"You're being so cautious around me. What's wrong with me, or what's wrong with you?" Haseo said to Sakumo Hatake.
He could see that upon realizing the person here was him, Sakumo showed both joy and caution—clearly mixed emotions.
"Earlier, I heard you disappeared on the battlefield in the Land of Rain. Considering how long you've been silent, it wasn't unreasonable for people to believe you were dead. So of course I'm shocked to see you alive. It's certainly joyful, however... depending on the situation, this might also become a new tragedy," Sakumo Hatake said.
In certain cases, even if Haseo were still alive, the two sides might inevitably end up drawing swords against each other.
"Haseo, considering you vanished deep within an enemy country for such a long time and have suddenly reappeared, of course I should exercise some caution. Who knows what happened to you? What if you've been brainwashed by the enemy?"
Sakumo rambled on; previously, Haseo hadn't realized he could be so talkative. His behavior now suggested he was actually quite worked up... From how much he was talking, it was obvious his vigilance toward Haseo was actually limited—he was mostly just putting on an act.
"We've both experienced disappearing for a month before. I thought you would be able to understand my circumstances," Haseo shook his head, pretending to be serious and sorrowful, as though he'd borne an injustice he didn't deserve.
"That month I spent going through hell along the border. But during your month, you completely cut off all contact and stayed deep inside an enemy nation. Can our situations really be compared?"
Upon hearing Haseo speak like this, Sakumo himself became truly overwhelmed with bitterness, hardship, and sorrow.
Going through hell like that—only someone who'd truly experienced it could comprehend such suffering.
Looking at Haseo's current state, it was clear he hadn't gone through any hardship last month. Not only had he avoided suffering, but he'd actually eaten quite well while in Shikkotsu Forest.
Haseo tried taking a step forward, but immediately three Konoha ninjas behind Sakumo's squad crouched low, looking ready to strike at any moment.
Although they didn't know Haseo, from their conversation, they already understood the current situation. As for Sakumo himself, he started yelling again, "Y-You... don't come any closer!"
It was... an unexpectedly funny reaction.
Haseo stopped walking, looked at Sakumo contemplatively, and then spoke, "Sakumo, have you already become a jonin?"
"Not yet. Just a chunin," Sakumo replied.
That one word—"yet"—revealed Sakumo's confidence in his abilities; becoming a jonin was merely a matter of time. However, this was also where he differed from his son Kakashi. By the same age, Kakashi had already been promoted to jonin. Unfortunately, despite possessing so much potential, that young ninja ended up perfecting just one underhanded move—stabbing enemies in the crotch.
"I see. That really is a bit of a shame."
"Shame? What's that supposed to mean?"
"You know, it's kind of a shame for me. If you were a Jonin and I was a Genin, even if we had to fight, I'd definitely come out on top steadily. But if you're still a Chunin, then everything becomes unpredictable," Haseo explained.
"..."
Hatake and the ninja behind him exchanged confused glances, completely unable to grasp the logic in Haseo's words. What did he mean by that? According to what he said, was a Genin equal to a Chunin and stronger than a Jonin?
However, once Hatake's teammates realized the person they'd been cautiously watching was just a Genin, their attitudes visibly relaxed. Whether facing a Chunin or a Jonin alone, theoretically there was a chance of failure when fighting against a Genin, but for an entire squad confronting a Genin, the possibility of failure was practically nil—almost as unlikely as Sakumo Hatake's son mastering his sword techniques.
"Don't bother struggling. You guys aren't military police or Anbu, so how could you possibly have authority to enforce laws on fellow village ninja? At most, you can just keep wary of me. So long as I haven't committed any clear acts of being a Rogue Ninja, remaining a ninja of Konoha means you can't lay a hand on me... That logic shouldn't be too difficult to understand, right?"
Saying so, Haseo stepped forward again toward them.
The members behind Sakumo Hatake all turned their gazes toward Sakumo. In terms of age, he shouldn't have been the leader of this small team, yet judging from the others' reactions, it was clearly his opinions and judgments that directed the team; this influence must have come entirely from his strength.
At this moment, Hatake could only sigh before signaling everyone not to act recklessly. Then he spoke up, "You're still as smooth-talking as ever, Haseo."
Haseo always grasped key points well; what he said made perfect sense. Both sides were ninjas from Konoha, and one side absolutely had no power to deal with the other. Otherwise, what about battlefield discipline?
Let these idiots stay suspicious — Haseo didn't care either way. In fact, he approached them closely just to make them feel nervous and overly cautious.
"Recently, you've been staying in the Land of Rain? Why didn't you contact the village?" Sakumo Hatake also walked toward Haseo. After the two stood shoulder to shoulder, he asked another question.
"Actually, most of the time I was hiding elsewhere recovering from injuries. I encountered a very tricky opponent earlier and sustained serious injuries during our battle." Saying so, Haseo lifted his hand to point out a bandage wrapped beneath his forehead protector as proof.
"Enemy? Have you resolved the problem now?" This remark made Hatake realize that the flashes of lightning-like chakra he'd noticed earlier might've come from Haseo battling enemies.
"Yeah, I won. Otherwise, I wouldn't stand here right now." Haseo replied, though he only mentioned winning rather than using words like "eliminate."
"But... Hatake, you trust me too easily. Be more careful in the future," Haseo hinted subtly to Hatake.
He really didn't want to talk much about his battles in the Land of Rain.
Sakumo Hatake was already standing beside Haseo. If Haseo truly had hostile intentions, he could have easily launched a surprise attack... This was why Haseo thought Sakumo was too trusting toward fellow village ninja.
Of course, their relationship wasn't just that of fellow villagers. They were already friends, familiar enough to call each other by their given names directly without any awkwardness. However... on one hand, it felt kinda awkward; on the other hand, even though he liked his own name, he disliked hearing others say it.
Because "Yu" in Haseo Yu sounded extremely similar to "Ami" when pronounced, which could easily cause misunderstandings.
"You're very clever, so there shouldn't be any problem," Sakumo Hatake said, shaking his head. He felt it wasn't that he trusted Haseo too easily, but rather that he understood Haseo quite well.
In his impression, Haseo had always been a smart person. He wouldn't go out of his way to do something pointless and gainless like leaving Konoha.
"Still... am I imagining it? I feel like your overall aura is completely different from before," Sakumo continued.
"Yeah, on one hand regarding combat strength as a ninja, previously I was merely Jotaro at best, while now I should be able to count as Josuke. There's an enormous gap between them."
"On the other hand, I've experienced certain events, figured out some things, and come to terms with some things... It makes sense, right? If you're alive, you've gotta live life brighter."
Haseo said with a calm tone.
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