Habara briefly summarized his observations from Sunagakure, carefully avoiding subjective speculation. He composed a very formal internal observation report on their ally and submitted it to the Hokage.
The overall conclusion was objective and favorable from Konoha's perspective: Sunagakure was stable, which meant the Land of Fire's western border was secure.
Habara had completed this mission exceptionally well. This wasn't just because the news he brought back was good, but because he managed to execute the mission without causing any additional disturbances. This success was also thanks to the Suna shinobi largely keeping their composure, avoiding any immature, mutually destructive gambits or dramatic signals for revolt. As for the minor farce encountered along the way – the actions of some brainless young ninja – it was insignificant and irrelevant to the bigger picture.
What was unexpected, however, was that Habara had barely returned from his "business trip" before quickly receiving another mission dispatching him outside the village. Unlike the reconnaissance trip to Suna, this new assignment clearly looked like a long-term one.
"Find the whereabouts of Tsunade, one of the Sannin, locate her, and persuade her to return to Konoha?"
The mission felt sudden to Habara. He couldn't understand why an assignment like finding Tsunade would land in his lap.
Furthermore, why did the Third Hokage suddenly want Tsunade back now? According to Habara's memory, Hiruzen hadn't managed to bring Tsunade back before his own death. Why was this being prioritized all of a sudden?
Could it be that the Third Hokage sensed his own end was near? Okay, that thought was perhaps a bit too "disrespectful."
Alright, a more likely theory: perhaps the Third Hokage saw Konoha's own potential vulnerability reflected in Sunagakure's situation. A lack of successors inevitably creates a power vacuum during transitions, a critical flaw that could destabilize the entire village system. In short, whether for his own sake or for Konoha's, the Third Hokage needed an heir, and ideally, this line of succession should be established while he was still alive, just as he had previously chosen the Fourth Hokage.
Nothing to be done about it. The boss gives the order, the subordinate runs himself ragged. Habara could only take a brief rest in Konoha before setting out again... Honestly, he didn't particularly mind these long-term missions away from the village. Tasks like "finding someone" usually came with flexible deadlines. After all, even the Hokage couldn't realistically demand Habara find Tsunade by a specific date.
It was like asking an office worker: would you prefer working directly under the boss's watchful eye, or going on long-distance, long-duration business trips with no restrictions? The answer was obvious.
Habara's only slight concern was that increasing the physical distance might make it difficult to react promptly if something suddenly happened back in Konoha. But thinking it over, no major events detrimental to his interests were likely to occur in the near future. The Uchiha acting up? That was the Uchiha's problem. Was Habara supposed to be the Uchiha clan's bosom buddy?
However, before leaving Konoha again, Habara had some unavoidable tasks to handle. Among them was another arrangement made by the Third Hokage... the matter of appeasing the Hyuga clan.
That morning, Hyuga Neji once again came to the archive. This time, however, he wasn't alone. Trailing behind him was an even younger child.
The child followed Neji timidly, one hand tightly gripping the corner of Neji's clothes, looking utterly afraid to meet anyone's eyes.
"Lady Hinata, we've arrived. This is the place."
When Habara saw Hyuga Hinata, he couldn't help but feel a flicker of surprise. While the goal was to let the Hyuga Main Branch test the effects of the Curse Mark – similar in purpose to him using a 'vaccine' sample in Suna – who would have thought the Hyuga Clan Head would be so willing? He had sent his own direct daughter, the heiress.
This just showed Habara's limited perspective. Jumping at the first sign of benefit – wasn't that just human nature? What was there to be 'willing' or 'unwilling' about? Act too slow, and you'd miss out entirely.
Habara didn't need to overthink it. Whoever came, he'd apply the mark. His only worry was that the injection might make the little girl cry. When he administered the shot, thankfully, Hyuga Hinata did tear up, but she didn't fully cry – her eyes just welled, and she didn't open her mouth to wail.
For the upcoming mission outside the village, Habara wouldn't be acting alone this time. To increase efficiency in tracking, investigation, and searching, squad operations were far superior to solo efforts. Therefore, Habara brought along Tenzo and Kakashi. Firstly, the three worked well together. Secondly, Kakashi had dogs, and ninja hounds were excellent for tracking. Or, to put it more bluntly, the dogs were more useful than Kakashi; bringing Kakashi was equivalent to bringing the dogs.
Before leaving Konoha, Habara gave Daigo very specific instructions: "Just keep jabbing people. Do it confidently and boldly."
In the blink of an eye, a month passed.
Within the Hyuga clan compound, it was currently the daily training time for the young ninja fledglings.
Over this period, Hyuga Neji's performance had steadily improved, and the changes in Hyuga Hinata were also becoming apparent. Consequently, in the eyes of certain individuals, Habara's credibility grew significantly.
