"This is getting a bit problematic..."
The next day, just hours after leaving the scene of the incident, Haseo Yu realized the gravity of his situation.
Crossing jungles and sneaking across borders from one country to another should have been a routine for him. However, this was only possible if his physical condition had been good.
The problem was that he had sustained serious injuries yesterday. Immediately afterward, he had been caught in the rain. Combined with these circumstances, his condition had deteriorated greatly. He now suffered from a high fever, and his mind felt extremely foggy.
Bringing the message from Tobirama Senju back to Konoha represented a rare opportunity for Haseo. Setting aside grander ambitions, at the very least, Konoha offered a place where he could settle down during these chaotic times. Therefore, accepting this mission wasn't a difficult decision for him.
Entering Konoha marked an unpredictable turning point for Haseo's life. The direction of this turn might not lead anywhere better, but at least not worse than his current predicament. Moreover, news of the Hokage's death needed to reach Konoha as soon as possible—it would benefit both the village and himself. Yet now, the issue lay in realizing that his physical state couldn't support such a demanding journey.
Traversing the jungle, crossing the border, entering the Land of Fire, then heading toward its central region—under normal conditions, Haseo estimated two weeks would suffice for reaching Konoha. Though called a Hidden Leaf Village, its location was no secret. Even if Haseo had never known about it before, finding one of the Five Great Ninja Villages wouldn't be difficult. Its fame made it accessible to outsiders, so its location was relatively easy to pinpoint—especially within the Land of Fire.
Haseo's current physical condition couldn't even be properly captured by a word like "bad" alone. Rain-soaked soil in the mountain forest, towering trees, and thick foliage created intense humidity, making the air oppressively moist. He could feel his clothes sticking tightly against his skin, making it feel like he couldn't catch his breath.
What Haseo truly needed now was rest—he should ideally wait until his condition improved before heading to Konoha, but reality didn't allow that luxury. First, since the previous battle involved major figures like the Raikage and Hokage, he worried other ninjas might come searching this area. Second, he had nearly exhausted his supply of dry rations, making extended shelter in the forest impossible. Third, he couldn't even be certain that resting alone would improve his injuries. What he really needed were medicines and proper medical treatment.
Under such circumstances, therefore, he could only force himself forward.
Though the help from the Second Hokage was well-intentioned, its impact on Haseo was probably minimal. After all, the former wasn't particularly known for exceptional medical skills. And how much could you expect from someone already on their last breath?
Haseo's head felt dazed and heavy. He dragged himself forward with his injured arm, struggling to keep track of his direction. Unaware to him, the moment he passed through a certain area, someone had already been watching him closely like a predator tracking prey.
As Haseo suspected, this forest, though it seemed deserted, was far from empty—scouting ninjas from various factions were certainly present.
Another hour passed. Haseo arrived beside a stream. Dying of thirst, he was about to dip his hands into the stream for a drink when suddenly, a completely unfamiliar voice sounded from behind him.
"Don't move."
At the same time, a sharp kunai knife pressed against his neck from behind.
The situation changed abruptly, but Haseo understood that at a moment like this, no matter what the opponent said, he could only comply. Therefore, he raised the only arm he could move, indicating clearly that he had absolutely no intention of resisting.
In the reflection upon the stream's surface, he could see half of the stranger's face peeking out from behind him, and also caught a glimpse of the symbol on the other's forehead protector… This indicated the enemy was a ninja from Iwagakure.
However, a forehead protector alone wasn't enough to prove anything. The enemy could have been a ninja from another village pretending to be from Iwagakure. Geographically speaking, the forest where Haseo currently was located lay within the borders of the Land of Rice Fields—a small country sandwiched between the Lands of Earth, Lightning, and Fire. Since the war broke out, this area has always been one of the most chaotic battlefields, where forces overlapped like pieces of a puzzle; thus, it was entirely reasonable for ninjas from all three nations to appear here.
"Don't turn around. Next, I ask questions, and you answer them… How did you get injured?"
From observations made while following him just now, this Iwagakure ninja had already confirmed that the child before him was not a ninja but merely an ordinary person. Yet there was contradiction: if he was just an ordinary person, then why would he be here, and how could he have sustained such injuries?
Precisely because of this, Haseo had been marked.
Compared to the way the Second Hokage had treated him the day before, this ninja's coldness better reflected how a real ninja would deal with a regular civilian—one who, once judged as either worthless or threatening, would be killed without hesitation.
Haseo immediately understood his own predicament the very moment he was taken hostage. So without hesitation, he answered, "Yesterday, accidentally I wandered into a battle between ninjas and ended up being mistaken for a target. Afterwards, both sides of the fight annihilated each other completely. One of them, right before dying, asked me to deliver intelligence to his village."
