The front lines of the Land of Rain.
Kitahara Kaede pulled back the curtain of the command tent.
Inside, the atmosphere was colder than the rain outside.
The sand table was littered with small black flags. Each one represented a Hidden Leaf squad that had been crushed or had gone missing.
The commander was a Jonin in his early forties. A bandage wrapped around his left eye, and his right arm hung in a sling against his chest. His complexion was as bleak as the sky outside the tent.
He froze for a mont when the three of them entered. His gaze swept over Tsunade and Jiraiya before finally landing on Kitahara Kaede.
"Hagoromo Kaede from the western line?"
"Yes."
The commander exhaled a long breath, like a man who had been holding up a collapsing wall for too long and had finally found a relief shift.
"Hanzo personally entered the fray three days ago. A single cloud of poison mist blanketed our entire B3 position." He pointed to a crossed-out area on the sand table. "Two battalions, one hundred and twenty-seven n. Fewer than forty made it back alive."
Tsunade's gaze locked onto that crossed-out region, her lips thinning into a hard line. "What about the wounded?"
"The rear tents are completely full. There are only a handful of dical personnel left, and our dicine is nearly depleted."
Tsunade turned to leave imdiately.
Kitahara Kaede reached out to stop her. "Listen to the rest first."
Tsunade paused.
The commander gritted his teeth. "This godforsaken place is nothing but canyons and riverbeds. With the relentless heavy rain, not only is our offensive limited, but Hanzo's poison release spreads twice as far in the humidity. The front-line troops don't dare get anywhere near him."
"What about long-range attacks?" Jiraiya asked.
"His summon, Ibuse, can swallow the entire poison mist and then spit it back out. Long-range is useless." The commander gave a bitter smile. "To be honest, I don't know how to tackle this."
Kitahara Kaede stared at the sand table for ten seconds. "Where is Hanzo now?"
"Six kiloters ahead, upstream in the river valley." The commander swallowed hard. "He's in no rush to push forward; he's just staying there, using the poison to carve out a dead zone."
Understood.
Jiraiya rolled his shoulders and gave a laugh. "Hiding in a poison mist like a coward? Let's go pay him a visit."
Kitahara Kaede looked at Tsunade. "You handle the wounded. We'll handle the front."
Tsunade didn't waste words. She gave a short nod and stepped out of the tent.
The rain fell harder.
***
The following dawn.
Kitahara Kaede and Jiraiya, accompanied by three Chunin squads, crept toward the front.
The Village Hidden in the Rain had established their position on the high ground upstream of the valley. It was a commanding position with an open field of vision. Over thirty Rain shinobi were distributed across various outposts, forming a damp, iron curtain of defense.
Kitahara Kaede didn't say a word.
With a blur of hand signs, his shadow clones scattered into the canyon walls on either side. His original body gripped the Chidori Sharp Spear and sliced straight through the center of the enemy's heart.
The mont the lightning exploded through the curtain of rain, the entire valley lit up as if it were broad daylight. Three Rain shinobi were blasted backward before they could even see a silhouette.
The lightning tore a gaping hole in the defensive line.
Jiraiya struck from the flank.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Gamabunta's massive fra slamd into the center of the valley. The resulting tidal wave flipped two sentry posts instantly.
With a pipe clenched in his mouth, Gamabunta swept his toad blade in a wide arc, shearing off a layer of the fortifications on the high ground.
"Well, Jiraiya, kid," Gamabunta puffed out a cloud of smoke, "who's the opponent this ti?"
"Hanzo."
Gamabunta went silent for two seconds. "You should've said so earlier."
Jiraiya ignored him, using Gamabunta's cover to charge up the high ground. A Fire Style: Great Fla Bullet blasted through the final line of defense. Shadow clones closed in from both sides, and lightning release cut off any path of retreat.
In less than half an hour, the Village Hidden in the Rain's front-line curtain was brutally torn apart. The enemy forces were forced to retreat toward the rear highlands.
