Sato stood before a crude wooden table, on which lay a map of the Land of Grass drawn in charcoal. More and more points had been marked in red—the villages and towns controlled by the Resistance Army.
"Seventeen."
Liao walked in from outside, still smeared with mud and blood. He tossed a list onto the table.
"Three more villages have joined us willingly. They're prepared to provide food and new recruits."
Sato glanced over the list and adjusted his glasses.
"After Iwagakure withdrew, the nearby villagers have grown bolder."
"They haven't grown bolder." Liao sat down, pulled a dagger from his waist, and began wiping its blade. "They've seen hope."
Sato fell silent for a few seconds.
"Liao, do you know what our biggest problem is right now?"
"Not enough food?"
"No." Sato shook his head. "The people aren't united."
Liao stopped what he was doing and looked up.
Sato pointed at the red dots on the map.
"These villages joined us not because they believe in our ideals, but because they fear Iwagakure's retaliation and want protection. The moment Iwagakure or Kumogakure comes back, and they see that we can't win, they'll switch sides at once."
Liao frowned.
"Then what do we do?"
Sato took a document from his robes and placed it on the table.
It was a handwritten declaration titled—"Grass Country People's Declaration of Freedom."
"We need a banner." Sato tapped the document. "Not a weapon, not food, but something everyone can believe in."
Liao picked up the document and skimmed it.
It contained words he did not fully understand: class, exploitation, equality, freedom.
"Will this... work?"
"It will." Sato's gaze was grave. "Because these words can turn a slave into a warrior."
Liao fell silent.
He remembered the days when he had been treated like a