?" Jiraiya asked.

"His summoning, Ibuse, can swallow the entire cloud of poison and spray it back out. Long-range is even more useless."

The commander gave a bitter laugh.

"To be honest, I don't know how to fight this."

Kitahara Kaede stared at the sand table for a dozen seconds.

"Where is Hanzo now?"

"Six kilometers ahead, upstream in the river valley." The commander swallowed hard. "He isn't in a hurry to push forward; he's just holding his ground there, poisoning the area."

Understood.

Jiraiya flexed his wrists and chuckled.

"Hiding in the poison mist like a turtle? Let's go and pay him a visit."

Kitahara Kaede looked at Tsunade.

"The wounded are in your hands. The front line is ours."

Tsunade didn't waste words. She nodded and lifted the tent flap to leave.

The rain grew heavier.

The next day at dawn.

Kitahara Kaede and Jiraiya led three squads of Chunin to the front line.

The Amegakure position was set up on the high ground upstream of the river valley.

With the high ground, they had a wide field of vision.

Over thirty Amegakure ninjas were distributed across various strongholds, like a wet, iron curtain.

Kitahara Kaede didn't say a word.

He formed hand seals, and his shadow clones scattered into the canyon walls on both sides.

His main body gripped the Chidori Sharp Spear and cut straight into the heart of the enemy from the front.

The moment the lightning flashed through the rain, the entire valley lit up like day.

Three Amegakure ninjas didn't even see a shadow before they were blasted away on the spot.

A gap was torn open in the defensive line by the lightning.

Jiraiya struck from the flank.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Gamabunta's massive body crashed into the center of the valley.

The splashing water overturned two guard posts instantly.

Gamabunta held a pipe in his mouth, his short blade sweeping across and shaving off a layer of the fortifications on the high ground.

"Well, Jiraiya, kid." Gamabunta exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Who's the opponent this time?"

"Hanzo."

Gamabunta was silent for two seconds.

"Should've said so earlier. That's extra."

Jiraiya ignored him and charged up the high ground under the cover of Gamabunta.

Fire Style: Great Flame Bomb blasted through the final line of defense.

The shadow clones closed in from both sides, and the Lightning Style cut off any retreat.

Less than half an hour later.

The Amegakure front-line iron curtain had been torn open by force, and the enemy troops were forced to retreat to the rear highlands.

The flaps of the rear tents were lifted and closed as reports came in one after another.

Tsunade listened to the front-line reports without stopping her work.

She poured chakra into the wounded, while Princess Katsuyu's clones shuttled between the tents.

Dozens of small slugs clung to the critically wounded, green light flickering incessantly.

By noon, the front line had completely stabilized.

The morale of the Konoha ninjas, as if lifted from the mud by a pair of giant hands, suddenly came back to life.

During a shift change, a Chunin whispered to his companion:

"Did you see? That silver-haired guy cut through the defense line alone, Princess Katsuyu was supporting the mobile medical network in the back, and Gamabunta just flattened the Amegakure fortifications—"

"This war is winnable."

Night fell.

Tsunade stood up from beside a wounded soldier.

In the corner of the tent, a boy wrapped in bandages lay quietly.

Thirteen years old.

About the same age as her brother, Nawaki.

Tsunade had been squatting beside him for a long time.

The boy had been brought in half an hour ago, his abdomen pierced, his internal organs shattered.

Tsunade had tried everything.

She pushed her Mystical Palm Technique to the limit, with Princess Katsuyu providing full support.

The boy's fingers twitched, his lips moving as if calling out to someone.

Then, there was nothing left.

Tsunade slowly pulled her hand back.

The green light faded.

The tent was silent, save for the sound of the rain.

She stood up, walked outside the tent, and sat down on a wet rock.

Her knees were pulled together, her hands resting on them.

She stared into the darkness ahead, motionless.

She didn't know how much time had passed.

Footsteps sounded behind her.

Kitahara Kaede sat down beside her.

Neither of them spoke, and they remained quiet for a long time.

"As a medical ninja, I watch people die every day."

Tsunade spoke.

Her voice was shattered by the sound of the rain.

"I should have been used to it by now."

Kitahara Kaede didn't respond.

"But that child was the same age as Nawaki."

Her body swayed slightly.

Tsunade slowly leaned over, her forehead resting against his shoulder.

Then she slid down a bit, her head resting in the crook of his neck.

Her body was trembling ever so slightly.

"I watched his heartbeat stop in my hands."

"I poured my chakra in, but I couldn't hold onto him. I couldn't hold onto anything. That feeling is just terrible."

"Kaede."

He turned his head to look at her.

Tsunade stared into the rain, enunciating each word clearly.

"Don't you dare die before me."

Kitahara Kaede's breathing stopped for an imperceptible moment.

The sound of the rain filled the void between them.

"Okay."

This was likely the first lie Kitahara Kaede had ever told her.

Tsunade didn't speak again.

Leaning on his shoulder, her breathing slowly steadied.

Rustling footsteps came from behind the tent.

Jiraiya was up for a midnight stroll.

Before the footsteps could get close.

Tsunade sprang away as if she had been scalded.

Her face burned bright red, a flush that even the rain couldn't hide.

Jiraiya emerged from behind the tent, still tying his belt.

He was bleary-eyed.

"Why aren't you two sleeping?"

"It's too hot to sleep." Tsunade said, expressionless.

Jiraiya shivered, looking at the cold rain still falling outside.

He opened his mouth, then closed it again.

"Oh."

He turned and headed back to his tent.

Tsunade stood up and said softly, "Going to sleep."

She walked away without looking back.

Kitahara Kaede sat on the rock, staring into the night.

The first lie.

Perhaps it would also be the last.

From inside the tent came the sound of Jiraiya tossing and turning, followed by a mumbling dream.

"...Don't you dare die before me... how enviable..."

Two seconds of silence, then the snoring began.

The corner of Kitahara Kaede's mouth twitched.

The next morning.

A messenger ninja lifted the tent flap.

"Lord Hagoromo, an urgent report from the front-line scouts—"

"Hanzo's summoning, Ibuse, is moving toward our position."