Instead of holding back, he spilled everything at once, just like spilling the beans. Moreover, he didn't use softer terms such as 'delivering a message'; instead, he directly used the much more serious term—"intelligence."
"To which village is the intelligence supposed to be delivered?"
"Konoha."
"Where is the intelligence?"
"Here."
Then, Haseo carefully pulled the note from beneath his robe and handed it back cautiously.
The other man caught the note with one hand, while the kunai pressed against Haseo's throat remained steady. Yet in the next instant, he felt as if that kunai had slightly shifted away from his neck for a moment.
Written on the note was a short coded message. Unless someone was a ninja from Konoha, and more specifically from Konoha's Intelligence Division, they wouldn't be able to decipher it quickly. Therefore, the Iwa ninja was completely clueless about what was written there.
But at least by interrogating this seemingly ordinary person, he could piece together what had happened and guess at the intelligence's meaning. If the intelligence proved valuable, then Haseo—as its source—would be valuable too. So he wouldn't be killed just yet.
"Turn around slowly. There are certain things I need to verify."
"Eh?"
Haseo instinctively turned his head, only to be instantly overwhelmed by an irresistible force of will.
[Genjutsu]… He would've said it too—if only he hadn't been rendered speechless right then.
"Do you know the name or rank of the Konoha ninja who gave you this intelligence?" The enemy no longer needed to worry about Haseo lying. Using genjutsu to extract information ensured the quickest way to get the most accurate answers.
"Senju Tob…" Just as Haseo was about to unconsciously blurt out that name, his dazed eyes suddenly regained clarity.
Almost immediately regaining consciousness, Haseo abruptly raised his previously injured arm, gripping tightly onto the enemy's hand which still held the kunai.
A ninja who was unable to form hand seals couldn't use jutsu; therefore, physically restraining the ninja's hands would neutralize most of their abilities through sheer physical means.
"It's impossible! How did you break free from my genjutsu? You're just an ordinary person…" In an instant, the situation had changed completely, leaving the enemy ninja utterly confused about what had just happened.
[Genjutsu] — a technique that manipulates the senses — should have left anyone without chakra completely helpless. Yet here was proof otherwise.
"If your partner hasn't shown up yet during this interrogation, it can only mean you're acting alone." Realizing that brought Haseo a surprising sense of calm.
That reaction earned him a low, mocking snarl from his enemy. Even if he somehow escaped the illusion, did this young man really believe he could handle an experienced ninja? Instinctively, the Iwa ninja tried to pry Haseo's fingers loose—but what happened next finally shocked him: no matter how hard he pulled, that grip refused to budge even slightly.
Only now did he finally notice the sudden surge of chakra coming from Haseo.
Looking upward along that thin, delicate arm, he saw the gaping wound on the boy's shoulder. Jet-black, swollen vessels, like roots spreading outward from the injury, twisted grotesquely across his skin, pulsing with an eerie energy.
Haseo clenched his teeth, pouring every ounce of strength into driving the kunai forward and plunging it sharply into his opponent's chest. He knew this was his only shot at escaping—if the enemy broke free, he'd have zero chance of winning.
At that moment, a surge of energy erupted from his body, something even a ninja couldn't resist. In the next instant, the sharp kunai pierced through the other man's chest cavity.
"You… are you… a ninja?" The ninja from Iwagakure twisted his face in disbelief and despair.
"I wasn't one before, but maybe I'm considering a career change now."
"What exactly… is going on?"
I'd like to know that myself... Haseo thought, though he offered no answer. He simply let the dying ninja collapse onto the ground, covered in his own blood.
At the moment he had fallen under that genjutsu, something seemed to trigger within him—a strange power surged forth. This force not only broke free from the genjutsu, but also enabled him to assassinate a trained ninja.
But it flared up and died down just as quickly as it had appeared. The next moment, his arm was once again paralyzed, just like before. Haseo glanced at his wounds—he had certainly noticed something unusual about himself… Maybe he could only fight strong ninjas using their own kind of power?
He didn't have time to think further. Retrieving the note the enemy had taken and pulling out the kunai at the same time, Haseo got back on his feet—only to find another squad of ninjas had surrounded him.
Not even a second to catch his breath after cheating death?
A bitter smile crept across his face. He really had done everything he could.
"If they weren't acting alone, then why were you by yourself?"
Before he could even voice such doubts, Haseo completely lost consciousness due to exhaustion and high fever.
Yet, as darkness swallowed his vision, he didn't see one crucial thing—the arriving squad of ninjas wore forehead protectors bearing Konoha's symbol.
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