From the actions of the Five Great Countries, anyone could tell that the Great Ninja World War was truly coming to an end. Even Kumo had begun pulling back its forces from the Land of Grass... Originally, this had been Konoha's request, but after recent developments, they no longer had any reason to comply.
In fact, just to prevent Konoha from suddenly cutting off their supply lines, Kumo needed to retreat anyway.
The deaths of the Second Mizukage and the Second Tsuchikage were currently the most shocking and far-reaching events across the entire Ninjutsu World. By now, even the last-to-know Sunagakure had already learned about these events... Iwagakure and Kirigakure were the "parties involved" in the double-Kage battle, Konoha had scouting teams monitoring developments, and Kumo had spies embedded within Konoha's scout units—so all of them could be considered eyewitnesses to that "love-hate" conflict.
In just one night, Suna found itself confused about why the entire world suddenly excluded them from the game.
Currently, among the Five Great Ninja Villages, Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure had all lost their Kages, with all three villages entering a state of upper-level management. So just from the loss of their Kages alone, how could the war possibly continue?
Precisely because of those two leaders sacrificing themselves in a mutual destruction move, the Frostfield Battle between Konoha and Kumo was largely overshadowed. After all, the temporary sealing of a single Tailed Beast paled in impact compared to the definitive fall of two Kages.
If it hadn't been for those two drawing attention away—whether positively or negatively speaking—Haseo would already be a well-known figure throughout the entire Ninjutsu World by now... Becoming a Ninjutsu World-wide celebrity was something Haseo temporarily did not want at all, so technically, he should be grateful to those two Kages for conveniently stealing the spotlight.
Actually, right now he was only well-known within Konoha and Kumo—it was barely acceptable.
Well, actually calling it "gratitude" didn't quite cut it either, because if Haseo hadn't been tracking the Second Mizukage to begin with, he wouldn't have encountered that situation at all.
The review process for Haseo's promotion to Jonin proceeded smoothly, so he officially became a Konoha Jonin. Twenty days after regaining consciousness, there was no longer any need for him to remain in the hospital.
Adding his coma time together, he had been hospitalized for nearly two months—an apparently long duration—but compared to cases where people overused their eyes or brains and then required a week-long hospital stay, Haseo had practically helped conserve Konoha Hospital beds.
However, being discharged didn't mean Haseo's body had fully recovered yet. His body mass had been violently vaporized—how could recovery possibly be that simple? Wantonly pushing one's body beyond limits and expecting quick full recovery? The world just doesn't work that way.
According to expert opinion, Haseo needed at least six months to recover to a state where basic physical functions would return. As for complete healing… it would be like treating a chronic stomach ailment—you'd just need to slowly recuperate and wait for results.
So breaking the rules gave instant satisfaction but nearly caused cremation. From now on, Haseo got the message loud and clear—he needed to use his powers more carefully.
Haseo left the hospital and returned home, but the message he had been waiting for still hadn't arrived. With the war over and needing to recover from his injuries, he found himself with too much free time.
The Third Hokage hadn't left the village yet—who could say when the peace agreement would actually be finalized?
What Haseo didn't know was that the Third was about to depart, leaving within just a few days. And before he left, the Hokage had even gone out of his way to find him in person.
There was something he needed to entrust to Haseo.
One evening, Haseo sat on the edge of the bed, gazing at the stars. Of course, compared to the stars in the sky, their reflections on the river's surface were actually more beautiful—especially when disturbed by pale little feet. So... Haseo usually just looked down at the stars instead.
No matter the season, the hot springs in Hot Spring Town always felt incredibly refreshing.
The stunning night view was truly a sight to behold.
He was just appreciating it, nothing more. After all, everything here was worth admiring.
Just then, however, the Third Hokage's voice suddenly sounded beside Haseo's ear, "Haseo, I heard you've completed your promotion to Jonin?"
"…"
"Hokage-sama, why are you… suddenly appearing like this?" Haseo was slightly startled.
You move around like a ghost… that's what Haseo really wanted to say.
"There's something I need to discuss with you." The Third stood on the lower part of the eaves, leaning against the wall with his back facing Haseo.
After all, the Third was still young now; once he grew older, he'd certainly think such behavior unseemly. See? Even the Hokage enjoyed taking in the scenery—it was just unclear which kind he liked best.
"Is it about the report I submitted?" Haseo asked.
"No. I've read your report—it was written very well—but I've temporarily kept it to myself without showing it to others... Once I return to the village, I'll prioritize handling this matter.
I will be leaving the village shortly to handle matters concerning the peace treaty. Before I go, though, there's a mission I must entrust to you… You're already a Jonin, right? And physically, you seem fine," said the Third Hokage.
Hearing that, Haseo assumed it must be an important mission, so he quickly got serious.
"Don't be too tense—it's not a dangerous mission... Tell me, have you heard of the Valley of the End?"
"I have—it was where the First Hokage fought the Uchiha clan leader back then."
Of course, Haseo knew of the Valley of the End, but he couldn't understand why the Third brought it up now.
"It's about Madara Uchiha... To explain: during the Second Hokage's time, the village originally planned to carve giant statues of both the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha in the Valley of the End to commemorate that great battle. One reason was to honor the achievements of the First, the other was to indirectly recognize the Uchiha clan and ease their concerns.
But because of the Great Ninja World War, the plan was never carried out."
Erecting statues of someone who had defected and was later slain—was that really meant to reassure the Uchiha?
Still, should he remind his own clan to stay in line? Somehow, if this decision had been made by the Second, it was much more likely to be the latter.
"However, now that the war has ended, this matter is back on the agenda. I plan to assign you in charge of it."
Haseo thought for a moment. Might as well do something useful instead of sitting around doing nothing all day. So he asked, "Is there a dedicated budget?"
He knew exactly what mattered most.
"Yes, and it's more than enough."
Of course, the Third Hokage would provide funding.
"That's good to hear."
Haseo turned his gaze toward an invisible distant horizon cloaked in darkness before continuing to speak to the Third Hokage, "Lord Hokage, you deeply admire the First and the Second. So being placed alongside them… feels nice, doesn't it?"
This remark actually made the usually composed Third Hokage flush with embarrassment — a rare sight indeed. "You're truly insightful, Haseo. Looks like I've been found out."
But how smart was that really? Otherwise, how could the Third justify carving his own face into the Hokage Cliffs amid postwar rebuilding efforts, without first setting up a statue of the First as an excuse?
Putting up statues and carving cliff faces — both were essentially vanity projects.
Although Haseo saw through part of it, he still missed the other hidden motive behind the Third's assignment: the Hokage wanted to get rid of Haseo by sending him out of the village once he himself left. At least if Haseo had things to keep busy with, he wouldn't have time to meddle with unpredictable ideas again.
Which one was the main motive and which was just extra didn't really matter anyway. Either way, this arrangement perfectly achieved two goals at once.
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