Shunsui and the Shadow Platoon returned victorious back to the Konoha camp as the sun began to lower in the sky.
Most of the battles along the front had stopped for the day with clear Konoha victories in several sectors. The Leaf forces used the sudden win to regain some of the ground they had lost in earlier fighting while the Kumo side pulled back to think and figure out the new variable that had appeared so suddenly on the battlefield.
The name and strange abilities of the dual sword boy were already spreading through both armies.
Choza, Shinku and Shunsui were led by a messenger straight to the main command tent where Jiraiya, the commander of the army present in this region, waited for them.
As Shunsui looked at the legendary Sannin he took in the man's full appearance for the first time in person.
Jiraiya was a tall and broad shouldered figure with long white hair that fell down his back and was tied in a distinctive spiky style.
He wore the traditional red and white outfit of the toad sage with a large forehead protector. A big smile sat on his face as the three shinobi entered the tent.
"Ah, the people that gave us such a big victory." Jiraiya said in a loud and friendly voice. "Before I move to the congratulations and the bravo for your work, I still have a duty to do." His face suddenly turned serious as he looked directly at Shunsui.
The warmth left his eyes as he said,"You broke orders, kid. You were ordered not to stand out and not to use your abilities in ways that had not yet been seen by other shinobi. But you still did it. Tell me why you should not be charged with insubordination and stripped of your new rank of chunin or maybe even stripped of your status as a shinobi itself."
Shunsui met the older man's gaze without looking away and answered in an equally serious tone. "What use are orders if they lead to the death of my comrades?"
He paused for a moment to let the simple question hang in the air of the tent. Then he continued, "Since I have been a child I have heard about the Will of Fire. Teachers spoke of it. The Hokage spoke of it. Everyone in the village repeats the words as if they are sacred. But what use is the Will of Fire when I stand on a battlefield and watch the flames of the people beside me get snuffed out one after another because I was told to keep my strongest tools hidden?"
"The Will of Fire is supposed to mean that we protect the next generation and the comrades who stand with us. If I follow an order that lets those comrades die while I still have the power to save them then the Will of Fire becomes nothing more than empty talk. I would rather break a hundred orders than watch another person who trusted me fall when I could have done something about it."
He then let a familiar lazy grin spread across his face and spoke in the relaxed manner. "As for stripping me of my rank as chunin or even as a shinobi entirely, you can always do so. In fact I encourage you to do it. With me no longer wearing the official title of shinobi, I would no longer have to follow those stupid orders and I could participate in the war in my own way."
He took a deep breath before saying, "Because that is my ninja way. I will protect the people near me, orders or no orders. If the village wants to take the headband back then it can have it. I will still be standing on the next battlefield with my swords and my games whether anyone likes it or not."
Jiraiya was stunned for a few seconds by the open defiance.Then a wide smile returned to his face and he let out a short laugh. Shunsui added, "Besides I am sure Jiraiya sama that you would not let me be charged with insubordination considering how I had won a significant victory for Konoha."
Jiraiya waved a large hand and spoke with clear amusement. "I like you kid. Besides you and Shinku did everything as per my orders and my orders are the final orders since I am the commander here. So the old people back in the village can stick it up their ass."
Shunsui choked on his own breath at the crude insult and so did many of the other officers present in the command tent.
Only one of the legendary Sannin could talk about the elders of the village in such an open and disrespectful manner and still keep his head.
The shocked silence lasted only a moment before Jiraiya continued as if he had said nothing unusual. "I congratulate you for helping us regain ground and I have summoned you three here to decide where you would be best utilised going forward in the war."
He looked at Shunsui with open interest. "And since you do not really like orders and we still do not know what your ability is fully capable of, I would leave the choice to you."
Jiraiya walked them over to a large wooden table where a detailed map of the entire battlefield had been spread out and held down by kunai at the corners.
Small markers of different colours showed the positions of the most relevant Kumo shinobi and the estimated strength of their forces in each sector.
Matching markers showed the Konoha units that faced them. One large marker near the centre represented Jiraiya himself locked in ongoing battle with the future Fourth Raikage Ā who served as the overall Cloud commander on this front.
Jiraiya asked the question while gesturing at the map. "So where do you think you would be most useful?"
Shunsui studied the drawn lines and the cluster of markers. After a short time he noticed a narrow section between two hills that formed a natural valley not far from the main Konoha camp.
About five hundred Kumo men were marked as attacking that point while Konoha units were shown trying their best to hold the line. He placed a finger on the spot and asked in a curious voice. "What is this?"
Jiraiya leaned over and explained the importance of the location. "It is the way towards Fialgo, the nearest Fire Country city. It is also the city that has been our main retreat point and has been supplying us with food, water and other necessary goods."
He moved a few markers to show the supply route. "Kumo wants to capture it badly so they can gain further ground inside our country. But since your platoon destroyed their previous retreat base they can no longer safely pull back when things go wrong."
"To avoid the embarrassment of losing the ground they have already taken and to keep pressure on us they are trying to seize another city that can act as their new main base inside the Land of Fire. If they succeed they would cancel our own retreat point and then send another army from the Cloud to sandwich our forces between two fronts."
Shunsui listened to the full explanation and then looked up from the map with a small confident smile. "Then I think I will be best suited for this point."
-------Author Notes--------
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