The weather in the Land of Rain was almost always a steady, endless drizzle.
Today, the rain had, unusually, stopped.
The sky was still overcast, but for this country, that already counted as a rare "clear" day.
Tsunade walked in front. Kotarou followed a step behind.
In Tsunade's mind was the simple joy of reuniting with her fellow disciples.
In Kotarou's mind, however, calculations were already spinning on how to secure the greatest possible benefit for Tsunade-sama.
Before long, under the watching eyes of villagers and soldiers alike, the two of them arrived at the village entrance, where Kotarou finally saw Orochimaru and Jiraiya.
Both wore battle gear similar in style to Tsunade's and each led a division of troops.
Judging from numbers alone, Orochimaru's force had around seven hundred men left, while Jiraiya's was closer to six hundred.
That was perfectly normal. War meant casualties.
To be able to march for four days and still keep losses under half already proved the capability of the two commanders.
Seeing them, Tsunade smiled.
"Orochimaru, Jiraiya, you two finally made it!"
She stepped forward to greet them, face full of delight.
When Jiraiya saw Tsunade, a bright light flashed through his eyes.
"Oh, it's Tsunade, huh. You're looking pretty spirited, hahahaha!"
His booming laugh earned him a look of open disdain from Orochimaru.
Orochimaru shook his head, then turned his gaze to Tsunade and noticed that her face showed no fatigue, not even the slightest trace of grief or exhaustion.
He found that very strange. How had Tsunade managed that?
Even he himself had only fully recovered his condition yesterday.
While Orochimaru was still mulling that over, Kotarou suddenly spoke.
"Tsunade-sama, Orochimaru-sama, Jiraiya-sama, there are too many prying eyes outside the village. Please come inside quickly so we can discuss military and political matters together."
Tsunade smiled.
"Kotarou-kun is right. Orochimaru, Jiraiya, you two come into the village with me. As for the troops, they can enter as well, but they'll have to follow the rules."
"Rules?"
Orochimaru's eyes lit up. He hadn't expected the shinobi stationed here to be bound by any strict rules.
He was very curious just what kind of rules these were.
Tsunade then briefly explained the "Five Kill" rules.
By the time she'd finished, there was no longer any attempt from Orochimaru to hide the burning interest in his eyes.
"Tsunade-hime, who came up with those Five Kill rules? Can you introduce them to me? That person is talented. Exceptionally talented."
Orochimaru's smile stretched thin and delighted.
Tsunade smiled softly and pointed toward Kotarou, who had just spoken.
"It was him. Kotarou-kun. His full name is… Uchiha Kotarou."
"Uchiha?"
Jiraiya frowned.
Shouldn't an Uchiha be under his command?
Why had one ended up assigned under Tsunade instead?
He knew that although the Senju clan had been "civilianized" and their surname officially retired, Tsunade's division was still, in every practical sense, a Senju unit.
How could they possibly tolerate an Uchiha standing in front of them and giving orders?
Tsunade, being the straightforward sort with little guile, poured everything out in one breath, explaining Kotarou's actions to date, including his use of Jiton: Shinshi no Me (Magnet Release: Eye of True Sight).
Orochimaru's eyes were practically sparkling by the end of it.
If only he could have an entire row of subordinates like this, he'd take them all in a heartbeat.
He probed carefully.
"Tsunade-hime, my forces are short on that kind of talent as well. How about…"
Jiraiya didn't feel much about it one way or another, but Tsunade's brows instantly knitted.
"He's the personal aide Grandma chose for me."
The meaning was obvious.
Orochimaru curled his lip.
So he'd just asked for one person, and Tsunade immediately dragged out Mito-sama's name. How was he supposed to argue with that?
He could only sigh helplessly.
"Seems I'm not fated to work with Kotarou-kun after all."
The three of them entered the office together. None of them sat in the main seat. Instead, they stood and discussed their next moves.
At the village entrance.
Kotarou looked over the two forces in turn, with several Senju jōnin standing behind him.
Orochimaru's division was easy enough to read: ninja from the Hatake clan, the Hyuga, as well as Akimichi, Nara, Yamanaka and other clans.
