"Are you on some kind of secret mission?" Haseo asked Sakumo Hatake.
"No, just a routine cleanup operation."
"Cleanup?"
"Yeah."
Sakumo's explanation left Haseo momentarily speechless—it was simply outrageous. Konoha ninja squads conducting cleansing operations inside the Land of Rain against Hidden Rain Village shinobi?
Konoha really does act like a shining city on a hill.
Setting aside Konoha's heavy-handed methods for now, from Sakumo's words, Haseo sensed a shift in the current battlefield situation. "Did the earlier infiltration operations achieve any results?"
"Yes. Although Ame responded relatively quickly, with all our elite squads deployed, Konoha has still achieved considerable success. Over a month of precise attacks and sabotage have severely—if not permanently—crippled the Land of Rain's production facilities and Amegakure's sustained combat capabilities.
With such conditions already met, we've completely seized battlefield initiative, enabling deep penetrations like this one. At this point, even the Hokage's Direct Anbu have been dispatched… Haseo, even without meeting us, your chances of encountering Konoha ninjas in the Land of Rain would be quite high—perhaps even higher than encountering Ame ninjas." Sakumo briefly explained the recent changes in the war situation.
"Direct Anbu, huh?"
The Hokage's Direct Anbu were generally extremely powerful—formidable on the battlefield and unmatched in strength. However, the strongest Anbu usually remained close to the Hokage himself, handling his personal security rather than being sent to the front lines. Were they truly infiltrating the Land of Rain now?
Haseo asked this question under the assumption that if Direct Anbu were appearing on the battlefield, then the Third Hokage himself should also have returned to the Front Line.
First cripple the enemy logistics, then launch a full-scale attack—in this situation, Konoha's military superiority had fully manifested. Facing elite ninja from the Uchiha, Hyuga, Sarutobi clans, and even the Anbu, Ame could offer little effective resistance.
"In this situation, Ame is still refusing to surrender?" Haseo asked Sakumo again.
"Not yet. Ame has some tough bones—they're still putting up stubborn resistance. Furthermore, since they've ceded much of the Land of Rain to us, our ninja frequently encounter Kumo and even Iwagakure ninjas… We've had confrontations with those other two villages as well."
"So this battlefield is now tying down three major ninja villages," Haseo remarked. From this tactical situation, he finally understood why at the last moment, the Ame ninja named Nagare seemed to carry a subtle sense of readiness to meet his death… That despair he spoke of—it was clearly tied to Ame's current plight.
Despite limited strength, Ame held fast with absolute stubbornness—was this unbending posture truly an act of courage? Was it worthy of praise? Nobody could say for sure. Integrity was important, but it wouldn't fill an empty stomach. Ame's decision would only make their plight worse.
Haseo fell into contemplation. Perhaps it was precisely due to this tendency toward resistance and the miserable situation of being squeezed between the great ninja villages that eventually turned Amegakure into a breeding ground for world destruction.
In the month and a half since Haseo went missing, the world seemed to have improved—at least from Konoha's perspective.
"Next, I need to return to the Forward Command Post. My prolonged absence requires explanation to the village… If the Hokage happens to be at the front line, that's even better. After all, explaining directly to the Hokage is always better than being interrogated by others." After clarifying the current battlefield situation, Haseo said to Sakumo Hatake.
The king of hell may be easy to deal with, but the petty minions are hard to get rid of. Given Haseo's status—as Sansho's disciple—he could directly request an audience with the Hokage.
"What about you? Will you continue your mission?"
"No," replied Sakumo Hatake, glancing at his teammates behind him before continuing, "We'll return with you to the front-line camp."
More accurately, they needed to escort Haseo—a suspicious figure carrying unexplained circumstances—back to Konoha's frontline base. But Haseo didn't mind. After all, technically speaking, he really should have been escorted back.
A group of five thus began preparing to leave the Land of Rain and head back toward Konoha's base.
On their journey, Haseo and the others encountered several waves of Konoha ninjas. As Sakumo had predicted, Konoha forces had already advanced deeply into the Land of Rain.
About half a day later, Haseo and his companions returned to Konoha's front-line camp located in the Land of Rivers.
Upon returning to Konoha's camp, Haseo immediately headed straight for the tent where the Third Hokage was staying. If not for the small team of Konoha ninjas trailing closely behind him, his rushed manner wouldn't seem like someone reporting to the Hokage—but rather like someone racing to assassinate the Third Hokage.
"Haseo… you're actually still alive."
As Haseo approached the Hokage's area, the first person to notice him was none other than Jiraiya, who had just stepped out of the tent.
"Jiraiya?"
So he'd come back from Mount Myoboku too. His presence here meant one thing—the Hokage had finally given his three apprentices permission to operate at the front line.
However… this guy really had no idea how to speak properly. The way he put it sounded almost like he'd hoped Haseo was dead.
"Jiraiya, come over here," Haseo waved for Jiraiya to approach and said, "There's something… I want to talk to you about privately."
Jiraiya was genuinely surprised—and pleased—to see Haseo still alive. But hearing his request, he approached with clear suspicion, despite showing no sign of joy in his words.
Haseo looked at him with a deliberately mysterious expression. "Since you've already been to Mount Myoboku, I suppose you've heard of Shikkotsu Forest too? The truth is, I was just recovering my injuries there during this period. I'm not dead—I couldn't die that easily—and actually, life over there wasn't bad at all. Once you get used to it, there's nothing wrong... Fresh mountain game, river fish caught just hours ago—cleaned, deboned, and sliced thin, then lightly battered and fried to golden perfection. Just one bite and—wow—it's got this unbeatable crunch! And the meat's chewiness mixed with that melt-in-your-mouth fat? It just lingers forever. Even the neighbor's kid would start crying out of pure jealousy!
Speaking of which...
How was the food at Mount Myoboku?"
Jiraiya: "..."
This must be what it feels like hearing the whispers of a devil!
The look Jiraiya shot toward Haseo was exactly the kind that said, "I'll kill you within three days and scatter your ashes."
Facing even such a murderous glare, Haseo moved even closer to Jiraiya and continued, "That jealous look on your face—man, I've really been dying to see it."
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Great. Finally, during one of life's most unforgettable moments, Haseo created an opportunity to deliver his awkwardly spoken sixth favorite famous line ever.
Although Haseo was clearly messing around, Sakumo Hatake behind him kept staring at his back, lost in thought...
Indeed, compared to before, Haseo now seemed much more energetic.
That bitter, vengeful aura surrounding him had completely disappeared.
PS:
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