Haseo returned enthusiastically to the Konoha front line, only to find his squad had been reassigned. What a dramatic tragedy... Well, not really, to be honest.
Changes within ninja squads were actually quite common—whether due to personnel adjustments, relocation of bases, or shifts in mission assignments.
Still, one thing worth noting was that if Haseo had come back just a few days later, his ninja ID number might've already been erased from the records. If that happened, things would get slightly messy—he'd basically be "dead on paper" without even getting a say in it.
Now, Haseo felt somewhat worried about how the command headquarters would handle his situation going forward—if someone resented his apparent negligence, what if he got stuck in a frontline unit or handed a suicide mission?
As everyone knew, when faced with such extreme situations, most ninja followed a standard procedure: first, pull out a kunai and carve a clean, straight slash right across the center of your forehead protector; second, do whatever the hell you wanted after that.
Still, Haseo's worries proved somewhat unnecessary—he did, after all, have powerful backing.
The main difference between him and your average disposable grunt wasn't just that his skills were just about acceptable, but rather that the Hokage himself might personally intervene on his behalf. Therefore, Haseo could often avoid falling into desperate circumstances.
He was the disciple of the current head of the Senju clan. Now that the Senju had gone, should Haseo immediately suffer unjust treatment, it wouldn't just cost him his life—it'd be a slap in the face to the entire Senju clan. Really? So soon after the Senju stepped off the stage, someone was already eager to dishonor their name?
This kind of political signal was terrible and would bring serious negative consequences for the Third Hokage, who naturally paid close attention to such matters.
In reality, Haseo meant practically nothing to the Senju as a whole, but Sansho's concern toward him made him effectively fall under the Senju umbrella. And once the Senju took interest in him, then naturally the Hokage needed to show interest too. He could die—but only under acceptable circumstances. For example, during the previous incident in the Land of Rain, dying would've been perfectly reasonable, and no one would dare spread rumors behind their backs.
Since the Senju stepped back from active duty, Sansho's link to them hadn't faded—in fact, it had grown stronger, as she was arguably the last visible representative of the Senju clan. This association inevitably extended via their mentor-student relationship onto Haseo himself.
Therefore, whether willingly accepted or not, this lingering "Senju influence" often acted as Haseo's protective coloring.
There was something both ironic and bittersweet about it—that the last flicker of the mighty Senju clan should shine on someone like Haseo, who bore absolutely no blood ties to them whatsoever… Naturally, he wasn't the only exception. Compared to him, Tsunade herself was certainly far more representative of the Senju lineage. Nevertheless, this couldn't completely erase people's sense of surprise regarding him.
Once Sansho also exited the stage of Konoha, the Senju would complete their total withdrawal.
...
"You're practicing Earth Release?" Jiraiya stuck his head through the tent flap, observing Haseo inside before finally speaking up with this question.
It had been three days since Haseo got back to Camp. During this time, he'd been somewhat idle, staying in a previously vacant tent that now served as his resting place.
"Yeah, I need to hurry up. After all, there's only one left, you know," Haseo said.
To be exact, by now he already had mastered four chakra natures. As for the last Earth Nature transformation training method, The Third had already demonstrated it to him in detail, which allowed Haseo to start his cultivation during his spare time.
Haseo's progress with elemental chakra was a bit rushed, and even after completing this stage of training, there would still obviously be a gap between his Five Elemental Releases and those of the Third Hokage—The Third was proficient in thousands of ninjutsu techniques, each elemental chakra jutsu numbering in the hundreds. What about me?
At the moment he had just one Lightning Release jutsu, one Wind Release, and a few Water and Fire Release techniques. The number of jutsu he knew was easy enough to count on his fingers.
Unlike most who chased after numbers, Haseo cared more about how strong each jutsu was.
"I have insights into Earth Release; I believe I'll complete it soon enough," Haseo added.
"Insights? Have you actually been practicing Earth Release for long?" Jiraiya asked in surprise. How much time could Haseo possibly have had to practice Earth Release since becoming a ninja?
"No, I meant that in my past life, I was already an expert in Earth Release."
"..." Jiraiya looked puzzled.
Meanwhile, Haseo wore a nostalgic expression. Truthfully, in his past life, he indeed had known how to use Earth Release and had been highly skilled in shaping techniques—in particular, making fifteen- to twenty-centimeter-high clay dolls, mostly showing women, each as lifelike as real ones.