Most of them were known to be reasonable and easy to deal with.
Jiraiya's division, by contrast, consisted of the Uchiha, the Aburame, the Kurama, the Gekko, and others.
Whether it was deliberate or not, courtesy of Hiruzen, compared with Orochimaru's, Jiraiya's force was obviously weaker by several degrees.
Under that level of pressure, for Jiraiya to still keep his numbers at six hundred, Kotarou couldn't help but genuinely respect him.
The other clans all greeted Kotarou politely enough.
Only the Uchiha were an exception.
Some of them recognized him and twisted their lips in disdain.
Others let out low, mocking chuckles.
The Senju jōnin behind Kotarou merely smiled faintly.
Go ahead and laugh. Laugh while you still can.
The more arrogant you are now, the more miserable you'll look when it's your turn to get put in your place.
Kotarou knew very well the sort of temperament the Uchiha clan had.
He didn't pay them any mind. Instead, he stepped forward and raised his voice.
"Everyone, you've marched long and fought hard along the way. You have my thanks. I'm here to receive you and guide you into the village."
No one had any objections to that opening statement.
But what he said next made people uneasy, especially the Uchiha.
"Tsunade-sama has laid down several rules. Anyone who breaks them, I will personally execute without mercy.
Those who trespass into private homes: kill.
Those who loot supplies: kill.
Those who rape civilians: kill.
Those who bully the weak: kill.
Those who extort by force or engage in coercive buying and selling: kill."
Kotarou recited the Five Kill rules again in full.
He didn't want any trouble later because he'd ordered someone punished and suddenly "no one had heard" the rules.
"We know all that already. So can we enter the village to rest now or not? Everyone here is exhausted."
An Uchiha jōnin spoke with a cold voice.
Aside from the Uchiha, no one else said anything.
They simply watched quietly from the sidelines.
The Senju jōnin frowned.
The Uchiha really were as obnoxious as their reputation suggested.
Kotarou turned toward the speaker.
So it was a middle-aged man, an Uchiha jōnin: Kiyoshi of the Uchiha.
Supposedly a veteran from the Warring States era with a great deal of authority in the clan, and the one sent this time to lead the Uchiha contingent.
"What's this?
Do you have a problem with that?"
Kotarou narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at Kiyoshi.
As Tsunade-sama's representative in charge of calming and organizing the shinobi forces, everything Kotarou did represented Tsunade herself.
Faced with Kiyoshi's provocation, he couldn't just let it slide.
It wouldn't just make him lose face; it would disgrace the division and Tsunade as well.
So he had to step forward.
Kiyoshi was briefly stunned.
This brat didn't seem nearly as cowardly as the rumors claimed.
But he wasn't someone to be pushed around either.
"If I do have a problem, what then?
And if I don't, what then?"
Kiyoshi replied, full of swagger.
Several Senju jōnin behind Kotarou could no longer hold themselves back and were about to step forward, but Kotarou stopped them.
"Stand down."
They froze for a moment, then obediently retreated.
Kiyoshi's pupils shrank.
He hadn't expected that the so-called "good-for-nothing" widely gossiped about in the Uchiha clan would hold such a high standing in the eyes of the Senju jōnin.
Looks like this kid is far from simple.
Caution stirred in his heart, though on the surface he still wore obvious contempt.
"If I remember correctly, you're Kiyoshi, right, old-timer?"
Kotarou spoke evenly as he walked forward, eyes narrowing.
"Yes, I'm Kiyoshi. Kotarou, what are you trying to say?"
Kiyoshi bit down hard on the word "Uchiha" every time he spoke, as if to remind Kotarou not to forget that he, too, was a member of the Uchiha clan.
Kotarou smiled faintly.
"Nothing much. My hands are just a little itchy. I was wondering if I could ask you, senpai, for some guidance."
As he spoke, he formed the seal of confrontation toward Kiyoshi.
Every Uchiha present widened their eyes.
Even Kiyoshi himself stared in disbelief.
This kid who had just turned eighteen… was this bold?!
(End of Chapter)
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