On one hand, the Hyuga Main Branch became increasingly conflicted. They recognized the substantial benefits of the Curse Mark, yet stubbornly maintained they had done nothing wrong in the previous conflict – it was others who hadn't followed the rules.
On the other hand...
Consciously or unconsciously, Hyuga Hizashi began to quietly build connections within the clan. Of course, "within the clan" was limited strictly to the Branch Family, and the scope was currently confined to those Hizashi trusted most. Nevertheless, it was undeniable that something was brewing within the Hyuga clan. However, compared to the Uchiha's high-profile posturing and constant threats bordering on clan-wide suicide missions, the minor murmurs within the Hyuga were practically negligible.
And don't even start about insatiable desires. Was there really any fundamental difference between the Hyuga Branch and Main families? Their bloodline was the same. If there was no essential difference, why should one side stand tall while the other knelt?
It could only be said: where there is oppression, there will be resistance.
Amidst all this turmoil, one might momentarily think Konoha shouldn't worry about whether Suna was stable or not; perhaps it should take a good hard look at itself first.
On the outskirts of Konoha village – more accurately, outside the village walls but still within the perimeter of the great barrier – behind a large tree, the air began to distort. Space twisted around a single point, spiraling inwards. Then, a figure clad in a black cloak adorned with red clouds materialized.
After a long absence, Uchiha Obito had returned.
And if one were to ask why he had come back to Konoha now, the answer was quite simple... It was merely hatred that refused to fade.
Hatred for the Uchiha, hatred for Konoha, hatred for former friends and mentors. Uchiha Madara's control and brainwashing of Obito had been remarkably skillful. The Uchiha clan's thoughts and actions were already highly emotional, and Madara had amplified this trait in Obito exponentially. As a result, Obito had become like a bitter, resentful figure, constantly aggrieved.
"It's not me who's wrong, it's the world." That was Uchiha Obito's true conviction. From a conventional viewpoint, anyone holding such a belief wasn't entirely mentally sound.
Uchiha Obito had been observing the Uchiha clan's situation. He found that although the clan was like a powder keg, seemingly ready to explode at any moment, it always lacked that final spark when it came to the critical point.
There were several reasons. Firstly, the leader of the anti-Konoha faction, Clan Head Uchiha Fugaku, wasn't actually that anti-Konoha at his core. In a sense, he was swept along by the clan's sentiment. He fully understood the consequences of an Uchiha rebellion and was secretly working to curb the trend.
Secondly, Uchiha Shisui had fractured the Uchiha voice, preventing the clan from unifying completely. Additionally, the Third Hokage continuously employed appeasement tactics, delaying the flashpoint of the conflict.
In summary, although the rift between the Uchiha clan and Konoha was already vast, the lack of a sufficiently explosive trigger meant the volcano hadn't erupted; the pressure remained contained beneath the surface.
The leaders on both sides were exercising restraint, resulting in a tense situation where those below were restless but hadn't truly made a move. It was a kind of unspoken truce.
However, breaking such a truce was remarkably simple. It required only a small external push, because fundamentally, neither side trusted the other. This lack of trust left infinite room for speculation and suspicion.
As for how to ignite this powder keg? It only needed a tiny spark. Uchiha Obito had long known exactly what needed to be done.
Uchiha Obito stood there, surveying the situation below. Today, however, he didn't intend to cause any destruction. He was merely casing the joint, observing the prosperous village and imagining what it might become later. It offered a certain dark amusement.
After watching for a while, his figure vanished from the spot.
He hadn't left. Instead, he entered Konoha proper. While not planning destruction today, he believed it was time to make preliminary arrangements.
"Who's there?!"
Deep within ANBU headquarters, late at night, several Jonin who had been rigorously maintaining their posts suddenly detected an intruder. Disturbingly, they hadn't noticed the intruder upon entry, but only caught traces as the individual was attempting to leave, confirming the breach after the fact.
The intruder, clad in black, moved with incredible agility. Upon being discovered, they didn't attempt to fight back but immediately tried to flee at top speed.
The ANBU ninja desperately tried to block the escape, but the intruder exploited an opening and burst out of the ANBU headquarters building. Left with no choice, the ANBU left a few members to secure the location, sent someone to report upwards, and dispatched the rest in full pursuit.
Over ten minutes later, the ANBU Commander arrived on the scene. "Report! What's the situation? Any losses?" he demanded immediately.
"Commander, it's highly likely the intruder obtained our village defense layouts," an ANBU reported grimly. "Locations of hidden observation posts, ANBU personnel duty rosters, and mission schedules for the next month may all have been compromised."
"The intruder? Identity? Did you apprehend them?"
"Unknown, sir. Pursuit is ongoing."
The Commander's face was like stone. He remained at ANBU headquarters, waiting silently.
Approximately two hours later, the ANBU operatives, having scoured Konoha, returned with bad news...
The intruder had vanished. Simply disappeared, somewhere within the village itself.