Because of these experiences and foundational skills from his past life, Haseo believed he'd soon regain mastery over Earth Release. After all, it was still Earth Release; how different could it really be? All he needed to do now was upgrade [Earth Release: River Bank] to [Earth Release: Earth Flow River]. The learning curve wouldn't differ that much.
"So, seeing as you're free with no missions, why are you even here looking for me?" Haseo recalled some fond memories before returning to the present and noticing Jiraiya was still around, prompting him to ask.
"Haseo, what kind of attitude is that? I came here to inform you about your upcoming assignments directly arranged by the Hokage. This is official stuff!" Jiraiya said indignantly—it hit close to home because, truthfully, he had been rather idle at the front lines lately.
"Oh! Arranged personally by the Hokage? Go ahead, tell me more," Haseo replied, thinking to himself, *If it's official business, then why didn't you say so sooner?*
Upon hearing this, Jiraiya immediately adjusted his tone and became serious again.
"Erm, listen carefully then. Considering that your squad is already out on the Eastern Front carrying out missions while our team happens to be short one member... the Third Hokage has decided to temporarily assign you to join us," Jiraiya explained as if they were doing Haseo a great favor, making it sound like without their kindness, Haseo might have ended up lonely and neglected.
However, upon hearing this, Haseo covered his eyes with one hand.
"You... What exactly do you mean? I've seen through your act a long time ago!"
"This reaction is a bit off," Jiraiya couldn't hold back. He stomped in place, "We were the mighty Konoha's infamous troublemakers—gambling, pranks, and mischief… no wait, we're the mighty Konoha Sannin! Never have we been so despised before!"
"Sorry, I should've masked my disapproval better. I admit I was too immature just now; perhaps I did approach this the wrong way," Haseo quickly said.
Jiraiya thought for a moment but still couldn't figure out whether Haseo had actually criticized himself appropriately or not—was he really apologizing, or merely pretending?
"Let me put it this way… Jiraiya, how old are you right now?"
Jiraiya immediately understood what Haseo implied, and with slight unease, he answered, "T-ten, I think?"
Your skills may suck, but if you're gonna lie, at least lie like you mean it.
"You're full of crap. Am I the retarded one or are you? You were seven last year—this year you're ten? With math like that, you'll grow up to be someone who counts a four-person squad as twelve members."
"..."
It wasn't unusual for a ninja squad to include one young member, but having all three be kids? In that case, was Haseo here to fight or to babysit brats all day?
The Third Hokage at the Front Line must've been incredibly busy. Of course, he wouldn't have time to personally look after his students constantly. So naturally, he needed to find someone to act as an assistant for them, didn't he?
However, if it was truly the Hokage's decision, then no matter how much Haseo inwardly grumbled, he'd still have to accept.
"I'm the leader of this temporary team, right?" Haseo could only settle for this compromise.
From this point on, if he heard even a "no"—if it turned out he wasn't the captain, and instead had to follow the orders of these brats—then he'd immediately grab a kunai and slash his forehead protector, and no one would be able to stop him.
"…Uh, yes."
Initially, Jiraiya had come here to argue for the position of team leader himself, but seeing how Haseo obviously looked down on them, he gave up entirely. After all, it wasn't easy to find a ninja willing and capable enough to actually take them to the battlefield.
"That's somewhat reassuring," Haseo sighed with relief.
Compared to before, when Jiraiya had randomly spouted nonsense while the Hokage specifically mentioned who the team leader had been—now the Third was proactively assigning his disciples to Haseo, which at least indicated a significant increase in the level of trust placed upon him.
Haseo pondered, thinking that maybe it was due to the actions he took previously in Amegakure when he stayed behind alone to cover his teammates' retreat. That must've earned him massive favor points from the Hokage.
That's just how rulers are—they'll only see you as valuable if you prove you're willing to die for them… Though back then, Haseo didn't give a damn about Konoha at all. Nevertheless, regardless of intentions, gaining more trust rather than suspicion was ultimately a positive outcome.
Thinking along those lines, being a caretaker temporarily didn't seem entirely unacceptable either. After all, there were already four people among the Konoha Sannin. Maybe someday people will even accept it as a known fact.
At the hour when dreams begin, I softly call — won't you give your vote?
Whose gaze quickens your pulse? Whose words leave you shattered? Who leaves you longing to hold them tight?
If an author lingers deep into the night, giving his youth wholeheartedly, will that bring your support and love?
Where have my votes gone? Shall I cry out to heaven and earth, or silently surrender to fate?
Let go of all I had, cast off every tie — just let me drift, alone, in silence... votes... votes...
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