Back at the base, the curtains of the rear tents flickered open and shut as reports stread back.
Tsunade listened to the battle reports, her hands never stopping. She poured chakra into the wounded, while Katsuyu clones shuttled between the tents. Dozens of small slugs clung to the critically injured, their green light flickering in rhythmic succession.
By noon, the front line had completely stabilized.
The morale of the Hidden Leaf shinobi, which had been dragged through the mud, suddenly surged back to life. During a shift change, a Chunin whispered to his comrade:
"Did you see? That silver-haired guy sliced through the defense by himself, The Slug Princess is holding down the mobile dical network in the rear, and Gamabunta just flattened the Rain's fortifications—"
"We can actually win this."
***
At nightfall.
Tsunade stood up from beside a wounded soldier.
In the corner of the tent, a boy wrapped in bandages lay quietly. He was thirteen—roughly the sa age as her brother, Nawaki.
Tsunade crouched beside him for a long ti.
The boy had been brought in half an hour ago. His abdon had been pierced, and most of his internal organs were shattered.
Tsunade had tried everything. She pushed the Mystical Palm Technique to its absolute limit, and Katsuyu provided full assistance.
The boy's finger twitched. His lips moved slightly, as if he were calling out for soone.
And then, there was nothing.
Tsunade slowly withdrew her hand.
The green light extinguished.
The tent fell silent, leaving only the sound of the rain.
She stood up, walked outside, and sat down on a damp rock. She pulled her knees together and rested her hands on them, staring into the darkness ahead, motionless.
After an unknown amount of ti, footsteps sounded behind her.
Kitahara Kaede sat down beside her.
Neither of them spoke. They remained in silence for a long ti.
"As a dical ninja, I watch people die every day," Tsunade finally spoke. Her voice sounded fragnted, broken by the sound of the rain. "I should have been used to it by now."
Kitahara Kaede didn't respond.
"But that child... he was the sa age as Nawaki."
Her body swayed slightly. Tsunade slowly leaned toward him, resting her forehead against his shoulder. Then, she slid down a bit, tucking her head into the hollow of his shoulder.
Her body was trembling ever so slightly.
"I watched his heart stop right in my hands."
"I poured chakra in, but I couldn't keep him. I couldn't keep anything. That feeling... it's just too awful."
"Kaede."
He tilted his head to look at her.
Tsunade stared into the rain, speaking each word with deliberate clarity.
"Don't you dare die before ."
Kitahara Kaede's breath hitched for a fraction of a second, nearly imperceptibly.
The sound of the rain filled the void between them.
"Okay."
This was likely the first lie Kitahara Kaede had ever told her.
Tsunade stopped talking. Leaning against his shoulder, her breathing slowly steadied.
From behind the tent, there was the sound of rustling footsteps. Jiraiya was getting up for a midnight stroll.
Before the footsteps could draw near, Tsunade sprang away as if she had been burned. Her face flushed a deep red, a heat that even the cold rain couldn't mask.
Jiraiya erged from behind the tent, still tying his belt, looking half-asleep.
"Why aren't you two sleeping?"
"It's too hot to sleep," Tsunade replied expressionlessly.
Jiraiya shivered, glancing at the freezing rain still falling outside. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it.
"Oh."
He turned and went back into his tent.
Tsunade stood up and spoke softly, "I'm going to sleep." She walked away without looking back.
Kitahara Kaede remained on the rock, staring into the night.
The first lie.
Perhaps it would also be the last.
From inside the tent ca the sound of Jiraiya tossing and turning, followed by a mumbled sentence in his sleep.
"...Don't die before ... Man, I'm so jealous..."
Silence followed for two seconds, and then the snoring began.
The corner of Kitahara Kaede's mouth twitched.
***
The next morning.
A ssenger ninja pulled back the tent curtain.
"Hagoromo-Dono, urgent report from the reconnaissance squad—"
"Hanzo's summon, Ibuse, is moving toward our position."
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