When Haseo and Orochimaru arrived at the Valley of the End, they could see from afar a nearly vertical cliff face with a waterfall cascading down it. On either side of this waterfall stood two unusually large, azure-colored boulders, both of equal height.
Haseo couldn't remember whether the landscape had always looked this way or if it had changed after the battle between the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha. What was certain, however, was that before those two immortals fought their final battle here, this place definitely hadn't been called the Valley of the End.
A group of people were working feverishly beneath the waterfall, as if taking measurements.
When some of them noticed Haseo and Orochimaru approaching from a distance, they slowly realized they were ninjas from Konoha. Someone then stepped forward to greet them.
"Lord Haseo?"
The one who approached was human—a master craftsman in charge of the entire carving project. Previously, he had only been informed that an elite jonin named "Haseo" would come to supervise the project. Now, seeing two ninjas, he hesitantly addressed Haseo by name.
"It's me," Haseo replied. "Has the work already begun?"
There were about seventy or eighty craftsmen in total responsible for sculpting the statues. All were artisans from Konoha, so even though one side consisted of ninja and the other civilians, they were still all on the same team.
"The preliminary surveying is underway, but most of the preparations are already complete. Construction is expected to begin once you arrive," the head craftsman explained.
At first glance, big construction jobs like this might seem better suited for ninja, who could finish them faster—but that wasn't actually the case. For starters, ninja are full-time military and combat units. Even the average ninja would struggle to carve something as simple as a passable dog's head—they just didn't have the decades of dedicated skill honed by these master craftsmen.
Secondly, within the ninja villages, there was a clear division of labor—ninja focused on their specialized duties while ordinary civilians handled civilian work. If ninja took over civilian tasks, then the civilians would lose their livelihoods. So even if one ninja could technically get done what fifty men would do, the Hokage still had to think about employment rates.
"Do you have the design blueprints for the statues?"
"Yes." The head craftsman immediately handed over the blueprints to Haseo as he spoke. "These designs were personally selected by the Third Hokage."
On the blueprint, the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha each stood on opposite sides of the waterfall. Their upper bodies towered far above the flat cliff tops. This height corresponded exactly to the colossal azure boulders Haseo now saw before him.
That meant each statue was actually formed using the base of the cliff below and joined together with the boulders on top. Well, monolithic carving was already a technically difficult task, and the local topography simply wouldn't allow for it anyway.
Moreover, whether it was just his imagination or not, Haseo felt that these statues appeared much grander than he remembered... Perhaps because costs had increased, which allowed room for enlarging them. After all, recently the Third Hokage had successfully wrangled quite a bit of funding from the Fire Daimyo.
True to his reputation, this set of statues embodied that grand, rugged aesthetic — pieces meant to awe through sheer presence rather than intricate craftsmanship. Haseo had originally planned to decide the statue designs himself, but apparently, the Third Hokage had already made arrangements in advance.
That was a bit of a shame. Otherwise, wouldn't it have been quite artistic to have the First Hokage giving the middle finger in one hand and holding a basketball in the other? However, now he just had to go with what the Third Hokage said. He couldn't afford to improvise — after all, Haseo bore ultimate responsibility and would shoulder any failures.
"What about the timeline?"
"About one and a half years."
That was pretty urgent.
However, Haseo naturally wouldn't stay here the entire time. As long as he ensured the project started smoothly and would pass inspection when completed, he'd be fine.
"You're the experts here. I'll stay out of specifics — leave everything to your professional judgment. Honestly, I'm only suited for smaller projects, and my craft's gotten pretty rusty… Anyway, focus: the First Hokage's statue demands special attention. The others just need to look passable."
"Understood, understood."
Actually, the head artisan didn't fully understand — this was his first time hearing about applying different quality standards within the same project. That felt a bit absurd.
Still... even though the ninja standing before them looked extremely young, like someone not very reliable, ordinary villagers knew better — even such a "child" had blood-stained hands.
Besides, he was a Jonin. Everyone understood what being a Jonin meant — in other words, the number of lives he'd taken was definitely many times more than one could imagine.
Therefore, despite all being from the same village, the head artisan neither feared nor disliked Haseo, yet he certainly maintained an attitude of caution around him.
"Then let's start things off. Oh, and for any specific details, just consult this kid. For practical purposes, he's the Third Hokage's illegitimate son."
Orochimaru: "..."
Actually, what Haseo said wasn't wrong. Calling a direct disciple someone's son wasn't an issue — but well, why did it have to be an illegitimate son? That description really painted the wrong picture.
The head artisan became increasingly astonished — a child was entrusting work to an even younger boy, and that younger one turned out to be the Third Hokage's illegitimate son?
The Third Hokage always looked so noble and righteous — who'd have guessed... Suddenly, the head artisan recalled the image of the Third Hokage. The more he thought about it, the more suspicious he found the little mustache beneath his chin — it didn't look like something an upright person should wear.
Yet this matter was too confidential. The head artisan dared not spread rumors carelessly — otherwise, what if he got eliminated to silence him? Therefore, he decided to tell only his closest deputy — that second-in-command known for being honest and equally tight-lipped about secrets.
...
Thus, Haseo pitched his tent well away from the waterfall by the riverside, and the Valley of the End reconstruction officially kicked off.
Orochimaru was a capable kid — he handled every task in a well-organized manner, leaving Haseo very relaxed.
It all seemed perfectly normal... for two full days.
On the third day since their arrival, strange things began to happen.
It was nearly noon. Haseo and Orochimaru were having lunch when suddenly, a vividly blue snake—as thick as someone's wrist—crawled toward their feet.
"Did you summon this snake?" Haseo asked while holding his bowl, slurping some noodle soup before turning to Orochimaru.
Orochimaru shook his head. Why would he summon snakes at a construction site?
But no sooner had he shaken his head than he saw Haseo draw one of the two long swords from behind him. With a swift motion, Haseo drove the blade down, pinning the snake's head to the ground.
Then, with just a few quick movements, Haseo efficiently prepared the dozens of kilograms of snake—as food.
Orochimaru felt uneasy watching this. Was this some kind of punishment? He thought to himself, how could you skin someone else's big snake and plan on eating it?
"It's a staff perk. Let's see if any of the craftsmen like snake soup—it'll help replenish their strength after all this hard work."
Haseo truly was a kind-hearted person.
The matter should've ended there—but the next day, at noon again, another identical snake appeared.
Frowning, Orochimaru felt suspicious—the snake's eyes looked almost too intelligent. However, before he could figure anything out, everything became clear in an instant—
Because Haseo once again swung his sword down swiftly.
"Yesterday, everyone said the snake meat tasted great. They'd be happy to have more today too if we can manage it."
Orochimaru: ... [He sighed under his breath.]
Even if the craftsmen are eager for meat, couldn't they wait just three minutes? Just three?
Or maybe Haseo just really enjoys killing snakes?
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>